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That evening, the setting sun bled across the sky.
The convoy reached a mountain valley.
The moment Kankurō saw the terrain ahead, his brow tightened without him meaning to.
It was the textbook definition of a kill zone.
On both sides rose heavily weathered rocky mountains, their faces layered with striations carved by time.
Countless boulders of all sizes clung loosely to the slopes.
As if they could tumble down at any moment.
Between them ran a natural gorge, roughly a hundred meters wide.
The valley floor was flat, but the walls on both sides towered high, blotting out most of the sky.
Worse still…
Inside the gorge were massive piles of rock formed by collapses and erosion, along with dead poplar trunks that still hadn't fallen.
Those obstacles were a tactical nightmare.
Perfect places to hide an ambush.
And they restricted how the convoy could spread its formation.
"Kazekage-sama."
Kankurō quickened his pace and caught up to the command wagon. "That gorge ahead… isn't it too dangerous?"
"The ground is low, there are too many obstacles on both sides, and the sightlines are cut."
"If we get hit there…"
Teizawa stood at the front of the wagon, staring toward the gorge entrance.
At Kankurō's words, he only turned his face slightly.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile.
"Dangerous?"
He repeated the word, amused.
"Kankurō, try looking at it from a different angle…"
He hopped down from the wagon, took a few unhurried steps forward, and pointed at the slopes on both sides.
"Don't you think this place is basically… the perfect spot to rob and kill?"
Kankurō froze.
His brain took a few seconds to process what he'd just heard.
Yes, it was perfect for robbing and killing.
But would the killing be ours and the loot be ours too?
When it clicked, Kankurō's face went pale.
"You mean…" he lowered his voice. "There's an ambush? Then why are we still…"
"Why are we still choosing to camp here?" Teizawa picked up the thread, turning to face him. "Why wouldn't we?"
He strolled back to Kankurō.
"From day one, the moment we left the daimyo's palace, we knew someone was tailing us."
"The attacks from those wandering shinobi have been too frequent, too regular…"
"It's like someone's using cannon fodder to test our responses, drain our stamina, and map our security habits."
Teizawa raised his hand and held up three fingers.
"First day, evening. Twenty-three men. Harassment from the southeast."
"Second day, midday. Thirty-seven. A probing rush from the northwest."
"Third day, before dawn. Fifty-eight. Three waves cutting in from different angles."
"This afternoon. Eighty-five. Better gear, clear tactics."
Each time he spoke, he folded down a finger.
"This doesn't look like a spur-of-the-moment robbery. It looks like organized… advance reconnaissance."
A chill crawled up Kankurō's back.
He replayed the details of each fight…
It was true. The attackers' tactics had grown more structured each time.
They hadn't made waves against a thousand Sand shinobi.
But they had been learning patterns.
"I'll give them this," Teizawa said, and there really was a hint of admiration in his voice. "They're cautious."
"They're patient. Whoever's leading them knows how to hold his nerve."
He paused, eyes fixed on the gorge as it darkened.
"But if they don't move now, they won't get another chance."
Kankurō jerked his head up.
"Once we clear this area, seventy km west of here puts us inside the direct control range of Sunagakure's outer sentry posts," Teizawa explained. "Warning barriers. Patrols. Garrison forces that can reinforce at any time."
"Once we reach that, any attack turns into suicide."
He turned back, his gaze deepening.
"So if they really want to swallow this piece of meat, then tonight…"
He looked straight into the dark mouth of the valley.
"Right here…"
"It's their last chance."
Kankurō's scalp prickled.
And he finally understood.
This guy, only a few years older than him at most…
He knew all of it.
But Teizawa had been in the carriage the whole time.
How did he know so much, down to numbers and directions?
"So…" Kankurō murmured. "You're… offering them an opening."
"Exactly."
Teizawa admitted it without hesitation, even smiling.
"A perfect opening. Tempting. Impossible to refuse."
"The terrain is dangerous and ideal for an ambush… but if they can ambush, so can we."
"There are obstacles everywhere, so the convoy can't spread… but that also prevents a mass charge. We can wipe them out in segments."
"And it'll be dark soon, visibility will be poor… but don't forget what Sunagakure is best at."
Kankurō answered automatically, "Desert and night fighting."
"Right."
Teizawa patted his shoulder.
It wasn't a hard slap, but it carried weight that made Kankurō's chest feel heavy.
"So you see? This isn't a kill zone for us."
"It's a hunting ground we chose on purpose."
He turned toward the convoy, which had already halted, and his voice rose sharply.
"Pass the order… make camp on the spot!"
"Pull the convoy inward. Wagons form a circular defensive formation."
"Light fires and cook. Make the campfires big enough that they can be seen from ten miles away!"
The orders rippled outward immediately.
The shinobi were confused about camping in terrain this dangerous, but no one questioned it.
Their near-religious devotion to Teizawa made obedience instinctive.
They moved at once, executing with steady discipline.
Heavy wagons were pushed to the outer ring, forming the first barrier.
Light wagons and the vehicles carrying the most valuable goods were guarded in the center.
The campfires were deliberately built hotter and brighter than usual.
Orange flames leapt in the thickening dusk, stretching shadows long and distorted.
Teizawa climbed onto the top of a wagon.
He looked down over the camp as it took shape.
His robe snapped in the valley wind.
"You're trying…" Kankurō also hopped up, taking position slightly behind Teizawa's side. "To wipe out everyone tailing us in one strike?"
"Not just that."
Teizawa's gaze passed over the camp and swept the darkening cliff faces on both sides.
As if he were locking eyes with enemies he couldn't see.
"I'm going to use this chance to establish Sunagakure's reputation."
His voice was calm, but every word landed like a nail.
"I want everyone to understand… if you touch Sand property, you die."
"If you come as Sand's enemy, you don't leave."
Kankurō stood in silence.
And then it hit him: this wasn't just defense or a counterattack.
It was a performance.
A performance for the entire shinobi world.
"And," Teizawa continued, his voice dropping so low it was almost only for the two of them, "this is also my declaration."
He turned toward the west…
Toward Sunagakure.
The last smear of sunset died in his eyes.
In its place burned something deeper, hotter.
"I'm going to announce it to the entire shinobi world…"
"That I, Teizawa, am stepping onto the stage."
The instant his words fell, the gorge sank fully into darkness.
Stepping onto the stage?
What stage?
Kankurō couldn't grasp it.
But he knew Teizawa's ambition dwarfed everyone in Sunagakure.
And he knew this was a gamble.
If Teizawa misjudged even once…
What followed could be catastrophic.
And yet…
Somewhere in Kankurō's chest, blood started to boil.
Because…
What if they won?
Kankurō drew a deep breath.
His hand drifted to the puppet scroll case at his waist.
The case was ice-cold.
But his blood was heating up.
(End of Chapter)
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