In the middle of the vast desert, a squad of about a dozen people formed a defensive perimeter around a battered carriage. Several hundred yards away, a figure was sprinting and hurling fireballs at the same time, scattering the four enemies engaged in a brawl.
Having just disengaged from the Konoha Jonin, the Rock Jonin Iwahira knew he was in trouble. Sure enough, without the Konoha ninja keeping him busy, that barrage of Phoenix Flower fireballs immediately changed trajectory, chasing him and his squad down.
In the time it took to retreat, Taiichi had already closed the gap, forming a pincer attack with Captain Yamaguchi against the enemy ninjas.
Facing a two-pronged attack from two Jonin-level threats, the three remaining enemies exchanged a glance. With practiced teamwork, they wove signs in unison.
"Earth Style: Stone Shower!"
Three ninjas casting the same jutsu together created a synergy that went way beyond simple addition. A landslide of rocks rained down on Taiichi and Yamaguchi with terrifying density. This wasn't something they could dodge with just agility and swordplay.
"Combined casting? You guys really are Rock ninjas," Yamaguchi shouted.
Taiichi wasn't about to be outdone. If they could combine for power, so could he.
"Captain!" he yelled, signaling for a setup. His hands flew through seals.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Roaring flames coalesced into a dragon, exploding into a sea of fire right in front of the Rock ninjas.
On the other side, Captain Yamaguchi matched his timing.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"
Chakra turned the sand into a rushing river of mud. It moved like a giant arm, sweeping toward the Rock ninjas and cutting off their escape routes.
Seeing the fire and mud closing in from both sides, the three Rock ninjas didn't panic. They slapped the ground simultaneously.
"Earth Style: Mobile Core!"
The ground beneath their feet trembled and suddenly shot upward, lifting them high above the mud river and the fire dragon.
But Taiichi wasn't going to let them get away that easily. He shifted his hand seal and poured on the gas. The standard orange flames suddenly turned a blinding, brilliant gold, and the temperature skyrocketed.
The raised earthen platform, which should have been their high ground, reacted like ice in a furnace. Ignited by the fire dragon, the rock began to melt into slag, slumping downward.
"Damn it! Where did this freak come from? Is that even Fire Style?"
A roar of disbelief came from the top of the melting platform, but it didn't stop their cover from turning into a pool of lava. At this rate, the trapped Rock ninjas were dead meat.
But just then, a signal flare from the diplomatic convoy shot into the sky. Even in broad daylight, it was impossible to miss.
"More enemies!"
Taiichi and Yamaguchi weren't overly panicked. They had left Shadow Clones behind. Since no memories had returned yet, the clones were still intact, meaning the situation wasn't critical. Priority one was still finishing the fight here.
On the melting platform, a massive wave of mud suddenly surged down from the high ground, smothering the flames and creating a path. The three Rock ninjas seized the opening before the fire could regenerate, breaking out of the encirclement.
"You think I'm letting you leave?" Taiichi sneered.
He tweaked the trajectory of the fire dragon. A tongue of golden flame lashed out, grazing the rearmost ninja. It was just a graze, but the Chunin didn't even have time to scream before he was reduced to a charred husk.
The two survivors in front widened their eyes in horror. That fire was a death sentence.
Abandoning any thought of a direct fight, the remaining Rock ninjas switched to long-range harassment, just trying to keep their distance. They had seen the signal flare too. They knew they had a Jonin hitting the convoy. They figured if they stalled, their backup would arrive. They refused to believe their Jonin leader could lose.
However, things rarely go according to plan.
While the two Rock ninjas were racking their brains on how to stall the Konoha duo, another signal flare went up from the direction of the convoy.
All four combatants stopped cold.
Konoha side: Huh. That's not our flare color. We're good.
Rock side: Holy crap. Is that a distress signal? From our guy? You're a Jonin and you're calling for help against a bunch of guards?
The two Rock ninjas looked at each other, then at the grinning Konoha ninjas closing in.
"Retreat!" Iwahira ordered instantly.
