In the dead of night, three masked ninja sprinted through the forest, heading straight toward Ishikawa Village.
"Fu-sama," one of the masked ninja spoke in a low voice while running, his words muffled beneath his mask, "judging by the timing, Tanuki Jonin should have completed the mission by now, right? With a Jonin leading four Chunin against a brat who just graduated, even if he's a Genius, he should already be captured."
"Exactly," another ninja added. "From the moment we lured away that Wood Release ninja to the time we sent the signal and withdrew, they've had at least half an hour uninterrupted. That's more than enough time to finish the operation."
Fu Yamanaka kept his eyes fixed ahead, his expression calm and unreadable.
"Do not underestimate the target," he said flatly. "According to the intelligence, his chakra reserves are abnormal… but you're right. Against overwhelming numbers and strength, half an hour should have been enough. Tanuki knows his job."
Fu's calculations had been clear. Their squad had successfully drawn away the greatest threat, Yamato.
Even if Yamato realized the deception and turned back immediately, he would still need time to return.
And that window of time should have been enough for Tanuki's unit to capture the target and begin withdrawing.
Even if something unexpected happened, Fu's squad was already moving to reinforce them and secure the mission completely.
"Pick up the pace," Fu ordered coldly. "We rendezvous with Tanuki Jonin immediately."
The three accelerated again, darting through the forest like shadows.
But the moment they crossed the final stretch of trees and arrived at the designated rendezvous point outside Ishikawa Village, all three abruptly stopped.
Their eyes widened beneath their masks.
The sight before them left them completely stunned. The quiet retreat they had expected was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, the entire area looked like it had been devastated by a natural disaster.
The once-dense forest had been flattened across a massive area. Trees were snapped apart or uprooted entirely, as if torn apart by overwhelming force.
The ground was covered in craters of varying depths. One enormous crater was filled with murky water, clear evidence of a large-scale Water Release technique.
Broken chunks of earth and shattered stone littered the battlefield. Several half-destroyed Earth Flow Walls still stood crookedly across the ruined terrain, riddled with cracks and impact marks from violent ninjutsu collisions.
Mud mixed with dark blood covered the ground, while the air reeked of wet soil, moisture, and the lingering scent of death.
"…What happened here?" one Root ninja whispered hoarsely. "Was there… a war?"
The scale of the destruction completely exceeded his expectations.
Another ninja suddenly pointed toward a torn piece of cloth half-buried in the mud. "Fu-sama! Over there!"
He rushed forward, picked up the mud-soaked fabric, and handed it over.
Yamanaka Fu took the scrap silently.
The moment his fingers brushed against the material and the distinctive dark markings of Root's uniform, the look in his eyes changed completely.
It belonged to one of their own.
And judging by the shredded condition, it definitely had not come from a clean capture operation.
Fu's expression darkened. "…Something went wrong." His voice became heavy. "Tanuki team may have—"
Before he could finish—
BOOM!!!
A violent explosion suddenly echoed through the distance.
The detonation of explosive tags was immediately followed by the roaring shockwave of clashing chakra and ninjutsu.
Fu instantly snapped his head toward the source of the sound.
"Move!" he barked. "Track the battle immediately! Hurry!"
Without another word, he shot forward first.
The other two Root ninja followed close behind, a heavy sense of dread settling over all of them.
The situation had completely spiraled out of control.
Either outside ninja had interfered with the operation…Or the target, Kagutsuchi Shin, was far more dangerous than any of them had anticipated.
…
Ahead, deep within the battlefield—
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Earth Release: Earth Spike Technique!"
Ninjutsu continued to erupt relentlessly, one after another, as though chakra were limitless.
Immense chakra reserves were Shin's greatest advantage, supporting this overwhelming barrage of firepower.
Jonin Tanuki slashed apart the remains of a Water Dragon with his blade, his expression growing darker by the second.
Another Earth Flow Wall suddenly erupted in front of him, blocking his pursuit once again and forcing him to watch helplessly as Shin widened the distance between them.
'At this rate… this is going to become a disaster!'
Alarm bells rang wildly in his mind. Too much time had already been wasted, far beyond the original schedule.
According to the plan, the mission should have been completed long ago, and they should already be in retreat.
Instead, not only had they failed to capture the target, but two Root Chunin had already died at the hands of this brat's absurd fighting style.
'If Yamato returns… the mission is finished!'
The thought sent a chill through his body. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a way to break the deadlock.
This kid was unbelievably slippery. He refused to engage in close combat at all.
Every attempt to close the distance was met with another devastating barrage of long-range ninjutsu.
And that monstrous amount of chakra… even he, as a Jonin, found it terrifying.
'Damn it!' he cursed inwardly, frustration boiling inside him. 'Of all opponents… why did it have to be this type?!'
He specialized in close-quarters combat.
Swordsmanship was his greatest strength.
But against an opponent who completely refused melee combat and relied entirely on overwhelming ranged attacks, his skills were useless.
'If only Fu were here…' He immediately thought of the teammate skilled in mind techniques. 'With Mind Transfer, this brat would already be subdued. We wouldn't be stuck in this situation.'
The mission had completely derailed.
Or perhaps… fate itself favored Shin.
Out of the two possible locations, Ishikawa Village and Kasahara Village, Shin had just happened to choose Ishikawa Village.
"Damn it… if I had known earlier—" Before Tanuki could finish the thought, a violent sense of danger suddenly exploded through his body.
At the same instant, Shin—who had been speeding ahead—suddenly turned back and looked directly at him.
A cold grin spread across Shin's face. 'Enjoying the chase?'
His eyes flashed sharply. 'Then take this… You bastard.'
Shin roared as the muscles in his right arm tensed violently before making a powerful throwing motion forward.
"Water Release: Hard Whirlpool Water Blade!"
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P@atreon/Arvinstorm (30+ Advanced Chapters)