News of the anomaly in the Sunagakure camp—hundreds of ninjas departing and sprinting toward the Land of Rivers—quickly reached the ears of the shinobi who had been secretly conferring. Distressed and weary, Sakumo Hatake didn't even have time to rest or properly restore his chakra before he hurriedly reconvened them to discuss a counter-strategy.
"Ugh, I told you! This plan looked good on paper, but the execution was far too difficult. But you... sigh!"
As soon as they gathered, several veteran ninjas began sighing and moaning in complaint. Their words were laced with resentment toward Sakumo for his "arbitrary" decision to agree to Hatani's plan.
"It has already happened. Now is not the time for finger-pointing. What matters most is deciding our next move!"
Sakumo clearly heard the accusations, but with his mind consumed by worry for Hatani's safety, he didn't have the patience to bicker. He sharpened his tone, emphasizing the need to solve the crisis at hand.
"Hmph! Since the plan has been seen through by Suna, there's nothing more to say. Tell Minato to bring his brother back immediately."
An elder ninja, dissatisfied with Sakumo's attitude, gave a cold snort. He pointed toward Minato, who stood with knitted brows and eyes full of concern.
"No."
To everyone's surprise—including Sakumo's—Minato, despite his obvious anxiety, was the first to object.
"I know Hatani. If things had truly gone sideways, he wouldn't be stubborn. He would have sent the signal immediately for me to go and retrieve him. The fact that he hasn't means that, in his eyes, there is still a chance to turn this around."
Though Minato was the most worried person in the room, he also had the most faith in Hatani. Despite the burning impulse to use Flying Raijin and warp to his brother's side, he suppressed the urge and urged the others to show some patience.
"Absurd! What 'chance' could there be?!" the elder ninjas sneered. "Suna has deployed hundreds of men—more than a full battalion. Do you really think that overconfident brat can stir up any trouble while being hunted by that many ninjas?"
"We are already at a total disadvantage against the Sand," Minato replied, his voice hardening as the elders belittled his brother. He remained rational, however, laying out the situation for them. "Even if the chance is microscopic, we have to gamble. Otherwise, we're just closing our eyes and waiting for death."
He paused, staring them down. "What we must do now is place our full trust in Hatani. We need to be fully prepared to seize that fleeting opportunity the moment it arrives—even if we have to pay a staggering price to do so."
Minato's tone grew heavy, but this time, even the elders who had been mocking him fell silent.
It was true. If things went south, the one paying the ultimate price would be Hatani, whose situation was currently unknown. He was willing to risk his life for the village; as shinobi who had also dedicated half their lives to Konoha, their own sense of duty wouldn't allow them to voice any more disheartening taunts.
"Have the Hyuga continue monitoring the Suna camp's movements closely," Sakumo ordered, seeing that they had finally reached a consensus. "Everyone else, go back and rest. Restore your chakra and be ready to move out at a moment's notice!"
"Yes, sir!"
Unaware that his plan had almost been aborted by his overly concerned allies, Hatani was currently "kiting" the Suna ninjas behind him at a medium distance.
The Suna pursuers grew increasingly enraged as they attempted to flank and encircle him, but Hatani always moved first. With the constant warnings from the "wind," he was always able to pull back and slip away right before they could close the trap.
After several failed attempts, the Suna ninjas were practically boiling over with rage.
This was exactly what Hatani wanted.
If he didn't provoke the Suna pursuers into a frenzy, how could he ensure that the moment they caught up to those "kill-stealing bastards," the resulting collision would be like a planet-shattering explosion?
If the battle wasn't violent enough, how could he fish in troubled waters? He needed a way to heal his wounded heart—and his even more wounded wallet—which had been poked full of holes tonight.
However, he had to pick up the pace. The bastards who had stolen his gold seemed to be nearing the border of the Land of Rain.
Toranosuke was the commander of Suna's Seventh Battalion. Upon receiving the mission from Ryusa, he had initially intended to follow orders and escort the logistics unit. However, after being repeatedly toyed with by Hatani alongside the first, second, and fourth detachments, his fury had overridden his logic. He decided to put the mission aside temporarily; he was going to catch that damn Leaf brat and torture him to death.
Naturally, he didn't think he was completely disregarding his orders.
In his mind, the only Leaf ninja to cross their lines was the brat in front of him. As long as they kept a death-grip on his trail, the logistics unit would be safe even without his escort.
In a way, his judgment was correct. The logistics unit no longer needed his protection...
And by chasing Hatani, he might actually get a chance to "avenge" them. Though, that chance was incredibly slim.
Because the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were not exactly "nobodies."
"Dammit! Where did the kid go?!"
Five minutes later, the Suna ninjas, who were in the heat of the chase, suddenly realized their target had ducked low and vanished without a trace. Their already heated tempers flared even further.
Fortunately, their sensory ninja soon detected enemies nearby.
However, the number of enemies didn't seem right.
The Suna pursuers were too far gone to care. They were struck by a sudden wave of post-action terror. These damn Konoha ninjas really are cunning! They showed weakness to lure us into the Land of Fire, then circled around through the Land of Rain to hit us with a pincer attack!
Lucky for us, the brat Sakumo sent to contact them is a clueless fool. Instead of leading us away, he panicked and ran straight toward his elite 'reinforcements' to save his own skin.
Hah! A brat is just a brat. Too naive. Did he really think this would save him?
With a cold, mocking sneer, Commander Toranosuke didn't want to give the "brat" a chance to explain the situation to his allies. He immediately issued the command: "All units, charge! Annihilate them!"