Morning of the 10th. After 18 hours of deep sleep, Hizashi Hyuga woke up first.
A sense of fullness filled his brain, like a dry riverbed flooded with spring water. His Byakugan felt... upgraded.
Suppressing his confusion, Hizashi activated his eyes.
3km. 4km. 5km.
His vision kept extending, finally stabilizing at 6km.
His commotion alerted the others. Seeing the Byakugan active, they grabbed their weapons, thinking enemies were near. But seeing Hizashi's joy, they paused.
"Hizashi, what happened?" Sakumo asked once Hizashi deactivated his eyes.
"Sorry, I got excited. My Byakugan's range increased by 1km after this."
"What?" Sakumo's eyes lit up. "Excellent! That's a huge help for the mission."
This news boosted morale. Finding the enemy was key.
Sakumo briefed Hizashi on the plan. They moved out immediately to the designated route.
The Land of Bird was hilly. The undulating terrain provided perfect cover for ambushes.
With the extended Byakugan range and the terrain, they had a natural advantage.
They found a depression near the road that offered a perfect vantage point. Hizashi's new range covered the entire area, eliminating blind spots.
To conserve strength, Hizashi activated his eyes every five minutes.
An hour later, he spotted five figures approaching from the Land of Wind.
Cloaked against the sand, moving hurriedly.
"10 o'clock, 5km out. Five ninjas."
The team tensed, readying weapons.
Hizashi focused, revealing their chakra networks.
"Wait. Something's wrong. Their chakra is too low," Hizashi interrupted. "These are Chunin level. No Jonin."
They realized it was a decoy. The missing squad yesterday must have alerted Sand. But the alliance plan hadn't changed; they were just more cautious.
"Let them pass. We wait," Sakumo decided.
It was a gamble. If they were Jonin suppressing their chakra, they'd miss the target. But Sakumo trusted his instincts.
The decoy squad passed 3km away, undetected.
Before Hizashi deactivated his eyes, another group appeared. He focused.
"This is it. Three Jonin-level chakra signatures, two Chunin."
The first group was the vanguard. Attacking them would have alerted the main group and failed the mission, possibly triggering the Third War early.
"Good job, Hizashi. Let's give them a surprise!"
They moved ahead, positioning themselves behind a small hill less than 10 meters high.
"Take the antidote pills," Taiichi reminded them. They swallowed the bitter pills without chewing.
As the Sand envoy approached, the Konoha team crested the hill. The sun was behind them, casting long shadows over the Sand ninjas.
Rousa and his team looked up, blinded by the sun.
Konoha attacked instantly with shuriken and kunai.
The Sand ninjas, experienced veterans, popped pills into their mouths while dodging.
"Careful! Poison!" Taiichi shouted.
Rousa threw several purple balls. Poof!
Thick purple smoke covered the area.
"Argh!" A scream came from inside the smoke.
"That direction... Wada!" Rousa was furious. How were they so fast? And why did they charge into the poison smoke?
Minato had teleported to a Chunin the moment the smoke appeared, killing him instantly.
Sakumo, Hizashi, and Taiichi charged into the smoke without hesitation.
The Sand ninjas were blindsided. The poison didn't work, and the smoke only hindered their own vision.
Whoosh!
Kazekiri, the Wind user, blew the smoke away.
The battlefield cleared.
Sakumo engaged Rousa, who was controlling three puppets. Puppet parts already littered the ground.
Minato fought Kazekiri—speed vs. range.
Hizashi fought the sword user. Gentle Fist vs. Kenjutsu. Hizashi was winning in close quarters.
Taiichi pulled his blade from the dead Chunin's heart. He looked at the sword user fighting Hizashi.
His gaze was predatory. The sword user, already struggling against Hizashi and having witnessed two deaths, felt fear creeping in.
The Byakugan user is hard enough. Now this kid with the sword...
Panic set in.
Taiichi flickered close, slashing down.
Clang!
A puppet with four arms and two legs blocked the strike with a shield. Its other three arms held blades, stabbing at Taiichi like a whirlwind.
Taiichi was forced back. His first time fighting a puppet.
He glanced at Sakumo. Still fighting three puppets. So Rousa had held back a fourth one.
Only four puppets? Disappointing for a master.
Taiichi adapted quickly. He dodged the puppet's stab and severed a joint.
The puppet lost an arm.
Suddenly, its mouth opened, firing a rain of senbon. The severed arm also animated, attacking from behind.
Pincer attack.
Taiichi didn't panic. Wind chakra flooded his blade. He spun, creating a protective dome of wind and steel.
Cling, clang, clang.
Senbon and blades were deflected. Taiichi stood unharmed in the center of a scarred circle of earth.
Hizashi, watching from the corner of his eye, was amazed. That looks like Rotation!
Taiichi switched his blade to his left hand. Flickering forward, he punched the puppet's chest with his right hand.
BOOM!
The puppet exploded into shrapnel. No parts left to control.
Rousa's eyes widened. "Tsunade's Monstrous Strength! What is that kid's relation to her?"
Taiichi ignored him and rushed toward the sword user.
Terrified by the destruction of the puppet, the sword user tried to retreat, exposing an opening.
Hizashi seized it, striking his tenketsu repeatedly.
Taiichi feinted and turned away. That ninja was dead.
He charged straight for Rousa.
Monstrous Strength is a cheat against puppets. One hit, and it's scrap metal.
Puppets weren't human. No matter how skilled the user, there was a tiny lag. And in battle, that lag was fatal.