Border of the Land of Fire
The ninja force led by Jiraiya had already reached the borders of the Land of Fire.
The Sunagakure ninja were stationed outside the border and were completely unaware of Jiraiya's approaching forces.
Inside a temporarily erected command tent, Jiraiya asked,
"Hiashi, what's the situation?"
Using his Byakugan, Hiashi Hyuga surveyed the enemy camp and reported,
"So far, there is no sign of the Kazekage, Rasa. However, Sunagakure's elder, Ebizō, is present among their troops."
Jiraiya let out a quiet breath.
"It seems Rasa still has the pride befitting a Kazekage and didn't personally come to the front lines. But the fact that Ebizō—who has already stepped down from active duty—is here means Sunagakure is determined to see this invasion through."
He paused, then asked,
"What about the puppet master Chiyo? She's also retired—she should be here as well, shouldn't she?"
Hiashi shook his head.
"I haven't seen any sign of Chiyo."
Jiraiya paced back and forth, muttering to himself.
"That's strange… If Ebizō is here, Chiyo should be as well…"
He stopped abruptly.
"Forget it. Since they haven't discovered us yet, we need to act immediately. We must defeat Sunagakure's forces as quickly as possible to relieve the pressure on Konoha."
"Hayate Gekkō! Kurenai Yūhi! Might Guy! Asuma Sarutobi!"
The four ninja he called out straightened immediately.
"You'll depart tonight. Your objective is a decapitation strike on Ebizō. You must assassinate the supreme commander of Sunagakure's ninja forces!"
"Yes!" the four replied in unison.
After they left, a faint sense of unease crept into Jiraiya's heart. He had a bad feeling about this operation—it didn't feel like it would go smoothly.
His thoughts drifted back to the days when the Uchiha Clan was still part of Konoha.
During the Third Great Ninja War, the Uchiha were extreme in temperament, but their strength was unquestionable. They showed no mercy toward their enemies and fought without fear of death. As comrades-in-arms, they were more than reliable.
Wherever the Uchiha fought, victory was virtually guaranteed.
But now…
The unit lacked high-level combat power. The four ninja he had just dispatched were among the few elite jōnin Konoha could still field. Even then, Hayate was only a Tokubetsu Jōnin. As for Hiashi and the Hyuga clan—the unique nature of the Byakugan made them ill-suited for such high-risk missions.
The shortage of top-tier fighters placed Konoha at a severe disadvantage.
Jiraiya let out a long sigh.
"Old man… you've really gotten old. You hesitate when you should be decisive, and when you should hesitate, you act without restraint. The Uchiha clan… what a pity."
Though Jiraiya was Hiruzen Sarutobi's student, he held no prejudice against the Uchiha.
In fact, because Kushina Uzumaki—the wife of his disciple Minato Namikaze—was close friends with Mikoto Uchiha, Jiraiya had always had a favorable impression of the clan. He never believed the claims made by the higher-ups that the Uchiha were inherently radical and uncontrollable.
The current predicament Konoha faced had been entirely avoidable. In truth, it was the result of the village leadership's own actions.
Jiraiya shook his head helplessly.
This was precisely why he had never wanted to remain in Konoha. Even when Hiruzen had subtly hinted at appointing him as the Fifth Hokage, Jiraiya had refused.
In his eyes, Konoha had already begun to rot—and the root of that decay lay in the interest groups led by Danzo. Even if Jiraiya became Hokage, without sufficient backing or influence, he wouldn't be able to change anything. He would only become a puppet Hokage controlled by those factions.
Nightfall
The four jōnin designated by Jiraiya began their mission.
Under the cover of darkness, they advanced stealthily into the heart of Sunagakure's encampment.
Asuma exchanged a glance with Kurenai. She understood immediately.
"Genjutsu: Petals Falling Illusion!"
Once Kurenai completed her hand seals, countless cherry blossom petals drifted down from the sky.
The Sunagakure ninja on guard gazed at the beautiful petals, their eyes gradually losing focus as they fell into a deep sleep.
Once the guards were incapacitated, Hayate Gekkō drew the sword at his waist and swiftly executed the unconscious ninja.
After eliminating the sentries, the four advanced toward Ebizō's tent.
Kurenai and Hayate remained outside to keep watch, while Might Guy and Asuma silently slipped inside.
Ebizō lay asleep on his bed, completely unaware that Guy and Asuma had entered the tent.
The two exchanged a look and nodded.
Asuma pulled a kunai from his ninja pouch, gripping it in reverse, and stabbed toward Ebizō's neck.
Thud.
The kunai pierced its target—but something was wrong.
There was no blood.
Instead, Ebizō's body cracked like plaster, fractures spreading across its surface.
"A trap! Retreat, now!" Asuma shouted instantly.
But it was already too late.
Outside, Kurenai and Hayate were forced back into the tent as enemy forces closed in.
The sound of ninjutsu being unleashed rang out.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"
Razor-sharp blades of wind tore through the tent and slashed toward the four ninja.
Asuma and the others dodged swiftly, narrowly avoiding the attacks.
By then, Sunagakure's ninja forces had completely surrounded them.
And standing among them—very much alive—was Ebizō himself.
Leaning on his cane, Ebizō spoke coldly,
"Just as I expected. Konoha was certain to send ninja to deal with us first. How naïve."
As Sunagakure's chief strategist, Ebizō had already anticipated Konoha's attempt to intercept their forces and had prepared accordingly.
"Asuma, what do we do?" Kurenai asked, her brow furrowed.
"There's no choice," Asuma replied grimly. "The assassination failed. We fight our way out! Stick close to me!"
He rapidly formed hand seals.
"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"
A massive cloud of ash poured from Asuma's mouth, engulfing the battlefield.
Click.
Using a flint he had hidden in his molar, Asuma ignited the ash cloud. It erupted instantly, turning into roaring flames that ravaged the area.
"Now's our chance!"
Asuma called out, leading Hayate, Guy, and Kurenai as they used the smoke and fire to obscure the enemy's vision and retreat.
"Sarutobi Asuma… Hiruzen Sarutobi's son?"
Ebizō's powerful voice rang out from within the flames.
"How fortunate. I can't let you escape!"
Four puppets burst forth from the fire, blocking the team's escape route.
Meanwhile, despite Asuma's fierce attack, almost none of the Sunagakure ninja had been injured at all.
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