The two armies stood several hundred meters apart, locked in a distant standoff across the battlefield.
At the very center, clad in his wide Hokage robes, the Third Hokage stood alone.
His voice rang out, clear and commanding.
"Chiyo! Fourth Kazekage! I know you can hear me!"
His gaze swept across the opposing ranks, sharp and unyielding.
"You invaded the Land of Fire, wounded my disciple, slaughtered Konoha's shinobi, and even destroyed Kikyo Castle."
His tone hardened, each word carrying undeniable weight.
"Do you think this is a place you can come and go from as you please?"
A brief pause followed before he continued, his voice rising once more.
"And let me make this clear—you won't be leaving. Iwagakure has already entered peace negotiations with us. Minato and Jiraiya are already on their way here…"
"He's lying! Iwagakure would never negotiate peace with Konoha!" Chiyo shouted immediately.
If the shinobi of Sunagakure believed even a fraction of that claim, their morale would crumble.
After all, the names "Yellow Flash" and Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin carried enough weight to make anyone hesitate.
"Then prove me wrong, Chiyo!" the Third Hokage roared, his voice like thunder. "Kill me here, in front of everyone—prove that you are right!"
With a single motion, he shrugged off his flowing Hokage robes, revealing the black combat attire beneath. The twin ribbons trailing from his helmet fluttered in the wind as he stepped forward.
"Let this end here…" he declared, his voice steady, resolute. "Chiyo. Fourth Kazekage. In the name of Konoha's Third Hokage…"
"I challenge you both!"
This was the true bearing of a shinobi legend—Konoha's Third Hokage.
Time had not diminished him in the slightest.
…
.........
............
At the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, three paths stretched ahead—two main roads and one narrow trail.
"Commander Uzuki, from here on, we'll officially be entering the territory of the Land of Wind," Arai reported. As one of the captains under Shimizu Uzuki, he had taken on the role of coordinating nearly all logistical matters due to his experience.
Uzuki gave a small smile. "Arai, you don't have to be so formal. You're older than me—just call me 'Shimizu.'"
"Haha, fair enough," Arai replied without hesitation, immediately adjusting. "Shimizu, which route do we take next? The main road, or the smaller path?"
Shimizu glanced ahead, then briefly turned to look at Orochimaru. "I think we should take the narrow trail. It's less likely we'll be spotted by Sunagakure. What do you think?"
"The narrow path," Orochimaru answered succinctly.
Shimizu nodded, then turned to the others. "Anyone else have a different opinion?"
The group collectively shook their heads—his plan had their full agreement.
For a moment, Shimizu found his thoughts drifting back to the earlier exchange between Shisui and the Third Hokage. The presence, the composure… it was hard to believe those words had come from a nine-year-old.
Then again… Uchiha children always seemed to mature early.
Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to hear the boy's thoughts.
"What about you, Shisui?"
"Huh? Sensei?!" Shisui Uchiha snapped to attention, realizing he had been addressed.
Ever since Kikyo Castle, Shimizu had officially taken him in as a disciple—a moment that had left him elated for days.
The famed "Shunshin Shimizu" had accepted him as a student!
Wouldn't Fugaku Uchiha be proud of him?
And Itachi… he wondered how much his younger brother had grown by now.
"Shisui?"
"Ah—sorry," Shisui said quickly, regaining focus. "I think we should take the narrow path as well. It's longer, but right now, the most important thing is making sure Sunagakure doesn't detect our movements."
"But that would delay us by at least two days compared to the original plan," one of the captains pointed out with a frown.
"In that case…" someone murmured, "…we'll just have to trust that the Hokage can hold off Sunagakure's forces for at least three days."
Sunagakure had begun its withdrawal roughly half a day earlier than Shimizu's force, and when factoring in the time required to launch an attack on the village itself, everything hinged on that narrow window.
If the Third Hokage failed to delay them for three days…
then this long-range raid would likely end in failure.
But at this point, there was no other choice.
All they could do—
was believe in the Third Hokage.