He turned and bolted without looking back. The surviving Chunin was right on his heels, and they vanished over the dunes in seconds.
"Captain?" Taiichi turned to Yamaguchi.
"Let them go. Our priority is the envoys. Besides, a Jonin who's focused entirely on running away is a pain to catch."
They stood on top of a dune, watching until they were sure the enemy wasn't doubling back, then headed for the convoy.
From a distance, they could hear Yohei's obnoxious laughter. He was clearly bragging about something.
When they dispelled their Shadow Clones and absorbed the memories, they got the full picture.
While Taiichi and the Captain were fighting, a Rock Jonin had indeed ambushed the convoy. However, Yohei's Sharingan was active, and he spotted the guy immediately.
Yohei, with his three-tomoe eyes, was already pushing Jonin-level power. Plus, in a 1-on-1 duel, the Sharingan is basically a cheat code.
Except it wasn't a 1-on-1. It was a 4-on-1 beatdown. Yohei, Saori, and two Shadow Clones of elite Jonin.
The Rock Jonin got jumped, panicked, and was overwhelmed by the sheer number of high-level threats. After a few exchanges, Yohei sliced his throat. It was a textbook case of dying from bad intel.
They packed up the battlefield—a Jonin's corpse is an intelligence goldmine for the decryption squad back home—and got moving.
The group was on high alert, but the two escaping Rock ninjas never returned.
Two hours after the convoy left, a squad of Sand ninjas arrived at the battle site. They silently inspected the traces of combat before grouping up.
"Captain. Five bodies. One of them is basically charcoal."
"Two factions. One uses Fire Style—insanely high power, probably Konoha. Their direction matches the Fire Nation diplomatic route. The other used Earth Style with signs of combination jutsu. Probably Rock Village."
"Rock ninjas coming into our territory to hit a Fire Nation envoy? What's their angle?"
"Rock Village loves stirring the pot. Provoking a war between us and Konoha is exactly their style."
"Alright. We've seen enough. We head back and report. The key points are the Rock ambush and that Konoha fire user. That melt pattern... that temperature is terrifying." The Sand captain shivered looking at the vitrified rock. "Move out!"
"Sir!"
---
Meanwhile, the convoy pushed forward, tense and focused. Finally, on the evening of July 24th, they crossed the border out of the Wind Nation and entered the Land of Rivers.
The setting sun cast a warm glow on their exhausted faces. Even the creaking of the carriage wheels seemed to lighten up.
"Finally. A decent night's sleep!" Yohei stretched his arms wide. He was done with the sand, the grit, and the blinding sun.
"Stay sharp. Those two Rock ninjas might try something in the Land of Rivers," Captain Yamaguchi warned in a low voice.
The tattered carriage curtain pulled back. The three envoys, looking eager, gave an order: "Head to the nearest city immediately. We need a full rest."
The guards acknowledged, and the carriage picked up speed.
Two hours later, they reached Three Rivers City, a major northern hub. The massive stone walls looked reassuring in the twilight. Banners hung from the gates, celebrating something. A quick inquiry revealed the news: The First Prince of the Land of Rivers had officially succeeded the throne ten days ago.
The envoys checked into the best hotel in the city and rushed to their rooms to scrub off the desert filth.
Captain Yamaguchi went out to gather intel while Taiichi and the others stood guard. When the Captain returned, he was actually smiling.
"The First Prince took the throne. The country is undergoing a massive personnel reshuffle."
"Yes!" The deputy envoy slammed the table, spilling his sake.
As diplomats, they knew the First Prince was pro-Konoha. His ascension was a direct win for the Fire Nation.
The dinner turned into a celebration. Even the stoic Captain Yamaguchi was dragged into drinking a few rounds with the envoys. Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori watched in surprise.
"If the First Prince is in charge, the Land of Rivers leans toward us. If the border is stable, our workload drops significantly," Taiichi explained to his teammates.
"No wonder the Captain is smiling. I've never seen him drink," Yohei muttered.
