First Taste of the Battlefield, Arriving Without Warning (2)

The Anbu ninja was startled. Hagoromo had detected enemies, yet they themselves had found nothing... Still, they did not doubt Hagoromo's words. Every ninja had their own unique strengths, and as an Anbu ninja, he would not look down on any ninja because of their age.

Never underestimate any ninja. That was the Anbu's first creed. Those who failed to follow it had long since ceased to exist in this world.

"I'll deal with them." As the Anbu squad captain, he made his decision quickly.

"No." Hagoromo continued communicating with the Anbu through hand signals. "Keep watch. There may be enemies we haven't found yet. The ones in the woods... I'll deal with them."

The Anbu hesitated slightly, then nodded in agreement. He had not forgotten that his first mission was to protect the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and his second was to protect the Medical Ninja. As for killing enemies, that was not part of the mission.

He left the enemy assault to Hagoromo alone. It was not because he had great faith in Hagoromo's combat ability, but because it did not matter even if Hagoromo died.

That was simply the truth.

Unaware of the Anbu's thoughts, Hagoromo swiftly melted into the darkness and headed toward where the enemies were hiding.

In his perception, the four enemies were scattered apart. Clearly, they were extremely vigilant within enemy territory, hiding in four separate locations. That gave Hagoromo the chance to pick them off one by one.

As he walked, Hagoromo pulled his blank mask over his face.

It truly was blank. Other than two holes for the eyes, there was not a single pattern on it.

As he walked, Hagoromo began speaking softly.

The night was deep. Though his voice was quiet, thanks to the direction of the wind, every word he spoke could be heard clearly from the Konoha camp.

"The bells of Gion Temple ring..."

"They tell of the impermanence of all things..."

"The Sala Twin Trees' flowers fade..."

"Urging us to cut down rampant evil..."

"Good evening, everyone."

"Konoha Genin, Kamishiraishi Hagoromo, reporting for duty..."

The forest was filled with shadows, but Hagoromo's eyes had already adapted to the darkness.

Without making a sound, he approached to within roughly twenty meters of one enemy.

Perhaps the enemy still did not realize he had been exposed. The ninja hiding there remained utterly motionless.

"Sure enough, they aren't Konoha ninja."

By the faint moonlight, Hagoromo could confirm that the forehead protector on the enemy's head did not belong to Konoha. That was enough.

He continued moving quietly, but instead of closing the distance, he widened it. Only after reaching the base of a tree did he reach for the Ninja Tool Pouch on his back and take out a kunai and three Shuriken.

Then, without the slightest hesitation, he flicked his wrist and sent the three Shuriken flying.

The sound of projectiles cutting through the air was obvious in the silent night, but the darkness also provided better cover. The moment the first enemy failed to determine the direction of the attack, he lost any chance of ever figuring it out.

One Shuriken struck him squarely in the face, one sliced through his neck, and the other pierced his chest!

"First one." Hagoromo counted silently.

After taking down the first enemy, Hagoromo did not even raise his head before throwing the kunai above himself.

The second enemy was hiding in this very tree!

The man had heard the commotion of the attack and immediately pushed aside the branches to look toward the first enemy's position. The instant he poked his head out, however, a kunai ended his life!

He was inexperienced. Otherwise, he never would have acted so rashly!

Hagoromo shifted slightly to the side, and with a bang, the enemy's corpse fell beside him.

"Second one."

Judging by those two men's reactions, they were merely Genin. Experienced Chunin and Jonin would not so easily react in ways their enemies could predict.

That meant at least one of the remaining two was a Jonin. Without a Jonin leading them, a squad like this could never have infiltrated the Land of Fire. A team composed only of Chunin and Genin would not be carrying out an infiltration mission—it would be marching to its death.

"One Jonin? Or two?"

In Hagoromo's perception, although the remaining two had heard signs that their comrades might have been eliminated, neither acted rashly. Instead, they stayed where they were for the moment.

"Not a bad judgment. At a time like this, the more you move around, the easier it is to get killed. The darkness benefits both sides... But that judgment is only correct when there isn't a sensory ninja around!"

At this point, Hagoromo no longer needed to hide himself!

Brilliant lightning flared in Hagoromo's palm, and the piercing crackle exposed his location at the same time.

In the darkness, he stood out as clearly as a target.

Almost simultaneously, several Shuriken flew toward Hagoromo! But it was already too late. The moment he activated Chidori Current, Hagoromo's speed could surge to four or five times its normal level.

Hagoromo's body dashed away with an afterimage, reaching another large tree. Then, his lightning-covered palm stabbed viciously into its trunk!

Lightning Release effortlessly pierced through the tree, which was over forty centimeters in diameter, then immediately penetrated the heart of the enemy ninja hiding behind it!

Hagoromo's entire arm sank into the tree. Lightning Release charred the part it pierced into charcoal, but a wet sensation reached his fingertips, and the air filled with the smell of blood.

Hagoromo knew that his palm had passed through the enemy's body.

Yet he was not satisfied.

"Was I wrong?"

Hagoromo frowned. He had hoped to use that thunderous strike to eliminate the enemy Jonin, but after his arm struck the tree, the enemy's body had moved only a few centimeters. That was not the reaction a Jonin should have had. If it had been a Jonin, he should at least have avoided having his vital point struck.

Even in a flash of Lightning Speed, a Jonin should have been capable of that.

Having killed two Genin and one Chunin, Hagoromo did not relax in the slightest. He knew that the enemy Jonin was about to make his move!

The enemy had seen Hagoromo's arm embedded in the tree and temporarily unable to pull free. He would not hesitate to strike now.

Sure enough! A long blade stabbed straight down toward Hagoromo's forehead!

Perhaps this Jonin had intended from the start to sacrifice his own Chunin in order to kill Hagoromo, an enemy whose strength was unknown!

This was an opening Hagoromo had deliberately created. How could he fail to seize it?

To be honest, he had no confidence in fighting a Jonin head-on. But within an opportunity he had created himself, killing a Jonin was not impossible.