"Then we take the narrow path," Shimizu Uzuki decided at last, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
With that single order, the eight battalions—288 Konoha shinobi in total—immediately began preparing to move out along the secluded trail.
"Wait! I know a shortcut—one that hardly anyone ever uses!"
A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, cutting through the movement.
"Hmm?" Shimizu paused, glancing over. "Arai?"
"It's him!" Arai quickly said, recognizing the speaker. "His name is Inohara Amane—he used to be a colleague of mine."
"Then bring him over. Let's discuss it together."
Moments later, a young man in his early twenties came jogging up, slightly out of breath but visibly excited.
"Wow… I finally get to see you up close!"
"…?" Shimizu blinked, caught off guard.
"I'm kind of thrilled, honestly!" the young man—Inohara Amane—said with a grin, eagerly reaching out both hands. "I've actually been a fan of 'Shunshin Shimizu' for a long time…"
Shimizu stared at him for a second.
Where did this… oddball come from?
And more importantly—could someone please take him back?
…But he did claim to know a critical shortcut.
So… fine.
Just a handshake.
Only a handshake.
Amane chuckled as he clasped Shimizu's hand. "Uzuki-senpai, it's me! Don't you remember? We've done missions together before!"
Shimizu's expression turned blank.
He had carried out far too many missions with far too many people.
Which one exactly was he supposed to remember?
"It's me—I was in the former ANBU Fifth Division too. Codename: 'Amane'!"
The Fifth Division…
That was the unit Shimizu had once belonged to.
Now that he thought about it, there had been someone with that codename.
What was he known for again…?
"…The 'fast runner'?" Shimizu ventured.
For a brief moment, the atmosphere froze.
The expressions of those around them turned… complicated.
Running away in battle?
"That—uh—that's just a nickname born out of jealousy toward my survival skills," Amane said quickly, forcing a laugh. "It's not accurate at all."
"Ahem…" Arai stepped in before things could spiral further. "To clarify—Amane excels in Earth Release techniques and has exceptional concealment abilities, so his survivability is indeed quite high."
"Oh, right," he added, "he's a tokubetsu jōnin, and his swordsmanship is quite solid too."
ANBU Fifth Division… codename "Amane"… skilled in Earth Release, stealth, and swordsmanship…
At last, Shimizu's memory clicked into place.
It was back in Konoha Year 42, during an S-rank mission in the Land of Bears. One of the enemy's strongest fighters had been defeated—not by anyone famous, but by a relatively unknown ANBU operative wearing a blue-and-white striped mask, who had subdued the opponent using genjutsu.
It had surprised Shimizu at the time.
After all, aside from Orochimaru, the Uchiha Clan, the Kurama Clan, and veterans like Kurenai Yuhi's father, there were very few recognized genjutsu specialists in the village.
Yes… it was him.
This former ANBU tokubetsu jōnin, codenamed "Amane," wasn't just skilled in Earth Release—he was also proficient in genjutsu, with exceptionally refined chakra control. During that mission, he had set up numerous traps, steadily draining the enemy's strength before delivering the final blow.
And after the battle…
He had been remarkably enthusiastic about looting the corpses.
All things considered, he was certainly… a very distinctive kind of tokubetsu jōnin.
"Looks like you remember now, Uzuki-senpai," Amane said cheerfully.
"I do. Your genjutsu left quite an impression," Shimizu replied, quickly steering the conversation back on track. "You mentioned you know a shortcut to Sunagakure?"
"Yes," Amane said, his expression immediately turning serious as he pointed to a location on the map. "I discovered it by chance during a mission years ago."
"If we follow this narrow path for about half a day, we'll reach this point. To the west, there's a cliff—if we descend it and cross the desert, then continue southwest, we'll arrive at Sunagakure."
"In total, it's still slower than taking the main road, but it's at least a full day faster than sticking to the narrow path the entire way."
He looked up. "What do you think?"
Shimizu didn't hesitate.
"Good. We'll proceed according to your plan."