Ambush

Watching Sakura Hashimoto, who still looked somewhat doubtful, Kenpei Aburame reminded her, "Unusual events always harbor evil; there may be enemies lying in wait nearby."

Kenpei Aburame already held a kunai in his hand at this point, standing back-to-back with Kakashi to watch over his blind spot.

Upon hearing this, Sakura Hashimoto also opened her ninja tool pouch and, alongside Naquan Miyamoto, grew vigilant in the other two directions.

Kakashi sighed. Ever since he began teaming up with teammates he had no memory of whatsoever, he had already understood that this mission would likely deviate from its original course...

On a tree not far away, a middle-aged man with a cold expression licked the senbon in his hand, looking somewhat excited.

"We squatted here for a few days, and we've finally waited for some big fish. They look like they should be ANBU from Konoha."

"Four Konoha ANBU, plus the intelligence they're carrying..."

The middle-aged man felt his heart grow hot, and looking at the few men behind him, he said, "Detonate all the explosive tags at once. Don't be stingy. Take down this squad, and the bounty for returning will definitely not be small!"

"Yes, Lord Ryuzaki!"

Kakashi sensed the familiar chakra fluctuations and couldn't help but change his expression.

"Watch out for explosive tags!"

"Earth Release: Multiple Earth-Style Wall!"

Reacting swiftly, Kakashi slammed his hands onto the ground, and one earth wall after another rose, protecting himself and Sakura Hashimoto within.

The situation was sudden, so he could only protect Sakura Hashimoto, who was closest to him.

With Kakashi's warning, Naquan Miyamoto and Kenpei Aburame also leaped up, barely dodging the explosion radius of the explosive tags.

However, the four of them were temporarily separated as a result.

"What a pity. Not a single one of them was blown up."

Kakashi put away the Earth-Style Wall and frowned as he looked at the four figures emerging in the woods.

"The enemy is also a four-person squad. They might be ANBU from another shinobi village!"

"The enemy is not weak. Everyone be careful; there might still be an ambush in the dark."

Kakashi quickly made his judgment.

Ryuzaki, who led the group, waved his hand. "Dark Two, Dark Three, the two of you go deal with those two fellows on the side. Dark One and I will handle the two brats in the middle who look a bit tricky."

There was nothing much to say when ANBU ninjas from different factions met—it was either you die or I live, and a third possibility simply did not exist.

The two sides began to fight in silence. The bloody and violent scene unexpectedly carried a sense of quiet absurdity.

Kakashi and Ryuzaki locked eyes, both of them able to tell who the true leader of the other's squad was.

Ryuzaki licked the senbon in his hand once more and made a provocative gesture toward Kakashi.

Kakashi did not step forward. For now, the enemy's strength was unknown, and Sakura Hashimoto behind him only possessed Chunin-level strength. If he rushed in recklessly, his teammates would likely be reaped and wiped out in a single wave.

"Ah!" At that moment, a miserable scream rang out.

Kakashi's expression changed. That was the voice of Naquan Miyamoto!

How could he have been defeated so quickly!

As a commoner ninja who managed to enter the ANBU, Naquan Miyamoto naturally possessed formidable strength—he was a Special Jonin!

Kakashi looked to the side and saw that Naquan Miyamoto's chest had been pierced by a long sword, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Lord Kakashi, I..." Naquan Miyamoto didn't even manage to finish a single sentence before his eyes rapidly dimmed.

The ninja named Dark Three withdrew his sword, and Naquan Miyamoto's corpse fell straight to the ground.

"Naiquan!" Sakura screamed.

Kenpei Aburame, who was locked in a fierce and difficult battle with Dark Two, also suffered a moment of distraction, which Dark Two seized upon, forcing Kenpei Aburame into a passive defense.

"Brat, the battlefield is no place to let your mind wander!"

Ryuzaki flicked his hands, sending eight senbon flying out to assault Kakashi and Sakura from tricky angles.

Undaunted by the crisis, Kakashi drew a slanted arc with his short sword from top to bottom, blocking all eight senbon.

Yet during this time, Dark One, who was by Ryuzaki's side, had already surged forward to Kakashi and Sakura's side, then raised the long sword in his hand and slashed down with force.

Sakura Hashimoto's reaction was not slow either. Several shuriken in her hand sealed off Ryuzaki's advancing route, and then she safely entrusted her back to squad leader Kakashi.

And Kakashi did not let her down.

"Sword Art: Azure Lotus!"

The White Fang gently brushed past the long sword, deflecting the chopping angle of the enemy's descending blade.

Then the White Fang spun once in Kakashi's hand, stabbing straight toward Dark One's throat.

Dark One's expression changed drastically, and he pulled back his long sword to block Kakashi's attacking path. However, the White Fang fluttered rapidly in the air, flexibly assaulting him from all directions, leaving him completely powerless to parry.

In the span of just a few seconds, Dark One had already taken several wounds and was sent on his way with a look of disbelief.

On the other side, Ryuzaki, who had been charging toward Kakashi, stopped in his tracks and looked at Kakashi cautiously.

Dark Three wiped the blood off his sword and stood side-by-side with Ryuzaki.

"If I'm not mistaken, the sword in your hand belongs to the White Fang of the Leaf. What relation is he to you?"

"He is my father," Kakashi said coldly.

By now, he had already seen through the little trick the enemy had played from the start.

The true mastermind and the strongest person had always been the Dark Three before him. Making Ryuzaki issue the commands earlier was merely to pull wool over their eyes.

He had taken advantage of their temporary ignorance of his team's configuration to eliminate one person first through overwhelming strength, and then steadily press the advantage using their numerical superiority.

What a brilliant scheme!

Just as Kakashi expected, upon seeing Dark Three approach, Ryuzaki bowed slightly with a hint of respect.

"Lord Murakami, I'm truly sorry that my mistake led to the death of Dark Two."

Murakami gave a faint smile. "This is not your fault. After all, he is the son of that White Fang of the Leaf; it's only normal that he possesses strong combat power."

"Do not look down on him just because of his age. Raise your spirits to the utmost and go with me."

"The son of the White Fang of the Leaf must fetch a good price. If he's alive, that would be even better."

"Yes, Lord Murakami!" Ryuzaki agreed with a ferocious grin.

Kakashi's mind raced. Naquan Miyamoto possessed the strength of a Special Jonin, yet Murakami had managed to finish him off in such a short amount of time. A conservative estimate placed him among the powerhouses of the Jonin ranks.

Confident and full of assurance even against himself, this Ryuzaki before him was probably no weakling either.

"Sakura, you handle the long-range suppression. Leave these two to me," Kakashi instructed.

"Yes, Squad Leader!"

Sakura Hashimoto did not hesitate. Close-quarters combat was not her specialized field to begin with; only by putting some distance between them could she unleash her maximum strength.

"Lord Murakami, should I go take care of that female ninja first?" Ryuzaki asked.

"No need." Murakami shook his head. "The young man before us is their backbone. Once we take him down, the rest are nothing more than fish on a chopping board."

"Just be careful of the opponent's hidden weapons. Concentrate fully on finishing off this young man first!"

"Yes, Lord Murakami!"

Ryuzaki and Murakami slowly closed in on Kakashi from left and right. Taking a deep breath, Kakashi tightened his grip on the White Fang.