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Half an hour later, a knock sounded at the door.
Kitazawa was jolted from his thoughts.
Konan instinctively covered her mouth and nose.
"You go down first," Kitazawa said, standing up and walking toward the Hokage's desk.
Konan nodded once, then vanished from sight in a swirl of paper.
"Come in."
Kitazawa looked up toward the door, his expression calm.
"Kitazawa."
Shizune stepped inside.
"Is something the matter?" Kitazawa asked casually.
"Kabuto says he wants to set out tonight," Shizune replied.
"Tonight?" Kitazawa raised his brows slightly. "He's ready that soon?"
"Intelligence from the White Zetsu side says the Hidden Sand Village's vanguard is about to enter the Land of Rivers," Shizune explained. "Kabuto's plan is to lead the Summoning Beast Unit to intercept them in advance, to keep the Land of Fire from becoming a battlefield."
Kabuto, of course, had another reason.
He wanted to be the first to earn merit.
During the Jonin Meeting, many had been wary of him. He was still an unknown quantity. If not for Kitazawa's reputation, there would definitely have been objections to making him commander of the Fourth Division of the Ninja Forces.
"After Kabuto leaves, who'll be in charge of the Fourth Division?" Kitazawa asked after thinking it over.
"Kakashi and Kurenai," Shizune answered, just as he expected.
"I see. I'll go see him now," Kitazawa decided.
Judging from the situation, Sunagakure and Konoha would probably be the first to clash. He might as well go watch the battle—and, incidentally, see how Kurenai, Yakumo, and the others performed.
"Alright." Shizune was a little surprised he planned to go in person, but she didn't press him.
After she left, Konan reappeared, now freshly changed. Kitazawa gave her a nod and led her toward the Forest of Death.
By then, many Konoha shinobi were already hard at work there. When they saw Kitazawa, they hurriedly stopped to greet him.
"Don't mind me," Kitazawa said with a dismissive wave, continuing on until he reached the encampment of the Fourth Division.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Kabuto came forward to receive him. White Zetsu had already informed him in advance.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Yakumo, Karin, and the others called out together.
"Kitazawa, why are you here?" Kurenai walked over and asked. With outsiders around, her demeanor was perfectly composed.
"I'm going to the Hidden Sand Village with you," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Really?" Kurenai's eyes lit up with surprise and joy.
"Why would I lie to you?" Kitazawa paused, then added, "But I'm only going as a spectator. I won't interfere."
"We don't want you to interfere anyway," Kurenai replied with a proud smile. "Just leave it to us and be at ease."
"Kabuto, you'll depart tonight," Kitazawa said, turning to Kabuto.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Kabuto nodded. "I definitely won't let you down."
"I believe you," Kitazawa replied.
The Summoning Beast Ninja Unit didn't have many members—only a hundred—but every one of them had a contract with Ryūchi Cave. Once a hundred giant snakes were summoned onto the battlefield, even an enemy ten times their number could be crushed with ease.
"I'll go make preparations," Kabuto said. With a slight bow, he turned and left.
Not long after, he led the Summoning Beast Ninja Unit out, heading toward the Land of Rivers.
The sun was sinking in the west.
On the eastern border of the Land of Wind, at Baki's order, Sunagakure's vanguard halted and began to make camp. As a vanguard unit, their numbers were not large—only three thousand. Their mission was straightforward: seize favorable terrain in advance for the main force.
Once the tents were finally up, Baki pushed aside the tent flaps and stepped into the main command tent.
Several Sunagakure jōnin stood with him.
But Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō were not among them.
"Tetsushi."
Baki broke the silence, then asked, "What's the situation on Konoha's side?"
Tetsushi was a jōnin of Sunagakure.
In the original course of events, he had taken part in the Konoha Crush Plan and was later sent to search for the missing Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. He excelled at intelligence work.
"Konoha has split its forces into four units, forming four ninja divisions to deal with our four great ninja villages," Tetsushi reported quickly. "Among them, the Fourth Division of the Ninja Forces is the one opposing our Hidden Sand Village."
"Who is their commander?" Baki nodded slightly, then pressed on.
Splitting into four routes wasn't surprising.
After all, the four great ninja villages were attacking Konoha together.
Taking them down one by one would be extremely difficult.
