Hearing Mabui's words, the Sandaime Raikage (Note: Text says Sandaime, but context clearly implies Yondaime A. Corrected to Yondaime in translation for consistency) leaped up and landed on a giant rock.
"I know that old fox Ōnoki isn't here to fight."
"But him coming is enough."
"As long as Iwagakure people are present, that madman from Konoha will include Iwagakure in his calculations just as I think."
Yondaime Raikage A gazed towards the hinterland of the Land of Fire and spoke deeply.
Behind him, Mabui stood silently. She couldn't refute the Raikage's words.
Because she knew this lord could no longer listen to any advice.
From the moment news came that the Kumogakure squad was wiped out in the Land of Fire, war became inevitable.
What A wanted wasn't just victory, but to thoroughly destroy Konoha's backbone, destroy that Uchiha Kaze who dared to provoke Kumogakure's majesty.
"Pass down the order."
"All squads, disperse and advance. Target Konoha village. All resistance along the way... exterminate!"
A turned around, his voice like muffled thunder.
"Yes."
Mabui lowered her head in response and withdrew.
She returned to the temporary command tent and began issuing instructions.
Soon, ten elite squads separated from the main force, stabbing towards the hinterland of the Land of Fire like ten sharp knives.
Each squad was led by a Jōnin and composed of 3-5 Chūnin.
They excelled at infiltration, reconnaissance, and rapid raids; they were Kumogakure's sharpest fangs.
The mission was simple: probe the reality of Konoha's defense line, clear sentry posts along the way, and open the path for the main force.
...
Within the Land of Fire.
Inuzuka Tsume (Note: Text says Inuzuka Ryo/獠, likely OC or Tsume. Context implies a strong Inuzuka leader. Keeping as Ryo as per text) squatted in the shadow of a hillside, a giant ninja dog nearly two meters high at the shoulder lying beside him.
Fangs exposed, saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth, a low whimper coming from its throat.
"Quiet, Kuromaru (Note: Text says Huimaru/灰丸. Keeping as per text)."
"Prey is coming soon."
Inuzuka Ryo patted the ninja dog's head, the corners of his mouth rising to reveal sharp canine teeth.
Behind him, dozens of Inuzuka clan ninjas were scattered and lurking.
Each person was accompanied by at least one ninja dog. These specially trained ninja dogs could not only track and fight but also transmit simple intelligence through scent.
Further away were ninjas from other clans—Hyūga's Byakugan looming in the woods, Aburame's insect swarms lurking under branches and leaves, Uchiha's Sharingan flickering in the shadows.
"Coming."
"Ten o'clock direction, one squad, seven people. Leader's Chakra amount... Jōnin level."
Hyūga Getsumu's intelligence was transmitted to everyone's ears through the Aburame clan's insect swarm.
"Received." Inuzuka Ryo licked his lips. "Huimaru, pass it down, this one... belongs to us."
The giant ninja dog stood up, threw back its head, and let out a short, low roar.
Dozens of ninja dogs rushed out from their hiding spots simultaneously, pouncing towards the target direction like gray lightning.
The Kumogakure squad had just crested a hill.
The leading Jōnin was named Raiga, skilled in Lightning Release and swordsmanship.
He raised his hand to signal the team to stop, frowning deeply.
"Something's wrong... too quiet."
Raiga's intuition told him there was a problem here.
Konoha absolutely wouldn't be unclear about Kumogakure's movements.
They had already crossed the border of the Land of Fire and entered Konoha's defense zone.
No matter how arrogant and crazy Konoha was, there shouldn't be not even a single sentry post.
"Captain, situation!"
"Over there... something is moving!"
A Chūnin pointed to the woods ahead.
Raiga looked closely; the bushes at the edge of the dense forest were trembling.
The next moment, dozens of pairs of eerie green eyes appeared in Raiga's vision.
"Ninja dogs?"
"Konoha's Inuzuka clan! Retreat..."
Raiga's heart tightened, and he immediately issued a retreat order.
But it was too late.
"Gatsūga (Fang Passing Fang)!"
