In the area farthest from the campfire, where the light was weakest, only a few torches had been stuck into makeshift wooden racks.
Two Sand shinobi stood back-to-back.
One of them was just about to tell his partner, "It's really quiet tonight."
But the words never left his mouth.
The shadow beneath his feet suddenly came alive.
The dark-brown earth swelled and warped without a sound, and a figure the exact same color as sand peeled itself out of the ground.
The whole thing happened in less than a blink.
The instant the figure appeared, one hand clamped over the Sand shinobi's mouth and nose.
The other hand drove a short blade with surgical precision through the gap between jaw and helmet, straight into the brain.
The Sand shinobi's body twitched once, faintly.
Almost in the same instant, his partner met the exact same fate.
Two corpses were lowered gently to the ground.
The infiltrator swiftly stripped off their outerwear, threw it over himself, then returned to their original spot in almost the exact same stance.
From a distance, it looked like the two figures were still faithfully standing guard.
The entire process produced not a single shout.
Not even the faintest abnormal ripple of chakra.
This was Iwagakure's secret technique: Doton: Sen'ei Ryūsuna no Jutsu (Earth Release: Hidden Shadow Flowing Sand Technique).
It wasn't a simple matter of hiding underground.
It was adjusting one's chakra frequency to perfectly match the surrounding sand and stone, becoming "part of the earth."
When moving, it was like water seeping into sand, slipping close for an assassination strike.
Only the most elite Earth Release users could master it.
And then…
Came Iwagakure's second wave.
Four Sand shinobi on the outer edge of the wagon defense ring were eliminated without a trace.
A three-man patrol heard something and rushed over.
They only became extra dishes.
"Tch, Sand shinobi are really this weak?"
"Their alertness is pathetic."
"Still, be careful…"
"Enough. Keep pushing like we were ordered…"
In those hushed mutters, the slaughter continued.
It was almost completely one-sided.
Wherever the Stone shinobi went, no one could stop them.
Worse, no one even noticed.
If someone could look down from a hundred meters up, they'd see something eerie and horrifying.
Starting from the camp's perimeter, an invisible "ripple of death" spread inward.
Where it passed, the Sand shinobi on watch vanished one by one…
One second they were standing there.
The next, they'd sunk into shadow and were gone.
And now, in the mountain hollow farther out…
Kurotsuchi and Bunmatsu crouched at the edge of a rock wall, watching the last infiltration squad disappear into the earth.
Bunmatsu raised his right hand.
His fingers spread, then slowly curled into a fist.
It was Iwa's tactical hand sign: "Phase One complete. No alarm triggered."
A curve tugged at Kurotsuchi's lips.
She stuck out her small tongue and licked her lips again.
This time, the motion was drenched in bloodthirsty excitement.
They met each other's eyes. No words needed.
Bunmatsu formed seals. His body slowly sank into the ground.
Like a stone dropping into water, without even a ripple.
Kurotsuchi followed, but chose a flashier method—
Her body melted into a puddle of dark-brown quicksand, flowing down along the cliff face.
Fast, and just as silent.
By the time Kurotsuchi and Bunmatsu infiltrated the camp's interior, the massacre had already reached the edge of the firelight.
The light was brighter here.
Sand shinobi sat in small clusters, eating, sorting their gear, talking quietly.
They still hadn't realized…
Nearly a third of their outer perimeter was already gone.
Kurotsuchi had slipped close to the center of the camp.
She hid in the shadow of a pile of cargo, watching three Sand shinobi ten meters away huddle over a small map and discuss the route.
She let out a soft laugh and formed seals.
The ground beneath them suddenly turned loose, like quicksand.
They jerked their heads down in shock as their bodies started to sink.
One of them reacted fastest, trying to leap free—
The ground hardened in an instant.
Like iron pincers clamping their ankles.
Then countless thin stone spikes burst upward.
They pierced them from below.
Not the vital points, deliberately avoiding instant death…
Thigh. Abdomen. Shoulder blade.
Agony made them open their mouths to scream.
But sand surged up and stuffed their throats full in one choking rush.
Kurotsuchi stepped out of the shadows, her footfalls light.
She stopped in front of one Sand shinobi who was still barely alive, crouched, and tilted her head as she studied his face twisted by pain and terror.
"Shh…"
She pressed a finger to her lips, her smile sweet. "Don't make noise. I'm working."
Her hand flicked.
A kunai opened his throat.
She stood, shook off the blood beads, then looked toward the largest wagon at the heart of the camp…
Bright lantern light spilled around it.
A silhouette could be seen sitting inside the carriage.
"The shortest-lived Kazekage…" Kurotsuchi murmured, her eyes glinting with a predator's light. "I'm coming for you."
Her figure blended back into the darkness.
She moved toward the wagon.
Behind her, the camp still blazed with firelight.
Sand shinobi kept eating and talking.
Patrols still walked their rounds. The night watch still stood post…
Everything looked like nothing had happened.
When Kurotsuchi was still dozens of meters from the central wagon, a powerful figure abruptly blocked her path.
Kurotsuchi revealed herself, frowning as she lowered her voice.
"What is it?"
It was Bunmatsu.
But his face was grim, his brow knotted hard. "Something's off."
"Hm?" Kurotsuchi didn't understand. "What's off?"
Bunmatsu scanned the surroundings, a chill in his gut.
"It's too smooth."
"Smooth is bad?"
"If the Sand shinobi were only this level, they never would've survived three Great Ninja Wars."
Kurotsuchi didn't buy it. "You're saying… it's a trap?"
Then she shook her head. "But the ones we killed were real bodies. Not clones."
Bunmatsu didn't answer.
His expression only grew heavier.
Kurotsuchi clicked her tongue, flicked her kunai, and pointed toward the shadowy figure inside the wagon.
"We're already here. We have to try, don't we?"
"The Kazekage's right there. If we take him down, who cares if it's a trap—"
"We can test it, but you're not going," Bunmatsu rumbled.
He raised a hand and gave a signal.
Two Stone shinobi shot out of the dark, hunched low as they moved in.
But the moment they were about to climb onto the wagon, something changed.
"Ah…"
Without the slightest warning, the two Iwa shinobi dropped to their knees.
Their limbs twisted like wrung rope.
A scream tore out of them—
And in the next instant, they collapsed, dead.
"Not good!"
Bunmatsu blanched, immediately moving to pull Kurotsuchi back.
He hadn't even understood how the other side had attacked.
He hadn't seen a single person move.
It was too bizarre.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk…"
And then, from inside the wagon, a voice sighed with mock regret.
"Why so jumpy? I've been waiting for this beautiful onee-san for a long time."
The wagon door swung open.
Teizawa stepped out, dressed in a black onmyō-style robe.
(End of Chapter)
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