A large convoy moved slowly through a dense forest, lush and vast like a sea of green. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the canopy, casting shifting shadows that draped the entire procession in a veil of mystery.
The accompanying shinobi wore serious expressions, alert and cautious. After all, the supply line was the lifeline of the frontlines—no one could predict when or where an enemy ambush might strike.
The rhythm of horses' hooves and the rumble of wagon wheels broke the forest's usual stillness. Birds, startled by the noise, flapped away in alarm.
Towering trees lined both sides of the narrow path, their interwoven branches forming a natural barrier. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, creating a constant rustling sound.
You had to hand it to the Land of Fire—their reforestation efforts were top-notch.
This escort mission was a large-scale wartime operation, and Team Inoichi wasn't the only squad involved. Sensor units, combat teams, command squads, even medical-nin had been assigned. The sheer volume of supplies meant the village couldn't afford even the slightest mishap.
Mitsuki's team was stationed at the front of the convoy. This position allowed Inoichi to scout ahead and relay intel to the command team as quickly as possible.
At that moment, Inoichi-sensei was briefing Mitsuki and Ruri — both of whom were participating in an out-of-village mission for the first time.
"Our team has two objectives during this escort: first, to detect potential ambushes; second, if enemies do appear, we'll assist the combat units in neutralizing them."
As Mitsuki listened, he'd already scanned the surrounding terrain for dozens of kilometers with his sensing ability—no signs of enemies so far. Still, he maintained a vigilant posture. At the very least, as the rookie of the squad, he had to look serious.
Inoichi gave a nod of approval. He was genuinely satisfied with Mitsuki—top of his class by a wide margin, yet lacking the arrogance that plagued many so-called "geniuses".
"Something on your mind, Inoichi?" Mitsuki asked.
"No, nothing."
Ruri, by contrast, was the opposite of Mitsuki. While her strength as an Uchiha wasn't in question, her understanding of warfare was still too shallow. Inoichi sighed inwardly.
Then again, maybe Ruri was more normal for a rookie. It was Mitsuki who was too composed. Hopefully, she'd adjust quickly once she experienced real combat.
"Hmm?"
Mitsuki's senses picked up a group of Sunagakure shinobi approaching from the distance. Around twenty in total, with two 4-man cells flanking wide to the left and right—clearly aiming for a pincer attack.
Without changing expression, Mitsuki glanced at Inoichi. This was the perfect opportunity to test his teacher's sensory range.
When the Sand shinobi reached within 8 kilometers of the convoy, Inoichi finally issued a warning.
"Alert! Twenty enemies detected. Twelve at twelve o'clock, four at three o'clock, four at nine o'clock. They appear to be attempting a two-pronged ambush."
As expected of the Yamanaka Clan — no need for vocal communication. The intel came straight through telepathy.
Mitsuki couldn't help but think,
"If this technique were used in battle just to trash-talk nonstop... that'd be a fun way to use it too."
Naturally, the command team received the mental warning as well.
Moments later, new orders came through,
"Team Inoichi, intercept the enemies on the right. Combat unit — send one squad to deal with the left flank, then reinforce Team Inoichi."
Inoichi quickly relayed the plan to his students.
"Move out!"
With that, all members of Team Inoichi headed toward the right side of the convoy.
Through Mitsuki's sensory field, he could clearly measure the chakra levels of the four enemy ninja—each one undoubtedly a jonin. Same on the left. And the group in front? Also high-level. Sunagakure wasn't pulling punches this time.
Even so, Mitsuki wasn't particularly concerned. The combat squads protecting the convoy were composed of Konoha elites — led by none other than a Sarutobi clan jonin.
He only had to focus on the enemies in front of him.
"Our mission is to stall until backup arrives. Do not prioritize killing. I'll engage two of the enemies. Heiji!"
"Yes, Sensei!"
"You take on one. Mitsuki and Ruri, take the last one together."
"Understood."
"Got it!"
On the other side, the Sand ninja were still waiting for signals from their main force — unaware they had long since been detected.
"Captain, we've gotten this close. If we don't act now, the Konoha forces will attack first!" one tall Suna-nin with war paint complained.
"Calm down" the captain said firmly. "Our job is to lure out part of the escorting force."
"The other team too?"
"Exactly. The main force won't give us a signal. We'll wait for Konoha to bite the bait, then send them a signal."
"Why didn't you tell us that from the start?!"
The captain instantly regretted explaining anything to this idiot.
But his expression suddenly shifted.
"You fool, Kurozuna! Shut up—they're here!"
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
As soon as the Sand ninja moved into range, Mitsuki launched the ambush.
With a flick of his arm, a single kunai glinting with cold steel shot forward—like a comet streaking toward the enemies' hiding spot.
As it flew, Mitsuki quickly formed a one-handed seal—and in the blink of an eye, the lone kunai split into thousands, filling the air in a storm of razor-sharp projectiles.
But this wasn't the standard Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu he used during training with Rin—this was its evolved form, imbued with Wind Release chakra nature transformation: Wind-Style Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The barrage looked like a hailstorm of floating turrets—ancient weapons delivering the force of modern artillery.
The dense forest stood no chance. Trees collapsed under the relentless storm, and the ground was left scarred with deep craters.
The battlefield looked like it had been bombarded by artillery—utter devastation.
Mitsuki glanced at the destruction and couldn't help but think:
"If this were my old world, where environmentalism was king, I'd probably be arrested for life after that."
Naturally, the Sand shinobi weren't amateurs. As one of the Five Great Nations, Suna's trained ninja were no slouches. Though the attack was sudden, it wasn't impossible to evade.
Their squad leader, Mashu, emerged from the blast zone and quickly fired a red signal flare into the sky.
"So that jutsu was your doing, huh, brat from Konoha?" Mashu eyed Mitsuki warily.
"You sure don't hold back."
Mashu had survived countless battlefields during the Third Great Ninja War. If there was one rule he lived by, it was: never mess with village prodigies—they're usually monsters in disguise.
In his estimation, the older shinobi wasn't a threat — especially if the Hyuga didn't close in. The girl was even less concerning — female powerhouses were rare in the shinobi world.
"Only that brat's worth worrying about" Mashu thought grimly.
Then, with a battle-hardened roar, he charged directly at Inoichi.
"I'll take their captain with Kurozuna! Hifumi, you take out the little punk who threw the shuriken!"