"Commander, something feels off."
Deep within the Land of Wind, inside Sunagakure, Murashima Takumi and his team remained hidden in a small, inconspicuous house.
They had been in the village for several days now.
During that time, aside from making brief contact with Konoha's embedded ANBU operatives, they had done nothing but lie low, waiting.
Their target had never changed—Ebizō.
But unfortunately, the man seemed to have vanished.
No one knew where he was.
Even those within Sunagakure who had secretly been turned—or coerced—into cooperating with Konoha had no information on his whereabouts.
It left Murashima Takumi and the others in a difficult position.
It wasn't as if they hadn't considered infiltrating Sunagakure's ANBU directly to investigate.
But after Root's last operation, that place had become nearly impenetrable.
Even for elite operatives like them, it was a headache—an impossible task.
After all, no matter how strong they were, there was no way they could single-handedly contend with an entire village's defenses.
The so-called "Lone Wolf" might have pulled it off once—
But that had been during wartime.
Most of Sunagakure's forces had been deployed to the frontlines, leaving the village itself under-defended.
Even then, that squad had paid a devastating price.
Nearly the entire team had been wiped out—just to let one man escape alive.
So instead, they waited.
Patiently.
Using every trick in the ANBU playbook to gather scraps of intelligence.
And then—
Something changed.
Their sharp instincts picked up on it immediately.
Today, Sunagakure felt… different.
Messenger hawks—one of the most common methods of communication among shinobi—were far more numerous than usual.
Movements within the village had increased as well.
Shinobi deployments were frequent, and the overall level of alertness had clearly risen.
All signs pointed to one thing:
Something had gone wrong.
And truthfully, Sunagakure had no shortage of problems.
On one side, they faced mounting pressure from Iwagakure—so much so that even the Kazekage was preparing to head to the frontlines.
On another, Kirigakure had been relentlessly targeting their mission teams, launching ambushes and disrupting operations.
And on top of all that…
There was Nightingale.
It was no wonder the entire village was on edge.
In such a fragile state, even the slightest disturbance could send them into high alert.
"Looks like… we won't be able to continue the mission." One of the men, sporting a distinctive pineapple-like hairstyle, let out a quiet sigh. "Commander, we've gathered quite a bit of intel these past few days. But the Sand shinobi are like spooked birds—every one of them on edge. It's going to be difficult to make any further moves."
"Agreed," another chimed in. "They're dealing with trouble on all fronts. The moment anything unusual happens, they have to worry about someone taking advantage of the chaos."
And that concern wasn't unfounded.
Sunagakure's problems weren't just one or two isolated incidents.
First, there was Kirigakure—their long-standing tormentor—constantly harassing their operatives.
Now, on top of that, a Konoha ANBU with mastery over the Flying Thunder God Technique had appeared.
No matter which threat they focused on, they couldn't afford to ignore the other.
A single misstep could leave them wide open.
Under normal circumstances, they might have had enough manpower to handle it all.
But with their forces tied up against Iwagakure, even the village itself had begun to feel… hollow.
At a time like this, if anyone took advantage of the chaos, the resulting casualties and losses would be something no one in Sunagakure could afford to face.
Murashima Takumi's brows were tightly knit.
To him, a mission was life itself.
And the current situation was giving him a serious headache.
Before he had set out, Hiruzen Sarutobi had emphasized one thing to him—this mission required flexibility.
On the surface, their objective was to assist Nightingale in escaping Sunagakure.
If, in the process, they managed to eliminate Ebizō…
That would be a bonus.
A very welcome one.
Which was precisely why Murashima Takumi had been so determined to locate him—and, if possible, take down Sunagakure's ANBU commander in one decisive strike.
"Commander, under the current circumstances, I'm afraid we can't continue pursuing Ebizō."
Just as Murashima Takumi was deep in thought, considering his next move, Owl—who had accompanied him on this mission—spoke up.
"And even if we proceed, I suggest we shift our approach. We need to be more flexible."
