At the border.
Except for the area surrounding Mount Kikyo, which remained relatively calm, skirmishes were breaking out elsewhere across the front lines.
Just yesterday, under Orochimaru's orders at the temporary command post, elite squads led by various jōnin were dispatched to sweep the border of invading Sunagakure forces.
Though the Konoha squads were made up of elite shinobi, many of the Sand shinobi infiltrating the Land of Fire's borders were also elite units.
Most of the lesser Sand-nin fell to the Hidden Leaf's forces, but a handful of Sunagakure teams successfully counterattacked, managing to kill Konoha shinobi in return.
Those Sand shinobi who survived such encounters quickly realized the tide had turned—Konoha was now on the offensive.
They began converging toward Mount Kikyo.
The events unfolding at Mount Kikyo remained unknown to Veigar and his three companions.
Having scouted the Sand shinobi's numbers in the region and pinpointed the location of their command post and supply depot, the team of four began their retreat.
Jun Inuzuka carefully rolled up the intel scroll detailing the enemy presence on Mount Kikyo. At Veigar's hand signal, they prepared to withdraw, led by Nanaki Hyuga.
But just as they returned to the riverbank where they had first come ashore—
An ambush.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh...
Dozens of kunai shot through the air, hurtling toward the group that had just emerged by the river.
"Watch out!"
Veigar, reacting first, shouted a warning as he caught sight of the kunai flying in from all directions.
Rasengan: Revolving Heaven.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Veigar jumped in front of Shikatsu, Jun, and Nanaki, releasing his Rasengan-infused defensive technique just in time to block a hail of incoming kunai.
Any blades that slipped through were knocked aside by the others using their own kunai in swift counterstrikes.
BOOM!
Among the barrage were numerous kunai laced with explosive tags, detonating in a wave of smoke and fire.
Thick plumes of smoke billowed up, quickly engulfing the four shinobi.
Rustle—rustle—rustle...
Before the dust had time to settle, more than twenty Sand shinobi surrounded the smoke cloud.
"Did we get them all?" one genin asked, squinting into the haze.
"No way they survived that blast," another chūnin replied uncertainly.
But unbeknownst to them, Shikatsu had acted the moment he noticed the explosive tags.
Secret Technique: Insect Wall.
A swarm of black insects surged forth, encasing Shikatsu, Jun, and Nanaki in a cocoon-like barrier, shielding them from the explosion.
"One… two… twenty-two enemies," Nanaki whispered from within the protective shell, his Byakugan activated and counting every hostile signature to his allies.
Outside the bug shield, Veigar too remained unharmed, having deflected the worst of the blast with his Rasengan: Revolving Heaven technique.
As the dust cleared and the insect barrier disintegrated into fluttering chitin, the four emerged unscathed into the stunned gaze of the surrounding Sand-nin.
"Huh?!"
"There's no way… They're alive?"
"Not even a scratch?!"
Disbelief spread like wildfire.
"Typical Leaf rats, hard to kill," growled a Sand shinobi wearing a jōnin vest.
"Since you're still breathing, hand over the intel you gathered," he sneered. "Do that, and I'll make your deaths painless."
Veigar remained impassive, but Shikatsu, Jun, and Nanaki's expressions tightened. Surrounded by more than twenty enemy shinobi, escape seemed impossible. Each of them began steeling themselves for a final stand, but more than that, their minds raced with one thought:
We must get this intel to the forward unit.
Nanaki felt a pang of guilt. How had his Byakugan failed to detect an ambush?
What he didn't know, what he had never experienced before, was that the Byakugan wasn't invincible. Certain specialized barrier jutsu, especially those designed to block chakra-based sensory techniques, could suppress its perception.
And standing before them was the man who had deployed such a technique.
His name was Akasan, a jōnin of the Sand, veteran of the Second Shinobi World War, and one of the few who had faced the Byakugan firsthand. After surviving that war, he trained in barrier-style ninjutsu, specializing in defensive formations that could neutralize advanced sensory abilities.
It was he who, only hours ago, noticed signs of infiltration near the riverbank. With his experience, Akasan deduced that a scout team from the Leaf, possibly including a Hyuga, had breached Mount Kikyo's defenses.
Rather than report it up the chain, Akasan silently rallied a detachment and deployed his chakra-concealing barrier, baiting the trap with deadly precision.
Back to back, Veigar, Shikatsu, Jun, and Nanaki listened carefully as Veigar whispered his plan.
"I'll take them on alone," he said quietly, voice calm.
"Shikatsu, Nanaki, Jun, when the fighting starts, break out. Get the intel back to HQ."
Shadow Clone Jutsu: Multi-Clone Formation.
Before they could even respond, Veigar slammed his hands together, and with a series of pops, twenty shadow clones burst forth, forming a protective ring around the group.
This was Veigar's answer to Akasan's demand—a clear rejection.
He didn't need to say a word.
The Sand shinobi raised their weapons as soon as the clones appeared. Even before Akasan could issue an order, they knew the next move.
The air grew tense.
Then the clones charged, hurling themselves at the Sand shinobi from all sides.
Amidst the chaos, Veigar turned to his teammates and, in a voice like steel, gave one final command:
"Now's your chance, run!"
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