Outside Futago Town...
Rie and her teammates crouched low in the grass, silently watching the disgruntled Kusa ninja leave while cursing under their breath.
Earlier, that group had entered the town in a mob.
What followed was complete chaos.
No surprise—they were clearly after Rie and the others.
But the three had been cunning, hiding just outside the town to wait for them.
Now, failing to find their targets, the ninja were leaving, swearing and fuming.
"Follow them. We'll ambush after dark."
Knee-deep in grass, Rie whispered the command to her teammates.
The two nodded silently and followed her lead.
What they didn't know was that among the departing Kusa ninja, one masked man briefly glanced over his shoulder, eyes thoughtful.
...
Night fell quickly.
The Kusa ninja had returned to their camp—an open patch of prairie with a few tents clustered around a central fire.
Guards were stationed in the surrounding grass, half-hidden and alert.
Not far away, Rie and her team observed the faint smoke rising into the night sky, quietly adjusting their stance and waiting.
During the pursuit, they'd already prepared their strategy:
Avoid close combat entirely, strike with ninjutsu, retreat immediately, and use the traps laid along the way to stall pursuit.
Eventually, escape across the border into the Land of Fire.
A breeze rustled through the grass. The moon ducked behind the clouds.
Rie's narrowed eyes slowly opened, gleaming with anticipation.
"Get ready. I'll take out the guard—once I do, throw the explosive tags."
Teuchi and Fugaku Uchiha nodded firmly.
Using the cover of the wind and rustling grass, the three crept closer to the camp.
"Now!"
With a sharp whisper, Rie surged forward. Blue lightning sparked across her body as she darted from the grass and drove a kunai straight into the chest of the nearest sentry.
At the same time, Teuchi and Fugaku burst from hiding. One formed a hand seal, the other hurled a flurry of kunai with explosive tags attached.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Flames roared to life. A massive fireball and countless kunai rained down on the tents.
But just as they were about to retreat, confident in their success—
The ninja Rie had stabbed exploded into white smoke.
A Shadow Clone!
And from every direction, hidden ninja burst from the grass.
"Konoha brats, time to die!"
"Ha! And there's a little girl too!"
"Surround them! Don't let them escape!"
The shouts echoed far across the open grasslands.
Then a scarred young man stepped forward, wearing a Kusa forehead protector, and shouted,
"Take them alive! We'll force out their jutsu secrets!"
Rie's brow furrowed. Her voice dropped.
"We've been tricked. They've got a sensor ninja.
Break east! I'll cover the rear!"
She quickly formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Three clones appeared at her side. Together, they faced outward and formed seals in unison.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
A torrent of fire erupted from Rie's mouth, the gale it stirred whipping her bangs back as she stood defiant and fierce.
Shit!
The advancing Kusa ninja panicked. Some scrambled back; others hastily performed hand signs, trying to block the inferno.
...
High above, Reiji and Tsunade sat atop a massive sword-shaped wooden plank, watching the battlefield below.
Pointing at Rie, who was still unleashing flames, Reiji chuckled.
"Tsuna, you see that? The girl's got real Fire Release talent."
Tsunade, eyes fixed on the scene, nodded unconsciously.
She had to admit—Reiji was right.
Rie's strength was far beyond typical Genin. Just by chakra levels alone, the girl was nearing Jōnin standards.
Tsunade recalled how four years ago, when she was kidnapped by Kumogakure shinobi, Rie—barely nine then—was already spewing fire and laughing like a maniac.
Still, using fire jutsu in these windswept plains... could she really control it?
As Tsunade pondered, Teuchi and Fugaku joined the fight.
The battlefield exploded into chaos—firestorms and thunderous blasts engulfing everything.
"Move!" Rie shouted, forming hand seals as she led the charge southward. Teuchi and Fugaku followed close behind.
Ox → Ram → Snake → Dragon → Rat → Ox → Tiger.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
She spun mid-stride, chest puffed out—and from her mouth, three massive fire dragons roared to life, sweeping across the field.
Several Kusa ninja, too slow to dodge, were instantly engulfed in flames.
Just as the trio was about to break free of the encirclement, the scarred leader's expression darkened. Hidden in shadow, he swiftly formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
With a grunt, chakra surged into the ground.
Ahead of the fleeing trio, the earth hidden beneath the grass began to tremble—something was coming.
Watching from above, Reiji's eyes lit up.
Not bad. Sneaky bastard's got some skill.
He wasn't worried about injuries—Tsunade was here, a perfect chance for her to practice.
Even if one of the kids died, as long as the body was fresh, he could always go to the Land of Wind and get the second Kazekage's One's Own Life Reincarnation Technique.
No big deal.
As Rie and the others neared the trap, Teuchi—running last, brows furrowed—suddenly reached out and grabbed the collars of both Rie and Fugaku.
The next moment, seven or eight razor-sharp earth spears burst from the ground ahead.
"Kid's got sensory talent, huh?"
On the flying plank, Reiji's eyes gleamed as he locked onto Teuchi.
But then, his brow furrowed sharply. He turned his gaze behind the trio.
Underground, a masked figure was closing in fast—aimed straight at Rie.
Teuchi felt it too.
Since the battle began, his mind had felt hazy. But just before grabbing the others, he sensed deadly danger ahead and acted on instinct.
Now, that same feeling was back.
Something underground was closing in—fast.
"Underground! Watch out!" Teuchi shouted, pointing behind them.
Rie's brow furrowed. She spun around and formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Amazake Barrage!"
Streams of syrupy water bullets blasted from her mouth, spraying in a wide arc.
Even with her massive chakra reserves, Rie was starting to feel drained. Sweat streamed down her forehead; her bangs clung to her temples, soaked.
Teuchi frowned as he scanned the battered earth, straining to sense more.
"No! It's still there! It didn't disappear!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth—
Two large hands suddenly lunged out from the ground right in front of Rie, reaching straight for her throat.