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The dense jungles of the Land of Fire are a world apart from the endless sandy sea of the Land of Wind; beneath the lush vitality lurks a deadlier danger. The Sandstorm Squad, acting as a spearhead deep in enemy territory, threaded cautiously through the massive roots and low-hanging vines on a mission to dismantle Konoha's peripheral patrol network.
At first, the operation went frighteningly smoothly. Scattered Konoha patrols fought hard but posed no real threat to this elite, well-coordinated Suna unit. That momentum, however, ground to an abrupt halt when they reached a small clearing.
Standing in the center were four figures in Konoha vests, their posture relaxed yet perfect. They stood in utter silence, already one with the shadows. What made veteran Special Jōnin Iryō's pupils shrink and his blood run cold were the identical flaming-fan clan crests on their backs—and the eyes that met theirs.
Four pairs of scarlet eyes turned in the dappled light; three black tomoe revolved in each—cold, bewitching, and suffocating.
"Uchiha! Three-tomoe Jōnin! Pull out! NOW!!" Iryō's scream warped with raw terror; he instinctively leapt back, fingers flying through seals.
But Uchiha attacks are faster than voice or hand.
The lead Uchiha looked almost bored. Without shifting his feet, he icily uttered a single word: "Too late."
The teammate on his left spun his tomoe; Iryō's world twisted as a massive Genjutsu slammed into his mind. His seals froze, his body locking like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Almost simultaneously, a second Uchiha vanished, reappearing at Iryō's side, his short sword carving a lethal arc toward the Jōnin's throat—blindingly fast, the Sharingan having already mapped every possible evasion.
"Captain!" Lucado roared, chakra erupting as he slapped the ground: "Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
A solid rampart shot up, but the third Uchiha had already finished his seals. He inhaled sharply: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" The massive orb, burning at over 1,000°C, curved past the wall instead of striking it, angling to blast Lucado while he was exposed.
Boom!
Lucado had no time to react. Searing flames swallowed him, the blast flinging him broken against a tree. Xu cried out in horror, hurling poisoned senbon at the caster, but the man simply tilted his head, the Sharingan tracing every needle's flight with ease. Xu then met the gaze of the fourth Uchiha. A single glance, and she felt her soul dragged into a crimson abyss, her body turning rigid as a lamb for slaughter.
In one exchange, three of the Sandstorm Squad were neutralized. Only Sayo remained.
The instant Iryō shouted, Sayo's heightened spiritual sense screamed. The "Mirage" blossomed beneath him, its magnetic levitation howling as it hurled him backward by a hair's breadth.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Three kunai wrapped with exploding tags struck where he'd stood, detonating in a spray of earth.
"Oh? An unusual puppet," the Uchiha leader remarked, his eyes flickering. He didn't pause: "Fire Release: Dragon Flame Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!" Sayo slapped the Mirage platform, creating a rampart that fractured under the heat.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Great Ball!" His other hand formed seals; via the Mirage's amplified organs, he fired a high-pressure air cannon to force the Uchiha away from the paralyzed Xu.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!" Sayo's gaze turned glacial. No more holding back. Scrolls at his waist spilled jet-black iron sand that became a sky-darkening storm, blanketing the clearing in a ruthless area strike.
"A Bloodline Limit? Troublesome," the Uchiha Jōnin snorted, his Sharingan whirling as he ghosted through the iron rain, finding every gap. "Every move of yours is already seen by these eyes."
Another Uchiha attempted Genjutsu, but Sayo's soul, tempered across two lifetimes and refined by Natural Energy, merely wavered before he broke free. The third ninja weaved seals: "Lightning Release: Earth Flash!" Currents raced across the damp ground toward the Mirage.
Sayo vaulted the Mirage skyward to evade while iron sand condensed into giant palms that smashed down. He was fighting all four alone. He pushed the Mirage's mobility to its limit, weaving through treetops to stay ahead of Sharingan perception. He knew it was only a stopgap—his chakra was burning away. He had to save his team.
"Spider Legion—full release!"
Dozens of arachnid puppets surged like suicide troops, forcing the Uchiha to divert their attention. Spines flashed, fire surged, and spider bodies were blasted apart, but those few seconds were enough. The Mirage dived in a perfect swoop, grazing the ground. Iron sand whips lashed out, scooping the wounded Iryō, Lucado, and the paralyzed Xu onto the platform.
"You won't escape!" The Uchiha leader hurled a massive Wind Demon Shuriken that ricocheted mid-air, sealing every retreat. Sayo channeled his last reserves.
"Magnet Release: Iron Sand Guard Wall!"
Dense iron cocooned the Mirage's rear. Bang! Bang! Boom! The shuriken and a fire jutsu slammed the barrier. The Mirage shuddered; a shuriken clipped a tail thruster, flame blooming. Riding the blast and the cover of a final spider self-destruct, the battered Mirage trailed smoke, wobbling away over the treetops.
The Uchiha Jōnin made no pursuit. He lowered his hands, scarlet eyes fixed on the smoke trail with a flicker of gravity.
"Sunagakure… when did they have a Puppeteer and Magnet Release user like that?"
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