The two days passed in a blur of preparation.
Before dawn on the third day, Nagato led a large group of heavily armed Akatsuki ninja toward the border region with the Land of Earth.
"These border guards are dangerously lax."
Under the pale moonlight, Nonou could see the soldiers from the Land of Earth patrolling along the border line.
They wandered in clusters, chatting and laughing, showing no sign of vigilance at all.
"Nothing surprising. Who'd expect us—the Land of Rain—to dare attack the Land of Earth?"
Nagato's words carried double meaning—after all, the Land of Rain was small—a mere speck compared to the Land of Earth—and still officially an ally.
Even the Earth Daimyō and Ōnoki probably never imagined the Akatsuki Village would be the one to initiate war.
"Lord Nagato, shall we attack directly?"
Standing behind Nagato, Nakamura Daiki couldn't hide his excitement, showing no sign of fear.
After many years, finally taking offensive action against the Land of Earth felt like a moment of long-awaited retribution.
Back then under Hanzō's command, they had been bullied enough by Iwagakure ninja.
[Let's go!]
With a slight movement of his fingers pointing forward, Nagato wore a faint smile on his lips.
"Hai!"
Nakamura Daiki nodded firmly before flashing a fierce grin, charging out ahead of everyone.
"Daiki seems especially excited today."
Nonou stifled a giggle behind her sleeve, and before long, only she and Nagato remained at the spot.
"To secure this mission slot, Daiki almost got into a fight with Yuki over positions."
"They must not enjoy being assigned to just watch duty, huh?"
Nagato teased lightly, prompting Nonou to burst into laughter again.
Picking the team was entirely Nagato's responsibility; she had no idea about the fight over positions.
"Do you think Ōnoki will lose his temper?"
Imagining Ōnoki furious made Nonou laugh even harder.
That short-tempered old man probably hits hard when enraged.
"Haha~ That's none of my concern."
"How long do you think it'll take for Iwa reinforcements to arrive?"
Nagato had no intention of fighting personally—his subordinates were more than capable of handling these border troops.
"There are special channels to contact Iwagakure from the border barracks."
"They won't make us wait too long, I'm sure."
Nonou clearly understood the purpose of this mission—to lure out some Iwagakure ninja.
"That's good to hear."
The battle had already erupted ahead, and as Nagato spoke, his gaze shifted forward.
"Just don't kill them all."
Watching the lopsided battle unfold, Nonou suddenly felt uneasy.
These soldiers from the Land of Earth weren't putting up much of a fight—if they're all killed, who'll carry the message back?
"Don't worry, I've already given orders."
Nagato remained confident—this situation had already been covered when he instructed Nakamura Daiki.
While the two were still chatting, the battle ahead was nearing its end.
"So weak. So damn weak."
"You guys aren't even worthy of Lord Nagato lifting a finger."
Wiping blood off his cheek with the back of his hand, Nakamura Daiki stepped closer to a fallen soldier, long blade in hand.
"Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!"
The soldier, completely broken in spirit, crawled backward in desperation, terror etched across his face.
"Pathetic."
"Call me 'Grandfather,' and I might let you live."
Suddenly, Nakamura Daiki's sense of humor took a cruel turn. He slung the long blade over his shoulder, wearing a grin that sent chills down the spine.
"Grandpa~ Grandpa~"
The Land of Earth soldier dropped to his knees and began kowtowing repeatedly like a pounding pestle.
"Haha! What's the point in sparing a coward like you anyway?"
Laughing loudly, Nakamura Daiki kicked the soldier onto his back before turning to chase another fleeing enemy.
Worried that one messenger wouldn't be enough, he created several new 'grandsons' that night.
"Not bad at all."
Trying to suppress a chuckle, Nagato praised Nakamura Daiki. Despite how exaggerated his act was, their goal had been achieved.
"Oh come on, it's all thanks to Leader's teachings."
At this moment, Nakamura Daiki looked as honest-looking as a clumsy bear standing before Nagato.
"Enough already. Might as well go all-in with the act."
