Konoha's main camp.
The sentries on the watchtower rotated shifts constantly, keeping watch over Sunagakure's encampment 24 hours a day.
A guard who had just come off duty let out a long yawn. Instead of heading back to his own tent to rest, he walked straight to the command tent.
After being granted permission to enter, the guard, though tired, still managed a smile:
"Hoshiyomi-sama, there's still no movement from the Sunagakure camp tonight."
Hoshiyomi put down the document in his hand and smiled:
"I see. You've worked hard. Go back and get some rest."
After the guard left, Tsunade—busy sorting through documents at the side—glanced at Hoshiyomi and muttered:
"Are you sure your plan will even work? From what you've said, that Nono is just a chunin. If she's discovered, she won't be able to make much of a stir, will she?"
Hoshiyomi felt the same uncertainty in his heart, but he chose to place his trust in the "Wandering Nun."
"We'll see. Either way, there are only three days left. If it works, perfect. If not… then we treat it as just another night raid."
"By the way, remember to send someone tomorrow to contact Shinku and Orochimaru. Tell them to be alert on their sides too. If this works, we'll need their timely coordination."
Tsunade sighed, unable to argue, and replied helplessly:
"Alright, I know. It's late—let's get some sleep."
With that, she held onto Hoshiyomi's arm with a bit of a forceful embrace. FFeeling the sudden warmth and softness, Hoshiyo's heart skipped a beat. He simply set aside his pen and drifted into sleep in Tsunade's embrace.
Time flew by, and before long, the fifteenth had arrived. Even Tsunade, who hadn't really believed the plan would work, found herself secretly harboring a trace of expectation.
Hoshiyomi, on the other hand, ordered everyone in the camp to rest well and conserve their strength, ready to move the moment anything happened that night.
As night slowly fell, the hours ticked by. Everyone held their breath, straining to catch any sign of movement from Sunagakure's camp.
On the other side, within the Sunagakure encampment, Nono—who had been lying down with her roommates—quietly opened her eyes. She crept out of her tent and used the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
After having her shadow clone transform into the bald Suna shinobi using the Transformation Jutsu, Nonō Yakushi ordered the clone to silently go to the Suna's weapons depot.
Nono herself moved toward the cluster of tents where the opposition faction resided. There, she tossed in another stone wrapped with paper.
When the bald-headed shinobi saw the stone, his eyes flickered. He picked up the note and respectfully handed it to Elder Jizō.
This time, the message contained only a few words:
"If not now, then when?"
After long hesitation, Jizō finally let out a heavy sigh:
"Go. Gather everyone. Whether we live or die will be decided tonight."
Just as they were carefully gathering their people, a bald figure silently appeared near the weapons depot. This bald figure held a glass bottle in his left hand and a kunai in his right.
The guards stationed there immediately moved to intercept him—but before they could act, the bald figure had already hurled both items.
And with a puff, he vanished into smoke.
The startled guards stared at the two objects spinning through the air. Alarmed, one instinctively threw a kunai to intercept them.
Then—
Clang! The glass bottle shattered in midair, spilling a transparent liquid that splashed across the ground with a strong, pungent odor.
At once, the guards' faces changed drastically.
That was the smell of alcohol!
Several of them quickly formed hand seals, desperately trying to mitigate the danger—but it was already too late.
Boom!
The kunai, wrapped with an explosive tag, detonated midair.
Flames from the tag instantly ignited the alcohol that had spilled across the ground, and the weapon depot's canvas went up in flames in an instant.
Explosion and firelight erupted together, piercing the quiet of the night, impossible to ignore.
The Sunagakure shinobi, who had been fast asleep, were jolted awake by the explosion. Half-dressed, they stumbled out of their tents to see what had happened.
Elder Jizō and his companions saw the flames in the distance, along with the Suna ninja rushing out in confusion. His expression changed sharply. Without a shred of hesitation, Jizō shouted:
"Run!"
Damn it—Konoha really was using them as pawns, without even a word of warning. He didn't need to think to know what was going to happen over there.
This time, if they didn't run, they'd never get another chance!
As he spoke, over a hundred of Ryūnosuke's opposition followers threw their lives on the line and charged toward the gates of Sunagakure's camp.
The fire and the hundred fleeing shiobi acted almost at the same time, and under the influence of both events, the Sunagakure camp instantly fell into chaos.
From not far away, in Konoha's camp, Hoshiyomi—who had long since been prepared—saw the flames shoot into the sky. His face lit up with uncontained excitement.
Nono had really succeeded!
Hoshiyomi immediately drew the Mikazuki Munechika at his waist and shouted:
"Fire the signal flare! Alert Orochimaru and Shinku! The time has come to drive Sunagakure out of the Land of Rain!"
As he spoke, amidst the signal flare's sharp whistle, he was already charging towards the Suna camp at the head of the forces.
Hoshiyomi's Shunpo flashed continuously under his feet, his speed far surpassing the other Konoha shinobi.
In a few breaths, Hoshiyomi was already very close to the Sunagakure's camp.
With a grin, he swung the Mikazuki Munechika, unleashing a massive, blue-green wave of wind-natured sword energy.
The slash struck directly at the Sunagakure gates—shattering them into pieces.
The opposition, who had been struggling against the guards there, saw the gate collapse with a thunderous crash. Their faces lit up with wild joy as they shouted:
"Run! Whether we live or die depends on this moment!"
Looking at the collapsed gate in front and the Suna reinforcements closing from behind, the aged Jizō gritted his teeth, quickly made a hand seal, and used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, blowing away the guards at the gate.
In that moment, all thoughts of Sunagakure's honor or loyalty were cast aside. Now, all he wanted was to survive.
With Jizō taking the lead, the opposition followers no longer hesitated either. Each drew a kunai, cut down the guards barring the way, and bolted for freedom.
Hoshiyomi stood coldly before the Sunagakure tents, watching all of this unfold. He made no move to stop Jizō and the others, allowing them to carve their own path to freedom.
Then, seeing the Konoha forces charging up behind him, Hoshiyo shouted:
"Full assault!"
Under the moonlight, he shifted into the opening stance of Oboro Urazuki: Eleven Forms. Ten afterimages of Hoshiyomi appeared, gleaming under the moon's glow.
The eleven Hoshiyomis bared cruel smiles at the dumbstruck Sunagakure shinobi—then charged straight into their disordered ranks.
The massacre had begun.
From afar, Elder Ebizō rushed toward the battlefield—only to arrive just in time to witness the carnage. Severed limbs and broken bodies flew through the air, while behind, Konoha's army advanced in deadly formation under Tsunade's lead.
Clutching his forehead in anguish, Ebizō muttered:
"It's all over…"