Chapter 132 – Ominous Signs
Amid the vast, desolate desert, a group of more than ten people had formed a defensive ring around a battered, half-destroyed carriage. Several hundred meters away, a lone figure sprinted forward while hurling fireballs, forcibly breaking apart the four shinobi locked in close combat ahead.
The moment he disengaged from the Leaf jōnin, Jōnin Iwahira knew something was wrong.
And sure enough—without Leaf shinobi entangling him anymore, the dense barrage of Phoenix Sage Fire instantly shifted direction and came roaring straight at his side.
In the brief instant of retreat and repositioning, Taichi had already arrived, forming a pincer with Captain Yamaguchi as the two advanced together on the remaining enemies.
Faced with the encirclement of two jōnin, the three surviving enemy shinobi exchanged a glance. Without a word, they formed seals in perfect unison.
Earth Release: Flying Gravel.
Three shinobi casting the same technique simultaneously created a powerful resonance. The resulting jutsu far exceeded a simple additive effect—countless stones surged forward like a collapsing mountainside, blanketing the space around Taichi and Yamaguchi.
This density wasn't something agility or swordsmanship alone could evade.
"Combined casting…" Yamaguchi barked. "So you really are from Iwagakure."
Taichi showed no hesitation. If they could amplify their techniques through coordination, then he would simply overwhelm them head-on.
"Captain," he shouted—an unmistakable signal for cooperation.
His hands flashed through seals.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!
Roaring flames condensed into a blazing fire dragon, exploding in front of the Stone shinobi and flooding the battlefield with searing heat.
At the same time, Yamaguchi completed his own jutsu.
Earth Release: Earth Flow Great River!
Sand liquefied under chakra, forming two surging mud rivers that lunged like massive arms toward the Stone shinobi, compressing their space to dodge.
Trapped between fire and earth, the three Iwa shinobi remained unexpectedly calm. They formed seals again in perfect synchronization.
Earth Release: Earth Core Rise!
The ground beneath them trembled violently before surging upward, lifting them atop a rising stone platform and narrowly avoiding both the mud rivers and the fire dragon.
But Taichi wasn't about to let them celebrate.
His hand seals shifted. Chakra output spiked violently.
The flames—once ordinary—suddenly transformed into brilliant golden fire. The temperature skyrocketed.
The raised stone platform ignited like wax beneath a furnace. Under the terrifying heat, it softened and collapsed into molten lava.
"Damn it! What kind of monster kid is this?!" one of the Stone shinobi roared. "Is this even Fire Release anymore?!"
The screams did nothing to halt the platform's collapse. If things continued like this, the Stone shinobi trapped within the flames would meet certain death.
But at that exact moment—
A signal flare shot up from the direction of the delegation.
Even in broad daylight, both Taichi and Yamaguchi noticed it instantly.
"So there are more enemies," Yamaguchi muttered.
Neither of them panicked.
They had both left shadow clones with the delegation. No memories had returned yet—which meant the situation there was still under control. For now, eliminating the enemies here remained the priority.
Just then, thick streams of mud suddenly surged from atop the collapsing platform. Flowing downward, they smothered large portions of the flames. Taking advantage of the brief gap before the fire could surge again, the remaining Stone shinobi burst outward, attempting to break free.
But Taichi was never going to let it be that easy.
The fire dragon subtly twisted, its tail sweeping across their escape route. Just the faintest brush of flame grazed the last shinobi in line.
That was all it took.
In the blink of an eye, the chūnin was reduced to charred remains—no resistance, no last words.
The two shinobi ahead froze, pupils shrinking violently.
That fire… absolutely cannot be touched.
From that moment on, the remaining Stone shinobi abandoned any thought of close combat. They resorted entirely to long-range jutsu, dragging the fight out while probing for openings.
After all, they had seen the signal flare too.
They knew their side still had another jōnin nearby. And surely—surely—with two Leaf jōnin already present here, there couldn't possibly be yet another jōnin guarding the delegation.
But reality has a cruel habit of shattering expectations.
While the two Stone shinobi were still desperately stalling Taichi and Yamaguchi—
Another signal flare rose from the direction of the delegation.
This time, all four combatants stopped moving at once, instinctively turning toward the sky.
Leaf side:
Huh? That wasn't ours. Good—nothing urgent.
