"Hatani, aren't we there yet?"
Nawaki, blissfully unaware that his sister had already grown too anxious to remain at the base and was out searching for him, was now questioning Hatani for the second time.
Although this was his first time outside the village—his first taste of the lethal Land of Rain battlefield—he remembered their squad leader, Mimura-sensei, saying it should only take a day and a half to reach the Konoha front-line headquarters if they moved at full speed.
Yet here they were, on their fourth day in the Land of Rain. Even discounting the time spent before the Suna ambush, two full days had passed since they fled. They should have seen the camp by now.
"Look, ahem... Hatani, I'm not doubting you," Nawaki added, noticing Akiren looking paler and weaker by the hour. "I'm just curious. Do you... do you actually know exactly where the base is?"
"I know the way," Hatani replied. He didn't sound offended, but his expression was heavier than Nawaki had ever seen it. "But we're in deeper trouble than I thought. It isn't just Suna anymore. It looks like we've picked up Amegakure as well."
"Ame?!" Nawaki's brow furrowed. He didn't quite follow. In this country, weren't they supposed to be wary of both Suna and Ame anyway? "Hatani, what do you mean?"
"The path to the camp is blocked. The Hidden Rain has closed the borders," Hatani said, finally dropping the hammer.
"Could it just be a coincidence? Let's try another route," Nawaki suggested, desperation creeping into his voice.
"I've already detoured once. If I hadn't, we'd be at the gates by now." Hatani's answer made Nawaki's heart, which was already half-frozen with worry, sink completely. "At first, I thought it was just bad luck. But now? The wind tells me they're actively hunting us."
Hatani felt the warnings carried by the breeze, and his gut twisted.
"Wind Style."
While Nawaki and Hatani were spiraling into a sense of looming dread, three Ame Anbu were standing over several corpses not far from their position. These were the men Hatani had cut down with his wind blades.
Despite having an adult soul and being a diligent student at the Academy, Hatani had slipped up. He was a law-abiding citizen in his past life; even with six years of ninja training, his first real "solo" mission had hit a snag. He had been so focused on burning down the shacks to erase the "hell" he found that he had forgotten to double back and dispose of the first group of scavengers he'd killed.
Negligence always carries a price.
As veteran trackers, the Ame Anbu had immediately spotted the bodies and read the scene.
"Time of death: approximately yesterday."
"Wind Style... Suna's doing?"
"No," the leader replied, voice muffled by his mask. "Even a Suna Genin wouldn't be this sloppy, and they certainly wouldn't be traveling without a Chunin or Jonin leader. Only inexperienced brats would leave a trail this glaring."
"They're the Konoha Genin who fled after their Jonin was killed. They're alone and lacking experience."
Whoosh.
In an instant, the three Anbu vanished.
Two weak, lonely, and helpless Genin were bound to leave more tracks nearby. Suna wasn't ready to let this war end, and while the Hidden Rain was tired of the fighting, they weren't about to pass up a chance to prune the future of Konoha.
The war had turned their home into a graveyard; it was only fair to give the invaders some "fond" memories to take to the afterlife.
"Suna's Parashia and over a dozen Jonin have left their base?"
In the wake of Tsunade's departure, Orochimaru had been forced to set aside his experiments and take over command of the front lines. Hearing the report from the scouting squad, his golden, slit pupils narrowed into needle-thin points.
As a renowned genius and Hiruzen Sarutobi's most prized student, Orochimaru's intellect wasn't reserved solely for the laboratory. He instantly deduced Suna's objective and even harbored a few suspicions regarding the true reason behind Tsunade's frantic exit.
But personal curiosity had to wait. He had to address this sudden tactical shift. Two choices lay before him.
One: Lead a Jonin squad to reinforce Tsunade immediately. Two: Order Tsunade back to the base at once.
The first option was too uncertain. The Land of Rain was a vast, featureless grey expanse; finding a moving squad without a precise landmark was nearly impossible. As for the second option? He knew Tsunade. She wouldn't come back empty-handed.
Moreover, as Nawaki's mentor, he didn't want to see the boy die. That was why he hadn't refused when Tsunade begged him to handle the mundane paperwork of the base while she was gone.
"Summon every Jonin for an immediate briefing," Orochimaru commanded.
He had decided on a third path.
"What? An all-out assault on the Suna headquarters?!"
The gathered Jonin, who had been curious about the sudden meeting, felt their pulses skyrocket. Hearing that Parashia was hunting Tsunade was bad enough, but Orochimaru's announcement—that they would pool their entire force to strike the Suna base—sent their blood pressure through the roof. They felt like they were suffering from oxygen deprivation.
"Lord Orochimaru, isn't that a bit too reckless?"
Though Orochimaru was young, his strength and pedigree were undeniable. Even if the Jonin were screaming internally, they kept their voices low and respectful.
"He's right. While we have a de facto ceasefire with Amegakure, no formal treaty has been signed. If the Hidden Rain sees our base is empty and decides to move, the consequences would be catastrophic."
"Please, Lord Orochimaru, reconsider!"
The consensus was unanimous. They were not on board with such a radical plan.
"I believe you've all misunderstood Lord Orochimaru's intent."
The speaker was Shikaku Nara. Though only a Chunin, he had been granted special permission to attend the briefing due to the Nara clan's tradition of producing master tacticians.
"Lord Orochimaru doesn't necessarily intend to flatten the Suna base. He intends to look like he is. By making a visible push, we signal to Suna that we've seen through their play. It will force Parashia and his Jonin to turn tail and return to their own camp to protect it."
Phew.
The tent was suddenly filled with the sound of collective sighs of relief. The Jonin felt like they had finally come back down to earth.
"Heh." Orochimaru let out a dry, chilling chuckle. "Who said I was only doing this to scare them?"
The Jonin's hearts, which had just returned to their chests, immediately shot back up toward the sun.
Damm it!