"Yakushi Kabuto," Tetsushi answered without hesitation.
"That name sounds a bit familiar…" Baki frowned, momentarily unable to place him.
"Kitazawa's student specializes in medical ninjutsu," Tetsushi reminded him.
"Oh, so it's him."
Baki let out a short laugh. "It seems our Hidden Sand Village still hasn't earned Kitazawa's full attention."
The other Sunagakure jōnin bristled with indignation.
Kabuto truly had no reputation to speak of.
Not only was he unknown, his strength seemed negligible.
A mere medical-nin hardly seemed worth their notice.
They had originally imagined the commander of the Fourth Division would be someone on the level of Orochimaru or Jiraiya.
Who would have thought it would just be the utterly ordinary Yakushi Kabuto?
"This actually works in our favor," Baki said, raising a hand to calm them, his expression steady. "We can catch Konoha off guard."
He had a clear grasp of the situation.
If someone like Orochimaru or Jiraiya really appeared, the pressure on Sunagakure would be overwhelming.
But with a soft persimmon like Yakushi Kabuto to squeeze, why not take advantage?
"Everyone, go rest. We move out tomorrow morning. Once we reach the Land of Rivers, we'll set traps immediately. We must deal Konoha a direct, heavy blow!" Baki said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Baki-sama!" Tetsushi and the others replied in unison.
In a dense forest far from the temporary camp of Sunagakure's vanguard—
The members of Konoha's Summoning Beast Ninja Unit waited silently beneath the trees, hidden in the gloom.
Without sensory ninjutsu, it would have been nearly impossible to detect the hundred shinobi concealed in the forest.
A moment later, a White Zetsu wearing Anbu gear rose up from the ground.
"Kabuto-sama."
White Zetsu produced a scroll map. "This is the layout of Sunagakure's vanguard camp."
Kabuto unrolled the map and scanned it, feeling his heart give a slight tremor.
It was far more detailed than he had expected—almost as if Baki himself had drawn it.
Not only were all the sentry posts clearly marked, but the patrol routes of the night-watch Sand shinobi were carefully traced out as well.
Even more absurd, the map listed the approximate strength of the ninja resting in each individual tent.
Kabuto's gaze unconsciously shifted to White Zetsu.
He truly had no idea where Kitazawa had found this creature.
But one thing was certain: White Zetsu was not a Konoha shinobi.
Kabuto had spent time in the Anbu.
White Zetsu had never been among them.
"Infiltrate first, then launch the general offensive."
Kabuto made up his mind in an instant.
If he hadn't obtained this map, he would have chosen a direct assault.
But now that he had it, there was no way he was going to let the Anbu's painstaking work go to waste.
Besides, Kabuto had his own ambition: to annihilate the Hidden Sand Village's vanguard without losing a single man on his side.
The night deepened.
After dinner, Baki and the others gradually drifted off to sleep.
Only the Suna shinobi on watch still moved through the camp, patrolling in the dark.
They never noticed the small, venomous snakes slipping silently through the shadows.
Once inside the temporary camp, the snakes fanned out, encircling the tents one by one.
But they only targeted the Genin and Chūnin.
The Jōnin were left alone for the moment. They were stronger and far harder to take down with a simple sneak attack.
At a certain point, screams ripped through the stillness of the night, one after another.
"What's going on?!"
Baki jolted awake.
His eyes flew open, and it felt as if those shrieks were coming from every direction around him.
"A sneak attack from Konoha?!"
He rushed out of his tent.
Yet when he scanned the surroundings, he didn't see a single Leaf shinobi.
"It's venomous snakes!"
A Suna shinobi, Tetsushi, ran over and shouted, "More than half of our ninja have been attacked by poisonous snakes!"
"Half?!"
Baki's expression changed drastically. "What are the casualties?"
"Many," Tetsushi answered heavily. "There's no time to count right now. I've already dispatched the Jōnin to administer aid."
"Where are the Konoha ninjas?" Baki pressed, frowning.
"I don't know." Tetsushi shook his head. "Even now, we haven't detected any outside intruders."
"You're telling me these venomous snakes slipped past our traps, hidden sentries, and night patrols?" Baki's face darkened.
"The shinobi controlling these snakes is most likely Orochimaru," Tetsushi reminded him.
"..."
A chill ran down Baki's spine.
