Tacit Understanding

"I ask the three of you to hold them off; I shall go resolve those people in the rear." In the mind of Fujiwara Masatsune, the item being transported in the back was clearly of greater importance.

"The two of you, it is time for us to make a move." Ruri lazily drew his blade. The Ino-Shika-Cho of Konoha were decent opponents, but they were not worth much in his eyes. As for how long it would take to finish them, that depended on how much strength Mitsunosuke was willing to exert.

"This..." Shizuka hesitated. She felt that the current chaos was the perfect opportunity; she and Mitsunosuke could easily launch a surprise attack, seize the item, and flee.

"We must go, Young Mistress!" Mitsunosuke whispered. He had likely guessed Shizuka's thoughts, but now was not the time to strike. Once the item was in their hands, they would surely become the target of everyone present. It would be better to let the two sides exhaust each other's strength and find another opportunity later.

"O-okay..." Out of trust for Mitsunosuke, Shizuka also drew her blade, though she remained confused as to why they wouldn't just grab the item and rush off to take their revenge.

Akimichi Akiju nodded to the two beside him, signaling for them to attack together. Relying on the tacit understanding of the three clans, Nara Hisayo and Yamanaka Heisaku understood his intent immediately. The aura of the black-robed, masked samurai opposite them was extraordinary, and the pressure was immense; they needed to end this quickly.

Unexpectedly, Mitsunosuke was the first of the group to strike. He continuously closed the distance, attempting to take out Akimichi Akiju first, who appeared to be the leader.

However, he had chosen the wrong target. Among the Ino-Shika-Cho, the most critical point was not the Akimichi clan, who served as the attackers and meat shields, nor the Nara clan, who handled tactical command and combat analysis, but the Yamanaka clan, who provided support and coordination from the sidelines.

The trio's coordination was incredibly seamless, and while their lifelong friendship played a part, the communication provided by the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques was essential. Therefore, to defeat the Ino-Shika-Cho, one had to first defeat the key to their coordination—the ninja of the Yamanaka clan. Furthermore, the Yamanaka clan's secret techniques were not merely for enhancing coordination; focusing one's spirit into a single point to control an enemy's will was also lethal in combat!

Mitsunosuke slashed out, as if cleaving the air; he had used his full strength from the very first strike! The grass swept by his blade hissed, and the longer blades were sliced in two by the released sword qi!

"Partial Multi-Size Technique!" A pair of giant palms slapped toward Mitsunosuke, forcing him to change direction. Fortunately, as a samurai, his movements were agile, and Akimichi Akiju failed to land a single hit despite several attempts.

However, Akiju had achieved his goal; he had forced Mitsunosuke right next to Shizuka, who was rushing toward them!

"Shadow Possession Technique!" A black shadow extended from Nara Hisayo's feet, passed beneath Shizuka, and, utilizing her shadow cast in the sun, spread several more meters to connect with Mitsunosuke!

Shadow Possession Technique, successful!

"Mind Transfer Technique!" Yamanaka Heisaku's target was not Mitsunosuke, who was trapped by the Shadow Possession, but Shizuka, who was standing beside him, stunned and easier to control!

Shizuka was controlled without surprise. Born into a noble family and being a daughter, she had rarely faced setbacks in her daily life. Even after suffering the tragedy of her clan's destruction, she had not grown enough, and her resolve was simply not firm!

Under Yamanaka Heisaku's control, Shizuka slashed at Mitsunosuke, who was unable to move due to the Shadow Possession. Mitsunosuke was burning with anxiety, veins bulging and his face turning red, yet he was completely helpless!

Did I choose the wrong opponent? Mitsunosuke thought in despair. He had intended to use these three "Takigakure Ninjas" to demonstrate his strength, to make Ruri think highly of him and secure an alliance, yet he was about to be killed by his own Young Mistress!

Mitsunosuke closed his eyes. He had escaped from the hands of Seimei, yet he could not escape the fate of death after all. Perhaps dying at the hands of his Young Mistress would be a release...

