Raid on the Supply Station
Supply depots, or transit stations, are responsible for storing and protecting the food and supplies needed by frontline troops.
These days, everyone needs to eat. Whether you're a ninja or an ordinary person, if you don't have food, you're just a salted fish. That's why ninjas are so keen on destroying the enemy's rear supply lines.
The most ruthless tactic is to cut off food supplies.
"There shouldn't be any Jonin here, right?"
Nawaki perched atop the rock, peering out at the supply warehouse before it.
The supply station was small, with three granaries arranged in a triangular shape in the center, two supply depots on the left, and barracks for resting on the right.
The two teams, Katsuki and Hoshio, circled around to the left side of the supply station. This side was far from the main road and the terrain was relatively complex, consisting of only a few scattered rocks standing in the wilderness.
"Hopefully not. If there's Jonin, we're in trouble."
Katsuki slid down the rock with light, quick steps. The hand seals were completed the moment his toes touched the ground. Without a moment's pause, the soil beneath his feet seemed to turn into flowing water, steadily engulfing him.
The entire process was conducted without making a sound. The skillful stealth technique was truly amazing. No wonder he could wear a vest at such a young age. It was clear that it wasn't just his sensory talent that made him so adept.
Hoshio Ichiro was just a young ninja who was nearly twenty years old. In theory, he was in the golden age of progress. Becoming Chunin at this age meant that he was expected to become Jonin the future, and he was also hailed as a genius.
However, even geniuses have different levels. Seeing that Uchiha Fugaku, who was younger than him, was already a Jonin, he was somewhat annoyed. But after all, the other party was the famous Uchiha. No ordinary person would be so bored as to compete with the Uchiha, unless they were really desperate and ready to slit their own throat.
But when I saw the Katsuki brothers, I really couldn't stay calm. How could twelve or thirteen-year-old kids be so amazing?
He was seething with anger, wanting to teach these arrogant brats a lesson, but as they traveled, his anger gradually dissipated. The performance of Katsuki and the other two was enough to silence any dissent. What ninjas respect most is strength.
Although the urge to find fault has been extinguished, a competitive spirit has taken its place.
Hoshio crouched low and began to speed across the land, yet she stepped over the muddy puddles without making a sound. Her control over the Chakra beneath her feet was exquisite. Indeed, none of those who participated in this operation were to be trifled with.
Otome, Nawaki, and two others followed closely behind Hoshio, heading towards the supply station.
The Sand Ninja squad guarding the supply warehouse consisted of three people: two visible agents and one hidden agent. The arrangement was quite meticulous, with the hidden agent positioned in a very cunning location. However, all of this was meaningless to Katsuki.
Under Mind's Eye of the Kagura, nothing can hide.
Whether it was the hidden spies of the Sand Village or the troops that were sneaking up to launch a surprise attack, in his perception, they were all like incandescent light bulbs in the dark night, already attracting attention to the extreme, unable to be any more conspicuous.
Just as Hoshio were about to enter the Sand Village's spies' line of sight, Katsuki seized the opportunity and made his move!
In an instant, the short sword that burst from the ground pierced the heart of the Sand Ninja spy. Its mouth opened and closed, but before it could be born, its throat was gripped by slender fingers. With a gentle force, the Sand Ninja's throat was completely destroyed.
Without any hidden surveillance, the Sand Ninja who were openly guarding the warehouse entrance were completely unaware of Hoshio and his group's rapid approach.
"Why isn't the patrol back yet? They've been gone for quite a while!"
Something's not right...
The two Sand Ninja sensed something was wrong. In times of war, being more cautious was never a bad thing.
Perhaps it was an instinctive premonition, but the Sand Ninja suddenly felt uneasy. They put the Kunai from their Ninja Tool Bag into their palms, picked up the straw hats next to them, put them on their heads, and prepared to go out and take a look.
"You guys are too slow to react!"
"Boom!!!"
Hoshio's voice mingled with the noise of the walls breaking, and the skin on his fist turned iron black, heavy, solid, and looked extremely destructive.
Indeed, his punches do possess considerable destructive power.
He is a Taijutsu -type ninja, specializing in Taijutsu attacks. He also happens to have the talent for Earth Release, so he put a lot of effort into Hardening Technique, pushing his Taijutsu to a high level. Among the Chunin, he is considered a well-known expert.
Despite the shattered and scattered stones, Hoshio rushed into the warehouse with lightning speed. He loosened his fist, then brought his five fingers together like knives. His iron-black hand blade tore through the stuffy and foul air inside the warehouse, using pure violence to break the Kunai that the Sand Ninja was swinging at him. He then plunged the broken half of the Kunai into the Sand Ninja's chest.
"Enemy······"
With a flash of silver light, another Sand Ninja's throat began to spurt blood, and the rest of his words rolled around in his mouth, unable to be uttered.
"Although there's no need to hide it anymore, it's better if you don't shout. If you shout, it'll make us look incompetent."
Just as the Sand Ninja was about to cry out, Katsuki reappeared. His appearance also signified that he and Hoshio had wiped out a Sand Ninja squad. Nawaki, who arrived later, looked resentful and left them without even a drop of soup.
From the moment they discovered this supply depot, they were constantly on the run, never having had a single chance to make a move.
The tranquility of the supply station had been broken, with the sounds of wind and rain mixed with a lot of noise.
Not everyone can be as efficient as Katsuki and the others. Katsuki took down two of them by himself. The process seemed calm on the surface, but it was anything but simple.
Both strikes were successful.
He used Earth Release to stealthily close the distance, and Lightning Release to strike with lightning speed. His movements were clean and efficient, maintaining White Fang's style throughout. He had mastered the techniques quite well, showing a promising start. Moreover, he possessed a powerful sensory ability that even Sakumo didn't have, giving him a superior grasp of his surroundings compared to Sakumo.
It wasn't that the Sand Village ninja were incompetent; they were just unlucky enough to run into Katsuki and encounter a smaller version of White Fang.
The seemingly simple two strikes incorporated most of the techniques taught by Sakumo; though effortless, they were mentally taxing.
"Otome, please."
Katsuki gave up her spot to the expressionless girl with long, straight black hair, and together with Hoshio and Nawaki, they retreated through the large hole in the wall.
Their mission wasn't just to eliminate the Sand Ninja; in fact, the Sand Ninja were just a side task. Destroying the supplies in the warehouse was their top priority. A quick glance revealed that the warehouse was filled with piles of medicine, bandages, and other supplies—a considerable quantity.
Among the Five Great Nature Transformations, Fire Style are the most destructive. Burning flames can devour many things. Although Explosive Tag are jokingly called long-legged Fire Style, they are ultimately not true Fire Style. It would be very difficult to blow up all the supplies in a warehouse.