The next morning, Hōzuki Muratsuki, Kurisame Tsumaru, and Fuguki Suikazan appeared together on a quiet stretch of beach.
Two corpses lay on the sand.
Each had a gaping hole in the head—perfectly sized and shaped for the Water Gun Jutsu.
Kurisame crouched down, unsheathing his long blade, Nuibari, and slid it delicately into the skull of one corpse. When he pulled it out, brain matter followed.
"Hmm. Fresh. They died this morning."
Fuguki considered himself a wicked man, but even he felt uneasy standing next to Kurisame.
'How can someone be this sadistic?'
Kurisame didn't kill enemies quickly. He stitched them to rocks and trees with steel wires, watching with eerie patience as they twitched and died, one muscle spasm at a time.
In the Land of Water, Kurisame's name could make noblemen tremble.
When he entered a town, even the Daimyō would send inquiries to Kirigakure asking why.
Fuguki turned to Muratsuki.
"Still have doubts? If not, we move tonight. That hill from the intel—you know the one."
Muratsuki grumbled,
"This is just one site. I want at least three confirmed before we act."
By noon, they'd found four Water Gun Jutsu-killed corpses. Muratsuki said no more.
Fuguki gave the order:
"Leave two squads to keep Copper Fox entertained. Let him think we've taken the bait. The rest will move out—fast. We strike before Konoha's ambush begins."
Inland forest.
White Ram's voice came through the comms.
"Captain! Large enemy force making landfall!"
Yako exhaled slowly.
'Finally.'
They were running out of captured Mist corpses.
The Mist shinobi had taken the bait.
They believed every word of that forged scroll. They thought Konoha's five squads would arrive tomorrow.
So they deployed a day early—planning to reverse the ambush.
What they didn't know…
Was that the entire scroll had been a lie.
Yako had already coordinated with Yellow Dog.
They would change the operation timeline at the last minute—
departing a full day earlier than Command expected.
Yellow Dog would also personally supervise every operative—ensuring no one leaked the adjustment.
'This is hell,' Yako thought grimly. 'Fighting Mist shinobi while watching for traitors behind our backs.'
Midnight.
Five Mist squads reached the hillside.
Fuguki held up the scroll, comparing it with the terrain.
"One of Konoha's ANBU squad will hide behind the hill," he said.
"Kurisame, you take your squad behind the hill. Lay traps. Eliminate the ANBU completely.
"Two Konoha squad are to the north—send two Mist squads there with explosive tags.
"The Uchiha are to the south. Muratsuki, you're best suited to counter Uchiha. You and I will take the last two squads and deal with them personally."
He clutched the scroll tightly, not letting anyone else see it.
Despite being just a jōnin, Fuguki had become the de facto commander of the retrieval mission.
Muratsuki fumed but said nothing.
The Mist squads split up.
Behind the hill.
A Hyuga shinobi from the Hippo Unit raised his hand.
"Movement at the top," he said. "They're here."
Shadowy figures crept along the ridgeline.
They were in the trap.
Copper Fox had done it—lured them in perfectly.
Yellow Dog couldn't help but glance at Yako.
He had just returned from his mission. His breathing was still heavy.
But the result?
Flawless.
Yellow Dog raised his hand.
A signal.
Moments later—
"Detonate!"
Hundreds of explosive tags erupted in unison.
These were Yellow Dog's personal traps—the same type that had once killed Senju Nawaki.
The Mist shinobi never even knew they were walking on a minefield.
Yako was the first to charge in.
Through the smoke and fire, a glint of metal flashed—Nuibari shot forward like lightning, stabbing straight at Yako's heart.
CLANG!
The blade hit, but bounced off—repelled by Copper Light.
Both Yako and Kurisame were shocked.
Nuibari had struck clean, fast, and deep—but still hadn't pierced.
Kurisame reeled.
He'd struck with everything he had… and couldn't break Copper Fox's Absolute Defense.
Nuibari retracted, pulled back by wire.
Kurisame adjusted immediately.
If piercing failed, he'd trap his enemy. He flicked his wrist, trying to tangle Yako in steel threads.
Yako powered through a volley of kunai and countered with
Water Release: Water Severing Wave!
Shrieks rang from within the smoke—Mist shinobi sliced in half by the high-pressure stream.
Then came Yellow Dog's fire.
A massive elliptical fireball, fifty meters long and twenty wide, roared across the summit.
The scale of his Fire Release was terrifying.
The Mist shinobi hadn't had time to cast Hiding in Mist Technique, or to combine their Water Release to defend.
They were caught flat-footed.
The firestorm ripped through the haze of exploded tags, revealing the aftermath—
Over 40 corpses.
Explosives. Water Release. Fire Release.
Three coordinated strikes—
And an entire Mist squad was shattered.
The survivors fled down the opposite side of the hill.
Yellow Dog and Yako stood at the summit, watching.
Both bore burns and blast marks.
They looked awful—
And felt worse.
Yellow Dog muttered,
"Don't chase. Focus on securing the win. I'll head south and reinforce the Uchiha units. You—go north. Help Yamashiro and Moonlight Kento."
Yako nodded.
'Perfect.'
Both were known supporters of Hatake Sakumo. They couldn't be allowed to die here.
He led his squad north.
Far off, two Mist battalions that had been tracking him arrived—late.
Yako turned.
"Before they finish forming the mist—strike hard!"
Northern slopes.
Shirakumo Hayama was leading his squad in an assault alongside Moonlight Kento.
Their explosive tag traps had failed—barely a dozen Mist shinobi killed.
Nearby, Yamashiro's squad wasn't doing much better.
They were facing three Mist squads.
Kento shouted,
"Kill the ones casting Hiding in Mist Technique—now!"
If the mist formed, it'd reduce visibility to two meters.
Konoha would be blind.
Suddenly—
A distinct hissing sound tore through the air.
A water beam flashed overhead.
Ten Mist shinobi, preparing the mist, were hit.
Six were sliced clean through at the waist.
The other four dove aside—barely avoiding the attack.
Shirakumo looked up—just in time to see Copper Fox soaring overhead.
When he landed, Yako addressed Kento calmly.
"Moonlight Kento. Leave this sector to my unit. Go reinforce Yamashiro's side."
Kento nodded instantly.
If Copper Fox was here—this flank was secure.
Southern slope.
Fuguki Suikazan, covered in burns, ducked behind a rock, seething.
From the scorched hillside, he screamed:
"You lying witch! The Wandering Miko—you dare betray me?!"