The southeastern border of the Land of Fire was a maze of dense trees, tangled roots, and air thick enough to chew. A hundred Konoha shinobi moved through it in silence, spreading out to map every slope, stream, and patch of unstable earth. Behind them sat an army waiting for answers. One wrong detail could sink a battle before it even started.
Hyūga Tennin stood balanced on the branch of a massive oak, his Byakugan open, veins raised at the corners of his eyes as chakra threads lit the world in pale lines. He scanned the jungle ahead for several long moments before lowering his chin slightly.
"Well?" he asked, voice low.
A chūnin knelt by a patch of exposed soil. "Nothing special, Tennin-san. The terrain's normal. Same mix of hard earth, dry rock, and old roots. No strange water pockets, no mineral build-up. From our camp to Daxiekou Pass is just straight forest."
Scouting the earth wasn't glamorous, but it was life-or-death. Water-heavy soil boosted Water Release users. Dense minerals made Earth Release harder to shape. The wrong ground could betray you faster than the enemy ever could.
Tennin exhaled through his nose. "Good. Predictable terrain means fewer surprises. I'll take boring soil over dead teammates."
Then his expression snapped cold.
"Movement."
He vanished behind the thick trunk in a blur. In three seconds, every Konoha shinobi in the area disappeared into brush, shadows, and branches. A hundred hearts held still.
Down in the forest, ten shinobi in mismatched armor sprinted through the undergrowth, the emblem of the Wind Demon Clan stitched onto their sleeves. The squad leader, a weathered man with a long scar on his jaw, glanced toward the young woman beside him.
"Kayo. Anything?"
The sensory-nin shook her head at first. "No abnormalities, captain."
But her brows tightened. A flicker of doubt chased across them. She looked like someone second-guessing a whisper only she could hear.
She wasn't wrong.
"I felt something," she muttered. "A fluctuation. It was faint… then gone. Maybe I imagined it."
Her captain slowed. "You're our sensor. If you think something's off, speak."
She hesitated. "I… don't know. It happened too fast."
Up above, Tennin's pale gaze tracked the entire ten-man squad from a kilometer away. Stealth didn't exist against Byakugan. He made a subtle motion with two fingers.
Across the jungle, hidden shinobi nodded. Dozens of kunai drew in perfect silence.
Just as Tennin prepared to signal the kill order, Kayo stopped dead.
"Captain," she said sharply, "wait."
He froze. "Explain."
"I feel it again. A pressure. Something wrong ahead." Her hand tightened around her kunai. "I think… no, I'm sure. There's a Konoha ambush up there."
The captain's jaw clenched. If they turned back, they failed their mission. If they continued, they risked dying before they even screamed.
Above them, Tennin clicked his tongue. "…Troublesome." He signaled another command.
A shinobi kneeling in the shadows pressed both palms to the ground.
"Secret Technique: Flying Sparrow."
Chakra lines pulsed, shaping earth, ink, and intent. A tiny sparrow materialized, feathers etched with faint seals. It fluttered once, then darted toward the Wind Demon squad.
Kayo sensed something overhead and looked up.
A sparrow perched on a branch. Ordinary. Harmless. Grooming itself.
Her breath caught. "Just a bird…?"
She shook her head. Get it together.
Then her mind clicked.
"No. That's wrong."
Every real forest animal avoided shinobi. Instinct. Survival. Birds never perched near ten warriors dripping with chakra.
Her eyes widened. "Captain! That sparrow—"
Too late.
A second sparrow streaked toward them at high speed. This one burned bright with seals, its body wrapped in crackling chakra.
"Kayo!" the captain shouted. "Move!"
She twisted just as the sparrow detonated.
BOOM.
Fire, earth, and splintered bark tore across the forest. The explosion ripped trees open like paper screens. Leaves turned to ash before they hit the ground.
Hyūga Tennin shifted forward, eyes narrowing.
"So the Wind Demon Clan wants to test us." He raised one hand toward his squad. "Give them their answer."
The forest erupted.
...
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