The next morning, after handling ANBU affairs, Kageyama Kokugetsu rode the golden eagle to scout Kumogakure's supply depot.
Though the war was small in scale and the logistics force more concealed, it was not hard to find.
Kumo's depot sat in a small border town in the Land of Lightning, easy to defend and hard to attack, mountains on three sides.
After observing from high above, Kageyama Kokugetsu withdrew.
Not only was the depot heavily guarded, it was wrapped in dense steel wire, even over the roof.
In that case one would either infiltrate with space–time ninjutsu or attack head-on.
Both were possible, but Kageyama Kokugetsu did not want to expose either line of intel.
He was not serving Konoha with his whole heart. Close enough was enough.
Besides, if he hit Kumo too hard and they backed off, how would he keep racking up steady military merit?
Back at Konoha's camp, he reported the depot's situation.
He then led ANBU to strike Kumo's black ops, logistics, and recon units.
Even holding back, he achieved fine results.
Konoha's ANBU losses were small, and Kageyama Kokugetsu's prestige soared in ANBU and at the front.
Kakashi, guarding Kushina in Konoha and only leaving the village for occasional missions, fell behind in deeds and reputation.
It could be said Kageyama Kokugetsu was now unquestionably the number one of the new generation.
The steady losses infuriated Kumo's front-line leadership. At this rate they could not suppress Konoha or reap gains.
They could not even achieve the simplest aim of bleeding Konoha to slow its recovery. Instead, Konoha was bleeding them.
So the Kumo high command accelerated their plan, laying overt and covert trails to draw Kageyama Kokugetsu into a trap.
That day the intel unit delivered a report to ANBU.
It said Kumo's logistics would secretly transport a large batch of explosive tags to the front, using winter-clothes resupply as cover.
Kageyama Kokugetsu did not think much of it and summoned his vice captain, Sparrow.
Intel from the unit had generally been sound in the past, with only minor, harmless flaws on occasion.
"Captain." Sparrow entered the tent and bowed.
"Look at this," Kageyama Kokugetsu said, handing over the scroll on the table.
Sparrow stepped quickly up, bent, and took it with both hands, posture respectful to the point of humility.
"Captain, are you taking this one yourself?"
"Yes. Explosive tags are too important."
For ordinary genin, tags were more useful than ninjutsu, their main means of attack.
In truth, fewer died to ninjutsu on the battlefield than to tools and tags.
"I judge the enemy will use a loose-outside, tight-inside tactic. On the surface it will look like a normal convoy, but the transport shinobi will have been replaced with elites.
"It means going deep again. This time I will bring no one. Easier to withdraw alone."
"Then be careful," Sparrow said in a low voice.
With a perfect mission record, what was there to question or urge.
Just believe and be done.
"After I leave, be prudent in command. Better no merit than needless risk.
"Do not let our brothers who survived the mountains of corpses in the Third Great Ninja War fall in a small conflict like this.
"We bring back as many as we can."
"Yes, Captain." Sparrow swept his black coat aside and knelt on one knee.
"I see your resolve. Do not let me down. I am off."
Kageyama Kokugetsu took up the ANBU mask from the table, put it on, and strode out.
"Rest assured, Captain."
Sparrow's voice was ironclad. He turned on his knee and, still kneeling, saw his captain off.
On the northeastern border of the Land of Fields, snow drifted down and a cutting wind howled, turning earth and sky to one color.
On the muddy snow road, a mule team trudged on with difficulty. Fortunately the Land of Fields was mostly level. Otherwise this transport would have been torment.
Under a roadside tree, cloaked in invisibility, Kageyama Kokugetsu watched the convoy approach.
"Heh. I was wrong this time.
"Except for the leader with a jōnin's chakra, the rest are normal, weaker than frontline troops.
"Acting well, and cleverly arranged.
"Normally one jōnin would be enough to keep this convoy safe.
"Unfortunately for them, they met me. Take the strongest first, butcher the small fry, then carry off the tags."
As the convoy drew level and a gust sent snowflakes whirling, Kageyama Kokugetsu moved.
With razor control of chakra he left no trace on the snow. The flurry hid any oddity as snow fell on him, and he arrowed toward the strongest chakra in the convoy.
A gleam of cold steel thrust from the storm without warning and pierced the Kumo jōnin's neck from the side where he sat on the wagon.
Blood sprayed. The jōnin's mouth and nose ran red as he stared in disbelief.
In the next instant, the Kumo jōnin turned into half an octopus tail.
At the same time, a figure burst up a few meters behind Kageyama Kokugetsu, a thin needle-like blade stabbing for his back at shocking speed.
At that distance, and with Killer B erupting at full speed, even Kageyama Kokugetsu could not dodge in time.
Shinra Tensei.
He formed a one-handed seal and a surge of repulsive force blasted outward.
Wind and snow peeled away. Wagons loaded with goods were hurled aside. The thin blade struck an invisible wall, hung a heartbeat, then was flung back.
"Yo, what kind of jutsu is that?"
In altered face and skin, Killer B spoke in wary surprise, rapidly refining and gathering chakra.
With only ordinary chakra and his own strength, failing to pierce the repulsion was normal.
If he gathered a proper amount, then added the Eight Tails' chakra, the result might be different.
As he spoke, the other Kumo shinobi were not idle. They loosed kunai rigged with explosive tags in a volley.
Earth Release: Sky-Supporting Pillar.
Kageyama Kokugetsu formed a genuine one-handed seal. A round stone pillar surged up beneath his feet, lifting him clear of the incoming kunai.
But Kumo had planned this. Tags on the wagons detonated and set off the mass of tags piled on them.
A thunderous blast cracked the air. Fire roared skyward, painting half the sky red.
The explosion tore the horses to pieces. Flesh and blood burned to ash in an instant, death brutally clean.
The shock snapped the pillar beneath him, and Kageyama Kokugetsu lost his footing in midair.
Eight-Headed Strike.
Killer B entered first-stage tailed-beast cloaking, red chakra shrouding him. He sprang like a toad to the sky.
Before the summoning could go off, he drove his head into the ninjatō, snapped it with raw power, and smashed Kageyama Kokugetsu in the chest.
"Yo yo, listen up, you are the one who dies by Killer B's hands, ha."
Landing, Killer B looked up at Kageyama Kokugetsu falling from midair, danced, and hummed his odd rap cadence.
The other Kumo shinobi cheered loudly.
Kageyama Kokugetsu slammed into the snow with a thud, sending up a spray and carving a hollow.
In the next heartbeat, the unexpected happened.
His face and build shifted into a young Kumo shinobi with a Kumo forehead protector, blue combat suit, and white vest.
Laughter on the scene cut off at once.
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