The three slipped silently into the darkness.
With Tianyi's Byakugan, every trap was quickly found and dismantled.
Soon, they had snuck into the bushes less than fifty meters from the sentry post.
Tianyi gave a hand signal, and the three immediately spread out according to their planned positions, forming a triangular encirclement.
Tianyi concealed himself the deepest, his Byakugan fixed firmly on the Hidden Rain Village genin atop the platform.
He glanced at Nawaki and Moonlight Kaede. Both had already reached their assigned attack positions.
He took a deep breath and gestured toward Moonlight Kaede to move.
Moonlight Kaede understood. He picked up a small stone from the ground and flicked his wrist.
The stone landed precisely in the grass more than ten meters east of the sentry post, making a faint sound.
The Rain ninja on the platform jolted and instantly turned his head toward the east.
His back was completely exposed in Tianyi's direction.
Now!
Chakra burst beneath Tianyi's feet, and he shot out like an arrow loosed from its bow, crossing ten meters in an instant!
Just as the Rain ninja heard the sound of air tearing behind him and turned back in terror.
Tianyi's fingers had already struck several crucial chakra points on his back!
Gentle Fist: Acupoint Strike!
The Rain ninja's body stiffened, the light in his eyes rapidly fading. Without making a sound, he crumpled to the ground.
Tianyi gently caught him and lowered him down slowly, making no loud noise.
Clean and efficient!
In the distance, Nawaki's face flushed with excitement as he watched, his fists clenched tightly.
This was his first time participating in an infiltration and assassination mission. It was tense and thrilling.
And an indescribable exhilaration filled his chest.
With the sentry taken out and the greatest obstacle removed, the three followed the plan.
They swiftly closed in beneath the sentry post's wooden walls, each taking up a favorable position.
Tianyi and Moonlight Kaede instantly concealed themselves in the shadows.
Nawaki took a deep breath, his eyes brimming with excitement.
He rose from his hiding place and rapidly formed hand seals!
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
His chest swelled as a powerful whirlwind erupted from his mouth.
It howled as it smashed into the sentry post's wood-and-stone walls!
Boom—!
The already crude sentry post shook violently under the force of the Wind Release.
A huge crack split the front wall, and half the structure collapsed with a thunderous crash, dust billowing everywhere!
"Enemy attack!!" A shout came from within the rubble.
Immediately afterward, three rather bedraggled figures sprang out from the dust and ruins.
Two of them had weaker chakra signatures. They were the two genin.
The one in the center had sharp eyes and quickly locked onto Nawaki, who had exposed his position by using ninjutsu from the front.
He then took out a pill and swallowed it.
The first half of the plan had been executed perfectly.
Tianyi and Moonlight Kaede exchanged a look, then burst from their hiding places at the same time.
They each attacked one of the Hidden Rain Village genin!
Moonlight Kaede's blade gleamed coldly beneath the moonlight as it went straight for one genin's throat!
However, just as his blade was about to touch its target.
That Hidden Rain Village chunin moved like a ghost, striking after him yet arriving first at a speed far beyond that of a chunin!
With the Body Flicker Technique, he appeared beside Moonlight Kaede.
He twisted his body and drove a kick into Moonlight Kaede's ribs!
"What?!" Moonlight Kaede's pupils contracted sharply.
Bang!
With a muffled impact, Moonlight Kaede felt an enormous force strike his ribs.
It felt as though his internal organs had all shifted out of place.
His body flew backward uncontrollably before crashing heavily to the ground, sweetness rising in his throat.
He could not hold back a mouthful of blood, and his short blade flew from his hand.
"Kaede!" Tianyi caught sight of it from the corner of his eye, and his heart lurched in shock.
This chunin's speed and strength were absolutely abnormal!
After seeing Kaede's condition, Tianyi did not move in with a kunai.
Instead, he directly used Gentle Fist: Empty Palm on the nearby genin.
An invisible yet solid chakra shockwave blasted through the air.
It struck the Hidden Rain Village genin squarely in the back!
"Pwah—!" The genin screamed as he was sent flying, finally slamming into a tree.