Two gray whirlwinds rushed out from the woods, instantly shredding the bodies of the two Chūnin at the very front.
Blood and minced flesh sprayed all over the ground.
"Enemy attack!"
"Raiton: Raiga Zan (Lightning Release: Lightning Fang Slash)!"
Raiga drew his sword, Lightning Release Chakra wrapping around the blade.
Sword light slashed at the gray whirlwind, but the whirlwind split into two, cleverly avoiding the attack.
Landing and revealing their figures—it was the man-dog combination of Inuzuka Ryo and Huimaru.
"KumogakureJōnin?"
"Just right, a few brats in my family are still short of merit to be promoted to Jōnin... your head is enough to share."
Inuzuka Ryo tilted his head, a trace of excitement flashing in his eyes.
Isn't the ninja promotion reform promulgated by the Godaime · Uchiha Kaze the best time to acquire merit now?
"Arrogant!"
"Raiton: Raiga Bakuha (Lightning Release: Lightning Self-Destruction/Blast)!"
Raiga roared, lightning surging all over his body.
Violent Lightning Release Chakra exploded, but Inuzuka Ryo had already retreated with Huimaru.
At the same time, dozens of Inuzuka ninjas poured out from the surrounding woods, each accompanied by a ninja dog.
"Inuzuka Style: Pack Hunt!"
Dozens of ninja dogs pounced simultaneously, coordinating with their masters' Taijutsu to form an airtight attack net.
The Kumogakure squad was instantly submerged, screams rising one after another.
Raiga gritted his teeth wanting to break out, but a kunai shot out from the shadows, accurately piercing his wrist.
"Sorry, you can't leave."
"Our captain said, this team... must be completely wiped out."
Hyūga Getsumu walked out from behind a tree, pure white eyes locking onto Raiga.
"Hyūga... and Uchiha's Sharingan..."
Raiga looked around and finally understood.
This wasn't an encounter battle.
This was... a trap.
"Konoha... you were prepared long ago..."
"Guessed right."
"Too bad, no prize."
Uchiha Nagasawa's figure appeared behind him, a short sword gently slicing across Raiga's throat.
Blood spurted.
Kumogakure Seventh Squad, wiped out.
Time taken: two minutes and seventeen seconds.
...
Similar scenes played out everywhere along the border.
Kumogakure Second Squad encountered Aburame clan insect swarms in the river valley, dying of suffocation after being drained of Chakra.
Fifth Squad tried to break through from the air, was knocked down from the sky by Hyūga clan's Hakke Kūshō (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm), and burned to charcoal by Uchiha's Fire Release upon landing.
Ninth Squad was the most miserable—they ran into the squad led personally by Akimichi Chōza.
The giant fist of the Multi-Size Technique directly smashed the entire squad along with the rock they were hiding in.
Three days.
Just three days.
Mabui stood in the command tent, looking at the information of the ten teams that had not returned any feedback since the mission was issued.
Ten squads.
Seventy elites.
All... silent without a trace.
"Lord Raikage..."
"The ten advance squads we sent out... all lost contact."
Mabui's voice was dry.
In this situation, what losing contact meant... was self-evident.
In the center of the tent, A was lifting stone weights for exercise.
Hearing the report, his movements paused, and the stone weights smashed onto the ground with a "boom".
"Wiped out?"
A's voice was very calm, but the temperature inside the tent dropped suddenly.
"Yes."
"The sensory ninja I arranged just sent back intelligence."
"Found traces of battle, but... didn't sense a single Kumogakure ninja."
Mabui lowered her head, somewhat powerless.
"Prepared long ago?"
A turned slowly, lightning flickering in his eyes.
It seemed that Uchiha Kaze, who overturned Konoha overnight, killed the Sandaime Hokage, and controlled the Kyūbi, was not as incompetent as he imagined.
"Lord Raikage, we..."
Mabui hesitated to speak.
"Continue advancing."
"So what if they were prepared long ago? In the face of absolute strength, any scheme is a joke."
A interrupted her, his voice resolute.
He walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and looked towards the direction of Konoha in the distance.
This time, he originally intended to tell Konoha, tell that madman... what true power is!
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