La la la—
"Papa! Papa! Papa!"
The sound of rapid, pounding footsteps echoed through the wilderness.
A two-hundred-man Sand Shinobi detachment crossed the border of the Land of Fire at full speed. Like a sharpened blade, they plunged straight into enemy territory without hesitation.
"Captain Sandō!"
"There are two people ahead, blocking our path!"
"They're giving off extremely large chakra fluctuations!"
At the front of the formation, a sensory ninja abruptly stiffened. His expression changed as he relayed the report to the man beside him while running.
"Two people…?"
Sandō frowned, confusion flashing across his face.
"Yes!" the sensory ninja replied quickly. "Both of them possess terrifying levels of chakra!"
"Heh."
A young Sand Shinobi with purple markings etched across his face sneered in disdain.
"What kind of chakra could be that huge? Two people think they can stop two hundred of us?"
Several Sand Shinobi behind him nodded, clearly sharing the same thought.
Two people versus two hundred.
Not even enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.
"Stay alert!" Sandō barked loudly, cutting through the mockery.
"Everyone, don't lower your guard!"
As the captain of the advance unit, Sandō was far calmer than the others.
On the other side—
"They're almost here."
Yagami's Kagura Eyes were already locked onto the approaching Sand Shinobi, their positions shifting clearly within his perception.
As the enemy closed in, he turned his head slightly.
"Kushina."
"They're about to enter range."
After Tekuna finished setting the traps, Yagami had persuaded him to withdraw.
So now, only Yagami and Kushina stood at the front line.
Haa—
Kushina let out a heavy breath.
Facing an enemy force a hundred times larger than their own, it would be a lie to say her heart wasn't weighed down.
But she couldn't retreat.
Because behind them lay the people of the Country of Rōran.
"Why do you look so nervous?"
Yagami glanced at her and chuckled lightly.
"Didn't someone just swear they'd face the enemy head-on?"
After days of fighting side by side, the two were already used to this kind of banter.
"At a time like this, can you stop talking nonsense?!"
Kushina shot him an annoyed look, both irritated and speechless.
This wasn't a dozen people.
This was two hundred!
"Relax."
"I'm here."
Yagami smiled faintly.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
To reduce the burden on himself, he had deliberately sent Tekuna away.
So naturally, he would never allow Kushina to be put in danger.
Kushina turned to look at him, expression strange.
That line just now—
Why did it feel… oddly reassuring?
Papa—Papa—Papa!
The sound of footsteps rapidly closed in.
Kushina pushed aside the strange thought and focused, her expression turning serious.
"Stop right there!"
Yagami shouted loudly as he drew Shisui from his waist.
At the same time—
Boom!
Chakra erupted from his body like a violent explosion.
A fierce wind surged outward, sand and gravel flying into the air as pressure rippled across the battlefield.
Slap. Slap. Slap.
The footsteps slowed… then stopped.
The Sand Shinobi halted roughly twenty meters away from Yagami.
"That chakra…"
Sandō stared at him, shock flickering across his face.
"So it's real…"
The Sand Shinobi behind him showed similar expressions—astonishment, but not fear.
After all, in their eyes, no matter how strong these two were, they were still facing two hundred enemies.
"Heh. Konoha really is arrogant."
The purple-marked Sand Shinobi stepped forward, eyes filled with ridicule.
"Two people daring to stand in our way?"
"You Sunagakure—are you planning to start a war?!"
Yagami spoke coldly, completely ignoring the mockery.
Whether or not war was inevitable, the opening declaration still had to be said.
"I like that sword of yours."
The purple-marked Shinobi smiled wickedly.
"How about handing it over? I'll take it as a trophy."
Seeing himself deliberately ignored, his expression twisted with rage.
He yanked a kunai from his back, broke formation, and charged straight toward Yagami and Kushina.
"Sand Tree—stop!"
Sandō's expression changed as he shouted.
"Don't worry!"
Sand Tree replied impatiently while sprinting forward.
Their strengths were nearly equal.
Yet when the higher-ups chose the team leader, they selected Sandō instead of him.
That resentment had been festering for days.
Now, it finally exploded.
"I'll take him!"
Kushina stepped forward, ready to intercept.
But—
Yagami reached out and stopped her.
Clang—
He calmly slid Shisui back into its sheath.
Then, step by step, he walked forward alone.
"Oh?"
Sand Tree's lips curled into a cruel grin.
"Are you going to surrender and beg for mercy?"
The moment they entered range—
Both of them burst forward at the same time!
Their speed surged instantly, figures blurring as they closed the distance.
"Atomic—Slash!"
A flash of cold light erupted from Shisui's scabbard.
Yagami and Sand Tree crossed paths in a single instant.
Time seemed to freeze.
The battlefield fell silent.
Every Sand Shinobi stared wide-eyed, desperate to see the outcome.
Whoosh—
A gentle breeze swept across the field.
Making the silence even heavier.
Clang.
The sound of a blade returning to its sheath rang out.
Yagami spoke softly.
"The sword you wanted…"
"I've given it to you."
Psshh—!!!
A pillar of blood erupted skyward behind him.
A severed head flew up along with it.
"Sand Tree!!"
"Captain Sand Tree!!"
Cries of horror erupted from the Sand Shinobi ranks.
But Sand Tree heard nothing.
His vision spun.
The world tilted.
In his fading sight, he saw familiar figures rushing toward him and another figure standing where he was...
A figure....a headless figure.
Blood sprayed upward like a crimson fountain from his own neck.
And then...
Darkness.
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