Encounter

The sky was overcast.

A small black bird descended from the sky, fluttering as it folded its wings and landed on Kagetsu's finger. Its beak lightly pecked his fingertip twice before it beat its wings again. With a flick of Kagetsu's hand, it took the opportunity to soar into the sky once more.

"Someone's coming!" Kagetsu suddenly made a hand signal.

Shisui and Anko, who had been traveling beside Kagetsu, immediately scattered and concealed themselves among the leaves of the trees.

Shisui and Anko had long since ceased to find Kagetsu's ability to control birds strange. If he wanted to, Shisui could achieve a similar effect with his Sharingan, though there were differences in communication and information gathering.

"There are several Chakra signatures ahead." A squad of four bronze-skinned ninjas wearing Kumogakure forehead protectors raced through the trees, stepping from branch to branch. One Cloud Ninja formed hand seals and, seeming to sense something, warned his captain.

"Konoha ninjas?" The ninja leading the group did not slow down upon hearing this. Instead, he stomped down hard and accelerated.

With the speed at which ninjas traveled, neither side had to wait long before they discovered one another's approach.

"Konoha brats?" The leading Cloud Ninja saw Kagetsu's group of three standing guard in a triangular formation, and a cruel smile appeared on his face.

He slowly drew the long sword from his back and pointed its tip at the three of them. With a vicious grin, he said, "I thought we'd run into Konoha's Jonin. Who knew it would just be three little brats!"

Though he had assumed an attacking stance, the Cloud Ninja Leader did not strike immediately. Instead, he covertly glanced at the Sensor Ninja beside him.

Only after seeing the Sensor Ninja shake his head did he relax. He had confirmed that the only enemies they had encountered were this single three-man squad.

"Look how nervous you are. Is this your first time on a battlefield? Then let me teach you a lesson. The price will be your lives!"

The Cloud Ninja Leader spoke coldly as killing intent erupted from his body in an instant. With a light tap of his foot against the ground, he vanished from where he stood.

The next moment, the vanished Cloud Ninja flickered into existence before Kagetsu. Electricity flashed at his blade's tip as it pierced Kagetsu's chest before he could evade.

Yet the Cloud Ninja Leader, who had seemingly dealt with one of them, showed little joy. The sensation transmitted through his blade after it pierced the opponent's body was completely unlike the feeling of cutting a person.

It was like stabbing into nothingness.

Not good!

Just as the Cloud Ninja Leader tried to pull back, a powerful grip suddenly seized his blade tightly. The next second, he felt a sharp knife pierce his ankle.

He lowered his head in shock and saw Kagetsu emerging halfway from a pitch-black shadow, a Short Sword in his hand. Its blade was lodged in the muscles of his leg.

"Damn it!" the Cloud Ninja Leader roared. His entire body abruptly transformed into a dazzling humanoid mass of lightning that exploded before Kagetsu.

The wandering lightning spread along the ground in every direction, repeatedly inflicting paralysis on every living thing within its range.

Lightning Release: Lightning Ball.

A crackling sphere of lightning descended from the sky, landing directly where Kagetsu's group had been. Its power instantly blasted a large crater into the ground, its temperature soaring in an instant.

The Cloud Ninja Leader, who had used a Lightning Clone for his initial probing attack, descended from midair and landed among his squad after unleashing the Lightning Ball.

"There are more enemies!"

Before the Cloud Ninja Leader could speak, the Sensor Ninja in the squad suddenly turned pale. Even as he shouted the warning, he instantly dodged aside.

A blazing pillar of fire, like a fire dragon, burst forth from one direction alongside a fierce gale. It had seized an exceptionally clever opening, enveloping three of the four Cloud Ninjas within the range of its fiery assault.

The Cloud Ninja Leader reacted swiftly, forming hand seals as he leaned forward and spewed forth a rotating curtain of water that collided with the fire dragon.

Water Release: Water Formation Wall!

The collision between scorching heat and rushing water instantly produced a mist-like cloud of heated vapor that spread outward.

Having blocked the sudden Fire Release attack, the four Cloud Ninjas immediately used the opportunity to Body Flicker away from their original positions.

As the Sensor Ninja dodged, he seemed to notice something. He abruptly turned toward one direction, only to meet a pair of blood-red eyes.

Damn it!

An Uchiha!

As one of the Five Great Nations, the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure did not know the Sharingan merely by name. He instinctively tried to close his eyes, but he was already too late.

Without realizing it, his mind had fallen into a Genjutsu.

The next moment, blood sprayed through the air. The Cloud Ninja Sensor Ninja awoke from the intense pain, clutching his slashed throat as he fell from the air and crashed to the ground, kicking up dust.

"Uchiha!" The Cloud Ninja Leader had also seen Uchiha Shisui's unmistakable blood-red eyes. He had never expected to encounter an Uchiha here!

According to intelligence, the Uchiha had always formed teams with other Uchiha and rarely left the village to accept missions. Encountering an Uchiha with the Sharingan while carrying out missions beyond the village was extremely rare.

In an instant, lightning flashed across the Cloud Ninja Leader's body. The electricity stimulated his cells, abruptly making him even faster. Like a Body Flicker, he appeared behind Shisui, avoiding his Sharingan head-on.

"Die!" The Cloud Ninja Leader, his body wreathed in fine arcs of lightning, swung his arm from behind Shisui. The long sword in his hand tore through the air as it slashed toward Shisui's neck.

The blade smoothly cut through Shisui's neck. Yet the sudden loss of balance and the black crows filling his vision made the Cloud Ninja Leader's pupils constrict.

Genjutsu!

When did it happen?!

Just as the Cloud Ninja Leader tried to think of a way to break the Genjutsu, his body seemed to have been immobilized, completely beyond his control.

A layer of black spread across his shadow, then began climbing up his body.

"This is...?" After waking, the Cloud Ninja Leader stared at the dense black branches covering his body. Overcome with terror and unable to control himself, he moved like a puppet under someone else's command, Body Flickering back to the two surviving members of his squad.

Slash!

Slash!

The sounds of blades slicing through flesh rang out in succession. The two Cloud Ninjas, suddenly attacked by their own superior, still wore expressions of disbelief. Unable to understand why their captain had abruptly attacked them, they fell to the ground with their questions unanswered.

The next second, beneath the terrified gaze of the last Cloud Ninja, Shisui's blade cut into his throat and emerged from the back of his neck amid spraying blood.