He finally remembered—Orochimaru's Summoning Beasts were the snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
If it was him, he really could command this many poisonous snakes at once.
"Orochimaru!"
Baki roared in anger.
The next second, massive shadows rose all around the temporary camp.
Baki felt his breath catch.
They were giant snakes, each at least five meters tall.
"Sorry, the one who came this time isn't Lord Orochimaru."
A calm voice carried across the camp—Yakushi Kabuto's.
Baki instinctively turned toward it.
Kabuto stood on the head of a serpent even larger than the other giant snakes.
It was Manda of Ryūchi Cave.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yakushi Kabuto of Konohagakure," Kabuto said, his face devoid of expression.
The moment he finished speaking, he raised his hand.
All the giant snakes surged forward, charging straight at the sand shinobi.
In the blink of an eye, the earth roared and trembled.
Wherever the serpents passed, the ground split open in deep furrows.
The Suna ninja went pale, an overpowering sense of impending doom gripping their hearts.
"Attack!"
Baki shouted at once.
The Sand shinobi snapped back to their senses.
A shrill whistling filled the air as countless blades of wind fanned out in all directions.
Then, fireballs burst into existence, flaring to life and driving back the darkness of night.
The chaotic battle began.
"I'll go kill Yakushi Kabuto!" Baki declared without the slightest hesitation.
To crush the bandits, you take out their leader first. As long as Kabuto lived, they had no chance of winning this clash.
The instant he finished speaking, he used the Body Flicker Technique.
His figure blurred as he shot toward Kabuto at extreme speed.
"Wind Release: Shuriken!"
Mid-rush, Baki hurled a shuriken.
Imbued with Wind Release chakra, it tore through the air like a spear.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!"
Kabuto rapidly formed hand seals.
He opened his mouth, spitting out one compressed wind sphere after another like bullets.
With a loud bang, the incoming shuriken was blasted aside, and the remaining wind bullets howled straight toward Baki.
Baki couldn't help but be taken aback.
Who said Kabuto was just a medical ninja?
Just this one jutsu, Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet, was enough to show his Wind Release wasn't weak at all.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
Baki raised his hand.
A sharp gust burst forth from between his three fingers.
The wind scythed cleanly through the incoming spheres, shredding them as easily as paper, then surged on, wrapping around Kabuto.
"You're only capable of this much!"
Baki snorted, cold and confident.
In his mind, he could already see Kabuto being sliced to pieces.
After all, his Wind Release: Wind Blade was an A-rank technique, enough to instantly kill an average Special Jonin.
"Is that so?"
Kabuto's body suddenly lifted off the ground.
"What?"
Baki's pupils trembled.
He can fly?
Is it some kind of bloodline limit?
In his memory, only the third Kazekage and fourth Kazekage Rasa had been able to fly, using Magnet Release.
And anyone who could fly on the battlefield was a serious problem.
A bad feeling surged in Baki's chest.
Kabuto hovered calmly in mid-air.
From above, he swept his gaze over the battlefield, eyes narrowing.
The Hidden Sand Ninjas—especially the Jonin—were strong enough.
They were already starting to search for the Summoning Beast Ninja Unit members who were controlling the giant snakes.
Once they were discovered, there would be casualties for sure.
That did not fit the objectives he had set.
"Then let's end it here."
Kabuto began forming hand seals again.
Baki caught the movement.
He hurriedly formed seals of his own.
"Wind Release: Whirlwind Technique!"
A huge surge of chakra turned into countless wind blades that roared toward Kabuto in rapid succession.
Then Baki froze.
A red dragon loomed in his vision.
Before he could even process what kind of Ninjutsu it was, his sight and hearing vanished.
Agony crashed over him, tearing through his body and robbing him of any ability to move.
This was none other than Sage Art: White Shock Technique.
And Yakushi Kabuto's target wasn't just Baki.
Invisible sound and blinding light exploded outward, engulfing most of the Hidden Sand Jonin.
Caught completely off guard, they were all struck by the Sage Art: White Shock Technique.
In the same instant, the giant snakes launched their counterattack, striking from all directions and swallowing the incapacitated ninjas whole.
Kabuto dropped from the air, clenched his fist, and knocked Baki out with a single blow.
Baki was still a Hidden Sand Jonin.
