"What's the situation at the front?"
At a border outpost in the Land of Wind, the commander of the garrison forces stood beneath a sky choked with drifting sand. He tugged his hood lower against the gusts before turning to his subordinate.
As the overall commander, he couldn't simply rush to the battlefield.
His duty was to remain here—to coordinate everything.
And the task he had been given…
Was both dangerous and absurd.
Recalling the border forces to capture a single Konoha ANBU operative—this was the first time he had ever encountered something so ridiculous.
In his eyes, it was sheer madness.
Mobilizing such a massive force for one person was nothing short of irresponsible—to the Land of Wind, and to Sunagakure's border defenses.
A deployment of this scale…
Could just as easily be used to wage a full-scale war.
And not some minor skirmish, either.
This was the level of high-intensity conflict—where entire shinobi forces clashed head-on.
Right now, the commander couldn't help but feel like they were chasing after a stray dog that had wandered into a minefield of explosive tags—
And somehow, they were expected to go in and bring it back.
The analogy might not have been perfect…
But it felt uncomfortably close.
"Sir, all units have received orders. They're moving toward the combat zone," the shinobi beside him reported immediately. "Though… there are already over a hundred of our men there. Honestly, they should be able to handle it without reinforcements."
"…I agree."
The commander nodded.
After all, he couldn't imagine anyone calmly dealing with over a hundred shinobi at once.
In his memory, only one person had ever done something remotely similar—
The Third Raikage of Kumogakure, who had once held off tens of thousands of enemies for three days and nights.
And even he…
Had ultimately died from exhaustion.
In this era, only those at the level of a Kage might accomplish such a feat.
As for everyone else?
Impossible.
Especially when their opponent was just a Konoha ANBU operative.
Even if he had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, at best, that only meant he could run fast.
Once surrounded—once cut off from escape—
Death would be inevitable.
"Sir!"
Just as the commander was lost in thought, a figure burst into the tent.
The man was gasping for breath, his face pale with terror.
The commander frowned.
"What's wrong? What happened to make you this frantic?"
"Our forces—our forces…"
The messenger tried to speak, but his words came out broken and incomplete.
He was too panicked—too exhausted from rushing here at full speed.
Seeing this, another shinobi quickly stepped forward, took the report from his hand, and passed it to the commander.
The commander unfolded the message and began to read.
And the moment he did—
His vision nearly went black.
The report detailed the situation at the battlefield.
Most notably—
It stated that nearly a hundred of their shinobi had already been killed.
By one person.
For a moment, the commander felt like coughing up blood.
What the hell is going on?
How could something like this even happen?
Wasn't it just a Konoha ANBU…
One who happened to possess a space-time technique?
Since when could space-time ninjutsu wipe out an entire force like this?
But then—
A thought flashed through his mind.
A memory.
Something about Konoha's Fourth Hokage.
"…Could it be… the rumors are true?"
The commander muttered under his breath.
As a shinobi of Sunagakure, he had never believed in the legends of enemy nations. To him, they were nothing more than propaganda—stories exaggerated to intimidate and glorify.
Especially after Minato Namikaze became Hokage.
He had always assumed those so-called "miracles" were merely crafted to build prestige, to justify that man's rise to power.
But now…
This situation was shattering everything he thought he knew.
"Move!"
Taking a deep breath, the commander forced himself to calm down.
"Send this information back to the village immediately. Let them decide our next course of action!"
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinate nodded and turned to leave—
But before he could take a single step, another messenger burst into the room.
"Sir—bad news!"
The man's voice was urgent, almost panicked.
"The village has come under attack! It's already in chaos—we've lost contact entirely! What should we do?!"
"…What?"
This time, the commander truly felt his head spin.
No contact with the village.
That meant no guidance.
No confirmation.
No certainty.
And worst of all—
Any decision he made now might conflict with the Kazekage's orders.
The original directive had been clear:
Capture the Konoha ANBU alive.
Only kill him if absolutely necessary.
At the time, the commander hadn't thought much of it.
Capturing an ANBU was obviously for intelligence gathering.
But now…
He finally understood.
The value wasn't just the man—
It was the technique he possessed.
If they could obtain it…
The benefits to Sunagakure would be immeasurable.
But the reality was brutal.
Under the current circumstances, capturing him alive was almost impossible.
The man's strength was monstrous.
Nearly a hundred shinobi—slaughtered.
Someone like that…
Wasn't human.
He was a demon.
And yet, precisely because of that—
The techniques and secrets he carried were even more valuable.
If he died, they might still extract something from his brain…
But death inevitably damaged it.
That kind of loss was irreversible—and it would make intelligence extraction far more difficult.
Which meant—
He couldn't give the kill order lightly.
At the same time…
He wasn't even sure such an order would make a difference anymore.
Rumble—!
Just as hesitation gripped him, the ground suddenly began to tremble violently.
In the next instant, an immense, overwhelming wave of chakra swept through the area.
The building shook violently. Objects toppled and crashed to the floor.
It took several long moments before everything finally settled.
"…What was that?"
The commander's voice carried a hint of disbelief.
Without waiting, he rushed outside.
His subordinates exchanged glances—then quickly followed.
The outpost was already in an uproar.
Shinobi filled the area, all drawn out by the sudden quake.
The commander said nothing.
He leapt upward, landing atop a watchtower in a single bound.
And then—
He saw it.
In the distance…
A massive silhouette loomed.
Towering.
