"Why do you think it's there?" Kitsune asked as they ran through the forest, his voice steady despite the pace.
"Because I tried putting myself in the shoes of a Kumogakure ninja. If they infiltrated the Land of Fire after the war instead of targeting Iwagakure, they must be after something specific," Kazuki replied quickly, his breath even as he ran.
Of course, the main reason was that Kazuki already knew what Kumogakure wanted—the Byakugan.
You wouldn't find those on the border. While it was later that Kumogakure tried to abduct Hinata, information-gathering efforts had probably already begun by now.
This ninja team was most likely here for reconnaissance. To do that, they'd need to infiltrate Konoha itself.
And one of the most effective and inconspicuous ways to enter was via merchant caravans.
There was only one sizeable town near the border where such caravans routinely gathered.
And even if he was wrong, they could always follow up with the intel division's next report.
"So, they're planning to sneak into Konoha?" Kitsune nodded, impressed.
The Nara really were sharp-minded.
No wonder the Fourth Hokage had assigned him to mentor these two.
They reached the outskirts of the target town and quietly infiltrated it, their focus entirely on the merchants preparing to head toward Konoha.
This settlement was larger than the last, and several caravans were currently hiring escorts for the dangerous road ahead—plagued with bandits and thieves.
"Kumogakure shinobi..." Kazuki scanned the prospective guards—mostly big, muscular men strapped with crude swords.
"Not easy to tell who's who," he muttered, scratching his head.
"I've found them. That group up front," Kakashi said, appearing silently at Kazuki's side.
"Where's the captain?" Kazuki glanced around. Kitsune wasn't in sight.
As lax as Kitsune seemed, he was never careless about matters .
"Right here," Kitsune said as he walked up with two skewers of dango, handing one to Kazuki.
Kazuki took it and bit down. Not bad, but not great. The ingredients weren't as rich as the dango back in Konoha, and it was definitely lighter on sugar—smaller too.
"They've spotted us," Kakashi said as he finished his skewer.
Kazuki popped the last bite in his mouth just as a voice rang out:
"You Konoha trash! Still sucking up to your Hokage, huh? Pathetic!" a burly man sneered, folding his arms with disdain.
People around them gasped, then screamed and scattered.
"Not gonna wait until we're outside the town?" Kazuki frowned. He hadn't planned to fight here.
"This is what it means to be a ninja," Kitsune replied coolly.
When ANBU moved, they didn't concern themselves with civilian casualties. In fact, sometimes they used civilians to bait hesitation out of enemy shinobi.
Though that rarely worked.
"Four targets. Three in front, one flanking from behind. Red Deer, take the one in the back!" Kitsune barked before leaping forward with Kakashi.
Kazuki didn't hesitate. He spun and sprinted toward the rear—where a large man was charging at him, his body crackling with Lightning Release chakra.
"Kumogakure's Taijutsu style..." Kazuki narrowed his eyes. Though clouds drifted overhead, the sun still shone enough to cast shadows on the ground.
He shifted subtly, extending his shadow, and began weaving hand seals.
"Too slow!" the Cloud-nin roared, lightning surging around his body. He only needed to get close and his hand would pierce straight through Kazuki's chest.
This dumb Konoha ANBU was actually casting a Fire Release technique up close? Pathetic.
There's no way the Leaf could stand up to the might of Kumogakure.
But Kazuki wasn't worried. His shadow twisted like a living thing, darting toward the charging enemy.
"A shadow technique?!" The Cloud shinobi caught the movement and instantly realized which clan Kazuki was from.
But he was still casting Fire Style? That didn't add up.
Despite his confusion, the man pushed off his left foot to evade, trying to circle wide.
But no matter where he moved, the shadow followed—dogged, persistent, frustrating.
And then, the Great Fireball was launched.
The heat swept over him in a sudden wave, halting his movement.
He heard something...
The shadow struck—binding him.
The fireball struck—engulfing him.
Kazuki didn't pause. The shadow surged up, wrapping around the man's neck.
Shadow Neck Binding Jutsu.
When the flames dissipated, the Cloud-nin lay motionless, blackened and broken. His neck twisted at an unnatural angle.
Kazuki walked over and calmly thrust a kunai into his heart to be sure.
Then, just to be thorough, he stomped the kunai in deeper.
"Better safe than sorry..." he muttered, pulling out another kunai and stabbing the other side of the corpse.
What if this guy was a clone, or worse—something like Zetsu?
Only once he was certain the enemy was truly dead did Kazuki rush back toward the main battle.
One enemy was already down, his corpse surrounded by civilian bodies—likely used as human shields.
Kakashi and Kitsune were fighting the remaining two, both of whom were skilled, aggressive, and coordinated.
"Hahaha! You Konoha bastards really don't pull your punches, huh?" the leader sneered, dodging Kakashi and deflecting Kitsune's blade with ease.
With a smirk, Kitsune vanished in a puff of smoke—Substitution Jutsu, leaving behind a block of wood that was instantly cleaved in two.
"These two are good... and they've trained in coordinated jutsu," Kazuki noted, analyzing the scene rapidly.
He needed to isolate and neutralize one of them.
Just as he was choosing a target, he saw one of the Cloud-nin dash into a nearby building and emerge with a young girl—using her as a shield as he charged toward Kitsune.
"You son of a—!" Kazuki's rage flared.
Yes, this was the shinobi world.
But civilians were still people.
The enemy noticed Kazuki's reaction and sneered, hurling the girl at him without hesitation.