The next day...
Minato Namikaze coordinated with Aburame Shiken's insect clones to launch a targeted assault on an Iwagakure squad escorting the Kamizuru clan.
Then, they employed some very "upright and honorable" methods.
"Upright" meaning used head-on.
"Grand" meaning used in large quantities.
"Bright" meaning the insects emitted a vivid green glow.
"Clear" meaning a sedative that could knock someone out until the next day.
With the help of a special insect—the sedative bug—the Kamizuru clan woke up that morning and the first thing they saw was a group of Aburame clan members wearing sunglasses.
"Ahhh! Demons!"
This left the Aburame guards utterly speechless.
No wonder they came from a backwater place like Iwagakure. What do they mean, "demons"?
This is clearly called fashion.
"Shiken, you're here."
"Shiken."
Aburame Shiken arrived at the place where the Kamizuru clan was being held.
"The Kamizuru clan… insect users?"
That's a provocation, right? Yes, this must be a provocation, the Kamizuru clan head thought.
"Um… Aburame-sama, do you have any instructions for us?"
Huh.
Such a good attitude?
Didn't the clan head say we were mortal enemies? Wasn't his famous battle achieved by defeating the Kamizuru clan?
Shiken casually tossed out seventeen black insect eggs.
"Eat them. If you do, you live. If not, you die now."
So direct?
Isn't it supposed to be courtesy before force?
The Kamizuru clan head said nothing and swallowed one first.
Seeing this, the others quickly followed.
Living one more day is still living.
Though… the eggs were quite large.
The clan head forced himself to speak:
"My daughter is still very young. Can she… not eat it yet?"
It's over. He won't agree. He'll probably eliminate the roots right here.
"Fine. Just stay with her at all times."
…That easy to talk to?
"Also, you are not allowed to leave this camp for now. As for the future, I'll talk about it when I have time."
After saying that, Shiken left.
Before leaving, he added:
"Keep an eye on them. Improve their treatment a bit. They might join Konoha someday. But don't overdo it—they're not one of us yet. Just keep them two levels below us."
"No problem, Shiken. Leave it to me."
"Mm. Thanks, uncle."
Though he wasn't sure which branch this "uncle" belonged to, among those who could go to the battlefield, the Aburame trio were the youngest.
Calling him "uncle" wasn't wrong.
Even if the generation was off, it wasn't Shiken's fault. With over four hundred combat-capable members and more than a thousand people in total, it was impossible to know everyone.
...
Iwagakure...
After learning that the entire Kamizuru clan had been abducted, Onoki showed no anger.
They were meant to be sacrificed anyway.
Dying sooner or later made no difference.
Konoha would never accept a ninja clan from an enemy village during wartime.
But how exactly did they manage to snatch people away from within the Land of Earth?
"Someone, conduct a full investigation of Iwagakure."
"Yes, sir."
A few hours later, several ninja returned carrying a few glowing blue insects.
"Tsuchikage-sama, we found these insects, but we don't yet know their purpose."
"Send them immediately to the Intelligence Division and the Interrogation Division. Have them determine what these insects do."
The Intelligence and Interrogation Divisions internally screamed: We don't know how to interrogate bugs!
After the insects were taken away, Onoki fell into deep thought.
Compared to the Aburame clan, the Kamizuru were practically useless.
The Aburame could even deploy insects all the way into Iwagakure.
But they couldn't delay any longer.
According to the latest report from Kitsuchi, the Aburame had introduced yet another new type of insect. In just one day, casualties had reached two hundred.
If this continued, the Iwa ninja would be completely worn down.
Damn it. Why are these disgusting techniques always used against Iwagakure?
When fighting Kirigakure, there was the Second Mizukage's infinite explosive steam technique.
And now, the Aburame's insect attrition tactics.
Damn it.
They're just bullying Iwagakure for not having attrition-based techniques!
Before the next great ninja war, they must develop a no-loss attrition technique. The Explosion Release Research Institute had recently discovered a type of clay that reacted explosively—start from there.
After making arrangements, the Third Tsuchikage took flight toward the battlefield.
...
The next day, before dawn...
Onoki arrived at the Iwa camp, where Kitsuchi hurried out to greet him.
"Tsuchikage-sama."
"Kitsuchi, where is the enemy now?"
"We don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I've already deployed scouting teams throughout the Land of Fire, but we still haven't found a single trace of Konoha ninja."
"They've reached the Land of Fire already?"
Onoki felt a headache coming on.
He had planned to use Dust Release for a surprise attack to eliminate some Konoha forces—but if he couldn't even find them, what was there to ambush? The air?
"Advance slowly. I refuse to believe that once we step into the Land of Fire, they'll never show themselves."
"Yes."
...
On Konoha's side...
A blue screen appeared beside Aburame Shiken, displaying the scene of Onoki arriving at the Iwa camp.
"So you've finally come… what a pity. The big 'gift' I prepared for you won't be needed now. Blame Nara Shikaku for being too ruthless."
Originally, Shiken had planned to sacrifice half his forces to create a massive trap and deal a devastating blow to Iwagakure.
But Shikaku had already suppressed the momentum of Kumogakure's advance.
So there was no longer any urgency.
Instead, he planned to show the ninja world what true guerrilla warfare looked like.
That kid Ryoha—what kind of nonsense was he playing at?
Did he even understand what it meant to trade space for time?
Did he understand the pain of not being able to find the enemy?
Now that Onoki had arrived at the battlefield, Iwagakure had no more hidden cards.
Tailed beasts?
Even Kumogakure, who researched them the most, had suffered losses. Would other villages dare use them?
A jinchūriki that survives is already rare.
A fully trained one is even rarer.
Until they clearly understood how Konoha defeated tailed beasts, no village would dare deploy them recklessly.
Wasn't it obvious? The Sand Village's jinchūriki came and was sent back the same day.
Tailed beasts are easy to capture—but jinchūriki are hard to cultivate.
"But since Iwagakure has turned into a delaying front, it's time to apply pressure elsewhere."
"Minato, deliver these messages."
The ace courier, Minato Namikaze, was deployed.
"This one goes to Ryoha. This one goes to Orochimaru-sensei."
After that, head to the coastal front.
"This one is for Uchiha Kamito. This one is for Hyūga Hiyasu. If they reply, bring the messages back. If not, stay and fight."
"Leave it to me, Shiken."
With a bright smile, Minato vanished using the Body Flicker.
Watching him go, Shiken shook his head.
"So why exactly are you so fast? You don't have any strange kekkei genkai or Secret Technique."
One of the great unsolved mysteries of the ninja world:
Why is Minato Namikaze so fast?