A plan quickly came together.
That very day, Hajime led his team out of Konoha.
And not just his—other Root shinobi squads mobilized as well.
Their collective target: the Sky Ninja.
Because it was a hunt-style mission, Danzo did not personally lead the operation.
All Root teams were to move separately, infiltrate the Land of the Sky, and begin a blockade of the Sky Ninja Village.
This blockade wasn't around the village itself, but rather targeted the various routes the Sky Ninja might use to travel outward.
—
October 7th, midday.
Hajime and his group arrived in the Land of the Sky, appearing just outside a small town roughly a dozen kilometers from the Sky Ninja Village.
"We'll start with this town."
Standing atop a tree, Hajime scanned the town below and gave orders to Inuzuka Ryo and Aburame Shino beside him. "You two pose as rogue ninja and stir up some trouble in town—draw the Sky Ninja's attention."
Although both Rin and Shino had questions, they nodded and leapt away without protest.
Originally, the plan was to lie in wait along the Sky Ninja's routes—but Hajime had suddenly changed the strategy that Danzo had set, bringing them here instead.
However, Ryo and Shino were long used to following Hajime's orders unquestioningly, recognizing his authority. So they didn't argue.
After descending from the treetop, Yakushi Nonō mustered her courage, looked at Hajime, and asked, "Captain, why did we come here?"
Hajime walked up to her and raised his hand.
Instinctively, Nonō tried to back away, but she couldn't escape—his palm gently landed on her head.
Stroking her hair, Hajime said softly, "We need a trail."
"Showing up abruptly at Sky Ninja Village would make us immediately suspicious."
"But if we appear in this town first, help out a bit where we can, get noticed by the Sky Ninja—or even be invited to their village—then we'll significantly reduce that suspicion."
Nonō shrank her neck and nodded, though she couldn't help but feel confused.
The captain was always cold and distant. Even his laughter carried a chilling tone.
But at times, he treated her with such gentleness and patience.
This constant shift left her feeling uncertain and anxious.
Could it be that… the captain has some strange preference?
Hajime, unaware of her inner suspicions, continued, "If the Sky Ninja are meticulous, they might still spot inconsistencies. But our actions will keep them too distracted to investigate thoroughly."
Nonō nodded and took those words to heart.
Hajime withdrew his hand and sighed silently.
Damn this Mental Abnormality.
He absolutely did not have an eye for little girls.
Once back to his normal state, Hajime said calmly, "Even as a medical-nin, you still need the ability to protect yourself—especially when you're alone without backup."
"Come on, let's resume your taijutsu training."
Hearing his tone, Nonō instantly knew the "normal" captain was back. She bowed quickly. "Yes, Captain!"
Their sparring began.
Hajime served as her training partner, guiding Nonō through her taijutsu practice.
This training had already been underway during their travels.
—
At the same time—
Inuzuka Ryo and Aburame Shino had moved quickly. After scouting the town, they decisively and aggressively robbed the wealthiest noble in the area.
Of course, they did so disguised as wandering shinobi.
After the smash-and-grab, they left in a flourish.
As expected, the noble immediately dispatched messengers to the Sky Ninja Village.
—
Under the cover of night, inside a wooden cabin, Hajime was learning medical ninjutsu from Nonō when a squad from the Sky Ninja Village set out under the night sky and headed toward the town.
As Hajime started to get the Healing Technique down to a decent level, Aburame Shino—resting with eyes closed nearby—suddenly opened them.
A swarm of insects flew in through the window, forming characters in front of him.
After reading the message, Shino turned toward Hajime. "Captain, a four-man Sky Ninja squad has arrived in town."
"Perfect."
Hajime ended the training, a wild glint flickering in his eyes as he laughed with a hint of madness. "Nonō, you stay here."
"Yes, Captain!"
Yakushi Nonō, now wearing a cat-faced mask, nodded obediently.
Inuzuka Ryo was still keeping watch outside.
Hajime and Aburame Shino slipped out of the cabin, moved quickly through the woods, and emerged at the forest's edge at the base of the mountain.
According to the trail of clues Shino had left earlier, the Sky Ninja would follow their trail straight to this point.
Disguised as rogue ninja, Hajime and Shino lay in ambush within the forest.
Half an hour later.
In the moonlight, four figures swiftly approached the forest.
Suddenly—
The middle-aged Sky Ninja leading the group halted and raised his hand in a signal to stop.
The remaining three Sky Ninja immediately stopped as well, eyes alert as they scanned the surroundings.
Rustle...
The evening wind rustled through the leaves.
Aside from the chorus of insects chirping, nothing seemed amiss.
Yet as a seasoned chunin, Taguchi Kazuma felt an instinctive chill run through him.
Danger.
But he couldn't pinpoint where the danger lay.
Taking a deep breath, Kazuma waved his hand to signal them forward but added in a low voice, "Be careful once we're in the forest."
"There's something strange about this mission."
"Starting today, several of our squads were ambushed while out on missions."
The other three Sky Ninja all nodded in unison.
So the four of them pressed on, quickly stepping into the forest.
In the darkness, Hajime Hoshita's face emerged silently from the bark of a tree—like a venomous snake—fixated on the approaching Sky Ninja.
Once they stepped into the trap zone, he stepped out from the tree trunk and used a kunai to cut a wire.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
A barrage of shuriken shot out from the shadows, dense and relentless, flying straight at the Sky Ninja.
"Watch out!"
Kazuma shouted a warning and immediately formed hand seals.
The other three Sky Ninja reacted swiftly as well, forming a defensive triangle around Kazuma. They swung their arms skillfully to deflect the rain of shuriken.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal clashed, sparks flew.
Shuriken clattered to the ground as muffled groans rang out—several had found their mark.
But none were fatal—vital points had been protected.
Two seconds later, Kazuma completed his jutsu. Walls of earth shot up from all sides, blocking the rest of the incoming shuriken.
But before he could even breathe a sigh of relief, the three injured Sky Ninja staggered... and collapsed one after another.
"The shuriken were poisoned!"
Kazuma's eyes widened in alarm as he looked at their blackened lips. Rage and fear surged through him.
He quickly pulled out antidote pills from his pouch and tried to feed them to his teammates—failing to notice the vines sprouting from the ground.
By the time he sensed it and drew his sword to resist, it was already too late. The vines wrapped effortlessly around his arms and legs, hoisting him into the air.
"Damn it! You're not rogue ninja at all!"
Kazuma screamed in terror, "Who are you?! What are you after?!"
From up in the trees, Hajime didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Aburame Shino and said coldly, "Finish them. Then hang their corpses in the town."
Shino stiffened slightly at the order, then asked, "Captain, if we do that, won't the Sky Ninja realize we're not rogue ninja at all?"
Hajime replied, "We just wiped out four of their chunin. That's not something your average rogue ninja could pull off."
"Our cover as wandering ninja is no longer necessary."
"Now it's time to let them know—we're targeting them. We're provoking them."
Shino nodded. "Understood."
"But if we do this, the force they send next will likely be stronger. Should we request reinforcements?"
(End of Chapter)