Dōto, the jōnin captain of the Iwagakure squad, was currently sprinting at full speed toward the emergency rendezvous point they had agreed on beforehand.
His team had been completely wiped out.
He himself had only managed to escape thanks to a secret technique passed down through his clan.
"That Konoha jōnin… he's ridiculously strong," Dōto muttered under his breath.
In more than thirty years as a shinobi, he had fought in battles both big and small. Yet among all the jōnin he'd encountered, only a handful possessed that level of strength.
Especially when it came to movement speed and casting speed—the man was easily among the best he had ever seen.
Dōto understood better than most how terrifying opponents like that could be.
An enemy with overwhelming speed and high-burst offensive jutsu was the stuff of nightmares for any ninja.
That was part of the reason he had chosen to retreat.
But the most important reason was something else.
That man's Lightning Release could effortlessly pierce through their Earth Release defenses.
Even one of his teammates—someone who specialized in defensive techniques—had been unable to withstand that lightning attack.
Which meant that if he had taken a hit like that…
He would have died just the same.
Their mission had been intelligence gathering, not dying in a pointless fight.
Before long, Dōto arrived at a temporary Iwagakure camp set up inside the Land of Fire.
The place was remote and rugged. Even during normal times, Konoha patrols rarely passed through this desolate region. Now that Konoha was already stretched thin by war, they certainly wouldn't waste manpower searching a place like this.
One of the Iwa ninja standing guard spotted him.
"Dōto?"
"So it's you, Sanchin," Dōto replied, his face lined with exhaustion.
"What happened? Why are you alone? Where are your teammates?"
"…Sigh."
Dōto let out a heavy breath.
"We ran into a tough opponent. The other three… didn't make it back." He paused briefly before continuing. "Is the captain here? I have something important to report."
"My condolences," Sanchin said, his expression somber. Then he added, "The captain's still inside the camp. He's been waiting for your team to return."
"…Alright."
...
A while later.
"So the Konoha ninja you encountered… you're saying his strength ranks among the very top even compared to elite jōnin?"
"Yes. I'm absolutely certain." Dōto's tone was firm. "I'm not exaggerating his strength. If I didn't possess my clan's secret technique… I'd be a corpse right now."
"That's hard to believe…" the captain murmured. "A ninja capable of wiping out an elite squad in just a few dozen seconds—and yet we have no intelligence on him whatsoever."
"With that kind of strength, how could he possibly be unknown in the shinobi world? It makes no sense."
"If it weren't for the fact that he didn't carry a saber, that white hair and Lightning Release..." Dōto said grimly, "I might've thought Konoha's White Fang had come back from the dead."
"The White Fang of Konoha…" the captain sighed softly. "Now that was a nightmare."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"Let's wait until the other teams return. Then we'll discuss our next course of action."
"…I'm truly sorry. The mission failed." Dōto lowered his head.
The captain stood up and walked over to him, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Don't blame yourself, Dōto. Our mission was to gather intelligence on Konoha's current situation. In a way, your squad's sacrifice has served as a warning to the rest of us."
"Now we all know Konoha has such a dangerous enemy lurking."
"I am ashamed," Dōto said quietly.
"One or two setbacks mean nothing," the captain replied calmly. "And this isn't even truly a failure."
"I believe the sacrifice of those three today won't be meaningless. Their deaths may give us greater leverage in the future war against Konoha."
After all—
"In war, intelligence always comes first."
Dōto hesitated before asking,
"…Will Iwagakure really go to war with Konoha?"
The captain looked at him and smiled faintly.
"Then why do you think the village sent us here?"
"We risked our lives to come all this way. Do you think it was just to check how comfortably the enemy is living?"
"…All I know is that the Second Great Ninja War ended not long ago… and now Konoha and Sunagakure have already ignited another conflict."
"The Land of Fire occupies the most fertile territory on the entire continent. If they didn't possess the strength to match that wealth, they would have long since been devoured by wolves like us."
The Iwagakure captain paused for a moment before continuing.
"And it won't just be us. Kumogakure has definitely started making moves. Maybe Kirigakure has been preparing for a while already. Everyone is watching the war between Konoha and Sunagakure."
"War… is the best way to redistribute power and resources."
"But Konoha's strength isn't something the other great nations can easily challenge," Dōto said.
From the Warring States Era, to the First Great Ninja War, and then the Second Great Ninja War just a few years ago—
For decades, Konoha had stood tall as the victor of one war after another.
Within Konoha were the great clans: the Senju, the Uchiha, the Hyūga, the Sarutobi, the Hatake.
Again and again, those clans had produced once-in-a-generation prodigies—geniuses who shook the entire ninja world.
And whenever disaster struck, those geniuses always managed to turn the tide and place Konoha back on the throne of victory.
Konoha's strength was undeniable.
"War isn't something you can judge with a simple comparison of strength," the Iwa captain replied calmly. "Just look at the Second Great Ninja War. Hanzō of the Salamander from Amegakure nearly crushed an entire Konoha army by himself."
"If Konoha completely defeats Sunagakure this time, then of course we'll withdraw."
"But what if they show even a hint of exhaustion?" he continued slowly. "What if they suffer heavy losses in their war against the Sand?"
"Why should we pass up such an opportunity?"
"I understand," Dōto said, bowing his head respectfully.
"Dōto, you have excellent combat instincts," the captain said. "But you shouldn't remain just a ninja… just an assassin."
"Don't forget—Lord Tsuchikage holds you in high regard. He hopes you'll accomplish something in politics as well."
"That's the real reason I brought you here this time."
"Yes, sir." Dōto nodded.
"Good. As long as you understand."
The captain nodded with satisfaction. Just as he was about to continue speaking, his expression suddenly hardened.
"Who's outside?!"
The two exchanged a glance and immediately used the Body Flicker Technique, appearing outside the building in an instant.
The sight that greeted them made their blood run cold.
Several Iwagakure ninja lay sprawled in pools of blood.
The two squads stationed here had been completely wiped out.
Not even a single alarm had been raised.
To accomplish something like this…
Just how strong was the enemy?
Standing nearby was a lone ninja dressed in dark green pants and a black shirt. He wore no forehead protector to identify his allegiance, but a mask covered the lower half of his face.
Was he hiding his identity?
"Who are you?!" the Iwa captain demanded, barely suppressing his anger.
The masked ninja ignored him completely and turned his gaze to Dōto instead.
"You're Iwagakure's 'Assassin,' right?"
"…Yes. And you are?" Dōto asked cautiously.
"The Iwagakure Assassin. Jōnin. Born into a clan specializing in secret techniques. Capable of using an invisibility technique that completely erases your presence."
The masked ninja calmly recited Dōto's information as if reading from a dossier.
Then he smiled.
"Perfect timing. I've been a little short on cash lately."
"So I thought I'd borrow some money from you."
"Money?" Dōto frowned.
Was this guy insane?
He had traveled all the way to the Land of Fire, tracked down an Iwagakure ninja by name… just to borrow money?
"Yeah," the masked man said casually. "I heard your head is worth twenty million on the black market."
"So I figured I'd borrow it for a bit."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Countless black tendrils shot toward the two Iwagakure ninja.
...
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