Keeping him alive would be far more useful than killing him.
With the majority of their Jonin dead, the Hidden Sand vanguard collapsed like a landslide.
Before this, they had already been ambushed by the snakes of Ryūchi Cave and had lost more than half of their Chunin and Genin.
"Clear the battlefield."
Yakushi Kabuto looked over the corpses scattered across the ground, his voice icy.
"Yes, Lord Kabuto!"
Members of the Summoning Beast Ninja Unit emerged one after another from the shadows and rubble.
Kabuto surveyed their ranks and gave a small nod.
They hadn't lost a single person.
A hundred against three thousand, and they had achieved absolute victory—such a battle was almost unheard of in the history of the ninja world.
Of course, given the power of Ryūchi Cave, this outcome wasn't unexpected.
For this operation, Ryūchi Cave had practically gone all out.
Without lingering, Kabuto and the others gathered up the surviving Hidden Sand Ninjas and withdrew, heading back toward the Land of Rivers.
He had no intention of returning to the Land of Fire. Instead, he remained in the Land of Rivers to make preparations.
What he did there mirrored the actions of the Hidden Sand vanguard: setting up outposts and laying traps to seize the initiative.
The next morning.
Kazekage's Office, Hidden Sand Village.
"Lord Kazekage!"
An ANBU knelt on one knee. "We've just received intelligence: the vanguard led by Lord Baki has been completely wiped out!"
"That's impossible!"
Rasa shot to his feet, disbelief written across his face.
"What exactly happened?"
Chiyo frowned. "The vanguard had three thousand shinobi. Even if Konoha's Fourth Division of Ninja Forces attacked with their full strength, it should be impossible to annihilate them all."
She was calmer than Rasa, but the news was still beyond reason.
It was common knowledge that Konoha had split its army into four routes.
The Sand had that information as well.
The problem was that Konoha's Fourth Division only numbered about five thousand. They didn't hold an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Besides, even if Baki's vanguard couldn't win, they should have at least been able to retreat.
How had it come to complete annihilation?
"Here is the situation."
The ANBU immediately reported everything they had learned from the previous night.
Although there were no survivors among the Sand vanguard, through specialized ninjutsu they could make the corpses speak and reconstruct the general course of events.
"Even Ryūchi Cave fully assisted Konoha?"
Chiyo exhaled slowly, her expression turning grave.
Ryūchi Cave was said to be helping Konoha before, but in truth, they had been supporting Orochimaru. And never before had they dispatched such an enormous swarm of snakes.
That made Chiyo suspect Ryūchi Cave and Konoha had reached some kind of agreement.
If that was the case, what about Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myōboku?
"Snakes from Ryūchi Cave alone shouldn't be enough to wipe out the vanguard."
Chiyo rubbed her brow. "As expected of Kitazawa's student. His strength really is astonishing."
"They were just ambushed!"
Rasa said through clenched teeth, clearly displeased. "I'm taking a team to the Land of Rivers right now!"
"I'll go with you."
Chiyo's tone was solemn. "We have to remain extremely vigilant."
Rasa drew in a deep breath and nodded.
Even if he refused to accept that Yakushi Kabuto's sneak attack had succeeded, the loss of three thousand shinobi was a devastating blow to the Hidden Sand.
On top of that, it was a humiliation.
For three thousand Sand shinobi to die without taking down even a single Konoha shinobi—such an outcome was utterly disgraceful for one of the five great villages.
In contrast, Yakushi Kabuto and Konoha's Summoning Beast Ninja Unit became famous in one stroke.
The shinobi of Konoha were both thrilled and stunned by the news.
In the end, they could only marvel at Kitazawa's eye for talent.
On the clearing outside Konoha's Forest of Death—
All four ninja divisions were assembled and ready to move out.
"I'll leave these three to you for now."
Kitazawa glanced at Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata, then spoke to Fugaku.
"Please rest assured, Hokage-sama. I will definitely take good care of them."
Fugaku answered at once.
Of course, he knew perfectly well how strong Team Seven was.
They didn't need his protection at all.
Kitazawa gave a small nod, then turned and departed with Kurenai, Kakashi, and the others, heading toward the Land of Rivers.
Half an hour later, a knock sounded at the door.
Kitazawa was jolted from his thoughts.
Konan instinctively covered her mouth and nose.
