A black tide crept up silently under cover of night.
The wind cut across his face like a knife, stinging painfully.
The air still carried the thick, acrid smell of lime dust and cement left over from the day's reconstruction.
Over a hundred Root operatives, all prepared to die.
They wore tight-fitting clothes and cold, impassive masks.
From every direction.
They surrounded the newly rebuilt Kage Rock, trapping it at the very center.
"The target's still lying on that big rock."
In the darkness.
A Root Elite Jonin lowered his voice.
His breath reeked from years of never brushing his teeth.
"There's barely any sign of chakra fluctuations coming from him. Looks like the intel was right."
"Attack!"
The leader wasted no words and swept his hand forward.
His palm was slick with greasy sweat.
He could barely keep his grip on the kunai's wooden handle.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh-!"
Without a sound.
Explosive Kunai filled the sky like a swarm of bloodthirsty bats flying through the night.
They left dazzling silver trails beneath the cold moonlight.
The fuses of the Explosive Tags tied to the kunai hissed as they burned.
They gave off a strong, pungent smell of gunpowder smoke.
They hurtled straight toward Sen's vital points!
The dense barrage could have turned an elephant into a pincushion in an instant.
And yet.
Sen did not even shift his backside.
He still lay on that cold, hard black rock, which retained a faint scorched smell from last night's massive explosion.
All he did, with utter nonchalance.
Was bring his thumb and middle finger together.
And give a gentle snap.
"Snap."
An exceptionally crisp, loud click of fingernails.
Rang out abruptly in the silent night.
The next second.
Something changed without the slightest warning.
"Boom!"
The normally unremarkable shrubs around Kage