"Brother Rasa, is that where they are, in the abandoned village up ahead?" In the desert, Yashamaru, holding a telescope, looked at the withered oasis in the distance and the ruins left behind by people who had migrated, feeling a bit puzzled.
The abandoned village was very small; it was an exaggeration to even call it a village, as it only had around thirty or fifty households. Even with the telescope narrowing the field of view, it was clear to see. However, despite Yashamaru's professional training, he couldn't find any signs of people having visited there. It's important to know that although traces in the desert are quickly covered, people living in the desert still have many ways to determine traces.
Rasa, hearing Yashamaru's concern, said, "They are over there. Don't forget, they are Konoha's ANBU, trained individuals. Their familiarity with the desert may be on par with most of Hidden Sand Village's ninjas."
Yashamaru wasn't trying to refute him; he was just a bit puzzled. He lowered the telescope and turned to ask, "Brother Rasa, you mentioned that Sakamoto Tatsuma is a sensing-type ninja. If we get closer now, might we draw their attention? Or could it be that we've already been discovered?"
"He is a chakra-sensing ninja. Lacking real medium assistance, he can only sense the fluctuations of other chakras through chakra itself, to determine quantity and quality. However, as long as you apply fluctuations opposite to the chakra fluctuations within you, you can conceal your chakra. At least, chakra-sensing ninjas won't be able to detect it. I've already applied chakra fluctuations of the same amplitude but opposite direction for all of us. Thus, even Sakamoto Tatsuma, in his sensing, will perceive us as nothing more than a presence of air."
Rasa spoke confidently. Every technique has its strengths and weaknesses; there is no perfect technique in this world. But truly powerful individuals capitalize on their strengths while mitigating their weaknesses, making the most of each technique's advantages and minimizing its shortcomings.
The cancellation of fluctuations by opposing fluctuations is just one of the strengths of Magnet Release, and not even the only technique to obscure sensing. There are even more advanced techniques, but his sensei hasn't taught him those yet. However, he has heard from his sensei about techniques that can obscure sensory-type sensing, techniques so refined that even the Hyuga's Byakugan or Inuzuka's Nin-Dog cannot see through or detect them.
But he is still far from mastering those. After all, he only recently learned Magnet Release from his sensei in the past two years, and his version is somewhat different. He hasn't fully grasped even the basic applications of Magnet Release and the unique uses of his own variant, let alone more advanced or obscure techniques.
At this moment, Yashamaru looked at Rasa with admiration, thinking that perhaps entrusting his sister to such a person would bring her true happiness.
Rasa didn't pay attention to Yashamaru's admiration. In fact, Yashamaru's adoration was too familiar to him, so much so that it didn't evoke any emotional response.
Having lost his parents at a young age and being adopted by the village, Rasa was singled out by his sensei early on and became one of the secretly trained individuals. He had known Yashamaru's sister, Karura, since he was very young. Karura, like him, was part of the same batch of trainees, but while Karura was trained in Sand Ninja techniques, he was trained in Magnet Release.
Because of this connection, Rasa had known Yashamaru since shortly after he was born. Later, due to the war and the death of Karura and Yashamaru's parents, Rasa took care of the siblings, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were like family.
From childhood to adulthood, Yashamaru had always admired him, especially after the death of his parents. Rasa continuously guided him on how to improve and seek revenge against Konoha, which only intensified Yashamaru's admiration for this powerful older brother.
Initially, Rasa found it somewhat uncomfortable, but even the rarest things become mundane with daily exposure. Rasa had long since become desensitized to Yashamaru's gaze and no longer paid attention to it.
At this moment, his attention was more focused on the abandoned village where Tatsuma and the others were located. The village had indeed been abandoned due to a lack of water. However, centered around this abandoned site were four other villages not too far away, two of which were frequently interacted with by Hidden Sand Village.
Rasa had been pondering the purpose of Tatsuma's visit to the Land of Wind, and now he had a vague suspicion. It seemed that Tatsuma's actions might be related to spies stationed in the Land of Wind, and choosing such a location might be intended for a rendezvous.
Given Tatsuma's abilities, he was indeed well-suited for this task. Both his sensing abilities and Flying Thunder God technique made him very convenient for espionage exchanges. If not for the continuous leakage of Tatsuma's whereabouts, Rasa knew that even Hidden Sand Village might not have been aware of Tatsuma's arrival.
However, Rasa also harbored a bit of doubt. He wondered who in Konoha could hate Tatsuma so much as to repeatedly leak his movements.
Could it be true, as some of the Elders speculated, that Sakumo Hatake has fallen out with the Hokage faction? The Hokage, constrained by Sakumo Hatake's reputation and strength, is unable to act against him, yet Sakumo Hatake dares to target Tatsuma as he pleases?
However, this viewpoint was dismissed by Ebizo. According to Ebizo, Sakumo Hatake is definitely aligned with Sakamoto Tatsuma, and this alignment could even be traced back to the Second Ninja World War.
