One minute later.
"Stop."
"We've got movement."
Both Veigar and Shōgetsu, who were stealthily advancing, spoke up at the exact same time.
Upon hearing the warning, Minato and Kakashi instantly sought cover, concealing themselves while sharpening their focus.
The three then turned their gaze to Veigar, who didn't speak—instead, he rapidly signed a series of tactical hand signals.
"Two hundred and fifty meters ahead. Chakra threads detected?"
After interpreting the sequence of Veigar's signs, the team understood his message immediately.
In the Land of Wind, the Sand Village—Sunagakure—was renowned for one unique combat art: Puppetry Jutsu. To manipulate puppets in battle, one first had to master the art of shaping their internal chakra into thin strands—chakra threads.
But chakra threads weren't just for puppet control. In scenarios like this one, they were often repurposed as early warning tripwires.
Minato responded with tactical signs of his own.
"That must be the Sand's perimeter defense. Stay sharp."
"We move in quietly."
Just as Minato completed his signs and prepared to act, Veigar's expression shifted. He raised a hand sharply, signaling them to halt, then murmured low and tense:
"Wait."
With a few urgent gestures, Veigar updated his team—Minato, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu—with the latest intel.
"A four-man Sand team is heading this way."
"They've expanded their patrol radius."
In an instant, the entire team tensed, suppressing even the sound of their breath.
The goal: minimize all signs of presence to avoid being discovered before initiating a surprise attack.
Each member subtly readied themselves, waiting to ambush the approaching enemies with deadly efficiency.
Moments later, their targets entered view—a Sand patrol unit in standard-issue flak jackets, weaving through the forest with careful movements. They concealed themselves well, but not well enough to escape the gaze of seasoned shinobi.
Strands of chakra threads glimmered faintly in their hands—clear indicators of heightened alertness.
So they're extending the detection perimeter?
Veigar and the others quickly deduced the enemy's intent.
Sago, thirty-seven, led the Sand team. A seasoned jōnin puppeteer, he bore on his back a tall object shrouded in black cloth—his pride: a custom puppet larger than himself.
Leading the patrol, this grizzled veteran moved with the confidence of one who had seen many battles.
"Wait for the signal. Strike fast and clean."
"The lead jōnin's mine. You each take one—eliminate them before they can react."
Blunt, efficient tactics. Minato trusted Veigar, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu without reservation.
Without speaking, the team silently selected their respective targets.
"Now!"
As the enemy unit came within range, Minato surged forward like lightning, taking point.
At his word, Veigar, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu exploded into motion in perfect sync.
Four versus four.
Team Minato versus the Sand Patrol.
While Minato went for Sago, Veigar, Kakashi, and Shōgetsu each locked onto a different enemy.
"Enemy attack!"
"It's Konoha shinobi—!"
Sago reacted instantly as Minato descended upon him. At the same time, the black cloth on his back unraveled, revealing a rectangular puppet with two horn-like boxes attached.
"Rasengan."
Seeing Minato's face—and the spinning chakra sphere forming in his hand—Sago's expression twisted.
Recognition and dread flooded his eyes.
"Na—Namikaze Minato!?"
Back in the Second Shinobi War, Sago, then a chūnin, had clashed with Minato—who had only been a genin. Even then, he'd barely survived the encounter. The memory of nearly dying haunted him to this day.
While Minato confronted Sago, Veigar found his opponent.
A fellow puppeteer chūnin from the Sand named Shuba.
As Veigar lunged with his ninjatō, Shuba instinctively leapt back, narrowly avoiding the strike.
Even so, Veigar's blade grazed his chest, leaving a deep, bleeding wound. Had he hesitated a second longer, the blade would've pierced straight through him.
In one fluid motion, Shuba pulled out a scroll, smeared it with his bloodied hand, and slammed it open.
"Poof!"
A grotesque humanoid puppet, sporting four scythe-like arms, burst into view, standing between Shuba and Veigar.
Shuba's fingers twitched.
In an instant, a dozen chakra threads lashed out from his fingertips, anchoring into the puppet.
Click-click… crack… crack-crack!
The puppet sprang to life with mechanical screeches.
Shuba's entire demeanor shifted—his confidence swelling with the weapon at his command.
A silent declaration radiated from him: "With my puppet in hand, the battlefield is mine."
But Veigar was already weaving hand signs.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A vortex of wind roared from his mouth, surging toward Shuba like a hurricane.
In response, Shuba deftly commanded his puppet to shield him, the bladed arms crossing protectively in front of its body.
Boom!
The gale slammed into the puppet with a crash of force, forcing it back—but not breaking through.
A solid defense.
Shuba's precision with his puppet was impressive. But Veigar?
He was no amateur either.
As the winds of Great Breakthrough still howled, a blue blur appeared at Shuba's right flank.
Veigar—already repositioned.
In his hand: another swirling chakra sphere—
—hurtling straight for the kill.
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/PrimalDemon [remove the parentheses ( )]