After staying in the camp for a few more days and handling some matters, Sakumo left the Sunagakure front, fully entrusting the command to Hoshiyomi.
After Sakumo left, Hoshiyomi spent some time getting acquainted with the people in the camp. After all, they were going to fight side by side, and it wouldn't be easy to get things done without a basic understanding of each other.
Hoshiyomi had originally planned to continue nurturing relationships before launching an attack. However, he didn't expect that the Sunagakure forces were even more eager than he was.
The very next night after Sakumo left, they ambushed a patrol squad, injuring a Jonin and killing several Chunin and Genin.
Upon hearing the news, Hoshiyomi couldn't help but laugh in anger. He hadn't even gone after them yet, and they were already jumping the gun. Was this what they called "urgently wanting to die"?
Since Sunagakure had already made a move, Hoshiyomi naturally wouldn't let them shout so recklessly. He immediately gathered a quad of shinobi who had come from the Iwagakure front and another squad of recently befriended from the original stationed shinobi. He ordered:
"Since Sunagakure has taken the initiative to attack us, we can't let them underestimate us."
Saying that, Hoshiyomi opened the map of the Sunagakure front lines and pointed to a small town on the map:
"This town, Rain Mine Town, is one of the few iron ore storage locations in the Land of Rain. Currently, it is under Sunagakure's control. Every month, Sunagakure plunder a large amount of iron ore from here and sends it back to the village to make ninja tools."
"At the same time, this town is one of the most important outposts on the front line for Sunagakure, ranking among the top towns they occupy. Though it's important, it's far from their main camp, so Sunagakure can't station too many shinobi here, let alone any Jonin."
After introducing the general information about Rain Mine Town, Hoshiyomi tapped the location of the town on the map, creating a few short, dull sounds that immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
Looking up, they saw Hoshiyomi looking at them as he said each word.
"Our target for tomorrow night is this place.. We'll take this outpost in one fell swoop. I want the soldiers stationed here to be buried alongside our brothers who died today. Do you understand?"
Hearing such domineering words, the morale of the two shinobi squads was greatly boosted. The original stationed shinobi squad looked at Hoshiyomi with more recognition in their eyes.
They had previously only heard of how powerful Hoshiyomi-sama was on the Iwagakure front, having defeated this and that opponent, but they knew nothing about his personality.
In the past few days, watching Hoshiyomi in the camp, they had wondered if their new commander was too easygoing. Every day, he was either chatting with them or being affectionate with Lady Tsunade.
But they hadn't expected that Hoshiyomi-sama had such a fiery temper when dealing with external enemies. After being ambushed today, he immediately decided to take revenge. This was exactly the kind of leadership they admired.
"Understood!"
After hearing Hoshiyomi's orders, both shinobi squads eagerly rolled up their sleeves, itching to fly to Rain Mine Town right away.
Hoshiyomi, seeing their enthusiasm, nodded in satisfaction:
"Now that you understand, go rest. It's 8 PM right now. You have six hours of rest. I expect to see you all fully prepared at the camp entrance at 2 AM. We'll depart at 2:15. I plan to have lunch at Sunagakure's outpost in Rain Mine Town by noon tomorrow!"
...
That night, at 2 AM, Hoshiyomi finished preparing his gear and strapped his sword, the Mikazuki Munechika, to his waist. As he opened the tent, he was greeted by the sight of thirty Konoha shinobi standing in a black mass at the entrance.
Hoshiyomi nodded in satisfaction, said nothing further, and decisively spoke two words:
"Move out."
As soon as his words left his mouth, the thirty Konoha shinobi disappeared into the night along with him, heading toward their target: Rain Mine Town.
Sunagakure had just ambushed a Konoha patrol squad, and now, all of their forces were on alert, waiting for a potential night raid from the Konoha shinobi , eager to engage in a fierce battle.
What they didn't expect, however, was that a small squad had already taken a detour from behind the Konoha camp and was making its way directly to Rain Mine Town.
At 6 AM, Hoshiyomi and his thirty-odd companions quietly arrived at the outskirts of Rain Mine Town.
After waiting for a brief moment and confirming the patrol routes and numbers, Hoshiyomi didn't hesitate for a second. He raised his right hand, making a downward cutting motion.
Upon seeing this gesture, a few Konoha shinobi were visibly excited. They revealed themselves and charged toward the town's main gate.
The sentry on the guard tower, seeing the sudden appearance of the thirty-man squad, was startled. When he saw the Konoha forehead protector, his face turned pale with fear. He hastily reached for a bell nearby, intending to sound the alarm.
However, before he could raise his hand fully, a sharp sword energy flew toward him, slicing him cleanly in two. He barely had time to let out a gasp before collapsing to the ground.
The Konoha shinobi near Hoshiyomi stared in shock as he slowly sheathed his sword. They were at a loss for words.
Hoshiyomi had been about 30 meters away from the sentry, and the guard tower was approximately 10 meters high. In that distance, the sword energy was so fast that it killed the sentry before he could even sound the alarm.
What terrifying speed! The sword energy's speed was undoubtedly the fastest they had ever seen in their lives. If they were in the same position, could they have dodged that sword energy or even sounded the alarm in time?
The original Konoha squad members couldn't come up with an answer.
Is this the power of Hoshiyomi-sama? From this perspective, his strength might even surpass that of Sakumo-sama!
With this thought, the original squad's members' eyes lit up, and their already high fighting spirit surged even higher. In just a few moments, they charged through the gates of Rain Mine Town, ready to carry out a massacre.
On the other side, although the sentry hadn't managed to sound the alarm, the muffled thud of his body falling had alerted the patrol squad not far away.
The patrol squad quickly realized that a battle was about to break out.
However, things didn't unfold as smoothly as both sides had expected, because… the commander, Hoshiyomi, who had just sheathed his sword, made his move once again.
Iai Slash.
Hoshiyomi, who was leading the charge, activated his Shunpo and instantly appeared in the middle of the patrol squad.
Surrounded by the patrol members, Hoshiyomi remained calm in the face of the shuriken and kunai coming at him from all directions. He calmly drew the Mikazuki Munechika from his waist that had been building up power for a long time.
Zing!
A single slash of emerald swordlight tore across the patrol.
The Konoha shinobi, who had already begun forming seals to rush to their commander's aid, froze in astonishment. For before their eyes, every member of the patrol had already collapsed to the ground.
With one draw slash, fifteen chūnin and a tokubetsu jōnin—the entire paquad—were annihilated.