At the village entrance, Teido stood calmly, surveying the horrific carnage around him—as if admiring a masterpiece he'd proudly created.
Just then, a Stone-nin approached him with a respectful bow and asked:
"Lord Teido, how should we handle the villagers' corpses?"
Teido's eyes turned cold, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he barked:
"Pile them all together. Agitate Konoha's nerves."
He hadn't forgotten the orders issued by the Third Tsuchikage—
Stir conflict between Konoha and the Land of Rain, by any means necessary.
"Yes, sir!"
Under Teido's command, the Iwagakure unit acted swiftly. Within moments, they had gathered all the bodies and stacked them prominently at the village's entrance.
As the war-torn village lay in ruins, Teido assembled his unit, preparing to withdraw.
But at that very moment—
"Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Technique!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Veigar, currently being pursued by Root operatives, saw Teido about to retreat and sprang from the shadows with his allies. They unleashed their Fire and Wind Release techniques in tandem.
Almost simultaneously, Tenkaku followed suit with his own attack:
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The phoenix-like fireballs, propelled by the wind, erupted with fierce velocity and power.
Shuriken poured down like a storm of steel blossoms, raining destruction upon the Stone-nin before they could react.
Thunk. Thunk.
In an instant, two of Teido's eight men were struck dead before they had a chance to move.
"Tch!"
Teido leapt aside, scowling. As he performed hand signs, he spotted his attackers: Veigar, Shōgetsu, and Tenkaku.
"One, two, three…"
He muttered a quick headcount, then slammed his hands to the earth.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A towering wall of stone erupted, halting the onslaught and shielding his remaining five men.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Behind the cover of the earthen wall, Teido quickly weaved another set of hand signs, aiming to strike Shōgetsu from below.
However, his opponents anticipated his move. The moment he raised the stone wall, Veigar, Shōgetsu, and Tenkaku disengaged and melted back into the shadows.
By the time Teido realized something was wrong, they had already vanished.
Furious, Teido's wrath grew—only to be interrupted by a new arrival: the Root operatives, who had been chasing Veigar's group, emerged into view.
"Iwa-nin…"
From the moment Kazerei arrived and laid eyes on the gruesome scene, his expression darkened—and then he saw Teido.
To Teido, their sudden appearance confirmed a false assumption:
They must be Veigar's allies.
Without hesitation, he attacked.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Still hiding nearby, Veigar and his companions watched the Stone-nin and Root clash. They remained silent, waiting for the perfect moment to strike as opportunists.
For Teido, things had gone completely off-script. What was supposed to be a simple, clean mission had turned into a mess. Two subordinates were dead, and now he was caught between hostile Root agents and the elusive Veigar.
If he couldn't eliminate both threats, the entire mission would be considered a failure—a failure he couldn't afford.
The skirmish erupted into full-blown combat, jutsu flying on both sides:
"Wind Release: Thousand Faces Gale!"
"Earth Release: Great Mud River!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
BOOM—!
From his hiding spot, Tenkaku, masked and still, suddenly widened his eyes at what he saw.
"That's…"
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
A realization struck Tenkaku—only the Yamanaka Clan could use that technique.
"They're Root!"
As a former elite of the Konoha ANBU, Tenkaku knew well the shadowy force within the shadows: Root, Danzo Shimura's personal covert corps, operating independently of the Hokage.
When he saw one of the attackers using the Mind Transfer Jutsu, the truth clicked.
He turned to Veigar and Shōgetsu:
"Akuto. Fukushu."
"That unit chasing us—they might be Root operatives from our own village."
"I don't know why we've been targeted, but whatever happens, do not hold back."
Shōgetsu might not have understood what "Root" was, but he could feel the unmistakable killing intent.
And killing intent doesn't lie.
Though his mind was full of questions, he knew this wasn't the time to ask. He responded with Veigar in unison:
"Understood."
Meanwhile, the battle turned bloody.
A Stone-nin, controlled by a Yamanaka's Mind Transfer, was impaled through the heart by another Root operative. The Iwa side immediately found themselves outnumbered.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
"Ittō-ryū: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
BOOM—!!
"Aagh!!"
"Ugh—Aaargh!!"
The death of one Iwa shinobi sparked a domino effect—two more fell, and though Root lost two of their own, the tide was turning.
Agonized screams echoed through the battlefield.
Teido, still locked in combat with Kazerei, heard his comrades' cries and realized things were falling apart. He glanced around: three wounded allies surrounded by four Root shinobi.
He clenched his teeth, reaching a grim decision.
Retreat.
Just then, Kazerei saw his opening—Teido, momentarily distracted by the chaos.
He weaved signs rapidly.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
Teido snapped back to awareness—but it was too late to form hand signs.
In a heartbeat, he gambled everything on a single decision—survive at all costs.
Meanwhile, both Veigar's group and the Root team saw the moment of climax approaching.
The chaos would soon resolve—and one side would fall.
That's when Veigar made his move:
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
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