Stone side:
What the hell?! That's our distress signal!
You're telling me a jōnin got pushed so hard he had to call for backup?!
An unmistakable chill crept into the Stone shinobi's hearts.
Something had gone very, very wrong.
The two Stone shinobi exchanged a glance, then looked at the Leaf pair closing in with grim smiles. Jōnin Iwahira made a snap decision.
"Retreat!"
The order was issued without hesitation. He turned and fled at full speed, not sparing a single glance backward. The chūnin reacted just as fast, following closely behind. In moments, both figures vanished beyond the dunes.
"Captain?" Taichi turned toward Yamaguchi Shōsuke, seeking confirmation.
"No need to pursue," Yamaguchi replied calmly. "Our mission is to protect the delegation. And a jōnin determined to flee isn't easy to chase down anyway."
The two stood atop a sand dune, watching the direction of the retreat until they were certain the enemies wouldn't return. Only then did they head back toward the delegation.
From afar, they could already hear Yōhei's loud, triumphant laughter—clearly bragging about something.
Once both of them dispelled their shadow clones, the memories flowed back, and the full picture became clear.
While Taichi had been fighting fiercely on his side, the delegation itself had also been ambushed—by another enemy jōnin. Fortunately, Yōhei had kept his Sharingan activated the entire time and spotted the ambush instantly.
With a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan, Yōhei's combat power was already brushing the threshold of a jōnin. In a one-on-one fight, the Sharingan gave him an overwhelming advantage.
And this hadn't even been a duel.
It was four against one—two of them being shadow clones of jōnin—plus Saori's constant support from the sidelines.
The Iwa jōnin had been completely overwhelmed by this absurd lineup. After only a few exchanges, Yōhei slit his throat cleanly. A textbook case of dying due to insufficient intelligence.
The battlefield was swiftly cleaned up. The corpse of a jōnin was far too valuable to leave behind—it was sealed and taken along. Konoha's Intelligence Division had more than enough methods to extract everything they needed from it.
The delegation resumed its journey, though this time with even higher vigilance. After all, two Iwa shinobi had escaped—one of them a jōnin. No one knew what moves they might make next.
Two hours after the delegation departed, a squad of Sunagakure shinobi arrived at the battlefield.
They spoke little, silently examining the traces left behind. Once finished, they gathered together.
"Captain, five bodies at the scene. One has been completely incinerated."
"Two opposing forces," another reported. "One specializes in Fire Release—extremely high output. Most likely Konoha shinobi. The direction matches the Fire Country delegation's route. The other side used Earth Release with clear signs of combined casting—likely Iwagakure."
"Iwa daring to assassinate a Fire Country delegation on our territory… what are they planning?"
"When has Iwagakure ever done anything but stir trouble?"
"Enough. We've seen enough. Return and report immediately. Focus on the Iwa assassination attempt—and that Leaf shinobi with terrifying Fire Release. That technique was monstrous."
The Sand captain shuddered slightly, recalling the sight of solid earth melting under golden flames.
"Yes!" the squad answered in unison, immediately heading back toward the village to report their findings.
Meanwhile, the delegation pressed on through the tense atmosphere. At last, on the evening of July 24, they exited the Land of Wind and entered the Land of Rivers.
The setting sun bathed the exhausted faces of the group in warm light. Even the creaking of the carriage seemed lighter somehow.
"Finally… we can sleep properly," Yōhei stretched lazily, relieved to be rid of the endless yellow sands and harsh sunlight.
"Still stay alert," Yamaguchi warned quietly. "Those two Iwa shinobi might still make a move in the Land of Rivers."
At that moment, the tattered curtain of the carriage was pulled aside. The three envoys spoke with barely concealed urgency.
"Head to the nearest city immediately. We need a full rest."
The guards acknowledged the order. The carriage sped up.
Two hours later, the delegation arrived at Sanchuan City, a major northern hub of the Land of Rivers. The blue-stone walls loomed heavy in the twilight, celebratory banners hanging from the gates.
A bit of inquiry revealed the reason—the Land of Rivers' succession had finally been settled.
The delegation checked into the finest inn in the city. The three envoys hurried to their rooms, eager to wash away the grime of the journey.
After ensuring everyone was settled, Captain Yamaguchi went out alone to gather information. Taichi and the others took over security duties.
