Qian Ye slowed his pace, trailing neither too close nor too far behind at the very end of the group.
He had always been afraid of death, and after crossing into this world, survival had been etched into his bones.
The Genin ahead were still chattering about what to eat that night, completely unaware that danger might already be at their side.
In all those movies and TV dramas, celebrating before the battle was even half over was practically a death sentence.
Qian Ye quietly reached for the Ninja Tool Pouch at his waist, hooking his fingertips through the rings of two Shuriken.
Chakra flowed slowly through his body, ready to gather beneath his feet at any moment.
Just then, several incredibly faint whistles of something slicing through the air came from the dense woods on the right.
The sounds were quiet, but on the silent dirt road, they seemed especially piercing.
"Enemy attack! Scatter!"
Jiro's rough voice suddenly exploded through the air.
But his warning came half a beat too late.
Several Kunai with Explosive Tags attached shot out from the treetops, landing precisely between the two supply carts at the front of the convoy.
Several thunderous explosions rang out, and blinding flames instantly swallowed the Genin at the front.
The immense blast overturned the heavy wooden supply carts, scattering Explosive Tags and medical supplies everywhere.
Screams mixed with the crack of splintering wood, and the once-relaxed group became a living hell in the blink of an eye.
Since Qian Ye had been hiding at the very back, the shockwave was much weaker by the time it reached him.
He immediately dropped to the ground, covered his head with both hands, and hid behind the wooden wheel of the last supply cart.
Dirt and splinters pelted his back like rain, striking hard enough to hurt.
"Form up! Protect the supplies! Medical ninja, save the wounded!"
Captain Yamada shouted himself hoarse.
He drew the short blade from his back, coated its edge in chakra, and stared fixedly at the woods to the right.
The leaves shook violently as several ninja wearing khaki vests and Sunagakure forehead protectors leaped down from above.
Without a word, they drew their weapons upon landing and charged straight at the Hidden Leaf group.
This Sunagakure squad was clearly an elite unit sent specifically to cut off the supply line.
They worked together with flawless coordination, operating in pairs and targeting the Hidden Leaf Genin who had yet to react.
Blood quickly stained the dirt road red, while severed limbs rolled through the mud.
Jiro's eyes reddened as he brandished his Kunai and charged directly at a Sunagakure Chunin.
The two engaged in brutal close combat beside the supply carts, sparks constantly flashing as their weapons collided.
"Don't panic! Fight back! Blow them up with Explosive Tags!"
Jiro roared as he fought.
But the Hidden Leaf Genin, fresh out of graduation, had already been frightened senseless by the bloody scene. Even their hands shook as they tried to form seals.
Qian Ye hid behind the wheel, barely daring to breathe.
This was a real Ninja World war. Human lives here were worth less than blades of grass.
Just as the Hidden Leaf group fell into a bitter struggle, an extremely oppressive chakra fluctuation suddenly descended from the sky.
A mass of dark golden sand gathered in midair, forming into a disc.
A young ninja with short dark red hair stood steadily atop the Gold Dust Disc, his arms folded across his chest.
He looked down at the battlefield below from on high, his eyes filled with indifference and disdain.
"This batch of Explosive Tags won't reach Kikyo Pass."
Yamada looked up. The moment he saw the young ninja standing on Gold Dust in midair, his face turned deathly pale.
"Magnet Release... You're Rasa of Sunagakure!"
Yamada's voice carried undisguised terror.
The name Rasa was infamous on the Kikyo Pass front.
He was Sunagakure's leading figure of the new generation. His control over Magnet Release Gold Dust was nothing short of masterful, and he had killed many of Hidden Leaf's elite.
Rasa ignored Yamada's cry and merely raised his right hand casually.
The Gold Dust in the air swiftly split apart, turning into more than a dozen sharp spears that floated around him.
"With guards like these, you dare take this route?"
Rasa offered the cold assessment.
With a flick of his finger, the dozen or so Gold Dust spears shot toward the Hidden Leaf ninja below with ear-piercing shrieks.
Several dull thuds rang out as three Hidden Leaf Genin who failed to evade in time were pierced straight through the chest by the Gold Dust spears.
They did not even have time to scream before collapsing stiffly into pools of blood.
Relying on his extensive combat experience, Jiro rolled several times in succession to evade the lethal attack, but his thigh was still gouged open.
"Bastard! Don't get too cocky!"
Jiro roared, his hands rapidly forming seals.
Jiro's hands blurred as he formed seals so quickly that only afterimages could be seen.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive ball of orange-red flame surged from Jiro's mouth, carrying scorching heat as it shot directly toward Rasa in midair.
