Though Leaf and Sand had established a cooperative relationship, there remained tension within the operation, largely due to the presence of Konoha's White Fang.
During the Third Shinobi War, White Fang had taken countless Sand lives, and now, he led the Leaf forces. This left the Sand shinobi feeling somewhat distanced from their allies, an unavoidable outcome that Sakumo acknowledged. He didn't expect Sand to set aside their grudges entirely. Even if the two sides fought separately, Sand's strength would still help share the burden.
Sand's leader, Pakura, also harbored a poor opinion of the Leaf, but she knew it was essential to join forces against Akatsuki and Rain Village. Even so, she prioritized her subordinates' feelings over full cooperation with the Leaf.
More than twenty Sand shinobi darted through the forest. Only in the Land of Fire would such dense forests exist; in the Land of Wind, they'd be traveling across sandy terrain instead.
A shinobi nearby, wearing a black headband and pale-faced with piercing, slanted eyes, spoke to Pakura. His name was Kazeya Kurosawa, a powerful elite of Sand who had survived the shinobi wars.
"Captain Pakura, will we keep going like this?" Kazeya asked, referring to the divided approach between Leaf and Sand. While she understood the value of fully cooperating, she also respected her subordinates' need for distance. As long as the Leaf forces showed their worth, a true collaboration wasn't strictly necessary.
"You have your own opinions about White Fang, don't you?" Pakura replied, evading a direct answer and addressing his underlying sentiment.
At her words, Kazeya's eyes showed a deep wariness and coldness, recalling memories of the war years ago. The short sword that glowed with a white light had claimed the lives of many comrades in swift, terrifying strikes. He'd watched as all his teammates were cut down by one man and one blade in mere moments. If not for his own skill in kenjutsu and the chaos of war, he would not have survived.
Seeing so many close comrades die by White Fang's hand had naturally left him with resentment. However, he could keep his priorities straight. On the night Shukaku was unleashed, his own family had been killed. Avenging them took precedence over his grudge with White Fang.
"One matter at a time. I'm here to avenge my family," Kazeya said coldly, his voice laced with killing intent.
Pakura nodded. "That's enough. We don't have to fully cooperate with the Leaf. Just remember to wield your blade with all you've got to achieve that goal."
Expressionless, Kazeya replied, "I have no intention of returning. Even if I bleed to my last drop, I won't miss a chance to kill any enemy in my path."
Pakura's gaze shifted slightly. She could sense the determination in his words. This mission wasn't just a short-term task; it was a prolonged campaign to target the Rain shinobi and, ideally, Akatsuki's core members.
Kazeya's commitment suggested he wouldn't return to Sand Village unless killed, driven by the desire to destroy every Rain shinobi until his own death. He likely wasn't the only Sand shinobi with such resolve.
On the night of Shukaku's release, the one who had unleashed the beast was a masked shinobi using Lightning Release, identified through shared Leaf intelligence as the rogue ninja, Ye Zi.
Rather than a mission to target Rain Village, this was essentially a personal vendetta against Ye Zi. As long as they continued hunting Rain shinobi, Rain Village would surely retaliate, potentially even mobilizing Akatsuki.
Thud…
The quiet forest was broken by the sound of many shinobi leaping between trees.
The plan was to roam the borders between the Land of Rain and other nations, intercepting Rain shinobi leaving or returning to their country. The Land of Rain's small size might allow a few to slip through, but it wouldn't significantly affect the overall mission.
Meanwhile, Ye Zi's Rain team had already left the Land of Rain, waiting at the border of the Land of Fire for Sand and Leaf to arrive. Having intelligence on their movements gave Ye Zi's side a distinct advantage.
They positioned themselves within the Forest of Birds, a vast yet sparsely wooded area typical of the Land of Fire. While the open spacing between trees made ambushes impractical, traps could still be set to gain an early advantage.
Given that Ye Zi's side was already at a disadvantage, they weren't going to miss any opportunity to set traps.
Perched on the broad branches of a tall tree, over thirty shinobi formed a line, with Ye Zi at the center. He wore standard black ANBU attire instead of the Akatsuki's iconic cloak; the cloak would hinder movement in battle, so he opted for combat-suited ANBU gear.
With him on the tree were key Akatsuki members.
Kotoe and Shin, following Ye Zi's example, had also donned ANBU attire instead of the traditional black-cloaked Akatsuki garb. The ANBU uniform provided more flexibility and allowed them to carry more tools.
Among them, the remaining Akatsuki members still wore their cloaks, contrasting with the Rain shinobi around them.
"White Zetsu, what's the situation?" Ye Zi asked, his gaze fixed ahead.
Half of White Zetsu's body melded into the tree trunk, using the Mayfly Technique to merge with the earth, allowing him to detect any movement over an extensive area.
With White Zetsu on their side, Ye Zi's team would consistently have the advantage in intelligence.
"Seven kilometers ahead to the right, there are twenty-seven Sand shinobi. Five hundred meters to their left is the Leaf team with thirty-two shinobi. They're moving separately but remain five hundred meters apart. To set up traps, we'll need to shift eight hundred meters to the right," White Zetsu reported precisely.
A five-hundred-meter gap between the two teams?
Though the reason was unknown, it would allow them to engage the teams separately.
Ye Zi's gaze turned cold.
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Currently on Chapter 365 - Clash at Aoki Forest