Six hours ago.
The night wind, laden with sand, swirled through the Sunagakure Camp on the border of the Land of Wind, heavily dusting the faces of the Amegakure ninjas.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey…"
The sound of Amegakure ninja spitting out sand echoed in the silent night.
All the Sunagakure flags had been taken down, replaced by the flags symbolizing Amegakure.
A patrolling Amegakure ninja yawned, walking back and forth along the edge of the dilapidated camp, his forehead protector occasionally reflecting a faint glimmer under the moonlight.
Around the bonfire, several Amegakure ninjas sat, their pupils reflecting the dancing flames. They sat in place, occasionally looking up at the night sky above them.
"I wonder when we'll get the signal from the First Ambush Unit." Worry appeared in an Amegakure ninja's eyes.
"Don't worry. We'll definitely get it." The Amegakure ninja opposite said firmly.
"That's right! Miozawa from the Trap Squad said Haruki went too."
"Don't you believe in Haruki's strength? Even if you don't believe in Haruki, you have to believe in his curse. Hahaha!"
The Amegakure ninja with a scar on his face let out a hearty laugh, which echoed in the night sky.
"Indeed. Although Haruki isn't even ten years old yet, his strength is much greater than that of an ordinary ninja."
Upon mentioning Haruki, smiles appeared on the faces of all the Amegakure ninjas.
"How lucky!"
An Amegakure ninja looked at the bonfire in front of him and sighed.
Even though he didn't finish his sentence, the others understood what he meant.
"Indeed very lucky."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Ever since Haruki came to Amegakure, everything had been developing in a good direction. The number of casualties in the village was decreasing, and battles were won one after another.
"I hope they can return safely."
"They will."
"I'm going to relieve myself."
An Amegakure ninja stood up and walked towards the broken wall in the darkness.
"Don't go too far." His companion warned.
"Don't worry. I'll just be on the other side."
The Amegakure ninja pointed to the broken wall standing in the darkness not far away.
"Alright." His companions glanced at him and nodded.
The Amegakure ninja entered behind the pitch-black broken wall, lazily unfastening his pants when his movements abruptly stopped. His eyes widened suddenly as his pupils sharply contracted.
Pfft—
The expression on his face froze, and the light in his pupils gradually disappeared.
A kunai pierced through his slightly open mouth with incredible precision and his body softly fell backward.
By the bonfire, the Amegakure ninjas' expressions changed.
A scent of blood permeated the air. It wasn't strong, but it was enough to alert them. They simultaneously stood up and looked towards the broken wall. The scent of blood was wafting from that direction.
Their companion just now…
Had been attacked.
As the Amegakure ninjas heightened their vigilance, a hint of sadness quickly flashed through their hearts.
At this moment, they felt an intense pain from behind, and the Amegakure ninjas' eyes widened.
Golden spikes shot out from the ground, instantly piercing through their bodies. It was so fast that they didn't even have time to react.
All sounds from the Amegakure ninjas were brutally stifled. Their bodies twitched, then crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of sand mixed with blood.
The dancing bonfire cast countless long shadows.
Rasa stood before the dilapidated gate of the Sunagakure Camp, almost able to imagine the despair and pain of his comrades being slaughtered by the Amegakure ninjas here. His expression was dark and cold.
"Let's reclaim what we've lost. Avenge our fallen comrades." His calm tone was filled with chilling killing intent.
Behind him, countless Sunagakure ninjas stared at the camp occupied by the Amegakure ninjas, their eyes gleaming with hatred.
They began to move, charging into the camp.
The silence under the starry sky was broken. Bonfires were kicked apart by countless feet, sending sparks flying.
The Sunagakure ninjas rushed in while the Amegakure ninjas were unprepared, launching a massacre. Screams and the dull thuds of weapons piercing flesh erupted almost simultaneously throughout the camp.
Countless Sunagakure ninjas suddenly leaped out from the shadows, their weapons slashing across the Amegakure ninjas' necks and piercing their hearts.
Blood splattered onto the tents.
Caught off guard, the Amegakure ninjas fell in swathes.
"Enemy attack—"
"Sunagakure!"
"It's Sunagakure!"
An Amegakure ninja let out a heart-wrenching alarm.
However, in just a moment, a kunai had already pierced his throat but his cry had an effect.
"Defend! Don't panic!"
The quick-thinking Amegakure ninjas roared at their companions around them. They steadied their formation and organized an effective resistance. However, the appearance of one figure easily shattered their defenses.
—Rasa, the Magnet Release user of Sunagakure.
The surrounding space seemed like water into which a stone had been thrown, intensely twisting and rippling. Countless tiny golden sand particles emerged from thin air, like a golden sandstorm swept up by a hurricane, instantly converging.
The golden light grew brighter and brighter, instantly forming a gigantic cube above the heads of the Amegakure ninjas. The cube floated in the air, like a dark cloud, enveloping the Amegakure ninjas, exuding a heavy sense of oppression.
A bad premonition simultaneously arose in the hearts of the Amegakure ninjas.
The next second.
The golden cube fell from above their heads.
Bang!
The ninjas on the battlefield seemed to have been paused. Both the Amegakure ninjas and the Sunagakure ninjas stared dumbfounded at the scene before them.
The golden cube crashed heavily into the sand. Blood mist mixed with the yellow sand in the air.
Dozens of Amegakure ninjas were crushed into minced meat by the golden cube before they even had time to scream. The remaining Amegakure ninjas stared intently at this scene, their eyes bloodshot.
Just like that…
Their comrades…
Just like that…
Intense hatred erupted from their eyes.
Unlike the Amegakure ninjas, the Sunagakure ninjas looked at Rasa with adoration.
"As expected of Rasa-sama!"
"Rasa-sama is so strong!"
"…"
Rasa looked at the remaining Amegakure ninjas, these people could no longer cause any trouble.
"I'll leave them to you." Rasa ordered the Sunagakure ninjas.
"Yes!"
The Sunagakure ninjas surrounded the remaining Amegakure ninjas.
One Amegakure ninja after another fell. Under the absolute numerical advantage, the Amegakure ninjas were slaughtered without even a chance to fight back. For a time, only the bodies of the Amegakure ninjas remained in the camp.
"Clear the battlefield."
"Yes!"
Sunagakure flags were re-planted in the camp and the bodies of the Amegakure ninjas were burned by the Sunagakure ninjas.