"You go down first," Kitazawa said, standing up and walking toward the Hokage's desk.
Konan nodded once, then vanished from sight in a swirl of paper.
"Come in."
Kitazawa looked up toward the door, his expression calm.
"Kitazawa."
Shizune stepped inside.
"Is something the matter?" Kitazawa asked casually.
"Kabuto says he wants to set out tonight," Shizune replied.
"Tonight?" Kitazawa raised his brows slightly. "He's ready that soon?"
"Intelligence from the White Zetsu side says the Hidden Sand Village's vanguard is about to enter the Land of Rivers," Shizune explained. "Kabuto's plan is to lead the Summoning Beast Unit to intercept them in advance, to keep the Land of Fire from becoming a battlefield."
Kabuto, of course, had another reason.
He wanted to be the first to earn merit.
During the Jonin Meeting, many had been wary of him. He was still an unknown quantity. If not for Kitazawa's reputation, there would definitely have been objections to making him commander of the Fourth Division of the Ninja Forces.
"After Kabuto leaves, who'll be in charge of the Fourth Division?" Kitazawa asked after thinking it over.
"Kakashi and Kurenai," Shizune answered, just as he expected.
"I see. I'll go see him now," Kitazawa decided.
Judging from the situation, Sunagakure and Konoha would probably be the first to clash. He might as well go watch the battle—and, incidentally, see how Kurenai, Yakumo, and the others performed.
"Alright." Shizune was a little surprised he planned to go in person, but she didn't press him.
After she left, Konan reappeared, now freshly changed. Kitazawa gave her a nod and led her toward the Forest of Death.
By then, many Konoha shinobi were already hard at work there. When they saw Kitazawa, they hurriedly stopped to greet him.
"Don't mind me," Kitazawa said with a dismissive wave, continuing on until he reached the encampment of the Fourth Division.
"Kitazawa-sensei."
Kabuto came forward to receive him. White Zetsu had already informed him in advance.
"Kitazawa-sensei!"
Yakumo, Karin, and the others called out together.
"Kitazawa, why are you here?" Kurenai walked over and asked. With outsiders around, her demeanor was perfectly composed.
"I'm going to the Hidden Sand Village with you," Kitazawa said with a smile.
"Really?" Kurenai's eyes lit up with surprise and joy.
"Why would I lie to you?" Kitazawa paused, then added, "But I'm only going as a spectator. I won't interfere."
"We don't want you to interfere anyway," Kurenai replied with a proud smile. "Just leave it to us and be at ease."
"Kabuto, you'll depart tonight," Kitazawa said, turning to Kabuto.
"Yes, Kitazawa-sensei." Kabuto nodded. "I definitely won't let you down."
"I believe you," Kitazawa replied.
The Summoning Beast Ninja Unit didn't have many members—only a hundred—but every one of them had a contract with Ryūchi Cave. Once a hundred giant snakes were summoned onto the battlefield, even an enemy ten times their number could be crushed with ease.
"I'll go make preparations," Kabuto said. With a slight bow, he turned and left.
Not long after, he led the Summoning Beast Ninja Unit out, heading toward the Land of Rivers.
The sun was sinking in the west.
On the eastern border of the Land of Wind, at Baki's order, Sunagakure's vanguard halted and began to make camp. As a vanguard unit, their numbers were not large—only three thousand. Their mission was straightforward: seize favorable terrain in advance for the main force.
Once the tents were finally up, Baki pushed aside the tent flaps and stepped into the main command tent.
Several Sunagakure jōnin stood with him.
But Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizō were not among them.
"Tetsushi."
Baki broke the silence, then asked, "What's the situation on Konoha's side?"
Tetsushi was a jōnin of Sunagakure.
In the original course of events, he had taken part in the Konoha Crush Plan and was later sent to search for the missing Fourth Kazekage, Rasa. He excelled at intelligence work.
"Konoha has split its forces into four units, forming four ninja divisions to deal with our four great ninja villages," Tetsushi reported quickly. "Among them, the Fourth Division of the Ninja Forces is the one opposing our Hidden Sand Village."
"Who is their commander?" Baki nodded slightly, then pressed on.
Splitting into four routes wasn't surprising.
After all, the four great ninja villages were attacking Konoha together.
