Poisoned

Cicada watched the enemies in the water mirror slaughter one another and felt a little gleeful, but she still held back her laugh and shared the intel with her teammates.

Everyone had the images projected by the water mirror in their mind. Aside from Jin, the others were already used to it.

"I'll tell you after the mission." Gennosuke's voice pulled Jin back from his thoughts. Though the mist was practically nonexistent to Jin, who had the Sharingan, this secret technique... really was heaven-defying. It even let them see more clearly than the Sharingan.

Under these circumstances, Jin, Gennosuke, and Fangs cut them down like slicing watermelons, one slash per person, without even needing ninjutsu.

Occasionally, someone lucky enough dodged the three of them, only to be sniped by Sparrow hiding in the dark the next second...

"Secret Technique: Disintegration Bugs."

"Damn, I kind of want to puke." Jin complained while cutting people down. The main thing was that the image sent back by the water mirror was way too disgusting... a Sand Ninja was being eaten apart by bugs until he broke into pieces.

Fangs chimed in too. "This is the most disgusting move I've seen so far. Sparrow could totally found a whole new school—The Art of Grossing People Out."

Cicada: "Agreed."

"You lot, focus on the mission." After finishing off the person in front of him, Gennosuke spoke helplessly. Sometimes he really felt like he was leading a bunch of children.

Not far away, the Hidden Sand ninja waiting in ambush saw that no one had come for so long. The ninja in charge ordered, "A few of you, go take a look. What's going on? Why aren't they here yet?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Captain, thick fog has appeared up ahead..." the ninja who returned reported. That captain realized something was wrong. "Quick! Lead the way!"

After finishing off the last one, Jin took off his mask and heavily breathed out a mouthful of stale air, releasing the Hidden Mist Technique. "This is the first time I've seen this many corpses."

"Not bad, Crow. You actually held back from puking." Fangs teased, "Want to pick one from here and let Sparrow demonstrate the Art of Grossing People Out for you?"

"Heh, no thanks." Jin rolled his eyes at him. Gennosuke said, "Mission complete. Let's go."

"Captain, someone's coming." Cicada, who was in charge of sensing, suddenly spoke. "From the west... about two hundred people, mostly made up of chunin."

"Retreat." Gennosuke gave the order without hesitation. Jin also hurriedly put on his mask and followed Gennosuke.

"It's too late. We're surrounded," Cicada said again in a rush.

When the three heard Cicada's words, they looked at one another... "Hide first," Gennosuke said.

On the other side, the Hidden Sand jonin leading the team watched the fog disperse and immediately ordered the others to spread out and encircle the area. He was certain Konoha's Anbu were still there and had not left.

"Brother!" The first batch of Hidden Sand chunin to arrive were stunned by the sight before them, and amid that sea of corpses, he spotted his brother lying there at a glance—it was the one Jin had instantly killed earlier.

"Captain, do you think we'll die in the line of duty?" Jin joked as he asked Gennosuke beside him.

All members of Squad One gathered together. Gennosuke analyzed the current situation, listening as Cicada said the encirclement was getting closer and closer. Gennosuke said in a low voice, "Break through one opening with everything we have!"

As soon as he said it, they acted. With Cicada's sensing to help them, the group charged together toward the relatively weaker east side.

"Cicada, use a tornado. Crow, cooperate with Cicada using your Water Release," Gennosuke commanded.

"Roger."

"Okay!"

"Water Release: Super Great Waterfall Technique!" Jin used up nearly half of all the chakra in his body and instantly created a huge waterfall, submerging the surrounding trees.

Thanks to Jin's Water Release, everyone turned to sprinting madly across the water surface. Sparrow complained, "No, bro, we asked you to use Water Release, not Ocean Release..."

"Wind Release: Wild Wind Dance!" Cicada cried out. After finishing her hand seals, she gently lifted both hands upward into the air. In an instant, a fierce gale erupted over the water surface and rapidly formed a massive tornado.

Immediately after, she formed another seal. The water beneath their feet quickly merged with the tornado, forming a waterspout that swept forward.

Such a huge disturbance naturally drew the attention of the Hidden Sand at other positions. That captain led the others and hurried toward the east.

As for the Hidden Sand blocking the way ahead, they were already scared stupid by this scene... It had clearly been a forest one second ago, so why had it turned into a lake the next? And there was even a tornado on the lake... no, it was a tornado carrying water...

"Ah!"

"Help! Help me!"

"Mommy, I'm so scared...!"

Screams rang out one after another. Jin had no time to sigh over it and followed Gennosuke and the others in a mad dash for their lives.

Some chunin who managed to react also began jointly casting Earth Release. "Earth Release: Earth-Flow Wall!"

Several dozen chunin used all their strength and barely managed to stop the waterspout. Seeing this, Jin continued forming seals. "Water Release: Rainfall!"

The waterspout was blocked, the wind was gone, and under Jin's control, that water turned into countless tiny droplets that fell from the sky, launching indiscriminate attacks.

Gennosuke immediately used his own ninjutsu as well. "Compound Ninja Art: Lava Scatter!"

The ground ahead, which had originally been covered by water, instantly surged with reddish mud. The Sand Ninja ahead felt as though they were stepping on magma.

"Crow's Water Release turned the earth into mud, so the effect was greatly reduced." Gennosuke sighed. Hearing this, Jin defended himself. "I used half my chakra, you know."

Facing the Sand Ninja ahead, everyone easily broke through the encirclement and successfully got back into the trees. Meanwhile, the pursuers rushing over behind them were faintly catching up.

Seeing this, Gennosuke said again, "Cicada, Crow, can you use your combination technique one more time?"

"I'm fine," Cicada answered. In the previous battle, she had barely used any chakra at all.

Jin replied too, "More or less."

"Do it again," Gennosuke said after getting their answer.

"Crow, can you control your Ocean Release so it doesn't go forward? Aim it backward," Sparrow reminded him.

Seeing that they were about to flee back to Konoha's border, the Hidden Sand captain behind them immediately used the Hidden Sand's forbidden technique. "Wind Release: Miasma of Corrosive Wind!"

Pale cyan chakra emerged around the Hidden Sand captain. With his hand, he gently pushed forward through the air, and the pale cyan chakra turned into a whirlwind that swept toward the group ahead.

Jin and Cicada stopped and turned around, planning to use their Ocean Release, but the Sharingan suddenly saw a stream of pale cyan carrying some dark purple threads rushing toward them.

"Damn? What is that thing!" Jin told the others exactly what he had seen.

Gennosuke immediately judged, "Using Wind Release to spread poison. It should be a Hidden Sand forbidden technique. Water Release can filter out part of the poison gas. Crow, use Water Formation Wall to block it, quickly!"

"Too late!" Jin frowned. "This ninjutsu is even faster than ordinary Wind Release!"

As he spoke, Jin used a Water Clone at extreme speed. The clone stayed where it was, while his real body flew forward and instantly cast a ninjutsu. "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Cicada originally wanted to go help, but another Water Clone trapped her with the Water Prison Technique to prevent her from being affected by the poisonous miasma.

The real body immediately continued using ninjutsu. "Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

The Water Clone using the Water Prison Technique barely held steady. As for the real body, it had already inhaled part of the poison gas...

The three in front quickly turned around and rushed toward Jin and Cicada. The clone maintaining the Water Prison Technique vanished because Jin did not have enough chakra, and at the same time, the water prison also disappeared.