His spine was visibly deformed. He twitched twice after hitting the ground, then stopped moving. It was unclear whether he was alive or dead.
After taking out that genin, Tianyi felt no joy whatsoever.
Because after kicking Moonlight Kaede away, the abnormally powerful Hidden Rain Village chunin.
Had already finished forming hand seals, his gaze locked firmly onto Tianyi!
"Water Release: Black Rain Technique!"
Dense black droplets poured down over Tianyi like rain!
Tianyi did not know the precise effect of the black liquid.
But his instincts told him he absolutely could not let it touch him! He immediately abandoned his charge, pushed off the ground, and leaped backward to the side.
However, the black rain covered a wide area. Though Tianyi reacted extremely quickly.
Quite a bit of it still splashed onto his arm and body.
A cruel glint flashed through the Hidden Rain Village chunin's eyes. Without pausing, he had already completed a second set of hand seals:
"Fire Release: Fire Run Technique!"
He crouched and pressed one hand against the ground. A scorching line of fire, like a venomous serpent with a life of its own.
Spread rapidly across the ground toward Tianyi! Wherever the fire line passed, the scattered black liquid.
Boom!
Ignited like fuel, and the black rain on Tianyi's arm instantly caught fire!
Raging flames surged up, engulfing his arm and chest!
"Aah!!" The searing heat and agonizing pain forced Tianyi to cry out.
His vision was instantly filled with dancing flames, while his skin was assaulted by a terrifying burning sensation!
Substitution Technique!
"Tianyi?!" Seeing Tianyi engulfed in flames, Nawaki shouted in shock, his whole body trembling.
The Hidden Rain Village chunin did not stop moving. Chakra exploded beneath his feet, and his body instantly vanished from its spot.
The next moment, he appeared at Nawaki's side!
Nawaki had not even seen the other man move. His vision merely blurred.
A kunai was already stabbing toward his chest! Overwhelming fear made him instinctively raise his left arm to block.
Squelch!
The kunai pierced straight through Nawaki's forearm without resistance, blood spraying out at once!
"Aah—!!!" The heartrending pain tore a miserable scream from Nawaki.
Having been pampered and protected since childhood, when had he ever suffered such a severe penetrating wound?
The intense pain and gushing blood nearly made him collapse.
The Rain chunin's gaze remained cold. Having landed a hit, he showed no mercy.
He kicked Nawaki hard in the abdomen, sending him flying seven or eight meters before he crashed to the ground and curled up in pain.
At that moment, the other Hidden Rain Village genin had also joined the chunin.
His eyes were fixed viciously on Nawaki in the distance.
The Hidden Rain Village chunin began panting heavily, then sensed his own chakra consumption.
Just as he was about to make a move.
Boom!!!
An explosion sounded in the distance.
He turned to look, then glanced again at the three of them farther away.
He quickly said to his companion in a hoarse voice:
"Something happened in that direction.
Finish this quickly. And the effects of my medicine are limited."
The effects of medicine?
In the distance, Tianyi endured the pain and the churning in his chest.
When he heard those words, his heart suddenly tightened.
He activated his Byakugan again and carefully looked at the Rain ninja.
Sure enough! Within the flow of the man's chakra.
He saw an unusual strand of energy intertwined with it.
It was extremely unstable.
And the intensity of his chakra was rapidly declining!
He must have used some kind of enhancement drug!
His strength had been greatly boosted for a short period of time!
No wonder his speed and strength had been so abnormal!
Orochimaru... was this what you called evenly matched strength?
Was this your so-called trial?
That situation just now had been far too dangerous. He had nearly been burned to death himself.
Tianyi's heart sank to the bottom. The plan had been completely thrown into disorder.
His Byakugan swept over Nawaki and Kaede.
Nawaki's arm had been pierced through, and he had lost most of his fighting strength.
Kaede had several broken ribs from that single blow, but he had already gotten back to his feet.
He came to Tianyi's side.
Facing a drugged chunin and a genin in perfect condition.
Things did not look good...
Before you continue