Taking them down one by one would be extremely difficult.
"Yakushi Kabuto," Tetsushi answered without hesitation.
"That name sounds a bit familiar…" Baki frowned, momentarily unable to place him.
"Kitazawa's student specializes in medical ninjutsu," Tetsushi reminded him.
"Oh, so it's him."
Baki let out a short laugh. "It seems our Hidden Sand Village still hasn't earned Kitazawa's full attention."
The other Sunagakure jōnin bristled with indignation.
Kabuto truly had no reputation to speak of.
Not only was he unknown, his strength seemed negligible.
A mere medical-nin hardly seemed worth their notice.
They had originally imagined the commander of the Fourth Division would be someone on the level of Orochimaru or Jiraiya.
Who would have thought it would just be the utterly ordinary Yakushi Kabuto?
"This actually works in our favor," Baki said, raising a hand to calm them, his expression steady. "We can catch Konoha off guard."
He had a clear grasp of the situation.
If someone like Orochimaru or Jiraiya really appeared, the pressure on Sunagakure would be overwhelming.
But with a soft persimmon like Yakushi Kabuto to squeeze, why not take advantage?
"Everyone, go rest. We move out tomorrow morning. Once we reach the Land of Rivers, we'll set traps immediately. We must deal Konoha a direct, heavy blow!" Baki said in a deep voice.
"Yes, Baki-sama!" Tetsushi and the others replied in unison.
In a dense forest far from the temporary camp of Sunagakure's vanguard—
The members of Konoha's Summoning Beast Ninja Unit waited silently beneath the trees, hidden in the gloom.
Without sensory ninjutsu, it would have been nearly impossible to detect the hundred shinobi concealed in the forest.
A moment later, a White Zetsu wearing Anbu gear rose up from the ground.
"Kabuto-sama."
White Zetsu produced a scroll map. "This is the layout of Sunagakure's vanguard camp."
Kabuto unrolled the map and scanned it, feeling his heart give a slight tremor.
It was far more detailed than he had expected—almost as if Baki himself had drawn it.
Not only were all the sentry posts clearly marked, but the patrol routes of the night-watch Sand shinobi were carefully traced out as well.
Even more absurd, the map listed the approximate strength of the ninja resting in each individual tent.
Kabuto's gaze unconsciously shifted to White Zetsu.
He truly had no idea where Kitazawa had found this creature.
But one thing was certain: White Zetsu was not a Konoha shinobi.
Kabuto had spent time in the Anbu.
White Zetsu had never been among them.
"Infiltrate first, then launch the general offensive."
Kabuto made up his mind in an instant.
If he hadn't obtained this map, he would have chosen a direct assault.
But now that he had it, there was no way he was going to let the Anbu's painstaking work go to waste.
Besides, Kabuto had his own ambition: to annihilate the Hidden Sand Village's vanguard without losing a single man on his side.
The night deepened.
After dinner, Baki and the others gradually drifted off to sleep.
Only the Suna shinobi on watch still moved through the camp, patrolling in the dark.
They never noticed the small, venomous snakes slipping silently through the shadows.
Once inside the temporary camp, the snakes fanned out, encircling the tents one by one.
But they only targeted the Genin and Chūnin.
The Jōnin were left alone for the moment. They were stronger and far harder to take down with a simple sneak attack.
At a certain point, screams ripped through the stillness of the night, one after another.
"What's going on?!"
Baki jolted awake.
His eyes flew open, and it felt as if those shrieks were coming from every direction around him.
"A sneak attack from Konoha?!"
He rushed out of his tent.
Yet when he scanned the surroundings, he didn't see a single Leaf shinobi.
"It's venomous snakes!"
A Suna shinobi, Tetsushi, ran over and shouted, "More than half of our ninja have been attacked by poisonous snakes!"
"Half?!"
Baki's expression changed drastically. "What are the casualties?"
"Many," Tetsushi answered heavily. "There's no time to count right now. I've already dispatched the Jōnin to administer aid."
"Where are the Konoha ninjas?" Baki pressed, frowning.
"I don't know." Tetsushi shook his head. "Even now, we haven't detected any outside intruders."
"You're telling me these venomous snakes slipped past our traps, hidden sentries, and night patrols?" Baki's face darkened.
"The shinobi controlling these snakes is most likely Orochimaru," Tetsushi reminded him.