When the captain returned, a rare smile appeared on his face.
"The eldest prince officially took the throne ten days ago. The entire country is undergoing personnel reshuffling."
"That's excellent!" one of the deputy envoys exclaimed, slamming the table hard enough to spill half his sake.
As a Fire Country envoy, he knew exactly what this meant. The eldest prince was firmly pro–Fire Country, and Konoha had invested heavily in supporting his rise. Now, the rewards had finally come.
Laughter and celebration filled the room. Even Yamaguchi was dragged into drinking with the envoys—an astonishing sight for Taichi's group.
"No wonder the captain's so happy," Yōhei whispered. "I've never seen him drink before."
"If the Land of Rivers aligns with Fire Country, the borders stabilize," Taichi explained. "Our missions will get a lot easier."
"And more importantly," he added quietly, "war moves farther away from Fire Country—or at least won't be fought on our soil."
Only then did Yōhei and Saori fully understand. Had the second prince taken power, Sand shinobi could have marched freely through the Land of Rivers, possibly with official support. Fire Country's borders would have been in grave danger.
That was why Fire Country had spared no effort backing the eldest prince.
After a night of celebration, the envoys didn't wake until late morning. With fresh clothes and a newly refurbished carriage, the delegation finally resumed its journey that afternoon.
From then on, the road was smooth—no sandstorms, no Iwa ambushes, not even bandits. The group drew steadily closer to Fire Country.
One day during travel, Taichi detected a squad of Sand shinobi within his sensory range. At first, he paid them little mind, simply keeping watch.
But when the Sand squad closed to within five hundred meters—and clearly noticed the delegation—they began moving toward it without hesitation.
Taichi immediately raised the alarm. After nearly a month of cooperation, the guards reacted instantly, tightening formation.
Yamaguchi flashed to Taichi's side. "What's happening?"
"A group of Sand shinobi approaching," Taichi reported succinctly. "They don't feel friendly."
Soon, even Yamaguchi could see them—standard four-man squad. As they drew closer, the hostility became unmistakable.
However, after observing the delegation's banners from a distance, the Sand shinobi withdrew decisively without making contact.
The four Leaf shinobi exchanged looks.
That hostility hadn't been aimed at the delegation.
It was aimed at Konoha shinobi.
Which meant—somewhere nearby, Konoha ninja were being hunted.
After a brief discussion, all three turned to Yamaguchi, awaiting his decision.
"We're on an active mission," he said after a moment. "We can't abandon it. And without knowing where our comrades are, splitting up recklessly would be worse."
Disappointment flickered across their faces.
Then Yamaguchi suddenly changed tone.
"But we can't ignore fellow Leaf ninja either."
Hope lit their eyes.
"We'll send out shadow clones to scout in all directions," he decided. "One, to draw attention and disperse Sand forces. Two, if we encounter allies, we may be able to help—at least a little."
It was the only workable compromise.
With a series of soft explosions, shadow clones appeared. Taichi's face went pale immediately.
Saori rushed to support him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Taichi said, swallowing a soldier pill. "I just gave most of my chakra to the clone."
Yōhei stared at Taichi's clone with fascination. Normal shadow clones split chakra evenly—being able to control the distribution so freely was rare.
Yōhei looked to Yamaguchi.
"Don't look at me," the captain sighed. "That level of control requires deep understanding of the jutsu and exceptional chakra control. I have neither."
Suppressing the urge to punch Yōhei's disappointed face, Yamaguchi issued orders.
"Yōhei and Saori—east.
Taichi—west.
My clone—north.
Move out."
The clones departed, and the team resumed escort duties.
As expected, reports soon returned. Sand shinobi were indeed hunting Leaf ninja, though identities were unknown. Both Yōhei's and Saori's clones had drawn pursuit and dissolved after exhausting their chakra.
Later, Yamaguchi's clone returned similar intel.
Only Taichi's clone remained active.
Hour after hour passed. Everyone kept glancing toward Taichi on the carriage roof.
Then—
Far to the west, Taichi's clone changed direction abruptly.
His sensors had caught something at the very edge of detection—two figures.
One was gravely injured.
As the distance closed, Taichi finally recognized them.
Hatake Sakumo.
The White Fang of Konoha.