Before Battle

Once the explosion's aftermath settled, Kaede brought Shisui and rushed toward the blast's epicenter. By the time they arrived, Captain Kabuto and Sparrow were already there.

"Nothing left behind. Thorough." The captain stared silently at the crater. This mission could be considered a failure—they hadn't captured the spy alive and obtained no useful intel.

"Captain, I'm sorry. I hesitated earlier." Shun bowed his head and apologized to Captain Kabuto.

"Shun, don't dwell on it. This is your first ANBU mission; mistakes are inevitable. But don't let it happen again. Let's leave here quickly—that explosion might draw his comrades."

Kabuto had extensive mission experience. The spy had been fleeing toward the Land of Fire border, likely to rendezvous with fellow ninja sent to extract him. The self-detonation's energy wave was so strong that his comrades would surely have seen what happened here.

Given their four-man team's strength, staying put when they didn't know the enemy's extraction force's capabilities was unwise.

"In that case... [Shadow Clone Technique]." Considering the mission's error, finding out who the extraction team was might make up for it. As Kaede performed the Shadow Clone Technique, Kabuto nodded. Hikari was a meticulous ninja—a reassuring comrade.

"Everyone leave a shadow clone."

"Understood."

Poof Three soft sounds in quick succession.

"Let's get out of here and wait for the shadow clones' intel." Once a shadow clone was killed or its chakra depleted, it would vanish, and its memories would return to the original body. It was a decent technique for scouting enemy strength.

When the explosion occurred, at the Land of Fire border, a group of ninja hiding in the shadows watched the blazing pillar of light not far away.

"Captain, that's—"

"Damn it, move! I hope Iwado's okay." The burly man slapped his thigh and roared in frustration.

"But going further means entering the Land of Fire. If Konoha ninja spot us, it could easily spark a war, Captain." The comrade beside him grabbed the burly man's arm.

"No time to worry about that. Rescuing Iwado is the priority. He carries vital intel—we must get him back safely." Shoving aside his comrade's restraint, his stern gaze was intimidating.

"Fine... fine." Unable to argue with the captain, he stopped blocking.

"Kill any Konoha ninja we see, and our identities won't be exposed." His vicious expression gleamed with murderous intent. For enemy village ninja, there was no room for hesitation.

"Yes, Captain."

Moving swiftly through the trees, leaping between branches, Kaede's team of four was fast. From the moment that Iwa-nin self-destructed, their pursuit mission was over. They could only hope the shadow clones would yield something useful.

"Mn—" Sparrow grunted, stopped, clutched his heart, and stared at the sky with lingering fear, his gaze unfocused as if struck hard.

"Captain, I feel like someone ripped out my heart. It hurts!" After a long moment, he let out a low complaint. Though shadow clones could transmit memories and chakra back to the original body, the memory of being killed and dying also vividly appeared in the mind.

Being killed wasn't a pleasant memory.

"It's Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki from Iwagakure. Looks like that self-destructing Iwa-nin was high-ranking. We missed a golden opportunity." Captain Kabuto frowned and spoke slowly. His shadow clone had just been killed too, and the attacker was a familiar face.

As a veteran ANBU, he recognized most famous ninja from major villages. Though he'd never seen them in person, he'd seen photos. The shadow clone's memories clearly showed Kitsuchi.

"Speed up. Get back to the village as fast as possible." At the order, the team accelerated. Kitsuchi was no easy opponent. With him there, all four of them together wouldn't stand a chance.

If he risked danger to avenge his fallen comrade and infiltrated the Land of Fire to hunt them, it was something they couldn't handle. They might even lose their lives here.

But right now, he was puzzled about one thing: his and Sparrow's shadow clones had been killed, but Shun and Hikari's were still holding on. Those two kids—he hadn't seen it coming. Their strength was impressive. No wonder they were Uchiha clan prodigies.

Kaede glanced at Shisui. This kid had some skill—his shadow clone still hadn't dispersed.

Then he silently followed at the rear of the team, waiting for the shadow clone to return with its memories.

At the explosion site...

"Just a shadow clone, and it's this strong." Kitsuchi stared at the Konoha ANBU-clad ninja before him. He couldn't see his face clearly, only that he seemed young, but his strength was extraordinary. He'd already killed two ANBU—both shadow clones—and this one should be no different.

He touched the still-bleeding wound on his arm. He'd carelessly blocked the enemy's slash with an arm coated in rock and gotten cut.

No wonder Konoha produced so many geniuses. Even a kid could wound him. Too bad it was just a shadow clone. If the real body were here, no matter the cost, he'd make sure to kill him.

"Still want to fight, Kitsuchi of Iwagakure?" The arrogant tone kept provoking Kitsuchi. The shadow clone had little chakra left and was about to dissipate. It planned to use one last jutsu before fading back to the original.

He provoked Kitsuchi to create an opening.

From what he knew, beneath Kitsuchi's honest exterior was a hot temper. Being taunted by a kid should cloud his judgment.

"Konoha brat, don't look down on me!"

"[Earth Release: Earth Split Palm]!" Kitsuchi punched the ground, splitting it open with a massive crack that rapidly collapsed and spread to Kaede's feet.

"That kind of jutsu won't work on me, Kitsuchi. Try my real power, kid!" Shisui used his unpredictable genjutsu and swift Body Flicker Technique to keep Kitsuchi's comrades busy. In this isolated place, he planned to use the shadow clone to fully unleash his strength and test himself against a veteran ninja like this.

"[Lightning Release: Lightning Garment]." A blue energy cloak forged from lightning wrapped around the shadow clone, crackling arcs occasionally flickering across his skin.

"Lightning Release Chakra Mode? How does Konoha know the Raikage's secret technique?" Iwagakure and Kumogakure's enmity ran deep. They knew their old rival's powerful jutsu well.

Seeing a Konoha ninja use Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Kitsuchi was stunned speechless.

"Feel the roar of thunder's power!" With the Lightning Garment's boost, Kaede felt every bolt of lightning responding to him, cheering and leaping. Even the lightning in the sky converged toward him.

He naturally raised his hand as if calling something. The black clouds crackling with lightning above quickly drew near, lightning not striking elsewhere but gathering in his hand. White light merged with his palm, and a massive, blinding white orb slowly formed.

"Looks like I overdid it a bit..." Staring at the huge, translucent orb blazing with white light in his hand, it rested there like a lazy cat. But he knew that if he lost control, this orb would release all the lightning's power from the sky just now. He couldn't imagine how strong that would be.

Feeling his chakra running dry and the shadow clone unable to hold out much longer, Kaede decisively pushed the massive lightning orb toward Kitsuchi.

Kitsuchi had already seen the Konoha ninja bathed in lightning, but this was beyond anything he'd expected. His mind was full of question marks now.

Weren't we all supposed to play with ninjutsu? What the hell is this? This doesn't look like any ninjutsu I've ever seen.