Rasa himself didn't quite believe the other Elders' opinions. In his view, while Sakumo Hatake might disregard Sarutobi Hiruzen's opinions, Tatsuma's presence in Konoha isn't solely dependent on Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Rasa even entertained some wild thoughts, such as the possibility that the leakage of Tatsuma's whereabouts was a result of cooperation from all of Konoha, and that Tatsuma might have intentionally leaked his own location. But this possibility seemed too low; what would be the goal? To attract more rogue ninjas to attack him? Did he dislike being alive?
Pulling his thoughts back, Rasa suddenly glanced around. Noticing his shift in focus, Yashamaru, who had been observing him, also became tense and asked, "Brother Rasa, what's wrong?"
"There are quite a few more people around, likely those who were attracted by Sakamoto Tatsuma's bounty at the exchange. The number is too large."
Rasa's expression darkened slightly. He had another concern: whether Konoha's spies hidden in the Land of Wind might also be among these new arrivals.
He recalled his wild speculation. If Tatsuma had indeed exposed his own whereabouts intentionally, then those attracted might include not only Hidden Sand Village ninjas but also rogue ninjas willing to risk their lives for money.
Spies and rogue ninjas alike are thorns in the side of every country and ninja village, and Konoha surely knows that Tatsuma, whose movements and information have been leaked, would face such issues during his mission.
Yet Tatsuma still arrived so openly. This contradiction was hard to explain. Perhaps Konoha intended to use Tatsuma's battle with rogue ninjas as a way to pass important information to spies mingling with the rogues?
Thinking of this possibility, Rasa's expression grew even darker, and his thoughts wavered. Should he watch Tatsuma battle these rogue ninjas and see if he could ultimately benefit from the situation?
Should he stick to his wild speculation and intervene with these rogue ninjas to prevent giving Tatsuma and Konoha even the slightest opportunity?
Yashamaru, unaware of Rasa's thoughts, asked, "Many people? How many?"
"More than forty."
The people Tatsuma attracted were not just the rogue ninjas who had followed him from the Land of Fire's exchange point, but also those who had gathered after receiving news from the Land of Wind's exchange point.
Although Tatsuma had previously proven that having a large number of people didn't necessarily pose a problem for him, perhaps there weren't enough people this time?
"We should go as well. If necessary, we'll kill Sakamoto Tatsuma along with the rogue ninjas at the exchange point. Yashamaru, inform sensei to send reinforcements directly here, so we can clean up the rogue ninjas."
"What?!"
Yashamaru was shocked by Rasa's decision. Before he could respond, Rasa continued, "Listen to me, this is not just an operation against Sakamoto Tatsuma. It is also very likely related to our Hidden Sand Village's confidential protection work."
"Alright then."
Hearing Rasa's words, Yashamaru hesitated for a long time before finally nodding. Whether he would have refused to follow Rasa's decision without an explanation, he wasn't sure.
At this moment, not far from the group, a few inconspicuous insects were moving under a weathered rock.
Inside a building in the abandoned village, Caterpillar rubbed his temple and said, "More than forty rogue ninjas, and also eight Hidden Sand Village assassination squad ninjas. The total number of enemies exceeds fifty."
"Fifty people?"
Tatsuma and Minato's faces were extremely grim. Last time, their opponents numbered twenty, and they were only dealing with a dozen or so at a time, which was already a huge challenge. Now, the number of opponents might be tripled.
Tatsuma took out several scrolls and said, "Each scroll contains two thousand explosive tags. Use them if necessary. Even if you're within the blast radius, it doesn't matter. Owl and I will ensure your safety."
Caterpillar nodded and said, "Leader, you don't need to worry about me."
After saying this, he slightly tilted his head and turned to Tenko. Tenko, caught off guard, stubbornly replied, "You don't need to worry about me. Although my performance is average, I still have a trump card up my sleeve!"
Upon hearing this, Caterpillar was not reassured but instead exuded an even greater air of distrust. Tenko, frustrated, looked at Tatsuma with pleading eyes.
Tatsuma pressed his lips together and said, "I can absolutely trust Caterpillar, and I believe Caterpillar trusts us as well. If necessary, you can use your trump card, but the premise is that all enemies who have seen your trump card must not survive. After this mission, our team's sensing abilities and intelligence should become widely known. Future counter-hunts will become more difficult and cumbersome, so this time, gather as much information as possible from the exchange point."
In other words, they should leave as many enemies alive as possible.
Caterpillar nodded and looked back at Tenko. A trump card recognized by the leader was truly something to look forward to.
At this moment, Minato also looked at Tatsuma and said, "Leader, my identity has also been exposed. Many of my techniques should no longer need to be hidden, right?"
"Are you talking about Summoning Jutsu?"
Given the four of them facing the upcoming fifty people, their chances of winning were actually quite slim. Tatsuma quickly guessed Minato's plan. Minato nodded and said:
"I've already managed to cooperate well with Bunta and the others, and they are willing to help me."
"Alright, then I will also request Shokuyu's assistance to maximize everyone's safety."
Tatsuma nodded, stood up, and said, "It seems they believe that in the desert terrain, there's no need for stealth anymore. Everyone, get ready for an explosion!"
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