"He's happy because war just moved a few steps further away from home," Taiichi said.
"Oh." Yohei and Saori nodded. If the Second Prince had won, the Sand Village would have had free reign to march troops through this country right to Konoha's doorstep. That would have been a nightmare.
After a night of revelry, the envoys slept until noon. By the time they packed up and fixed the carriage, it was afternoon before they hit the road again.
The rest of the trip was smooth sailing. No sandstorms, no ambushes, not even bandits.
However, a few days later, Taiichi's sensory net picked something up.
A squad of Sand ninjas appeared on his radar. At first, he just kept tabs on them. But when they got within 500 yards and clearly spotted the convoy, they didn't veer off. They came straight at them.
Taiichi signaled the alert. The guards, used to Team 8's drills, tightened formation instantly.
Yamaguchi flickered to Taiichi's side. "Status?"
"Sand squad closing in. They feel hostile." Taiichi pointed.
Yamaguchi squinted. He could make out four figures. As they got closer, the hostility was palpable.
Likely seeing the diplomatic flags, the Sand squad stopped, scanned them from a distance, and then abruptly turned and left without a word.
The team looked at each other. That killing intent wasn't imaginary. It wasn't directed at them specifically, but at Konoha ninjas in general.
That meant only one thing: There was a Konoha ninja nearby being hunted.
Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori looked at the Captain, waiting for orders.
"We are on a mission. We can't abandon the client," Yamaguchi said, stating the hard truth. "And we don't know where our ally is. Splitting up blindly is dangerous."
The three students looked disappointed. Someone from their village was out there, alone and hunted.
"However," Yamaguchi added, pivoting 180 degrees, "we can't just ignore a comrade."
The trio's heads snapped up, eyes shining.
"Here's the plan. We use Shadow Clones. Send them out in different directions to scout. Make some noise to distract the Sand ninjas. If you find our guy, help if you can."
"Yes, sir!"
Poof. Poof. Poof.
Four Shadow Clones appeared. Taiichi's face went pale for a second, looking drained.
Saori grabbed his arm. "Taiichi?"
"I'm fine. Just... dumped most of my chakra into the clone," Taiichi said, popping a soldier pill.
Yohei stared at the clone, then at Taiichi. Splitting chakra unevenly like that was high-level control. Most people just split it 50/50.
"Don't look at me," Yamaguchi said, seeing Yohei's expectant gaze. "I can't do that. That requires insane chakra control and a deep understanding of the jutsu. I'm just a standard user."
Seeing Yohei's disappointment, Yamaguchi's eyebrow twitched. He fought the urge to punch the kid.
"Yohei, Saori, you two search East. Taiichi, West. My clone will go North. Move out!"
The clones scattered. The main team resumed escorting the carriage.
As expected, over the next few hours, news trickled back as the clones dispelled.
The Sand was hunting a Leaf ninja. They didn't know who. Yohei and Saori's clones made some noise, attracted a few pursuers, ran them in circles until their chakra ran out, and popped.
Yamaguchi's clone reported the same. Half a day later, they were all gone.
Team 8 worried. The scale of this manhunt was massive.
Now, only Taiichi's clone was still out there. The main body sat on the carriage roof, silent.
---
Meanwhile, Taiichi's clone was sprinting West. Even without using chakra for speed, his base physical stats made him fast.
Once he was far enough away from the convoy, he started blowing things up with Fire Style to attract attention. He kited a group of Sand ninjas, keeping them at the edge of his sensory range.
Whether it was luck or fate, during one of his sensory pulses, two figures flickered into the very edge of his range to the North.
If he had been a few hundred yards further away, or scanned a few seconds later, he would have missed them.
Taiichi checked his tail—the Sand squad was lagging behind. He immediately changed course, sprinting toward the two signals.
As he got closer, the picture became clearer. One of them was heavily injured, practically being carried.
When he closed the distance to about half a mile, the chakra signature finally resolved into a specific identity.
Taiichi froze.
It was the White Fang of the Leaf, Hatake Sakumo.