After Chagakure Ryūsuke and Kizoku Uzu arrived at the coastal defense fortress, the commander of the Coastal Defense Corps, Garuō, received the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers' personal letter. However, he didn't immediately dispatch reinforcements. Instead, he subjected the two to intense questioning.
Garuō had been appointed as the Coastal Defense Corps commander not just because of his noble lineage and formidable strength, but more importantly, his cautious and meticulous nature.
After thoroughly inspecting Kizoku Uzu and finding no traces of control seals, Garuō finally relented. Combined with Ryūsuke's adamant testimony, he recognized the severity of the situation. Leaving half his forces behind to guard the fortress—lest the Kirigakure pirates take advantage—he personally led 150 Suna-nin toward the Land of Rivers' capital.
The fortress was less than a thousand ri from the capital. At the Coastal Defense Corps' speed, they could arrive in half a day. If not for the need to accommodate the genin, they could have moved even faster.
Still, no matter how urgent the situation, the ever-cautious Garuō refused to rush ahead with only a small elite force. Instead, he advanced carefully with the full contingent.
Wanting to speed things up, he sent out numerous summoned falcons for reconnaissance—only for them to be effortlessly shot down by Umino Yoru riding on Daihaku.
The Uchiha throwing technique was terrifyingly effective. Since mastering it, Yoru, with the help of two shadow clones, could unleash a barrage of kunai like an inescapable net. Its lethality rivaled the Shadow Shuriken Technique, slaughtering Suna's falcons without mercy.
The best part? Unlike the chakra-draining Shadow Shuriken Technique, this method only cost a few kunai and some stamina. And with the Gluttony Technique restoring his energy, he could keep this up for three days straight without issue.
With their aerial reconnaissance gone, Garuō grew even warier.
Past experience had taught him that while the Konoha Hundred were mediocre fighters, the "White Blood Demon" was a master of traps and ambushes. Elder Ebizō had twice fallen into his schemes by charging in recklessly—Garuō had no intention of repeating that mistake.
"Halt! Sabaku Gaku, scout ahead and check for ambushes!"
Garuō stopped at the entrance of a narrow canyon, ordering his men to inspect it for traps.
The canyon stretched for miles, barely wide enough for a single wagon, with steep cliffs on either side—perfect for an ambush. If the Konoha Hundred had already taken the capital, the White Blood Demon would surely have set up an attack here.
Yet after a thorough search, they found nothing.
"It seems the Konoha Hundred haven't taken the capital yet. Move out, double time!"
Leading from the front, Garuō finally guided the Suna forces into the canyon.
The entire passage was clear, and they passed through unhindered.
But the moment they exited, they found the Konoha Hundred blocking their path.
"Ambush!"
Garuō immediately realized the trap. Though his forces had cleared the canyon, they were now bottlenecked at the narrow exit with no room to maneuver. Retreating back into the canyon would leave them vulnerable to being split apart and picked off one by one—especially without air support.
"White Blood Demon, you're overconfident."
Garuō didn't panic or order a retreat, which would have played right into the enemy's hands. Instead, he formed a defensive formation, ready to clash head-on.
In his eyes, the Konoha Hundred's reputation far outstripped their actual combat ability. They stood no chance against his troops.
Though confined, the Suna forces could concentrate their defense, negating any advantage the Konoha Hundred might have had. A disorganized retreat would have been disastrous, but now, it was a straightforward battle of strength—one the Konoha Hundred couldn't win.
"You've outsmarted yourself this time. Let's see how I crush you."
Victory seemed certain. Once the Konoha Hundred exhausted their chakra and supplies, Garuō would lead his men in a merciless counterattack.
"Don't let the White Blood Demon escape! I'll capture him and present him to Elder Ebizō as an apology—keh keh keh!"
Just as Garuō savored his impending triumph, Umino Yoru descended from the sky atop Daihaku and hurled a sealed scroll toward the Suna forces.
A puff of smoke erupted as the scroll unsealed—releasing a storm of poison gas bombs.
"No! Those are our village's poison bombs!"
Garuō's face paled. He knew exactly how deadly those were.
These were specially crafted by Elder Chiyo. Recently, suspecting Kirigakure movements, he had requested a supply from the village council. Now, somehow, they had fallen into the White Blood Demon's hands—and were being used against them.
"Sand Shield Wall!"
Channeling a surge of chakra, Garuō erected a massive sand barrier to block the poison gas.
"Huh? He can still use ninjutsu?"
Yoru frowned in surprise.
Garuō had somehow resisted the shadow clones' infrasonic shockwaves, barely flinching as he completed his technique.
It turned out Garuō's body was coated in swirling sand, acting as a natural defense. The shockwaves dissipated harmlessly against it.
Though not as formidable as Gaara's Shield of Sand—which had withstood Deidara's C3—Garuō's barrier was still formidable.
But Yoru had a backup plan.
"Rasengan!"
His two shadow clones leapt from Daihaku, slamming Rasengans into the sand wall.
Now that Yoru's chakra had reached "0.5 Kage" levels, his clones had just enough to unleash the technique.
Meanwhile, his real self formed hand seals at blinding speed.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Bullet!"
Taking a deep breath, he unleashed several massive wind blasts, hammering the sand barrier with devastating force.
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