"..."
A chill ran down Baki's spine.
He finally remembered—Orochimaru's Summoning Beasts were the snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
If it was him, he really could command this many poisonous snakes at once.
"Orochimaru!"
Baki roared in anger.
The next second, massive shadows rose all around the temporary camp.
Baki felt his breath catch.
They were giant snakes, each at least five meters tall.
"Sorry, the one who came this time isn't Lord Orochimaru."
A calm voice carried across the camp—Yakushi Kabuto's.
Baki instinctively turned toward it.
Kabuto stood on the head of a serpent even larger than the other giant snakes.
It was Manda of Ryūchi Cave.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Yakushi Kabuto of Konohagakure," Kabuto said, his face devoid of expression.
The moment he finished speaking, he raised his hand.
All the giant snakes surged forward, charging straight at the sand shinobi.
In the blink of an eye, the earth roared and trembled.
Wherever the serpents passed, the ground split open in deep furrows.
The Suna ninja went pale, an overpowering sense of impending doom gripping their hearts.
"Attack!"
Baki shouted at once.
The Sand shinobi snapped back to their senses.
A shrill whistling filled the air as countless blades of wind fanned out in all directions.
Then, fireballs burst into existence, flaring to life and driving back the darkness of night.
The chaotic battle began.
"I'll go kill Yakushi Kabuto!" Baki declared without the slightest hesitation.
To crush the bandits, you take out their leader first. As long as Kabuto lived, they had no chance of winning this clash.
The instant he finished speaking, he used the Body Flicker Technique.
His figure blurred as he shot toward Kabuto at extreme speed.
"Wind Release: Shuriken!"
Mid-rush, Baki hurled a shuriken.
Imbued with Wind Release chakra, it tore through the air like a spear.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet!"
Kabuto rapidly formed hand seals.
He opened his mouth, spitting out one compressed wind sphere after another like bullets.
With a loud bang, the incoming shuriken was blasted aside, and the remaining wind bullets howled straight toward Baki.
Baki couldn't help but be taken aback.
Who said Kabuto was just a medical ninja?
Just this one jutsu, Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet, was enough to show his Wind Release wasn't weak at all.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
Baki raised his hand.
A sharp gust burst forth from between his three fingers.
The wind scythed cleanly through the incoming spheres, shredding them as easily as paper, then surged on, wrapping around Kabuto.
"You're only capable of this much!"
Baki snorted, cold and confident.
In his mind, he could already see Kabuto being sliced to pieces.
After all, his Wind Release: Wind Blade was an A-rank technique, enough to instantly kill an average Special Jonin.
"Is that so?"
Kabuto's body suddenly lifted off the ground.
"What?"
Baki's pupils trembled.
He can fly?
Is it some kind of bloodline limit?
In his memory, only the third Kazekage and fourth Kazekage Rasa had been able to fly, using Magnet Release.
And anyone who could fly on the battlefield was a serious problem.
A bad feeling surged in Baki's chest.
Kabuto hovered calmly in mid-air.
From above, he swept his gaze over the battlefield, eyes narrowing.
The Hidden Sand Ninjas—especially the Jonin—were strong enough.
They were already starting to search for the Summoning Beast Ninja Unit members who were controlling the giant snakes.
Once they were discovered, there would be casualties for sure.
That did not fit the objectives he had set.
"Then let's end it here."
Kabuto began forming hand seals again.
Baki caught the movement.
He hurriedly formed seals of his own.
"Wind Release: Whirlwind Technique!"
A huge surge of chakra turned into countless wind blades that roared toward Kabuto in rapid succession.
Then Baki froze.
A red dragon loomed in his vision.
Before he could even process what kind of Ninjutsu it was, his sight and hearing vanished.
Agony crashed over him, tearing through his body and robbing him of any ability to move.
This was none other than Sage Art: White Shock Technique.
And Yakushi Kabuto's target wasn't just Baki.
Invisible sound and blinding light exploded outward, engulfing most of the Hidden Sand Jonin.
Caught completely off guard, they were all struck by the Sage Art: White Shock Technique.
In the same instant, the giant snakes launched their counterattack, striking from all directions and swallowing the incapacitated ninjas whole.
Kabuto dropped from the air, clenched his fist, and knocked Baki out with a single blow.
