The sandstorms at the Land of Earth's border weren't as relentless as the true desert wastes of the Land of Wind, but the constant, stinging spray of fine gravel carried on the wind was still unpleasant.
The Land of Fire and its verdant forests were a paradise by comparison—at least there, Yuta hadn't had to endure this kind of raw, abrasive exposure.
He half-crouched, fingers tracing the faint dampness in the gritty soil.
While most of the Land of Earth was a fortress of jagged mountains, some border regions, like this one, shared a rugged similarity with the Land of Fire's wilderness.
The tracks… They were hours old at least.
Had he missed them?
Yuta straightened, his gaze following the trail into the hazy distance. The path towards the Land of Rain.
'An Iwagakure squad heading for the Rain border at a time like this…' Had Danzo's plan actually worked? Did Ōnoki truly believe the Hidden Rain was responsible for hunting his ninja?
A deep instinct told Yuta something was off.
Ōnoki was a fox, shrewd and calculating. Falling for such a blunt frame-up seemed unlikely.
True, Yuta had been methodically culling the names on Danzo's list within Earth's territory, always leaving the unmistakable signature of Water Release behind. But he never believed the Tsuchikage would be fooled into targeting Amegakure.
'Unless… he wanted to target them anyway. This just gave him the perfect excuse.'
'Hmm? Movement.'
Yuta melted into the shadow of a large boulder, his presence vanishing.
Soon, an Iwagakure squad moved into his line of sight.
Leading them was the jonin Takahata Sugito, twenty-two, a master of Earth Release and, according to Danzo's meticulous file, a bearer of the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai. Threat rating: A-rank.
Among the three chūnin with him was another name from the list: Yasuda Yuma, thirteen years old, a dual specialist in Earth and Fire Release. Rating: B-.
Two high-value targets, delivered right to him?
Well… he'd be a fool not to take the shot.
Yet, Yuta held back, his patience a practiced weapon. He watched. The squad's trajectory was clear. They, too, were bound for the Land of Rain.
So, was Ōnoki really launching operations against the Hidden Rain?
'Closer… just a little closer.'
Yuta calculated the distance. 'Perfect.'
'Sage Mode. Activate.'
He could kill them easily as he was, but to avoid complications and end this cleanly, he'd go all out from the start.
Sage Art: Water Release: Heavenly Tear!
But this time, his targets were ready. The moment the deadly rain of water needles began to form, Takahata Sugito's hand shot out, hurling a cluster of clay-like orbs into the air.
'Clay bombs? Like Deidara's?'
It tracked. Iwagakure had its Explosion Corps; a ninja like Gari was proof of that.
The clay bombs were terrifyingly fast, intercepting the descending needles before they could fully fall. The first collision triggered a deafening BOOM.
A small, violent mushroom cloud erupted mid-air, followed by a thick plume of black smoke that bloomed right over Takahata's head.
Using the concussive vacuum created by the chain of explosions, Takahata didn't hesitate. He grabbed the two chūnin who weren't on the hit list and shot backwards in a frantic retreat. Yasuda Yuma was right behind his sensei.
'…What?'
This wasn't standard procedure. It broke every rule of engagement. When ambushed, a ninja's first duty is to secure their position, assess the enemy and environment, then decide to fight or flee.
Takahata had fast-forwarded directly to a full, pre-planned retreat.
'To protect the chūnin?' Yuta slowly shook his head. 'No.'
This was a trap. He was the prey.
The realization solidified just as a figure materialized in the air above him.
Short in stature, crowned with a simple straw hat. The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, in the prime of his power.
So, it was for him. But how had they pinpointed his location? Yuta ran through his recent movements.
He'd been deliberately erratic, never hunting in the same region twice. Yet, they'd still found him. Anticipated him.
Well, it didn't matter. If they'd come for him, he was ready.
"You must be Shimura Yuta," Ōnoki said, his voice dry and certain as he looked down from his aerial vantage. "The sixteen-year-old boy who killed the Third Mizukage. You look the part. Young. But this old man has his doubts. Did you truly kill a Kage?"
As his final word hung in the air, more than a dozen figures flashed into existence on the ground around Yuta. Takahata Sugito was among them, having safely stashed his junior charges.
Yuta didn't need to sense deeply to know. Every one of these new arrivals thrummed with powerful, controlled chakra.
'Elite jonin. Every single one.'
'To kill just me? They'd brought quite the party.'
"Whether I did or not," Yuta replied, his voice calm, "you're about to find out firsthand."
He paused, a faint, challenging smile touching his lips as he looked up at the hovering Tsuchikage.
"However, Ōnoki…"
"Hmm?"
Seeing that fearless expression, a sliver of cold doubt pierced Ōnoki's confidence.
"You didn't bring enough people."
Yuta's smile widened, a spark of genuine excitement igniting in his eyes.
"You should have brought ten thousand."
If Ōnoki had come with the full might of Iwagakure, like the army that had famously surrounded the Third Raikage, Yuta would have had a serious problem.
He wouldn't die like the legend of Kumogakure, but it would be a monumental headache and he would probably run away.
But this? A Kage and a squad of elites?
The pressure was… manageable.
Killing Ōnoki would be the hard part. But wiping out a dozen elite jonin? That, he could do.
A dozen of Iwagakure's best should be enough to make the old stone-bleeder feel the loss.
Under the collective gaze of the Tsuchikage and his hunters, Yuta brought his hands together in a single, soft clap.
A terrifying aura of power erupted from him, flattening the gravel at his feet and shaking the very air.
"Damn it!"
Ōnoki's pupils contracted to pinpricks. His body moved on pure, battle-honed instinct.
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