Immense.
Like a mountain rising from the earth itself.
His mind went blank.
"…What the hell is that…?"
—
"Do your thing, Lizardmaru."
Natsuhiko's voice was calm.
Standing atop Lizardmaru's massive head, Natsuhiko glanced around at the scattered Sand shinobi below. Some had been blown away by the summoning, while a few unlucky ones had been crushed flat beneath the creature's enormous weight.
He couldn't help but smile as he casually patted Lizardmaru's head.
"Hold them here. My shadow clone will stay with you. Can you manage?"
"…Why is it that every time you show up, there's trouble on this scale?" Lizardmaru grumbled. "And why is it always when you're about to run that you summon me?"
"Don't worry about the details," Natsuhiko replied lightly. "I'm counting on you."
"…Leave it to me."
As always, Lizardmaru was dependable.
At least, in Natsuhiko's eyes, there were few—if any—humans who could match that level of reliability.
Once he gave his word, he would see things through without hesitation. No shortcuts. No complaints.
In fact, he often went beyond what was asked of him.
The last time, during the encounter with Sasori, Natsuhiko had only needed him to stall for time.
But the result?
According to the other lizards' reports, Lizardmaru had destroyed hundreds of puppets.
Sasori had suffered a massive loss.
And Natsuhiko had profited immensely.
The destruction of those puppets might not have directly benefited him—but Lizardmaru's loyalty and strength?
That was priceless.
Anyone in his position would feel the same.
After giving his instructions, Natsuhiko quickly scanned the surroundings with his sensory ability.
Then, without hesitation, he created a shadow clone—and locked onto the presence of a small lizard in the distance.
The battlefield was still shrouded in thick smoke from the summoning.
Even without checking, he was certain no one would notice.
Still—
Better safe than sorry.
He had no intention of letting anyone catch onto his movements, only to end up chased by a pack of rabid hounds.
With a quick hand seal—
He vanished.
In the next instant, his true body reappeared several kilometers away, just outside a small town roughly four to five kilometers from the battlefield.
His improved chakra reserves now allowed him to extend the range of his Flying Thunder God Technique.
Still, for safety, he hadn't pushed it too far.
But what he hadn't expected was this—
The moment he arrived, he sensed something unusual.
"…A barrier?"
Natsuhiko frowned slightly.
He hadn't expected to find such a thing here—especially in a place that wasn't strategically important.
Given Sunagakure's capabilities, forming a dedicated sealing unit wasn't easy.
According to ANBU intelligence, they only had a small sealing team to begin with.
"…Don't tell me…"
His eyes narrowed.
"They deployed their sealing unit here… just to intercept me?"
At the thought of it, a faint smile curled at Natsuhiko's lips.
For most people, this would be a disaster.
A barrier set up along a necessary route meant one thing—you couldn't pass unnoticed.
Even if you forced your way through, your position would be exposed instantly.
And what followed would be endless pursuit.
One misstep…
And it would all be over.
But for Natsuhiko?
This was an opportunity.
Because he had the ability to wipe them out.
If he eliminated this sealing unit, it would deal an even heavier blow to Sunagakure—and for him, it would mean greater merit upon returning to Konoha.
"Still… if they dared to deploy here, they must have protection in place."
He paused for a moment, then let out a quiet breath.
"But if I don't try… I'll regret it."
With that, he directed his small lizards to move, while his sensory perception began carefully probing the barrier.
Breaking a barrier was never easy.
Especially when you didn't know its structure.
That made things far more complicated.
From what he remembered, the safest way to pass through was by knowing the correct entry signals—like how Uchiha Itachi had once returned to Konoha after the Chūnin Exams.
The other method…
Was far more direct.
Like Pain.
Just smash through it.
Crude.
But effective.
And if nothing unexpected happened, that was likely the approach Natsuhiko would take.
It wasn't that he couldn't slip in undetected.
After all, he possessed the Flying Thunder God Technique—and he had already sent his small lizards inside.
He could easily use them as markers and teleport in, making it nearly impossible for Sunagakure to track him.
Clearly, they hadn't considered that possibility.
They likely hadn't realized that his Flying Thunder God Technique was tied to sealing techniques—or they would never have risked deploying their sealing unit like this.
Natsuhiko waited quietly at the edge of the town.
Only after all of his lizards had entered did he finally move.
Without hesitation—
He stepped forward, as if completely unaware of the barrier's existence, and walked straight into it.
At once, a faint ripple of chakra spread outward.
Like a signal.
It pulsed rapidly, expanding in all directions.
Natsuhiko immediately extended his senses, trying to trace its source.
But the barrier was well-designed.
He couldn't follow the signal back to its origin.
Still—
His lizards were already in motion.
Tracking chakra was what they did best.
And now that he had entered, the enemy would undoubtedly send people to intercept him.
Those movements alone would be enough.
The lizards could follow them.
Find their base.
"…Here they come."
Natsuhiko lifted his head slightly.
Within his perception, multiple chakra signatures were rapidly approaching.
Moments later—
A group of masked Sand ANBU appeared before him.
Their chakra was dense. Refined.
And the one leading them…
Was on another level entirely.
Natsuhiko never judged strength purely by chakra volume.
But sometimes—
It was still a useful reference.
He let his own chakra stir in response.
At the same time, he slowly drew his blade.
This time—
He intended to end things quickly.
After all…
The signal flare in the sky was a clear reminder—
He didn't have much time left.
...
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