Once the aftershock of the explosion had passed, Kaede hurried to its center with Shisui. By the time they arrived, the team captain, Kabuto, and Sparrow were already there.
"Nothing was left behind. It was thorough." The captain silently stared into the crater. This mission could be considered a failure: they had neither captured the spy alive nor obtained any useful intelligence.
"Captain, I'm sorry. I hesitated just now." Shun lowered his head and apologized to Kabuto.
"Shun, don't worry about it. This was your first Anbu mission, so mistakes are inevitable. But don't let it happen again. We need to leave as soon as possible. That explosion may have drawn his companions here."
Kabuto had plenty of mission experience. The spy had been fleeing toward the Land of Fire's border, probably intending to meet up with the shinobi from his village who were there to help him escape. The blast from his self-destruction had been so powerful that his companions would surely have noticed what happened here.
With their strength, it would be unwise to remain here without knowing how powerful the enemy's support force was.
"Then..." Considering the mistake during this mission, finding out who had come to provide support might make up for it. "Shadow Clone Technique!"
When Kaede performed the Shadow Clone Technique, Kabuto nodded. Hikari was a thoughtful shinobi, the sort of teammate who put you at ease.
"Everyone, leave a shadow clone behind."
"Understood."
"Poof!" Three soft sounds rang out in succession.
"We'll leave now and wait for our clones to report back." If a shadow clone was defeated or ran out of chakra, it vanished, and its memories returned to the original. It was a useful technique for probing the enemy's strength.
At the moment of the explosion, a group of shinobi concealed in the shadows near the Land of Fire's border watched the bright pillar of light in the distance.
"Captain, what's that?"
"Damn it, move! I hope Iwado's all right." The burly man slapped his thigh and shouted angrily.
"But if we go any farther, we'll be entering the Land of Fire. If Konoha Ninja discover us, we could easily trigger a war, Captain." The man beside him grabbed the burly shinobi to hold him back.
"We can't worry about that now. Rescuing Iwado is what matters. He's carrying important intelligence, and we have to bring him back safely." He shoved his companion's arm aside. His stern gaze was enough to make anyone shrink back.
"Al... all right." Unable to change the captain's mind, the man stopped trying to hold him back.
"Kill every Konoha Ninja we see, and our identities won't be exposed." His ruthless expression and glittering eyes left no room for hesitation. There was no need to think twice about killing enemy shinobi.
"Yes, Captain."
Leaping from branch to branch, the four of them raced through the trees at great speed. With the Iwa Shinobi's self-destruction, their pursuit mission was over. All they could do now was hope their shadow clones would bring back some useful intelligence.
"Mm..." Sparrow let out a muffled groan and stopped. Clutching his chest, he stared at the sky in lingering fear, his eyes unfocused, as if he had suffered a terrible blow.
"Captain, it felt like someone ripped my heart out. It hurts so much!" After a long while, he finally voiced his subdued complaint. A shadow clone could send its memories and chakra back to the original, but the memories of being wounded and killed were just as vividly imprinted in the mind.
Being killed wasn't a pleasant memory.
"It was Kitsuchi, son of the Third Tsuchikage of Iwagakure, Ōnoki. That means the Iwagakure shinobi who self-destructed just now held a high rank. We missed a golden opportunity." Captain Kabuto spoke slowly, frowning. His own shadow clone had just been killed, too, by a face he recognized.
As a veteran Anbu, he knew most of the famous figures from the major shinobi villages. He had never met Kitsuchi in person, but he had seen his photograph. The clone's returning memories had shown him Kitsuchi clearly.
"Let's move faster and get back to the village." At his order, the team picked up speed again. Kitsuchi was no easy opponent; the four of them together wouldn't stand a chance against him.
If Kitsuchi ignored the danger and entered the Land of Fire to avenge his fallen comrade, they would be in no position to deal with him. They might even lose their lives.
Still, one thing puzzled him. Both his and Sparrow's shadow clones had been killed, but Shun and Hikari's seemed to be holding on. Those two boys were stronger than he'd expected. No wonder they were Uchiha Clan prodigies.
Kaede glanced at Shisui. The kid really did have some skill; his shadow clone still hadn't dispersed.
After that, she silently followed at the rear of the team, waiting for her clone to return with its memories.
At the site of the explosion...
"It's only a shadow clone, yet it's this powerful." Kitsuchi stared at the shinobi in Konoha ANBU attire. His face was concealed, so Kitsuchi could only tell that he was a young boy, but his strength was astonishing. He had already killed two Anbu, both of them shadow clones. This one was probably no different.
He touched the wound on his arm, which was still bleeding. He had carelessly used his stone-covered arm to block the boy's slash, and the blade had cut him.
As expected of Konoha, a place that produced so many outstanding shinobi. Even a kid could wound him. What a shame he was only a shadow clone. If the real one had been here, Kitsuchi would have kept him here at any cost.
"Still want to fight, Kitsuchi of Iwagakure?" The taunting voice kept needling Kitsuchi. The shadow clone had little chakra left and was about to disappear. It planned to use one last jutsu before returning to its original.
He was provoking Kitsuchi to create an opening.
As far as he knew, beneath Kitsuchi's honest-seeming exterior was a quick temper. Being mocked by a kid should be enough to cloud his judgment.
"Damn Konoha brat, don't look down on me!"
"Earth Release: Earth Split Palm!" Kitsuchi slammed his fist into the ground. The earth cracked open into a long fissure, then quickly collapsed and spread toward Kaede's feet.
"That kind of jutsu won't work on me, Kitsuchi. Watch my true strength!" Shisui was using his hard-to-detect Genjutsu and swift Body Flicker Technique to keep Kitsuchi's companions occupied. In this deserted place, he planned to use his shadow clone to unleash his full strength and fight a renowned shinobi, putting his abilities to the test.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Garment!" A blue cloak of energy forged from lightning enveloped the shadow clone. Flashes of electricity danced across his skin.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode? How could Konoha have the Raikage's secret technique?" Iwagakure and Kumogakure had been bitter enemies for generations. The Iwa Shinobi knew all too well what powerful jutsu their old rivals possessed.
Seeing a Konoha shinobi use Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Kitsuchi gaped in astonishment.
"Feel the power of roaring lightning!" Empowered by the Lightning Armor, Kaede felt every bolt of lightning responding to her. They were cheering and dancing. Even the lightning arcing through the clouds overhead was gathering toward her.
She raised her hand as if calling to something. The dark clouds flashing with lightning swiftly converged above her. The bolts struck nowhere else; they all gathered in her hand. A blinding white light joined her hand as a huge, dazzling ball slowly took shape.
Maybe I've gone a little overboard. The massive lightning ball in her hand was translucent, glowing with a dazzling white light, and nestled there like a lazy cat. But she knew that if she lost control, it would unleash the power of every bolt of lightning in the sky. She couldn't imagine how powerful that would be.
Feeling her chakra nearly depleted, and knowing the shadow clone couldn't hold out much longer, Kaede decisively hurled the huge lightning ball at Kitsuchi.
Kitsuchi had seen the Konoha shinobi surrounded by lightning, but everything was beyond his expectations. His mind was full of questions.
Weren't they supposed to be taking turns using jutsu? But what on earth was this? No matter how he looked at it, it didn't seem like a jutsu at all. Well...
Before you continue