Crimson Winds Of Konoha

At the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain, the wind howled across the terrain, scattering loose leaves and grit into the storm-gray sky. Two slim figures sprinted against the gale—one silver-haired, one dark-haired—followed doggedly by a dozen Sunagakure (Sand Village) shinobi.

"This is your fault, Uchiha Fenghuo!" snapped the white-haired boy, his voice cutting through the wind. "If it weren't for you, we'd be back in the village already!"

Kakashi Hatake's silver mane whipped in the storm as his single visible eye narrowed.

Fenghuo, calm despite the chaos, let out a dry chuckle. "Blaming me again?"

"Of course it's your fault!"

Glancing back at the pursuing Sand-nin, Fenghuo replied, "From the moment we entered that village to when we left, there were no leaks. We moved flawlessly. No way we were discovered unless someone sold us out. There's a traitor."

"Oh, that's your excuse?" Kakashi clapped his hands and slammed the ground. "Lightning Release: Lightning Current (雷遁・雷走り, Raiton: Ikazuchi no Hashiri)!"

Crack!

A streak of electric blue chakra tore through the earth behind them.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough (風遁・大突破, Fūton: Daitoppa)!"

The pursuing Sand-nin scoffed and countered, a fierce gust scattering the lightning harmlessly.

"Are you stupid? Lightning gets dispersed by wind. Basic chakra nature interaction!" Fenghuo scoffed, mocking him with a sideways glance.

Kakashi rolled his eye. "And you think Fire beats Wind? Ever heard of a gap in skill level, genius?"

Fenghuo clicked his tongue. "One of them's a Tokubetsu Jōnin. Even if we've got an elemental advantage, we're still outclassed. And we're outnumbered. Use your head."

"Then what do we do?" Kakashi snapped. Even if they worked together, they'd have trouble taking out the Tokubetsu Jōnin—especially with over a dozen Chūnin behind him.

Fenghuo smirked. "Cold salad."

"Nani?"

"Run, idiot."

Whatever else people said about Uchiha Fenghuo, his taijutsu was no joke. Under the brutal training of Maito Dai, he'd opened the Third Gate of the Eight Gates just last month. And Kakashi—well, Kakashi was Kakashi. Hatake Sakumo's son, a prodigy in every field, with no apparent weak spots.

"You little Konoha rats, surrender already!" one of the Sand shinobi barked. His wind release boosted his speed, but he couldn't catch the two boys.

"Hey, we're already in the Land of Fire!" Fenghuo shouted over his shoulder. "Keep pursuing us and you'll spark another Shinobi World War. Want to be the ones who plunge the Land of Wind into shame for generations? Your parents and friends will disown you!"

After several years of tense peace, the Great Nations were once again vying for intelligence. The Land of Rain, wedged between Fire, Wind, and Earth, had become a clandestine war zone. Every village had ninjas embedded inside, and skirmishes were getting harder to contain.

Even Hanzo of the Salamander, the so-called demigod, couldn't stop the bloodshed.

"Huh?" From the corner of his eye, Fenghuo caught a flash of red on a rocky outcrop ahead—someone watching them.

He looked closer. His skin went cold.

That hair… that face…

"Red Sand Scorpion?!" he blurted.

Two years from now, this guy would assassinate the Third Kazekage and vanish into legend.

"Hard right!" he shouted.

Kakashi looked confused, even irritated, but followed. "What's wrong with you, Uchiha?"

"That guy's trouble. Let's not provoke him."

Kakashi frowned. "You know him?"

Fenghuo gave him a strange look. "Your dad killed his parents. You're asking me who he is?"

Kakashi blinked. His father had taken out plenty of enemy shinobi during the Second Great Ninja War. Fenghuo wasn't wrong—it could be anyone's revenge story.

Behind them, the Tokubetsu Jōnin yelled, "Scorpion! Stop them!"

But the red-haired boy didn't move.

"Dammit, Sasori! That's the son of Konoha's White Fang! He's your enemy!"

Still, Sasori remained still, eyes cool, unreadable.

Fenghuo couldn't help but admire him. "Guy hasn't even defected yet, but he already acts like Akatsuki. Respect."

Kakashi and Fenghuo vanished into the forest canopy, using the trees to increase their speed.

The Tokubetsu Jōnin cursed. If he kept chasing, he risked running into Konoha's reinforcements.

"Scorpion, are you deaf?! Go after them! Don't you want revenge for your parents? That white-haired boy is Hatake Sakumo's son!"

Sasori didn't reply.

Instead, a thin line of blood bloomed across the Jonin's throat.

"Lord—?!"

The Chūnin behind him froze.

Sasori's soft voice carried on the wind. "Don't give me orders."

They rushed to heal the wounded Jonin, but it was too late—blood filled his lungs. He suffocated before their eyes.

"That brat's out of control!"

"Attacking his own allies—he's going to be a traitor one day, mark my words."

"Even if he is Chiyo-sama's grandson, he's gone too far!"

They whispered among themselves, unaware Sasori was still within earshot, red hair rustling in the breeze.

"…Disgusting," Sasori muttered. He turned and vanished into the forest, leaving no trace.

In the forest, Kakashi and Fenghuo finally stopped to catch their breath.

"No more pursuit," Kakashi confirmed, checking behind them.

Fenghuo stretched. "Of course not. They'd have to be insane to chase us deeper into Fire Country."

Kakashi glanced sideways. "So who was that red-haired guy?"

"Sasori," Fenghuo said seriously. "He's a puppet master and a poison specialist. If he reaches his full potential… not even the current Kazekage will be able to stop him."

Kakashi scoffed. "Yeah, yeah. And I'll become Hokage."

Fenghuo grinned. "Who knows?"

Kakashi crossed his arms. "What now?"

"Back to the village," Fenghuo replied.

"You're not worried?"

Kakashi had heard rumors from his father. This entire mission stank of politics—of someone in Konoha pulling strings and baiting Sand shinobi into a chase. If it was a setup, they might be walking right into a trap.

Fenghuo waved a hand. "Come on. Even in the Land of Rain, those puppeteers didn't dare show their own faces. They used Sand as proxies. Once we're back in the Land of Fire, they won't dare act."

And besides… with his inside connections and his mysterious survival during the Sakumo incident, Fenghuo had more protection than he let on.

"Let them try," he said with a smirk. "The Sandaime owes me. And the newspapers keep cashing in on my stories. Hiruzen's not stupid—he knows how valuable I am."

Kakashi narrowed his eye. "You're way too smug for someone who nearly got killed."

Fenghuo just grinned.

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