This Great Fireball Technique was enormous, baking the surrounding leaves until they curled and blackened.
Rasa stood in the air without making even the slightest move to dodge.
He merely raised his right hand casually, and a stream of Gold Dust split off from beneath his feet, gathering before him into a thick, dark golden shield.
A thunderous boom rang out.
The Great Fireball Technique slammed fiercely into the Gold Dust shield, scattering flames in every direction, yet not even a spark penetrated that defense.
Rasa lowered his hand, and the Gold Dust shield scattered once more, turning into specks of golden light that circled around him.
"A boring trick."
Rasa's voice drifted down from above, dripping with contempt.
He could not even be bothered to continue fighting personally. He merely gestured to the Sunagakure ninja behind him.
"End this quickly."
Three Sunagakure elites in khaki vests immediately obeyed, turning into three dark shadows as they lunged at Captain Yamada below.
Yamada had just dodged two Kunai carrying Explosive Tags, and his feet had yet to find steady ground.
The soil behind him suddenly burst apart. A Sunagakure ninja erupted from the earth, driving a Kunai straight through the top of Yamada's right foot.
Blood immediately gushed out, and Yamada let out a miserable scream.
He endured the agonizing pain and swung his short blade in an attempt to counterattack.
But the other two Sunagakure ninja had already closed in from both sides.
The ninja on the left kicked Yamada in the knee, forcibly interrupting his movement.
The ninja on the right gripped a Ninja Sword with both hands, carving a cold arc through the air.
The blade rose and fell without the slightest hesitation.
Yamada's head flew straight off, spinning several times through the air before crashing heavily into the nearby supply cart.
A mist of blood sprayed from his severed neck, splattering the cart and muddy ground everywhere.
The entire process took less than ten seconds.
A dignified Hidden Leaf Chunin died miserably in the midst of the chaos, without even managing to cast a complete ninjutsu.
Qian Ye hid behind the wooden wheel of the last cart and saw every bit of it clearly.
The rolling head fell along the side of the cart and came to a stop less than two meters away from him.
Yamada's eyes were wide open, filled with terror and unwillingness.
Qian Ye thought he would throw up.
In his previous life, he had never even seen a chicken being killed. Now, with a living person decapitated right before his eyes, he should have been terrified enough to piss himself.
But he did not.
His hands clawed desperately at the mud beneath him, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, his blood rushing at an astonishing speed.
Of course he was afraid, and the fear was intense.
But beneath that fear, there was somehow an indescribable exhilaration.
Qian Ye cursed himself viciously in his heart.
What the hell is this?
Had this body been driven into an instinctive response by the battlefield?
Or did chakra, as a form of energy, naturally amplify a person's urge to fight?
Screams rose and fell all around him. Of the transport squad of more than ten people, over half had fallen in the blink of an eye.
Those Genin who usually bragged and joked around in the village had all become chunks of flesh on the ground.
Qian Ye gasped for air and forced himself to look away from Yamada's head.
Now was not the time to study psychology. Staying alive was the top priority.
Blood from Jiro's thigh ran down his pant leg, staining the mud beneath his feet red.
He stared fixedly at Yamada's headless corpse, his back teeth grinding with a creak.
He had called Yamada weak before and accused him of favoring his own people, but deep down, he knew Yamada had been a qualified comrade.
Sunagakure's slaughter continued. This was an utterly one-sided massacre with no suspense at all.
"Don't kill me! I surrender!"
A Hidden Leaf Genin completely broke down, throwing away his Kunai and dropping to his knees as he screamed.
The response was a sharp Ninja Sword piercing through his chest.
The Sunagakure ninja pulled out the bloodied blade and casually shook off the droplets of blood.
"Hidden Leaf ninja are getting more and more useless."
The man snorted, then turned to look at the supply cart at the very rear of the group.
Qian Ye's heart sank as he cursed inwardly.
That bastard's gaze landed, of all places, on the wooden wheel where he was hiding.
Their eyes met directly across several meters.
Qian Ye could even see the scratch on the man's forehead protector and the cruel smile on his face.
"So there's a little mouse hiding here."
The Sunagakure ninja held his Ninja Sword in reverse and walked toward Qian Ye step by step, his footsteps unusually clear amid the chaotic battlefield.
Qian Ye's scalp went numb, and his palms were slick with sweat.
He knew he could not hide from this. If he kept cowering behind the wheel, death was his only outcome.
"Big brother, if I said I was just a passing civilian, would you believe me?"
Qian Ye forced a dry smile, trying to buy himself a little time with nonsense.
"Do you think I'm blind?"
The Sunagakure ninja sneered, abruptly quickening his pace.
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