Border patrols were usually carried out in teams of two or three, following fixed routes.
This was enemy territory.
If Yubi wanted to kill Rain shinobi, it had to be a one-strike kill. He couldn't give them any chance to send signals or alert others.
Otherwise…
"Another thing…"
Yubi hung upside down from a tree, chakra flowing to the soles of his feet as he clung to the branch.
Before his eyes was a thin white thread wrapped around the trunk—fine as a strand of hair.
Clearly a trap.
One careless step would trigger an alarm and expose him.
Just like Sunagakure, Ame relied on familiarity with the environment. Their traps were hard for outsiders to notice precisely because of unfamiliar terrain.
Fortunately, thanks to his knowledge of the original story, Yubi had some understanding of the Land of Rain and forest combat.
In the next instant, he vanished.
Concealing one's presence, disguise, meticulous observation—these were all part of a shinobi's strength. They'd learned them in the Academy.
Covering a vast border by manpower alone was impossible. By this stage of the Second Shinobi World War, both Ame and Sunagakure were short on manpower.
So the best method was to lay countless traps along the border to stop intruders.
Ame undoubtedly knew these traps by heart.
Soon, Yubi spotted more: explosive tags hidden on tree bark, and trigger boards suspended in the canopy that would fire volleys of kunai once activated.
All of it was within his expectations.
Even so, he moved through the forest with extreme caution.
Suddenly, his ears twitched.
A sound.
He slipped into a bush beneath a tree.
Moments later, a Rain shinobi appeared overhead, inspecting the traps as part of routine patrol. He didn't notice Yubi and soon left.
Yubi didn't attack—he couldn't be sure there weren't others nearby.
After some time, he familiarized himself with a section of the forest and claimed it as his hunting ground. Before hunting, he needed to understand the terrain.
He then moved ahead to another trap location and hid in the shadows.
Sure enough, the same Rain shinobi soon returned.
Leaning behind a tree, Yubi glanced around once more. Confirming the target was alone, he quietly tightened his grip on his scalpel.
Whoosh—
In the Land of Rain's damp climate, explosive tags easily became ineffective. They had to be replaced often.
As the shinobi finished replacing the tag, a sharp killing intent struck.
Reacting on instinct, the Rain shinobi raised his weapon and prepared to dodge while searching for the attacker.
But he hadn't expected the enemy to be so fast. He misjudged the attack route, assuming a close-range strike.
Instead, Yubi leapt over his head and landed behind him.
"A kid?"
The Rain shinobi's expression shifted.
He felt no pain. Had the boy missed?
"Sunagakure…" he muttered coldly upon spotting Yubi's forehead protector, preparing to send a signal.
Then he froze.
His pupils widened.
Only now did the pain arrive—his throat had been slit.
The boy's strike had been silent and precise.
From the start, Yubi had read his movements perfectly. It hadn't been a miss—it was a flawless assassination.
The Rain shinobi fell from the tree. Yubi caught the body, hid it in the grass, and erased the traces.
Half an hour later, another Rain shinobi arrived—searching for his missing comrade.
"Strange… where did he go?"
He landed on a branch, frowning as he scanned the area.
There had been no signs of intrusion. If his partner had been attacked, there should've been noise.
He had followed footprints here.
Just as confusion crossed his face, a chill ran down the back of his head.
Behind him, a face dropped silently from above—Yubi.
Leaves fluttered down with him.
To the Rain shinobi, the boy seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Yubi struck.
The slender scalpel pierced the back of his head effortlessly. As the body went limp, Yubi caught it, hid it, and erased the traces again.
"Two missing shinobi will alert the outpost. The next prey will be cautious… it won't be easy," Yubi muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Under such tight defenses, even killing a few enemies would be difficult. And the mission had a time limit.
If large-scale alert spread… the situation would worsen.
"I'll do what I can."
He smiled and vanished into the forest.
He needed new hunting methods.
—
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Two Rain shinobi stared in horror at two corpses hanging from a tree.
Their comrades.
Fresh blood dripped onto the ground.
A boy crouched above them, staring down coldly—like he was already looking at corpses.
"A Sunagakure puppet user—send a signal—!"
One shouted while the other reached for a signal flare.
Before they could act, they heard creaking.
Two puppets shot forward, controlled by chakra threads.
With a twitch of Sasori's fingers, the puppets transformed into spiked wooden slabs.
Smack.
Like crushing walls, they slammed together—pinning the two shinobi between them.
Blood burst forth. Their bodies were pierced through.
Dead instantly.
Sasori showed no emotion. With a flick of his fingers, the puppets returned.
Unlike Yubi, he didn't clean the scene.
After killing, he simply left.
Completely unconcerned with hiding his tracks.
Almost as if he was killing in broad daylight.