Hatani was furious. In fact, he was beyond livid.
The reason? His mobs had been stolen. Again. And again.
Honestly, having his kills "stolen" was something he should have been used to by now, especially since he usually hung around two killing machines like Sakumo Hatake and Namikaze Minato. This was doubly true after Minato mastered the Flying Raijin—that broken, "glitch-tier" jutsu that could pull off double or triple kills in a literal heartbeat.
But this time was different. This particular instance of kill-stealing had plunged him into a bottomless pit of rage.
It wasn't just because the thieves weren't his teammates. After all, whether it was a teammate or a random passerby, he wouldn't see a single gold coin either way. No, what truly incensed him was that this time, he didn't even get to drink a drop of the leftover soup. These bastards hadn't just eaten the meat and drank the broth—they had smashed the bones and sucked out every last bit of marrow!
Consequently, even though a preliminary scout confirmed that these scavengers had technically helped him complete his objective—destroying the Suna logistics unit—Hatani felt zero gratitude.
On the contrary, as he looked at the Shadow Blade he had specifically bought for tonight, and then at the Shadow Amulet hanging at his chest to compensate for the blade's flaws, his eyes began to glow a dangerous crimson.
When he thought about his "house down payment" flying away from him, his hair practically stood on end.
Fortunately, even though he had transformed into a walking ball of fire, Hatani hadn't completely lost his mind to anger. It had been less than ten minutes since he'd detected the commotion and rushed over. No matter how incompetent the Suna logistics unit was, they were still guarded by at least a few Jonin and thirty-odd Chunin, with a total force of no less than two hundred. Anyone capable of wiping them out and erasing all traces so cleanly in such a short window was definitely not to be trifled with.
Charging in blindly with his current strength would be like bringing a lantern to a pit latrine—looking for "shit" and a death wish.
He needed to take a page out of the old tacticians' books: use a small force to move a mountain. Redirect the enemy's strength.
If he could bait the Suna forces into a bloody clash with these unknown thieves, it might further weaken the Sand's strength and give them a new enemy to worry about, taking some of the heat off Konoha.
Decision made. Fearing that the bastards who had cut off his path to wealth would escape, Hatani immediately turned and sprinted toward the Sunagakure main camp.
As the commander of this Suna grand army, Ryusa had been feeling quite smug lately.
He had led a surprise assault on the Leaf camp in the Land of Rivers and won a decisive victory, chasing the once-arrogant Konoha ninjas back like a flock of panicked ducks.
Although a few unlucky fools had gotten overexcited, broken formation, and run straight into Sakumo Hatake's reinforcements—resulting in a near-total wipeout—the main army remained largely intact. Furthermore, those "sacrificial lambs" had served a purpose: they tested the strength of the Leaf's reinforcements. Now, Ryusa was actively on the offensive, keeping even the legendary Sakumo Hatake pinned down.
This sense of superiority allowed him to instantly shed the trauma of once fearing the White Fang like a tiger.
Even though today had been his first real head-to-head clash with Sakumo, and even though the Leaf's camp remained stubborn and well-fortified, Ryusa was already fantasizing about life after he defeated the legend.
First, there would be the prestige. Defeating Sakumo Hatake in a frontal war would turn him into an instant hero of Sunagakure. As a confidant of the Kazekage, he would have a smooth path to joining the Council of Elders.
In the future, the Kazekage—who had always been wary of the Council's overreaching power and excessive prestige—would rely on him even more. In ten or twenty years, when the Third Kazekage stepped down, even if Ryusa didn't succeed him as the Fourth, he would at least hold a position similar to Chiyo or Ebizo, wielding significant influence over who the next successor would be.
Just as he was basking in the glow of his future career, a sudden commotion outside snapped him out of his reverie. His brow furrowed, eyes flashing with irritation.
"Lord Ryusa! Disaster!"
Before he could demand an explanation for the noise, his guard frantically threw open the tent flap and rushed inside.
"Our logistics unit has been intercepted!"
"What?!"
Ryusa gasped in shock, his surprise quickly turning into a volcanic roar of fury. He blurred across the room, grabbing the guard by the collar and hoisting him off the ground.
"The Leaf's old and weak are pinned right in front of us! Where did some 'enemy' come from in our rear? Are you telling me those fishermen in the Land of Rivers—who don't even have a hidden village—dared to lay a hand on our supplies?!"
Clearly, he didn't believe—or rather, didn't want to believe—the report.
"M-my Lord... it's true," the guard stammered, trembling as he struggled to breathe.
"Our sentries spotted a Konoha ninja!"
Ryusa finally released his grip. The guard gasped for air, his neck flushed red, and he hurriedly explained at a breakneck pace.
"He killed a patrol squad but was spotted by one of our hidden sentries. After the alarm was raised, he fled toward the Land of Rivers at high speed. The Intelligence Corps did a quick analysis and concluded his target is likely our logistics train still moving through the rear."
"Damn it!"
Ryusa's rage boiled over. "Are the patrol squads and sentries in the rear just for show? How did they let a rat slip into our heartland?!"
Having heard reports of the "Yellow Flash," Ryusa wasn't arrogant enough to think a single Konoha ninja couldn't destroy their supplies. On the contrary, he was now nursing a massive headache.
"Immediately deploy the first, second, and fourth detachments! Hunt down that rat at any cost!"
After a brief moment of calculation, he issued the order. To ensure this threat was snuffed out, he deployed a force several dozen times larger than the target.
"Wait."
Just as the guard turned to leave, Ryusa called him back. He pondered for five seconds before adding a supplementary order.
"Tell the Seventh Battalion to mobilize immediately. They are to head straight for the logistics unit and protect them. Escort those supplies to the main camp as fast as humanly possible."
This sudden incident had set off alarm bells in his head.
The "old and weak" led by Sakumo Hatake might lack frontal combat power, but the strength of Sakumo and a few other key Konoha ninjas could not be underestimated. Since the frontal war was already a "sure thing," he had to expend more energy to prevent Konoha from pulling any more desperate stunts.
Like trying to burn their food in the middle of the night.
The brief turmoil in the Suna camp was quickly suppressed under the authority of Ryusa and the Jonin, but it didn't escape the eyes of the Leaf.
Specifically, the movement of a full battalion—a force of five hundred ninjas—leaving the camp was far too conspicuous to hide.
The Hyuga ninja assigned to monitor the Suna camp saw everything. Without a moment's delay, he sprinted toward Sakumo Hatake's tent.