Killing Intent in the Border Fog

The fog in Hidden Mist Forest was as thick as milk that refused to dissolve.

With every step, damp vapor soaked their trouser legs, making the fabric cling stickily to their skin in a deeply uncomfortable way.

Aside from the musty smell of rotting leaves, there was also a faint, almost imperceptible salty tang in the air.

"Everyone, stay sharp." Tanaka Kenichi lowered his voice, fine beads of sweat seeping across his forehead. "Akiyama, expand your sensory range!"

"Yes, Captain!" Akiyama Rei closed her eyes, her hands rapidly forming seals, blue veins faintly bulging on her forehead. "I can still only sense their general direction vaguely. The fog is interfering with my mental power too much!"

Sato Yu and Watanabe Yu stood back-to-back, tightly gripping kunai, their wary gazes sweeping their surroundings.

Visibility was less than ten meters. The slightest rustle could be a deadly threat.

Uchiha Arashi walked at the very back, his Double Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating in his eye sockets.

The scarlet tomoe could barely pierce some of the fog, but the effect was far from ideal.

What truly put him at ease was his External Ki Sense. Though the dense fog reduced its range to only three hundred meters, in an environment like this, it was more useful than the Sharingan.

Suddenly, the "net" of his ki sense was disturbed!

Eight clear chakra movements were rapidly approaching from three hundred meters ahead!

Two of the reactions were especially intense. The amount and density of their chakra were already close to Rock Demon, the Hidden Stone Village jonin he had encountered before!

"Enemies!" Arashi abruptly barked, a trace of barely noticeable excitement in his voice. "Three hundred meters out, eight of them! Two are strong!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the fog ahead suddenly churned violently!

"They're here!" Tanaka Kenichi's expression changed drastically. "Formation! Defensive formation!"

Akiyama Rei immediately stopped sensing and formed hand seals. "Ninja Art: Mist Control Technique!" She tried to interfere with the surrounding fog to create confusion.

Sato Yu and Watanabe Yu quickly drew closer, standing back-to-back in defensive stances.

However, the enemy's speed far exceeded their expectations.

Almost the instant Arashi gave his warning, eight attacks had already pierced through the fog and shot toward them!

Two ice spikes flashing with cold light, like the fangs of venomous snakes, stabbed straight at Tanaka Kenichi's face!

Immediately after came three stark-white bone blades, carrying shrill whistles as they tore through the air, slashing toward Akiyama Rei, Sato Yu, and Watanabe Yu respectively!

The remaining three were ordinary shuriken, but explosive tags flickered on them!

"It's Kekkei Genkai!" Tanaka Kenichi's pupils suddenly contracted. "Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku! How did we run into so many Hidden Mist ninja with Kekkei Genkai?"

He did not dare be careless. His hands rapidly formed seals. "Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A wall of earth rose from the ground, blocking the space in front of them.

"Boom!" "Clang!" "Splurt!"

The ice spikes and bone blades struck the earth wall with dull impacts, and cracks instantly spread across it.

The explosive-tag shuriken detonated in front of the earth wall, and thick smoke and shock waves blew it completely apart!

Amid the swirling dust and smoke, eight figures wearing Hidden Mist ninja vests appeared.

At the front were two tall ninja. One had a cold, stern face, his hands forming strange seals as chill air radiated from his body; the other had a savage expression, several white bones protruding from his arms and flashing with a ghastly cold light.

Behind them were six chunin with steady auras.

"Brats from the Hidden Leaf Village," the Ice Release ninja said, his voice like ice scraping against ice. "If you surrender quietly, perhaps we can use diplomatic channels to let you live. If you insist on resisting, death is your only road."

The Shikotsumyaku ninja licked his lips, bloodthirsty light flashing in his eyes. "Captain, why waste words on them? Just kill them!"

Tanaka Kenichi took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Everyone, give it everything you've got! We must break out and send the information here back to the Hidden Leaf Village!"

Akiyama Rei, Sato Yu, and Watanabe Yu also clenched their teeth and prepared for battle.

At this moment, when swords were drawn and arrows nocked, the system's cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Uchiha Arashi's mind.

[Ding! Temporary mission triggered: imitate Vegeta's words, actions, and bearing to win the battle.]

[Mission requirements: In this battle, fully embody Vegeta's role, display his lonely, arrogant, and competitive fighting style, and use at least three taunts or provocations that match Vegeta's tone.]

[Mission rewards: progress bar +10%, unlock "Flying Technique (Intermediate)," "External Ki Sense (Intermediate)"]

And so his serious expression instantly turned disdainful, the corners of his mouth rising uncontrollably into an arrogant smile.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort broke the heavy atmosphere on the battlefield.

Everyone's gaze focused on the short Uchiha brat standing at the very back.

Uchiha Arashi slowly raised his head, his Double Tomoe Sharingan flashing with scarlet light, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and disdain.

"Trash like you think you're worthy of making me hand over intelligence?"

His voice was not loud, but it entered everyone's ears clearly, carrying a shocking arrogance.

"Perfect. I just learned a new move recently, and I was worried I had nowhere to test it."

"Today, I'll let you low-class ninja from the Hidden Mist properly witness what a real battle is!"

Before his words had faded, Uchiha Arashi stomped hard on the ground!

"Bang!"

The ground instantly shattered, broken stones flying everywhere!

A violent aura surged out from inside his body!

His muscles swelled, and veins bulged!

The third gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation—the Gate of Life—opened with a crash!

Saiyan Chakra rose and roiled around him like burning flames!

His strength and speed, which had already surpassed an ordinary jonin's, received another terrifying boost after the Gate of Life opened!

"Come at me together, you scraps!" Arashi extended his right hand and crooked a finger at the Hidden Mist ninja, the mockery on his face growing even stronger. "Let me see how many of my punches you can actually take!"

Not only were the Hidden Mist ninja stunned, even Tanaka Kenichi, Akiyama Rei, and the others were frozen in place.

Akiyama Rei could only murmur, "Is this kid stupid? There are six chunin over there, plus two jonin who can use Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku!"

The Shikotsumyaku ninja was the first to react, flying into a rage. "Brat! You're courting death!"

With an angry roar, the bone blades on his arms lengthened again, like two sharp long sabers, as he pounced fiercely toward Arashi!

"Good!" Excitement flashed through Arashi's eyes, and instead of retreating, he advanced!

His feet moved, and his body vanished from the spot like a ghost!

"So fast!" Tanaka Kenichi and the Hidden Mist Ice Release jonin were shocked at the same time.

The next second, Arashi's figure appeared beside the Shikotsumyaku ninja.

The Shikotsumyaku ninja's reaction was not slow either. He immediately turned, sweeping his bone blade sideways!

But Arashi seemed to have expected it long ago. His body shifted slightly to the side, easily avoiding the bone blade.

At the same time, a mass of fiery-red energy gathered in the palm of his right hand.

After the Saiyan Chakra transformed into fire-natured chakra, its energy was compressed and condensed to an extreme degree!

"Try this!"

"Fire Release: Saiyan Ki Blast!"

Arashi barked and hurled the ki blast in his hand out with force!