Baki was still a Hidden Sand Jonin.
Keeping him alive would be far more useful than killing him.
With the majority of their Jonin dead, the Hidden Sand vanguard collapsed like a landslide.
Before this, they had already been ambushed by the snakes of Ryūchi Cave and had lost more than half of their Chunin and Genin.
"Clear the battlefield."
Yakushi Kabuto looked over the corpses scattered across the ground, his voice icy.
"Yes, Lord Kabuto!"
Members of the Summoning Beast Ninja Unit emerged one after another from the shadows and rubble.
Kabuto surveyed their ranks and gave a small nod.
They hadn't lost a single person.
A hundred against three thousand, and they had achieved absolute victory—such a battle was almost unheard of in the history of the ninja world.
Of course, given the power of Ryūchi Cave, this outcome wasn't unexpected.
For this operation, Ryūchi Cave had practically gone all out.
Without lingering, Kabuto and the others gathered up the surviving Hidden Sand Ninjas and withdrew, heading back toward the Land of Rivers.
He had no intention of returning to the Land of Fire. Instead, he remained in the Land of Rivers to make preparations.
What he did there mirrored the actions of the Hidden Sand vanguard: setting up outposts and laying traps to seize the initiative.
The next morning.
Kazekage's Office, Hidden Sand Village.
"Lord Kazekage!"
An ANBU knelt on one knee. "We've just received intelligence: the vanguard led by Lord Baki has been completely wiped out!"
"That's impossible!"
Rasa shot to his feet, disbelief written across his face.
"What exactly happened?"
Chiyo frowned. "The vanguard had three thousand shinobi. Even if Konoha's Fourth Division of Ninja Forces attacked with their full strength, it should be impossible to annihilate them all."
She was calmer than Rasa, but the news was still beyond reason.
It was common knowledge that Konoha had split its army into four routes.
The Sand had that information as well.
The problem was that Konoha's Fourth Division only numbered about five thousand. They didn't hold an overwhelming numerical advantage.
Besides, even if Baki's vanguard couldn't win, they should have at least been able to retreat.
How had it come to complete annihilation?
"Here is the situation."
The ANBU immediately reported everything they had learned from the previous night.
Although there were no survivors among the Sand vanguard, through specialized ninjutsu they could make the corpses speak and reconstruct the general course of events.
"Even Ryūchi Cave fully assisted Konoha?"
Chiyo exhaled slowly, her expression turning grave.
Ryūchi Cave was said to be helping Konoha before, but in truth, they had been supporting Orochimaru. And never before had they dispatched such an enormous swarm of snakes.
That made Chiyo suspect Ryūchi Cave and Konoha had reached some kind of agreement.
If that was the case, what about Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myōboku?
"Snakes from Ryūchi Cave alone shouldn't be enough to wipe out the vanguard."
Chiyo rubbed her brow. "As expected of Kitazawa's student. His strength really is astonishing."
"They were just ambushed!"
Rasa said through clenched teeth, clearly displeased. "I'm taking a team to the Land of Rivers right now!"
"I'll go with you."
Chiyo's tone was solemn. "We have to remain extremely vigilant."
Rasa drew in a deep breath and nodded.
Even if he refused to accept that Yakushi Kabuto's sneak attack had succeeded, the loss of three thousand shinobi was a devastating blow to the Hidden Sand.
On top of that, it was a humiliation.
For three thousand Sand shinobi to die without taking down even a single Konoha shinobi—such an outcome was utterly disgraceful for one of the five great villages.
In contrast, Yakushi Kabuto and Konoha's Summoning Beast Ninja Unit became famous in one stroke.
The shinobi of Konoha were both thrilled and stunned by the news.
In the end, they could only marvel at Kitazawa's eye for talent.
On the clearing outside Konoha's Forest of Death—
All four ninja divisions were assembled and ready to move out.
"I'll leave these three to you for now."
Kitazawa glanced at Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata, then spoke to Fugaku.
"Please rest assured, Hokage-sama. I will definitely take good care of them."
Fugaku answered at once.
Of course, he knew perfectly well how strong Team Seven was.
They didn't need his protection at all.
Kitazawa gave a small nod, then turned and departed with Kurenai, Kakashi, and the others, heading toward the Land of Rivers.
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