Hoshiyomi frowned slightly upon hearing the report. Ever since his return to the Land of Rain, he'd heard frequent mention of this so-called Earth-Release Burrowing Unit. In just over a month since his departure, this team had already made a name for itself.
(Note: Sorry for the mistranslation in the earlier chapter. I'll be changing "infiltration unit" to "burrowing unit" for better readability. "Infiltration" felt a bit awkward and didn't quite fit.)
Konoha and Amegakure's supply routes had been shredded by this unit—turned into sieves. The damage they'd caused was equivalent to that of a full-scale battle.
Rumor had it that the Burrowing Unit was an elite squad of Iwagakure shinobi trained exclusively in Earth Release techniques.
Earth Release was Iwagakure's specialty—already the most common and practiced chakra nature among their ninja. But in the hands of the Burrowing Unit, Earth Release had been elevated to a terrifying artform.
Every member of the squad specialized in Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu (Hiding Like a Mole Technique), and each one was equipped with special burrowing gear.
With the help of this equipment, they could move underground at speeds surpassing most shinobi above ground. They could also breathe freely while underground, allowing them to operate for days without surfacing.
Their prowess in direct combat was already formidable, and when paired with their absurd subterranean mobility, they became a nightmare to deal with.
Send too few guards with a transport team, and the Earth-Release Burrowing Unit would wipe them out. Send too many, and the unit would simply avoid the fight—wasting manpower.
Konoha and Amegakure had tried ambushes, traps, and pursuit tactics, but the unit's retreat speed was monstrous. Most times, the enemy would vanish underground before the first jutsu could even be cast.
No one dared chase them down into the tunnels. Underground was their territory—and any shinobi foolish enough to follow them down there had died miserable, unrecognizable deaths.
It was a nearly unsolvable problem.
After hearing the full report, Hoshiyomi asked, "Do we know their numbers?"
"We have a rough estimate," Kōhei replied. "During our last few skirmishes, we were able to pin it down. It's a twenty-man team, with at least one sensory ninja."
"According to the Uzumaki scouts, the weakest of the twenty are at least chūnin level—fourteen or fifteen of them. The remaining four to five are jōnin, and there's one elite jōnin."
Hoshiyomi raised an eyebrow. No wonder this unit has been causing so much trouble.
Kōhei looked at Hoshiyomi's expression and subconsciously asked, ""Hoshiyomi-sama, do you have a good solution?"
After a moment of thought, Hoshiyomi slowly said, "There's really no clean solution. Against a unit this agile, the only option is to eliminate them all in one strike."
"This would be simple for Tsunade to handle, but she's heading to the Suna front now… I'll go make contact with them myself first."
"If I can wipe them all out in one go, perfect. If not, we'll call Tsunade."
Kōhei gave him a slightly strange look. So this is the difference between me and Hoshiyomi-sama, huh?
Eliminate them all in one go—of course. That's just like him.
Just as Kōhei was lost in thought, a figure burst into the tent.
"Hoshiyomi-sama! A signal flare just went up outside—likely one of our squads has made contact with the Iwa Burrowing Unit!"
Kōhei snapped out of his thoughts immediately. "Lord Hoshiyomi, you should—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he realized Hoshiyomi had already disappeared.
His speed is incredible! Ah, as expected of the powerful Hoshiyomi-sama!
...
Roughly about 25 kilometers from the main Suna front command post, an Iwagakure unit was mercilessly slaughtering a Konoha transport team.
These Iwa shinobi looked quite different from standard troops. Each of them wore a somewhat comical steel helmet with a breathing apparatus attached to the back
In addition, they wore specialized metal-clawed gloves—gear that allowed them to dig while also performing hand seals fluidly.
They were the infamous Iwagakure Burrowing Unit. And they were absolutely lethal. The Konoha transport team was rapidly being wiped out.
Within just two minutes, the entire transport team had been annihilated.
The Burrowing Unit began selecting valuable supplies from the wreckage, sealing them into scrolls. Once done, they stuck explosive tags on the transport carts.
After several loud explosions, the valuable food and supplies were reduced to a pile of burning charcoal.
Looking at the burning supplies, the faces of the tunnelling squad members showed a look of glee. "Today's mission was too easy. The Konoha ninja are brainless, not even sending out any strong guys."
"Captain, what now? Should we head back to camp? I'm a bit tired these past couple of days."
The unit captain glanced at the sky, hesitated, then a greedy glint flickered in his eyes.
"It's still early. Let's see if we can find another unlucky team. And quit whining—you've got it way better than the folks on the frontlines.
"How many good things have you found in these supplies these past two days? The money we make from selling this after the war will be more than an S-rank mission."
"Get underground, and don't let Konoha's reinforcements catch up."."
One of the subordinates muttered, "I'm just worried something might go wrong…"
"Worried my ass—get down there already!"
What the captain didn't know… was that danger was already closing in.
...
Roughly twenty minutes after leaving the command tent, Hoshiyomi came to a stop. Though the transport team was still out of sight, he could already smell the stench of blood and the acrid tang of burned explosives.
His heart heavy, Hoshiyomi walked through the forest and saw the tragic scene before him. All he saw were the bodies of Konoha shinobi and the charred remains left by the explosive tags.
He didn't spare a glance for the destroyed supplies. His first move was to kneel beside one of the bodies and check its temperature.
Still warm. They hadn't died long ago.
He'd arrived just a bit too late.
Without lingering in regret or self-blame, Hoshiyomi activated the Summoning Jutsu. When the smoke cleared, Lobo appeared before him. "Lobo, can you smell anything other than the bodies?"
Lobo obediently went up and sniffed. "There's a strong earthy smell. They must be shinobi who spend a lot of time underground."
"Can you track them from the surface?"
Lobo sniffed around the hole left in the ground and shook his head regretfully.
"They're at least fifty meters deep. No way I can pick up a clear trail from up here."
"…I see."
With Lobo's method failing, Hoshiyomi's brows furrowed. Are we really just going to let them get away again?
He paused, then a sudden idea struck him. Focusing, he began adjusting his chakra nature—converting it to Earth Release.
Drawing his sword, Mikazuki Munechika, from his waist, he stabbed it into the ground. Then, using the blade as a conduit, he began channeling his Earth chakra deep underground.
With Lobo unable to help, he wanted to try this simple method to see if he could find their whereabouts