His tone remained calm, but his words carried weight.
"For example… instead of chasing shadows, we could focus on supporting Nightingale. Stir up chaos within Sunagakure. That might draw out the real target."
He paused briefly before adding,
"If he's even in the village."
That final remark caused several ANBU members to frown.
Because if they followed Owl's suggestion…
They would be placing themselves in extreme danger.
Of course, they had all prepared themselves mentally when they accepted the mission.
But no one truly wanted to die.
Still, Owl wasn't just anyone.
He was one of the Hokage's most trusted ANBU operatives—and his relationship with Murashima Takumi was anything but ordinary.
There was a saying within ANBU:
Only two people could ever persuade Murashima Takumi.
One was the Third Hokage.
The other… was Owl.
The atmosphere grew tense.
If their commander accepted this proposal, none of them would have the authority to refuse.
And the cost of such a decision…
…was not something they could take lightly.
Murashima Takumi remained silent, his expression stern.
He understood perfectly well why Owl had been sent along on this mission.
The reason was simple—
To stop him when necessary.
After years of working together, the two had long since developed an unspoken understanding.
He could hear the meaning behind Owl's words clearly.
Flexibility.
That was the key.
The Hokage himself had told him that before departure.
And now, Owl was reminding him.
It was time to make a flexible judgment.
In fact, Owl had already made that judgment for him—
They could no longer afford to fixate on something so uncertain.
That last sentence had made it clear.
Without any intelligence on Ebizō, there was no guarantee he was even in Sunagakure.
After a moment, Murashima Takumi gave a slow nod.
Then, in a calm and decisive tone, he spoke:
"Agreed. At this point, we can't confirm whether Ebizō is even in the village. As much as I'd prefer to eliminate him… we cannot abandon the Hokage's primary objective."
The moment he said that, the eyes of the ANBU operatives around him lit up.
The one with the pineapple-like hairstyle couldn't help but ask in a low voice,
"Then, Commander… what's our next move?"
Murashima Takumi didn't hesitate.
"We assist Nightingale's withdrawal. Our target will be the defensive forces at the village perimeter. Disrupt them—prevent them from issuing coordinated orders."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"Then we withdraw as quickly as possible… and take a portion of them with us."
"Understood, Commander!" Their voices were low, but resolute.
..
Unbeknownst to them—
Natsuhiko had no idea this entire exchange was taking place within Sunagakure.
If he did…
He would have undoubtedly found a way to track them down—
And seize the opportunity to eliminate Murashima Takumi himself.
A Konoha ANBU Commander dying outside the village—on Sunagakure's territory, no less…
Now that would be interesting.
In fact, the Sand would probably take the blame upon themselves.
After all, for them, it would be a tremendous honor.
And for Natsuhiko?
It would be the perfect opportunity to weaken the Third Hokage's control over the ANBU.
At the same time, it would lay the groundwork for his own future—perhaps even pave his way toward becoming the next ANBU Commander.
A perfect move.
Unfortunately…he knew nothing about any of this.
Right now, all his attention was focused on the enemies in front of him.
His movements were clean. Efficient. Ruthless.
With his growing mastery over the Flying Thunder God Technique combined with senjutsu, his killing efficiency had reached a terrifying level.
One after another—
Sand shinobi fell.
Fear spread silently among them.
If not for their strict discipline, many would have already turned and fled.
"Move!"
At last, the ANBU could no longer tolerate his unrestrained slaughter.
Originally, they had intended to observe longer—to gather more intelligence, to stall for time until his chakra and stamina showed signs of decline.
Then, they would strike.
End it in one decisive blow.
But what shocked them was—
There was no decline.
None.
Didn't he get tired?
He had used the Flying Thunder God Technique countless times.
He had unleashed a large-scale ninjutsu.
And yet…
His chakra still felt as vast and full as ever.
Whatever the reason, one thing was clear—
They couldn't wait any longer.
