Ready (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Hey, Suikazan Fuguki, this is already the sixth squad, isn't it?"

Munashi Jinpachi stood with his arms crossed, looking at the corpses scattered across the ground and the massive Konoha emblem carved into the earth. He couldn't help but furrow his brows as he asked.

Behind his back was strapped a massive blade covered in eerie paper charms; he was the first wielder of the Exploding Blade Shibuki among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist!

"Those Konoha people are truly arrogant."

Jinin Akebino, the first wielder of the Kabutowari, bared his teeth and spoke indifferently, though a faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"However, this means we are getting closer to them. I really want to see just what kind of person could take down Raiga Kurosuki and Juzo Biwa!"

Jinin Akebino's words caused the others to nod involuntarily. Compared to the deaths of these Mist Ninja squads, they were far more interested and curious about the person behind the actions.

As members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, they had seen far too many dead bodies, and every one of them had a mountain of blood debts on their hands.

They didn't care in the slightest about the lives of these subordinates; what they cared about was the Konoha ninja who had forced them back from the front lines and eliminated two of their fellow Seven Ninja Swordsmen!

Although they despised each other and their relationships were exceptionally hostile, they were still peers of the same caliber. If one of them was taken down, it was a disgrace to them all!

After bringing their squads back to the rear, they immediately began doing what they did best—slaughter.

Just as Uchiha Sou and Nara Rukawa had anticipated, indiscriminate killing could cause turmoil within the hearts of the resistance members and force these Konoha ninjas to make a choice.

During this month of slaughter, they received news that the Konoha commander in the rear had personally taken the field.

This news excited them, and once they confirmed the direction, they set off immediately.

It only took them a few days to reach this area, though they didn't know the exact location of that Konoha commander.

However, in their eyes, that guy was truly arrogant; in this area alone, six squads had already been wiped out, and they had even deliberately left behind a Konoha emblem!

"How many people do you think Konoha sent this time?"

Just as they were about to set off again to hunt for the Konoha commander, Suikazan Fuguki suddenly stood up and asked in a deep voice.

His burly frame was like a small mountain, and his question caused the others present to raise their eyebrows.

"Fuguki, don't tell me you're scared." Jinin Akebino sneered. "You really are a disgrace."

"So what if they brought people?" Kushimaru Kuriarare, who had remained silent while wearing his mask, also said coldly. "If we can't handle them with so many of us, I think we'd be better off committing seppuku."

"Hmph, I just don't like fighting battles I'm not sure about."

Although Suikazan Fuguki was being needled, he remained indifferent.

"I just want to remind you that the space in the rear has been squeezed to the limit; no one knows if others have infiltrated. And don't forget, we might very well be dealing with Orochimaru!"

The reputation of Orochimaru in this era was unimaginable, and few could compare to him.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were all powerful and arrogant individuals, but even they had to admit that if they truly faced Orochimaru, they had nothing to be proud of.

Even if all seven of them attacked together, the situation would definitely not be any better!

Not to mention that there were only five of them left now; if they weren't careful and actually ran into Orochimaru, their situation would only become even more dire.

BOOM—

Just as they were discussing, a violent roar suddenly erupted in the distance!

Countless birds were startled into flight by the shockwave, and this situation caused the five of them to exchange glances involuntarily.

WHOOSH!

The next moment, the figures of the five men vanished from the spot, leaving only the lingering, vibrating chakra in the air—

"Captain, eight hundred meters ahead, I've discovered traces of the enemy."

In the dense forest of the Land of Whirlpools, Hyuga Tetsu looked into the distance and spoke in a low voice.

They had been behind enemy lines for over a month, and along the way, they had already eliminated quite a few patrol and supply squads.

This had made the already jittery rear of Kirigakure even worse, and their actions were high-profile; almost every time they finished off a squad, they would leave behind the mark of Konoha.

To be honest, at first, Hyuga Tetsu found such a style hard to accept, but out of respect for Uchiha Sou, he didn't say a word.

He wouldn't forget that they were able to survive so safely behind enemy lines and cause such a stir all thanks to the strategic planning of their captain.

Therefore, he had no resistance to this mission. Even though he knew that no matter how much credit they earned, it would eventually just be handed over to the main branch, he was at least willing to assist Uchiha Sou in completing this mission.

And with the assistance of his Byakugan, they had executed this mission very smoothly.

"How many are there?" Uchiha Sou asked in a low voice. "How far away is the support unit?"

Uchiha Sou was still quite cautious. After more than a month of their unsustainable, "draining the pond to catch the fish" efforts, the people of Kirigakure had clearly noticed that Uchiha Sou and his team were truly ruthless.

Because they never left any survivors, the enemy had concluded that Uchiha Sou's squad was not like the resistance organizations.

Resistance organizations usually only engaged in harassment, purely to block their space, and would never engage in too much head-on combat.

Therefore, even if they were short on manpower, they had to increase their investment; they couldn't just let their space be blocked while their personnel continued to suffer losses, right?

Of course, the effect of doing so couldn't be called non-existent, but the gains were minimal, yet it did force Uchiha Sou and his team to be a bit more careful.

"I only see four standard squads for now, no support units in sight; they might be too far away," Hyuga Tetsu said, looking somewhat troubled. "However, this group seems a bit different; their chakra signatures are all quite strong."

"Is that so?" Uchiha Sou nodded slightly before speaking slowly, "Sixteen people moving together—that's certainly unusual."

"Captain, could this be the target we're looking for?" Shiranui Genma asked in a low voice from the side. "This is the first time we've encountered such an elite configuration and such a large number of people."

Shiranui Genma's words caused Shisui and the father-son duo of Might Duy and Might Guy to nod involuntarily.

They had been patrolling the rear for quite some time now, so they could naturally sense that something about this situation felt off.

In fact, it was very likely the target they were searching for!

It was just that the number of people seemed significantly higher than they had anticipated.

For them, this was certainly not good news.

"Prepare yourselves; we're moving in."

Uchiha Sou had been deep in thought, but after a long moment, he finally issued the order.

"Even if we aren't certain whether they are our target, regardless of whether they are or not, we shouldn't let a squad like this slip away. Besides, having come this far, we should be mentally prepared for anything."

Having said this, Uchiha Sou paused, then turned his gaze toward Shisui, the implication clear without further words.

Shisui nodded silently; he understood what Uchiha Sou meant and knew exactly what he had to do next.

"Execute the original battle plan."

Uchiha Sou withdrew his gaze and spoke calmly.

"Tetsu, you remain responsible for surveillance and reconnaissance. Genma, Guy, and Duy, you are responsible for pinning down and dealing with your respective opponents. Shisui, be ready to provide support at any time. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain!"