An Iwagakure ninja wearing a forehead protector and jonin armor cautiously observed the surroundings. After finding nothing unusual, he gave a signal.
Three Iwagakure ninja emerged from their hiding places and joined the scout. They immediately formed a diamond formation and began running.
The four ninja leaped through the forest. Suddenly, the tree trunk beneath the last ninja in formation exploded. In an instant, the three ninja ahead vanished, each taking cover.
After the deafening blast, white smoke drifted slowly through the air. The blown-up ninja fell beneath the tree, while all kinds of insects burst from the forest, swarming densely into the sky.
A few seconds later, the smoke from the explosion dispersed, and the insects quieted down, landing on branches and leaves.
The injured Iwagakure ninja trembled all over. Then he began groaning softly, gradually escalating into loud, agonized screams that sounded nothing like a ninja.
The leading Iwa jonin's heart skipped a beat. He felt as though he had heard of this situation before.
An ambush, an explosion, white smoke, unbearable screams... Where had he heard this intelligence? What was the key detail?
At that moment, a palm-sized beetle landed on the tree trunk before the Iwa Ninja. After folding its wings, it twitched its antennae, then sprang forward at an unbelievable speed and slammed into his nose.
The beetle was far too fast. The Iwa Ninja looked as if he had been hit by a heavy punch. Blood sprayed from his nose, his eyes bulged, and his head snapped back at a ninety-degree angle, nearly breaking his neck.
"Insects!!" As he shouted the crucial intelligence, the Iwa Ninja lost control and fell backward.
"Captain!"
The two younger Iwa Ninja panicked when they saw their captain knocked down. One drew a kunai, while the other immediately formed