The battlefield in the Land of Rain was in constant flux.
After Sunagakure allied with Iwagakure, Amegakure launched a sudden assault on Iwagakure's rear flank. Yet the ever-watchful Kumogakure, who had been keeping tabs on Amegakure's movements, chose not to react at all.
This was the kind of unspoken understanding that could exist even between enemies on the battlefield.
The Raikage wasn't an idiot—he didn't want this chaos to unfold, but rather than intervene, he chose to let Amegakure strike.
Despite having just weathered the rampage of the Eight-Tails, Kumogakure didn't abandon the Land of Rain. Choosing to sit back and let the other villages tear into each other was, in fact, a wise decision.
In contrast, things were unnervingly quiet on Konohagakure's end.
And for good reason.
Their first ambush had resulted in devastating losses. Even their supreme commander had gone missing, leaving Konoha's shinobi adrift, with no sense of direction or certainty about the future.
But just when morale was at its lowest, word spread throughout the camp: the very Sunagakure that had assaulted them was now sending a representative to their base.
Nobody knew what the representative's true intentions were, but no one believed it could be good news.
Inside the temporary command tent, the captains of all the major clans had assembled. Senju Yukika stood alongside Tsunade and Nawaki, awaiting the emissary from Sunagakure.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," Jiraiya muttered under his breath as he crept up beside Orochimaru.
"You don't think… it's about our missing commander?"
It most likely was.
Orochimaru let out a cold chuckle.
"There has never been a heroic death for Shimura Danzo. Only the kind of end where he surrenders and gets himself captured," he said with disdain. "That man fears death too much to go out any other way."
Across the room, Sakumo Hatake's expression had grown increasingly grim.
His instincts screamed that something big was about to happen. Something bad.
It didn't take long before the representative from Sunagakure arrived before them.
The man wasn't unfamiliar—he was none other than Chiyo's younger brother, Ebizō, and the current vice commander of Sunagakure's forces.
"No need for formalities. Let's cut straight to the point," Ebizō said with an icy glare, his gaze landing squarely on Sakumo, the infamous White Fang.
This was the man who had killed his kin.
In some ways, Sunagakure had succeeded in their vengeance. Their alliance with Iwagakure had allowed them to completely encircle Konoha's forces.
But frustratingly, the number of Konoha shinobi they'd managed to kill had been far less than they'd hoped.
Then Ebizō's eyes landed on Senju Yukika—and a flicker of murderous intent crossed his face.
So this is the kid?
The one who had the guts to face a full encirclement and even punch a hole through it all by himself?
Young and dangerous.
What a shame… he belongs to the Senju clan. He belongs to Konoha.
"Well well, what's with that look?" Yukika asked lazily, arms crossed, eyes half-closed in amusement. "You think just because you're a messenger, nobody's gonna touch you?"
Touch me? Ebizō's face twisted with contempt. He leaned in closer, smugness dripping from every word.
"Heh. You think you can lay a hand on me? Go ahead, try it. Do you really believe your commander, Danzo, will come out of this unscathed if you do—"
SMACK!
What the hell are you being so polite for, huh?
Senju Yukika sneered as he lifted his hand and slapped Ebizō square across the face.
The crack echoed in the stunned silence.
Everyone froze in disbelief as Ebizō's body spun through the air—a full 720 degrees—before crashing hard onto the ground.
Tsunade's eye twitched.
She was certain—Yukika had just used the full strength of the Senju clan in that slap.