Twilight.
The setting sun dyed the sky in shades of orange and red.
Above the sea of trees, two thousand figures moved swiftly.
After nearly a full day of forced marching, exhaustion weighed heavily on this elite unit.
But the urgent news of Kumogakure's invasion kept them moving forward without pause.
Yet the closer they got to Konoha, the more a strange unease settled over them.
It was too quiet.
There was no sound of battle.
No flames rising into the sky.
They couldn't even sense any Chakra fluctuations from combat.
Just then, the front of the column abruptly slowed.
The shinobi at the vanguard stopped in unison atop a massive treetop.
"What is that?"
"A wall... such a tall wall..."
"When did the village build something like that?"
Exclamations rippled through the group.
After a few quick leaps, Kakashi arrived at the front and looked up.
On the outskirts of the village, a towering earthen wall stretched between heaven and earth.
It enclosed the entire Konoha Village.
The light of the setting sun spilled across the massive structure, casting long shadows that gave an oppressive sense of pressure.
When did Konoha build such a wall?
"Keep moving." Suppressing the shock in his heart, Kakashi gave the order.
The two-thousand-man unit resumed their approach, dashing toward the massive wall with deep confusion and growing unease.
When they finally reached its base…
Everyone stopped, stunned by the sight before them.
Outside the wall was a battlefield ravaged beyond recognition.
Massive craters.
Charred ravines.
Shattered trees.
The foul scent of blood mixed with gunpowder still lingered in the air.
These were all clear signs that an intense battle had taken place recently.
But that wasn't what shocked them most.
People.
Thousands of people.
Thousands of shinobi.
All disarmed. Divided into formations. Kneeling.
Every single one of them wore the same expression.
Blank. Hollow.
And surrounding them were Konoha shinobi.
Fewer in number. Less than a third of the prisoners.
What... had happened here?
"Kakashi!"
Minato appeared atop the wall, then flashed down in front of Kakashi with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
"Sensei! This is…" Kakashi couldn't help asking.
"You've worked hard. The battle's over." Minato rubbed his brow, his voice weary.
"Over?"
Kakashi and the other Konoha shinobi who had arrived behind him looked around in disbelief.
This was over?
Hard to believe...
"Yes... it's over." Minato proactively explained, "It was done by Daimyo-sama."
"Daimyo... sama?"
"Mhm. He alone defeated Kumogakure's main force and suppressed the Raikage and the Eight-Tails' Jinchūriki."
Minato's voice was calm, but to Kakashi and the others, it sounded like a thunderclap.
One person?
Defeated thousands of Kumo shinobi?
Subdued the Raikage and Killer B?
Are you serious?
Kakashi stood there, stunned.
He recalled the new Daimyo who had recently taken the throne through swift political maneuvering.
Wasn't he supposed to be just a regular noble?
To possess such terrifying strength?
No one could say a word.
…
At the same time.
Konoha Village, Interrogation Department.
In a dim, damp room, a single swaying lamp cast flickering light.
The air was filled with the scent of blood and disinfectant.
Mabui was tightly restrained by Chakra Seal chains. Her white hair was damp with sweat, clinging to her pale face.
Her delicate body was covered in lash marks, a pitiful sight.
Yet she still clenched her teeth and refused to say a word.
Ibiki stood in front of her, face expressionless.
But those who knew him understood.
This silence meant his patience was running thin.
In the next room, behind the observation glass.
"This woman has a spine," Tsunade narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Ibiki's tried every method short of destroying her brain," Shikaku said with a frown.
Hiruzen's face was solemn. He remained silent.
How had Kumogakure managed to transport thousands of shinobi right to Konoha's doorstep?
Unless that mystery was solved, Konoha would never know peace.
Just as the room fell into quiet frustration...
The door opened.
Arashi entered, flanked by two Shadow Guard.
"Daimyo-sama."
Everyone rose and bowed.
Arashi waved a hand dismissively, his gaze falling on the one-way glass.