They couldn't keep observing.
And they certainly couldn't afford to keep trying to encircle him.
If this continued, more would die.
Out of over a hundred shinobi…
Fewer than thirty remained.
More than seventy had already fallen.
Not in battle—
But in what could only be described as a massacre.
Under normal circumstances, once shinobi gathered enough intelligence about such an opponent, they would retreat.
But not this time.
They had no right to retreat.
Their orders were absolute—
No matter the cost, stop him.
Or kill him.
Disobedience… was unthinkable.
"So you've finally decided to act?" Seeing the ANBU step in at last, Natsuhiko let out a faint breath of relief.
Because the truth was—
He wasn't nearly as relaxed as he appeared.
Maintaining Sage Mode while repeatedly using the Flying Thunder God Technique—
The chakra consumption was beyond what most could even imagine.
Yes, this state gave him unprecedented combat power.
The bodies littering the battlefield were proof enough.
But if this had been him just a few days ago…
He would have struck once, taken down a few enemies using kunai and summons, and immediately retreated.
After all, his speed alone would have ensured his escape.
And back then, his Sage Mode wouldn't have lasted more than a few minutes.
What he was doing now was overwhelming.
Simple. Efficient. Devastating.
It maximized all of his advantages.
But the cost…
…was equally staggering.
If not for my naturally strong recovery… and the fact that my chakra is currently in a released state…
No 'seed' draining it away…
That's the only reason I can maintain this level of output.
Even with my recovery speed and chakra reserves… if this keeps up, I won't last much longer.
But what surprises me more… is my stamina. It's improved far more than I expected. Looks like the bloodline enhancement is more comprehensive than I thought.
With that thought running through his mind, Natsuhiko stepped back, narrowly evading the first wave of attacks as the ANBU closed in.
They had clearly been watching him for a long time.
Even as they advanced, they maintained a tight, disciplined formation—leaving no openings, no gaps for him to exploit with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And at a glance, it seemed effective.
Natsuhiko didn't immediately counterattack, as if he'd been put on the defensive.
But they had misunderstood.
The real reason he held back—
was because his senses had already picked up something else.
A much larger force… rapidly approaching.
Roughly two hundred shinobi.
That kind of number was enough to launch a full-scale assault on a small nation.
And beyond that—
he could faintly sense even more forces converging from farther away.
At this rate, it felt like the entire border garrison was mobilizing.
"…Looks like I've caused quite a stir. Was this really necessary… unless…"
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow.
Then it clicked.
So that's your plan, Rasa…
They wanted the Flying Thunder God Technique.
If they captured him alive, they'd interrogate him—force the secrets out.
If they killed him, they'd simply take his head back… and extract whatever they needed from his brain.
A faint smile curled at his lips.
You're thinking too big.
Even if they obtained the technique—
did Sunagakure really have anyone capable of learning it?
"…Well, it's about time I leave."
His blade flashed.
With a single strike, he slashed toward an ANBU operative in front of him. The speed was overwhelming—despite attempting to evade, the man couldn't fully avoid the attack.
But he knew.
He knew he was already dead.
And so—
in the instant Natsuhiko's blade cut into him, the man grabbed the sword with both hands, ignoring everything else.
That brief moment—
was enough.
Natsuhiko paused.
And that pause allowed the other ANBU to swarm in instantly.
Unfortunately for them—
space-time ninjutsu was among the most elusive, most frustrating abilities to deal with.
Just as they were about to reach him—
he vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already over ten meters away.
But even so—
he was still surrounded.
The Sand shinobi weren't fools.
Even with their numbers drastically reduced, they remained wary of the kunai Natsuhiko had scattered earlier.
They kept their distance, but not too far—maintaining a careful perimeter.
Still…
That distance was enough.
Enough for him to act.
Then let's end this.
Natsuhiko raised his left hand, forming a one-handed seal as chakra surged violently within him.
"Ninja Art—Summoning Jutsu!"