It must be said that the powerful strength displayed by the coordination of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio was not as simple as 1+1+1=3. If they were fighting one-on-one, Mitsunosuke could easily resolve any one of them, but with the three of them working together, he had no power to fight back without knowing their abilities!

"When will Takigakure ever have such secret techniques!" Ruri sighed while moving. The katana in his left hand directly unleashed a wave of sword qi, slashing toward Yamanaka Heisaku. Having read the original work, he was crystal clear on the Ino-Shika-Cho's tactics.

Akimichi Akiju was too late to help block it. Yamanaka Heisaku was not about to trade his life for Mitsunosuke's; he decisively released the Mind Transfer Technique and performed a side roll to dodge the sword qi.

Mitsunosuke breathed a sigh of relief as the crisis was resolved. He looked at Ruri with a complex expression. The other party had broken the ninjutsu that had driven him into a desperate situation with a casual slash. Even if he hadn't made a fool of himself earlier and had shown his true strength, could he really have secured an alliance?

Shizuka still did not know what had happened; she was dazed, her grip loosened, and her blade fell to the ground. Mitsunosuke felt a sense of dejection watching this. With such a Young Mistress, seeking revenge would undoubtedly be incredibly difficult. A samurai should never abandon their blade, let alone a samurai burdened with a blood feud; she should not have let her guard down for even a moment!

"Such strong sword qi..." Yamanaka Heisaku had dodged Ruri's attack, but the rock behind him suffered; the boulder, as tall as a man, had been sliced in two at the waist!

"Are there such strong samurai as well? How troublesome." Nara Hisayo scratched the back of his head. Although they were strong when working together, the opponent was not easy to deal with either. Moreover, as time passed, the other enemy would learn their combat methods, which would put them at an even greater disadvantage!

"Super Palm Thrust!" Nara Hisayo could not think of a better plan. Akimichi Akiju, the only one capable of a frontal assault, had to bite the bullet and go for it. They had to stall for time and see if the chunin in the rear could succeed!

"Go help them. That item is better off in the caravan, isn't it?" Ruri nimbly dodged Akiju's attack and slashed again from a strange angle, forcing Nara Hisayo to release the Shadow Possession Technique. Reaching Takumigakure safely was his true goal.

"...Fine." Mitsunosuke knew he couldn't help much here, so he headed to the rear. That item would be easier to snatch from the caravan than from the hands of ninjas.

"Mind Transfer Technique!" Yamanaka Heisaku easily controlled Shizuka again, and Shizuka, standing beside Ruri, launched an attack on him!

"The simplest way is to just kill her, but this child is still of some use. The Yamanaka clan's secret techniques are truly troublesome..." Ruri blocked Shizuka's blade with some annoyance. After all, she only had the level of a mid-tier samurai; even when controlled by a jonin, she could not exert combat power that threatened him.

"Hm?" Ruri, who had intended to knock Shizuka unconscious, suddenly sensed something was wrong. He held back his hand and caught Shizuka in his arms; Yamanaka Heisaku had released the Mind Transfer Technique at that very moment!

"Illusion: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!" The moment Yamanaka Heisaku released the technique, he body-flickered behind Ruri. Vision deprivation!

Ruri's vision suddenly plunged into total darkness. "As expected of the predecessors of the Anbu. This must be the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique developed by Tobirama, right?"

"However... it is useless even if my vision is obscured..." Just as Ruri sensed the movement of chakra and was about to launch an attack, a shadow spread toward him!

"Your movements are sealed too!" Nara Hisayo's figure appeared from behind Akimichi Akiju. The shadow cast by such a massive body was enough to allow the Shadow Possession Technique to extend quite far.

"Super Palm Thrust!" Akimichi Akiju launched his final attack!

"Bang!" A burst of pure chakra erupted, and the powerful shockwave blew the three of them away, making it impossible for them to maintain their ninjutsu! Seven-Tails chakra, fully unleashed!

"You want to learn the blade? I will teach you." Ruri used a body-flicker to pick up Shizuka and tossed her onto a tree. A mid-tier samurai with zero combat experience would only be a hindrance here. If she were controlled by the Mind Transfer Technique one more time, he would truly have to start killing.