He stared at Mabui inside the interrogation room and asked, "No progress yet?"
"No, Daimyo-sama," Shikaku bowed slightly, ashamed. "Her will is extremely firm, we..."
Arashi didn't respond. He simply watched her in silence.
The Fourth Raikage's personal secretary.
And, if he remembered correctly, she had mastered a unique Ninjutsu.
What was it called again?
Heavenly Transfer... that's right, the Heavenly Transfer Technique.
A high-level, long-distance teleportation jutsu that could send objects to any location in the world at the speed of light.
However… it had one fatal flaw.
It couldn't teleport living beings.
Because that terrifying speed and energy during transmission were enough to tear any organism apart.
But then... how had Kumo's army arrived?
Arashi's thoughts continued piecing things together.
That limitation shouldn't be absolute.
Jutsu limitations often pointed to the direction of breakthroughs.
If living beings couldn't be directly sent, then maybe… a receiving structure had been developed to make it possible.
A massive space-time Ninjutsu formation?
It was a bold assumption, but right now it was the most plausible explanation.
For the Raikage to stake everything on this invasion, he had to have been confident in something.
A smile began to form on Arashi's lips.
Whether he was right or not, he could just confirm it directly.
He whispered a few words to one of the Shadow Guard.
The Shadow Guard bowed and left to carry out the order.
A few seconds later.
He reappeared beside Ibiki, whispering something into his ear.
Ibiki's expression shifted from calm, to shock, to a sudden realization.
So that was it.
He looked down at Mabui, now semi-conscious on the rack, and said slowly, "I understand now."
In the observation room, Tsunade and the others were baffled.
"What did Daimyo-sama say to Ibiki?"
"I don't know, but judging by Ibiki's expression, it was something important," Shikaku answered, eyes fixed on the glass.
Inside the interrogation room.
Ibiki walked up to Mabui and gently wiped the blood from her face with a clean cloth.
The movement was surprisingly tender, which made Mabui tremble.
"Your will is commendable." Ibiki spoke calmly. "But what supports your will? Loyalty to Kumogakure? Reverence for the Raikage? Pride in this operation, perhaps?"
Mabui didn't respond, only glaring at him with cold hatred.
"I know you, Mabui." Ibiki gave a faint smile. "The Fourth Raikage's secretary. And the sole wielder of the Heavenly Transfer Technique in Kumogakure."
Her body visibly stiffened.
Ibiki noticed it instantly and continued pushing.
"A powerful jutsu, capable of sending supplies thousands of kilometers in an instant."
"But... it can't send people."
"So I'm curious," Ibiki leaned down, eyes locked on hers, "How exactly did three thousand of you get here?"
Mabui stayed silent.
Ibiki shrugged. "Even if you don't tell me, I can make a pretty good guess."
"Since your technique is based on space-time Ninjutsu…"
"Then developing another one to move people isn't impossible."
"At the very least, you were involved."
Mabui's scattered consciousness seemed to sharpen for a moment. Her eyes became more focused.
But still, she said nothing.
Ibiki didn't mind.
"To send thousands of people, the formation must've been enormous."
"The chakra required... must've been astronomical."
Mabui's eyes widened.
No. Impossible.
That was a top-level military secret of Kumogakure.
Watching her defenses gradually fall apart, Ibiki smiled faintly.
Straightening up, he spoke clearly and slowly.
"So, the formation that the Raikage and his suicide team risked everything to build... failed in the end."
"What a... pitiful waste."
Mabui let out a cold laugh. "So what if you've guessed it right? Do you know the jutsu formula?"
"I won't talk."
"It doesn't matter," Ibiki replied, shaking his head. "For something this important, Kumogakure must have backup copies."
"And you'll all hand it over eventually."
"I wonder... are the lives of the Raikage and the Eight-Tails worth that jutsu?"
"Oh, and also... the lives of three thousand Kumogakure shinobi."
Looking at the increasingly broken Mabui, Ibiki gave a cruel smile.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)