In Naruto with the Flame-Flame Fruit

"Tch. A sensory-type ninja, huh?"

Shinnosuke instantly realized what had happened—those types could detect chakra, which meant their group had been discovered.

Still, the guy in front of them had to be unusually sensitive. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sensed them only at such range.

A torrent of mud surged forward. One of the four Sunagakure shinobi immediately stepped out and formed hand seals, slamming his palms together.

"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"

A stone wall erupted from the ground, blocking the mudslide.

"They're over there!"

The sensory ninja pointed straight toward Shinnosuke, having locked onto his chakra.

Knowing his cover was blown, Shinnosuke didn't waste a word. He charged straight out, slashing down with a standard Konoha ANBU longsword aimed at the sensory ninja in the center.

Clang—

A puppet suddenly leapt forward, intercepting the strike. Its mouth opened wide, firing a barrage of senbon that pierced straight through Shinnosuke's body.

But in the next instant, he dissolved into a puddle of mud.

A substitution jutsu!

Kiyosuke sprang into action. He lunged forward with a kunai, aiming to stab the puppet, but once again it blocked the attack, and more senbon shot out, striking his body.

The puppeteer smirked. "Sneaky Konoha ninja. Another substitution?"

But his grin vanished immediately.

Kiyosuke hadn't disappeared. Instead, he grabbed the puppet's head—and a stream of flames burst out of his mouth, engulfing the puppet in fire until it was reduced to ash.

"Scatter!"

The enemy formation broke apart in an instant. Just as Kiyosuke and Shinnosuke had hoped—coordinated like that, the enemy had been much harder to take down.

They both darted toward the sensory ninja. Two of the enemy stepped in to intercept Kiyosuke.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Several shadow clones surged forward, latching onto the attackers and exploding in a fiery blast.

The puppeteer and the sensory ninja stared at Kiyosuke in horror, as if he were a monster.

"This guy... he's not your average ninja!"

They made a snap decision, splitting up and running in opposite directions.

Kiyosuke ignored the puppeteer entirely and bolted straight for the sensory ninja.

"D-Don't come any closer!!"

Panic overtook the man. He knew his body couldn't withstand explosions like that. He had to run—he had to!

"But what's the point?" Kiyosuke said softly. "You're not getting away. You're destined to die by my hand."

"Hmph! Don't be so sure!"

"Die!"

The sensory ninja threw a punch, but Kiyosuke sensed it and dodged with ease. The punch slammed into the ground instead. As Kiyosuke drew his arm back, his sleeve shifted slightly.

"Not bad. You've got decent reflexes. Are you sure you're really a sensory-type ninja?"

"Don't underestimate Sunagakure, bastard! You Konoha scum will fall to us eventually!"

"Oh, give me a break. You guys are dirt poor. If Kirigakure hadn't been too busy killing each other, you'd be the weakest of the Five Great Nations. Bullying minor villages is all you're good at."

Kiyosuke's words were pure provocation, a direct hit across the board.

"You bastard! Sunagakure is strong! Didn't we catch you Konoha bastards completely off guard at the start of the war? If it weren't for those damned Kumogakure forces showing up, you wouldn't have stood a chance!"

He puffed up his chest in pride for his village, though it really had nothing to do with him personally.

Then he suddenly narrowed his eyes.

"You're just stalling, aren't you? I can feel your teammate's chakra getting farther and farther away. He's probably gone after my comrades. You don't have the strength to take me down. Hmph! Waste of time!"

"I never do anything unnecessary," Kiyosuke said with a smile. "If I'm still here talking to you, it's because I planned to."

At that moment, a snake burst out from the ground, coiling around the sensory ninja and sinking its fangs into his neck. Venom flooded into his body in an instant.

As the snake tightened its grip, Kiyosuke patted the man's now-pale cheek.

"You shouldn't rely too much on your sensory skills. Not everything can be detected... at least, not with your level of perception."

Sensory skills varied in strength. The strongest users could detect chakra from vast distances. Weaker ones needed enemies to actively use chakra or be close by.

The snake Kiyosuke had summoned contained a minute amount of sage chakra. Even if detected, it blended seamlessly into nature—perfect for an ambush.

...

While Kiyosuke held him there, Shinnosuke returned, dragging the beaten puppeteer behind him. The man's arms had been twisted to uselessness. Without hands to control his puppets, he was little more than dead weight.

Shinnosuke tossed him down with ease.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A massive snake appeared, and under Kiyosuke's command, swallowed the two Sunagakure ninja whole before vanishing.

Those two would provide valuable intel to Konoha.

And Kiyosuke and Shinnosuke's assassination mission continued.

...

The war raged on.

Thanks to the assassination squad's offensive, the Sunagakure defensive lines were breached. This surprise force had a major impact, pushing the frontlines all the way to the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers.

Eventually, Kiyosuke's team was recalled by Orochimaru.

Of the unit, barely one in ten survived.

Shinnosuke and Kiyosuke returned unharmed, but the other assassination squads Orochimaru had dispatched didn't fare as well. The few that came back were all wounded.

The war had dragged on this long, and now Sunagakure had begun to shift into a purely defensive stance. Orochimaru clashed multiple times on the battlefield with Chiyo, Sunagakure's temporary leader, but with disappointing results. He hadn't managed to take down that old relic.

...

Kiyosuke's boots crunched through the golden sand. He was now deep within the Land of Wind, scouting for intelligence.

Orochimaru had no fear of him dying. As long as his chakra held out and he didn't encounter any sealing specialists, Kiyosuke could always escape alive.

He wore a long robe to protect his skin from sun exposure and had his face wrapped in cloth to shield it from the desert's harsh rays.

The Land of Wind was a miserable place. The climate was unforgiving. Hadn't anyone here ever heard of afforestation?

There had to be underground water veins. Otherwise, those villages deep in the desert would've died off long ago.

If they'd only used their water wisely, planted trees, and greened the land, they'd realize: green mountains and clear water are treasures beyond gold.

What had the First Kazekage even been thinking?

If the First Hokage had wanted to strengthen ties with the other Great Nations, he should've helped the Land of Wind by using Wood Style to improve the environment.

Knowing Hashirama, he could've given them a long speech about compassion and righteousness, and he'd have been more than happy to help plant a forest.

Even if the Second Hokage had objected, it wouldn't have mattered.

After all... this would've been saving lives.

...

"I shouldn't have accepted this reconnaissance mission," Kiyosuke muttered, trudging through the sand.

"I've been walking for hours and haven't seen a single person. Ugh... this sucks."

Wait.

Was that an oasis in the distance?

If there was an oasis... that meant hope of survival.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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