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The night was pitch black.
Several dark boats silently left the Land of Fire's port, merging into the vast night.
Mei Terumi's special operations team was on these boats.
The cold sea wind brushed Mei Terumi's cheeks, and the chill calmed her chaotic thoughts considerably.
She stood at the bow, gazing at the dark sea in the distance.
At its end lay her homeland.
And it was the place where she was about to start the flames of war with her own hands.
"Lady Mei."
Keisuke appeared behind her. Compared to a year ago, he no longer had the youthful innocence of a boy. He had become calm and capable.
"We have entered the Land of Water's waters. We are expected to reach the landing point in two more hours."
"Understood." Mei Terumi did not turn around, merely giving a soft reply. "Have everyone prepare."
"Yes."
Keisuke acknowledged the order and left.
Looking at his back, Mei Terumi felt a little dazed.
It was as if she saw herself many years ago, also full of love and hope for the village.
But now... She shook her head, pushing away these useless emotions.
She was no longer Mei Terumi of Kirigakure.
She was now the Land of Fire daimyo's wife and the commander of this special operations team.
Her only mission was to carry out that man's orders.
At all costs.
Meanwhile.
On the border of the Land of Earth, within the Land of Grass.
In the mountains and forests, dozens of dark figures moved swiftly, landing silently, blending into the night.
Their speed was extremely fast, their movements silent.
The leader was none other than Kakashi Hatake, the son of the former Konoha White Fang and now an Anbu squad leader.
A group of Anbu elites, skilled in infiltration and assassination, followed behind him.
They had only one mission.
Find the Land of Earth's most important grain storage and leave a coordinate there sufficient to activate the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Captain, we have been on the move for ten consecutive hours. Do we need to rest?" an Anbu member asked in a low voice.
"No." Kakashi flatly refused. "Minato-sensei and Jiraiya-sama's forward unit will launch a feint attack on the Land of Earth's border fortress tomorrow at dawn."
"We must be in position before then!"
"Otherwise, their feint attack will turn into an all-out assault, and many people will die."
These words tightened everyone's hearts.
They knew very well that this mission concerned the entire war situation.
If they succeeded, they could cripple the Land of Earth's war potential with the smallest cost.
If they failed, their Konoha comrades would have to fill Iwagakure's strong defenses with their flesh and blood.
"Everyone, speed up!"
Kakashi gave a low shout, his silver-white short hair fluttering in the night wind.
"Yes!"
The squad's speed increased once again.
The Land of Earth, its only plain area.
An endless wheat field stretched under the moonlight, glowing with a golden shine.
Huge grain storage buildings, like hills, stood in the center of the plain.
This was the Land of Earth's lifeline, guarded with extreme strictness.
Over five hundred Iwagakure shinobi were stationed here.
They were divided into dozens of patrol teams, patrolling nonstop twenty-four hours a day.
In the shadows, who knew how many Iwagakure scouts were monitoring every move here.
The guards were so strict that not even a fly could get in.
On a lookout tower, an Iwagakure shinobi was yawning with boredom.
"Seriously, the Tsuchikage is making too much of a fuss."
He complained to his companion beside him, "Those weak fighters from the Land of Fire can't even touch the border fortress. How could they fly all the way here?"
"Exactly!" another person agreed. "Making us guard a pile of grain is a pure waste of time."
"Shut up, both of you." The team leader scolded. "Be careful if Kitsuchi hears you; you'll be in for it."
The two reluctantly closed their mouths, but the bored looks on their faces remained unchanged.
Since the end of the Warring States period, no shinobi village had ever invaded the Land of Earth.
It was the Land of Fire, supposedly the strongest, that had been invaded in all three Great Shinobi Wars, although they eventually pushed back.
So they didn't believe for a second that anyone could break through Iwagakure's defenses and reach this place.
However, none of them knew.
Dozens of meters beneath their feet, a series of figures were moving silently.
"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return."
Kakashi formed hand seals, rapidly moving deep underground, with the Anbu following closely behind him.
This was their planned infiltration method.
Since the surface and sky were sealed, they would enter from underground!
In the team, the sensory shinobi's sensory ninjutsu was constantly operating at full power.
Although they were not as powerful as the Hyuga clan's Byakugan, at close range, they could still clearly sense everything on the surface.
The patrol routes, the locations of hidden sentries, the range of the defensive barrier... All intelligence was presented in their minds.
During their movement, the sensory shinobi continuously adjusted their direction, perfectly avoiding one trap and detection ninjutsu after another.
They were steadily approaching the heart of the Land of Earth.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Dawn was drawing nearer.
Kakashi's heart was in his throat.
According to the timing, the front-line troops should have already started their actions, and a major battle was imminent.
They had to be faster!
Finally.
The sensory shinobi in front stopped and signaled that the target had been found.
Kakashi immediately signaled the team to stop and observed with his sensory ninjutsu.
An area with an abnormally strong chakra reaction instantly appeared.
The Land of Earth's largest central grain storage!
And their ultimate goal for this mission!
"It's there!" Kakashi gestured to the teammates behind him.
Everyone understood, silently scattering and moving beneath several grain storage buildings.
Then, they all pulled out a special kunai engraved with complex formulas from their pouches.
The Flying Thunder God kunai.
They gently inserted the kunai into the soil layer above.
After completing all this, everyone gave the signal.
Mission accomplished, withdraw immediately!
The squad began to return the way they came, the entire process without making a single sound.
On the surface, the complaining Iwagakure guards were completely unaware of everything happening underground.
They also didn't know that a sharp sword was already hanging over their heads.
The moment Kakashi led the squad to successfully withdraw.
A thousand miles away, at the Land of Fire's border fortress.
Minato Namikaze seemed to sense something and suddenly opened his eyes.
Looking at the distant land dyed red by the morning sun, a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"Kakashi succeeded." He said to his teacher, Jiraiya, beside him. "Jiraiya-sama, it's my turn!"
"Good!" Jiraiya said with concern. "Be careful."
He then turned to the Konoha army, which had already assembled and was ready for action behind him, raising his arm.
"Everyone!" Jiraiya's voice boomed as dawn arrived.
"Attack!"
"For Konoha!"
"Roar!"
Earth-shaking shouts of battle erupted.
Countless Konoha shinobi leaped out from their hiding places, launching a fearless assault on the Land of Earth's border fortress!