"If we could just bring the Land of Grass completely under our control, that would be ideal," Kyoichi muttered as he stood atop a massive mushroom, stomping on it with force. The soft, springy surface felt like a trampoline under his feet. "Just this one mushroom beneath me—honestly, if we brought it back to Iwagakure, it'd fetch a pretty high price!"
Yes—
A mushroom large enough for three or five grown men to stand on at once.
In this dense jungle—
Mushrooms like that were everywhere.
Nearly every giant tree trunk had five to seven umbrella-shaped mushrooms growing out of it. And these trees themselves were absurdly tall. Trees that stood thirty to forty meters high were considered small saplings here. Only those reaching seventy, eighty, or even over a hundred meters could truly be called giant trees.
Humans—
Here, were little more than oversized bugs.
"It really is a fine piece of land," Magari agreed. "And the people occupying it are all cowards. If not for Konoha... we'd have taken the Land of Grass a long time ago."
At the mention of Konoha, his face twisted with resentment.
"Konoha, huh!"
Kyoichi clicked his tongue. "They say the Land of Fire is even more fertile than the Land of Grass. If I ever get the chance, I'd really like to see it for myself."
"Hmph. Those bastards in Konoha hog all the best land and won't even spare us a single drop of soup... Well, if they won't give it, then we'll just take it ourselves." Magari's eyes turned vicious as he glanced southeast—the direction of the Land of Fire.
Kyoichi narrowed his eyes but didn't respond.
Taking anything from Konoha... wasn't something that could be done by words alone.
In the past,
He might've been willing to burn a few brain cells figuring out how to help Iwagakure—and his own clan—profit from the Third Great Ninja War. But now...
His mind was focused on one thing: how to safely get his clan out of the Land of Earth.
Whether or not they ended up in the Land of Water—
That was still negotiable.
And even if they did end up going there, according to the Koeda Clan Chief... they'd still have to rely on themselves. First, they had to escape to the Land of Rivers. If they couldn't withstand the pursuit of Iwa's Anbu and fell before reaching the border, then everything would be for nothing.
The immediate priority was to break away from the Iwa Shinobi ranks—
Safely and cleanly.
More than that—
He didn't want to abandon the Koeda clan members still left behind in Iwagakure.
If possible,
He wanted to try and save them.
"There's got to be a way..."
Kyoichi reached for the Eye of God hanging at his waist, trying to find a solution. But unfortunately, the Eye of God wasn't some kind of omnipotent wish-granting device. In fact, it didn't even have sentience. From all his experimentation, it was just... a tool.
Of course,
It wasn't an ordinary tool—but its more divine qualities would take time to uncover.
Just then—
"Something's up."
Kyoichi suddenly looked up.
The Eye of God had greatly enhanced his affinity and control over earth-element chakra. His sensory perception had evolved by leaps and bounds—allowing him to sense movement up to a kilometer away using the ever-present earth element.
And right now—
That enhanced perception had picked something up.
"What is it?" Magari, standing atop another giant mushroom scanning the distance, turned his head. "Kyoichi, what did you detect?"
"A squad of four—reinforced combat team."
Standard combat teams had three members. Four meant a reinforced squad. That was the Five Great Shinobi Nations' universal rule.
"...You sure?"
"You think I'd joke about this? I'm laser-focused on earning merit to redeem myself right now. And they're heading straight for us. If nothing changes, we'll make contact very soon... Magari, what's the plan? Engage? Or retreat?"
Kyoichi turned his eyes to Magari.
Even though they were both jōnin—
It was clear.
Kyoichi, the "disposable pawn," had the lowest standing.
Not only could their team leader, Enkō, command him, but technically so could Dani and Magari—either in Enkō's absence or with his silent approval. This time, it was Magari who'd been assigned command during their recon mission.
To that,
Kyoichi had no complaints—he accepted it all without resistance, like a man resigned to his fate.
"...We hide for now."
Magari hesitated for a second.
He wanted to verify Kyoichi's claim—
To see if it was true. And if it was... they'd decide what to do next. Worst-case scenario? Just use Kyoichi as a rear guard. With Magari's speed, retreating wasn't a problem.
Kyoichi didn't argue. He silently slipped behind one of the enormous tree trunks.
At the same time,
Magari also concealed himself, doing his best to suppress his chakra and presence, quietly waiting for prey to bite the hook.
Barely ten seconds later—
"They're here."
Kyoichi mouthed silently.
He peeked slightly out from behind the tree—and spotted the four figures approaching in the distance.
Leading the group was a small, white-haired kid, followed by two others with dark hair—also small. From this distance, it was hard to tell their faces, or even their gender. The last figure, however, was tall and blond.
Even without seeing their faces—
That lineup could only mean one thing:
The Yellow Flash and his disciples had arrived!
"...It's really them!!!"
Kyoichi's heart lurched—but instead of fear, a bold, dangerous idea sparked in his mind.
Maybe—
This was an opportunity?
"Didn't think that guy was a sensory-type ninja... What a waste," Magari muttered as he too spotted the group of one tall and three short figures. A twinge of regret surfaced in his chest—sensory-type shinobi were rare in Iwagakure.
But alas—
The Koeda Clan's crimes were too great. They could never be forgiven. Kyoichi's talk of 'earning merit' to atone...
Was nothing more than a fantasy. No matter how many achievements he racked up, the stain of being a "traitor" couldn't be washed away.
Death—
Was the inevitable fate of every Koeda jōnin!
"Hm? Have we been spotted?"
Magari noticed the four-person team down below had stopped. The white-haired brat at the front raised a hand in a halt signal. "This kid's sharp... Hm? Wait—is that...?"
His eyes locked onto the tall, blond man at the back of the squad—and narrowed.
Almost reflexively—
A name echoed in his mind: the infamous Yellow Flash of Konoha!
"Could it... not be?"
From the squad's formation, it looked like the white-haired kid was leading. If that blond man really was the Yellow Flash, it didn't make sense for him to take orders from a kid.
"Let's test the waters..."
Suppressing his unease, Magari raised his hand—
And made a signal toward Kyoichi behind a nearby tree.
It was—
The signal to attack.