"We should keep moving deeper inside."
Clearly annoyed, Nonou cut through their mutual flattery.
According to plan, they still needed to stage an invasion deeper into the Land of Earth.
"Of course, whatever Lady Nonou says."
With exaggerated respect, Nagato offered a mocking bow.
"Ugh, how annoying."
Nonou shot Nagato a glare but her face clearly showed amusement.
Daiki pretended to stare at the sky, pretending not to watch the young couple bicker.
"Move out."
At Nagato's command, the Akatsuki ninja team advanced steadily toward the heart of the Land of Earth.
They walked openly and confidently—not exactly relaxed, but definitely free of tension or anxiety.
Meanwhile, ōnoki had already flown into a rage the moment he received the news.
"Useless! All of you are useless!"
"Can someone explain what's happening?!"
"How did we miss even the slightest sign?!"
"You! You! Or maybe you?!"
At the first point of ōnoki's finger, anyone targeted would instantly drop their head, too terrified to make eye contact.
The atmosphere in the Tsuchikage's office plummeted to freezing cold.
"Tsuchikage-sama, the situation unfolded too quickly for us to be fully at fault," the intelligence chief said, biting the bullet.
In recent years, their focus hadn't been on the Land of Rain. In truth, none of them had expected this small allied nation would dare wage war against the Land of Earth.
"Silence!"
ōnoki became even angrier the moment the man opened his mouth.
In his mind, this was purely a failure from the Intelligence Division.
"Yes…"
His head had barely lifted for a few seconds before lowering again, anxiously waiting for ōnoki's judgment.
This chapter is not over yet!
(If you enjoyed this, check out: Naruto: Starting from Pursuing Tsunade)
"Father, please calm down."
"What matters most now is stopping the Akatsuki ninjas from advancing."
A tall, muscular man bent slightly to speak with ōnoki, his tone steady.
His nose was nearly identical to ōnoki's—this was Kitsuchi.
Back during the Second Shinobi World War, he'd been young and weak, but now his strength ranked among the top in Iwagakure.
[Deep breaths...]
Hearing his son's words helped. ōnoki took a deep, calming breath, attempting to regain control.
Everyone present silently sent grateful glances toward Kitsuchi; an enraged short old man was truly terrifying.
"Based on information from the border..."
"This time, the Akatsuki forces are led by Nagato. They've brought a considerable force."
"Their goal remains unknown for now, but make no mistake—this is an outright invasion."
"I have only one response to these invaders."
"Eradicate them. No survivors."
Ōnoki bellowed furiously, slamming his palm onto the desk.
The solid oak desk splintered on impact, sending papers flying everywhere.
"Who among you is willing to go?"
After briefly releasing his fury, Ōnoki's rage had cooled—just slightly.
But the hesitation in their expressions only reignited his fury.
"Has Iwagakure become a den of cowards?"
"Is a child like him really making you afraid to fight back?"
Ōnoki could guess their thoughts. Nagato, who had defeated Tsunade, was indeed a terrifying opponent.
None of those present were confident they'd survive a direct confrontation with Nagato.
Still, survival was second nature to every man here.
"I'd like to see for myself just how strong this Nagato really is—whether he's as powerful as they claim."
Rōshi couldn't let that insult stand—not from this irritating old fool.
"No."
"Given Han's current condition, Kitsuchi will go with you."
Even though Ōnoki called Nagato a brat, he held no illusions about underestimating him.
Even against someone like Tsunade who had achieved Full Tailed Beast Transformation, he couldn't say he'd definitely win.
But that was just speculation—he knew he'd probably never get the chance to fight Tsunade alone.
"Yes, Father."
Kitsuchi gave a calm nod, his expression unreadable.
"You two leave at once—with your squads."
"Move out! And the rest of you—don't think I'm done with you!"
After Rōshi and Kitsuchi left, Ōnoki chased the remaining people out.
"Such is the Akatsuki... such is Nagato."
Staring at the wrecked desk, Ōnoki's eyes burned with murderous intent.
...
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