Southeastern part of the Land of Earth.
Within a continuous stretch of Gobi desert canyons, Team Seven—the sensei and his three students—escorted the merchant caravan as they slowly pressed onward.
As they walked, Kakashi suddenly stopped. He looked up towards the northwest, his gaze fixed on a large boulder situated on the left side of the distant canyon. Two figures stood silently atop it.
Behind Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura followed his line of sight and also immediately spotted the two distant figures.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Seeing them, Naruto and Sasuke instantly tensed, both drawing kunai from their pouches and assuming defensive stances.
"Don't act rashly! All of you stay here. I'll go ahead and investigate the situation," Kakashi said, holding out a hand to stop them, his back to his students as he gave the firm instruction. Without waiting for their reply, Kakashi flickered and sped off in that direction.
"Where is Kakashi-sensei going?" Sakura, who had just caught up from the rear of the caravan, asked with a puzzled expression as she watched Kakashi's departing figure.
"Quickly, have the caravan halt," Sasuke said, not answering Sakura's question, instead turning to address her. Hearing Sasuke's command, Sakura obediently complied.
Nearby, Naruto, seeing this, felt a pang of jealousy, but his expression quickly shifted to one of excitement at the prospect of an impending battle. He shot a provocative look at Sasuke. "Hey! When the fight starts later, let's see who takes down their opponent first!" So far on this mission, they hadn't encountered a single bandit trying to prey on the caravan. For most rogue ninja and common bandits, the reputation of Konoha was still a significant deterrent.
Sasuke glanced at Naruto, mouthed two silent words that looked suspiciously like "Idiot," then turned his head back to stare intently at the spot where the two figures were.
Swoosh~
Kakashi, with a single leap, landed on the left side of the canyon, about ten-plus meters away from the two figures. As he drew closer, Kakashi could finally see their faces clearly. His gaze first focused on the woman among the two. His first impression of her was: beautiful. The woman had long brown hair and two distinctive stripe-like markings on her face. Not only was her figure and appearance striking amazing, but her attire was also quite sexy and revealing. She was definitely the type that most men would find attractive.
Beside this woman stood a slender man. His long hair on the right side fell across his face, and his features were somewhat androgynous, almost delicate.
Seeing Kakashi, the woman spoke, her voice low and sultry, "You must be Kakashi Hatake of Konoha Village? My master is waiting for you over there." As she spoke, she gestured with her hand towards the area behind them. In the distance, amidst a low-lying cluster of Gobi rock formations, an inconspicuous building stood.
Kakashi didn't reply. He glanced back in the direction of his team, then, to the surprise of the two figures, he turned and headed directly towards the location the woman had indicated.
Seeing Kakashi's unexpected compliance, both figures on the boulder looked astonished. They had expected to have to put in some effort, perhaps even fight, but they hadn't anticipated their target would acquiesce so readily. This development left them momentarily disoriented.
However, a smile quickly spread across the androgynous man's face. He turned to the woman beside him and said with a chuckle, "Heh heh! Things are going surprisingly smoothly, aren't they? As for those little brats down there, will you take care of them, or shall I?"
The woman looked up towards the sky and replied, "There's no need for us to act. Ran will take care of them." High in the sky, under the bright sunlight, a small dark speck could be faintly seen, circling continuously.
After speaking, the woman began to follow Kakashi, trailing behind him as he headed towards the building. The androgynous man, seeing this, showed a flash of annoyance on his face, pursed his lips, then also followed.
In the canyon below, watching the two figures successively follow Kakashi and depart, Sasuke's expression gradually grew more and more solemn. The way events were unfolding was completely unexpected. Kakashi-sensei had actually abandoned them and gone off alone! What on earth was happening?
Beside him, Naruto, who had been spoiling for a fight just moments ago, now also wore a puzzled expression. Behind the two boys, the merchant caravan had halted under Sakura's instruction, and an uneasy murmur was spreading through the group.
Just then, the sharp cry of a hawk echoed from the sky above. Looking up, they saw a dark shadow circling in the distant sky, gradually descending and rapidly flying towards their position in the canyon.
Not good! Seeing this, Sasuke's expression changed instantly. He immediately activated his Sharingan. With the aid of his crimson, single-tomoe Sharingan, Sasuke could finally make out the appearance of the dark shadow in the sky. It was a massive flying beast, its form unlike anything Sasuke had ever seen before.
The flying beast quickly soared over Naruto and Sasuke's heads. With a gentle flap of its enormous wings, countless feathers, each bearing strange, intricate patterns, began to rain down from the sky, blanketing the entire area where the caravan was situated. As these light, feathery projectiles landed on the ground, the special patterns inscribed on them immediately began to glow with an ominous light.
"Get down! Dodge!" The moment the feathers began to glow, Sasuke sensed the imminent danger and quickly shouted a warning to Naruto.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Immediately following his warning, a series of deafening explosions erupted. Amidst the dense explosions, countless plumes of dust and rock debris shot into the air, quickly filling the entire canyon with a choking haze. Screams of pain and cries of alarm echoed through the cacophony of the blasts.
When the dust finally settled, the merchant caravan, which had been relatively orderly just moments before, was now in complete disarray. More than ten people had died in the explosions, and many others were injured.
Bastard! Naruto, having just managed to dodge the explosions, scrambled to his feet. Seeing the carnage, an uncontrollable rage surged through him. He looked up towards the sky.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
About ten meters away, hovering at a low altitude, the giant flying beast remained stable, its enormous wings beating steadily. On the beast's back, a man stood, a mocking sneer on his face as he looked down at them. This man was precisely the "Ran" the woman had mentioned earlier. All three of them—the woman, the androgynous man, and this Ran—were subordinates of Hiruko. The giant flying beast beneath Ran's feet was a monstrous creature created by Hiruko using his Chimera Technique.
Just as the man was leisurely observing Naruto below, a sense of smug satisfaction on his face.
"Naruto!" From the distance, Sasuke's sharp cry cut through the air. Over there, the dust and smoke kicked up by the explosions had not yet completely dissipated.
Zzzzzzt! Chiri, chiri, chiri!
A series of sharp, crackling electrical sounds and the distinct chirping of birds suddenly echoed. From within the swirling dust, Sasuke's right hand lit up with a blinding, intense lightning glow. Two of Naruto's Shadow Clones rushed forward, grabbed Sasuke, and then, with a powerful, coordinated spin, hurled him upwards towards the sky.
Hearing the commotion, the man standing on the flying beast's back turned his head to look. Through the hazy dust, a figure suddenly shot out, flying straight towards him. Seeing this, the man's expression changed drastically. The speed and coordination of Naruto and Sasuke's reaction had completely caught him off guard.
Under the man's astonished gaze, the airborne Sasuke thrust his right hand forward with all his might.
Shlick!
The hand, crackling with blinding lightning, streaked past the man's right arm, leaving a bloody gash. Blood splattered through the air!