Soft Targets

The Land of Grass and the Land of Rain had completely different terrain. One was full of rocky mountains, the other of towering trees. For ninja, the Land of Grass offered far more places to hide.

The five slipped into the woods and found an enormous tree. They settled among its dense branches to rest. As long as they stayed alert and kept the enemy from getting too close, they would be fine.

For two days, the five had traveled back and forth across the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain. They had not fought together yet, but after several days in each other's company, a measure of teamwork had already formed. They were all elite Konoha shinobi, after all.

On the move, the Byakugan was their best means of reconnaissance. Nothing in any direction escaped Hyuga Ning's watch, and ever since they had stumbled into an enemy trap, he had paid particular attention to the ground below.

Most Iwagakure ninja excelled at Earth Release. Hiding underground to ambush an enemy was one of their usual tactics.

"Stop," Hyuga Ning said with a frown. "There's a large ambush ahead."

The five took positions among the branches of a towering tree. Fugaku scanned the woods ahead. Without activating his Sharingan, it was hard to spot any trace of the enemy. Then a figure appeared in front of them: a Stone shinobi.

"So you found us after all." The Stone shinobi swept a dark look over them, then glared at Hyuga Ning through gritted teeth. "The Hyuga clan's Byakugan. No wonder our ambush was exposed."

The Byakugan's scouting ability had been famous since the Warring States period. The enemy had identified Hyuga Ning at a glance; he had clearly studied Konoha's intelligence.

More figures emerged from the grass and the towering trees behind the Stone shinobi. There were only twenty of them, and Fugaku could tell from experience that most were nothing special. Few were true elites.

They might have stood a chance against an ordinary ninja squad, but they were outmatched by these five. Each was a Konoha jonin with a complete combat tradition behind him. The advantage was firmly on their side.

"Screee!"

An eagle's cry rang out overhead. It landed on the Stone shinobi's shoulder and began preening its feathers.

Fugaku understood. Konoha was not the only village with scout ninja; other villages had their own ways of gathering intelligence. This time, he had overlooked the sky, and the enemy's scout eagle had found them.

It was common for ninja to seek summoning beasts among animals. Very few could sign a treaty with one of the great clans of the Summoning World, so finding a beast that compensated for their weaknesses was the usual choice.

"Get ready. Don't let this drag on," Fugaku said. "Kill them and withdraw immediately."

They were already very close to the Land of Earth. Stone shinobi reinforcements could arrive at any moment.

As a newly formed Konoha elite squad, they would often have to fight enemies who outnumbered them. If they could not handle the Stone shinobi in front of them, they might as well disband now.

Body Flicker Technique.

Fugaku's move was the spark that set everything off. The other four sprang into action at the same time, charging the twenty Stone shinobi.

Black Kunai appeared in both of Fugaku Uchiha's hands. Even their sharpened edges were pitch-black, without a hint of reflection. Fugaku had commissioned them with a coating on their outer surfaces so the enemy could not track him by a glint of light.

The Stone shinobi ahead saw the Konoha ninja attack first and sensed something was wrong. But Fugaku Uchiha was already almost upon him, so he drove his kunai straight toward Fugaku's heart.

To the Stone shinobi, the Konoha ninja before him was just a kid who had graduated a few years ago at most. Chunin would be the best he could manage. Despite his unease, the Stone shinobi did not take him seriously.

Fugaku's black eyes turned instantly into scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan, radiating killing intent. The three tomoe spun rapidly, and he cast a genjutsu.

In the illusion, the Stone shinobi's kunai pierced Fugaku's heart. He was about to smile and mock the boy for overestimating himself when the scene before him blurred and shattered. Agonizing pain stabbed through his own heart, and the strength drained from his body like a receding tide.

He saw the Sharingan in the young man's eyes and the kunai buried in his own heart. Then darkness swallowed his vision.

A message appeared in Fugaku's mind.

Killed one jonin. Gained a moderate amount of pupil power.

"Shi Yan!"

A frantic cry tore through the clearing, and a figure lunged at Fugaku Uchiha.

Avenging a friend? Fugaku had seen this too many times. The man had no Uchiha Sharingan to turn grief and rage into strength. Fugaku's Sharingan showed him the attack's path with perfect clarity.

He stepped aside, and a streak of black lightning cut through the air into the man's throat, ending the grief-stricken Stone shinobi's life.

Killed one chunin. Gained a small amount of pupil power.

Body Flicker Technique.

Fugaku appeared amid the Stone shinobi. Many had not even reacted yet, and their squad captain had already died by his hand.

His kunai flashed like black lightning, drawing streaks of blood through the air as they claimed one Stone shinobi after another.

Screams rang through the dense forest. Each came from a Stone shinobi giving voice to his fear of death in his final moments.

Killed one chunin. Gained a small amount of pupil power.

Killed one genin. Gained a trace of pupil power.

In the blink of an eye, Fugaku had killed seven Stone shinobi in succession. His Sharingan grew stronger with every bit of pupil power it absorbed. Often, a single glance made a genin—or even a chunin—go rigid. It lasted only an instant, but that was enough for Fugaku to take their lives.

Crescent Moon Dance.

Gekkō Kiyokawa split into three. The long blades in their hands stabbed at the Stone shinobi before him from one strange angle after another. Every strike came from a real body, and every strike could kill. One mistake would cost his opponent his life.

The clash of repeated parries rang out. The Stone shinobi facing Gekkō Kiyokawa could barely fend off his relentless attacks.

Blood sprayed as a long blade pierced the enemy's shoulder, severely wounding the Stone jonin. Fugaku appeared in front of him.

Fugaku cast a Sharingan genjutsu and thrust his Black Kunai at the man's throat.

Clang!

Sparks flew as another Stone shinobi suddenly appeared and knocked Fugaku's attack aside.

The newcomer fixed his eyes on Fugaku and the others. "

"The Uchiha and Hyuga clans of Konoha. I thought you'd be soft targets. Looks like we picked a tough fight."

Elsewhere, Yamashiro Kiyokawa summoned a flock of crows to harass the Stone shinobi. Under their cover, Hyuga Ning and Mitarashi Akira kept killing the remaining members of the enemy squad.

"Don't get bogged down fighting them! They're an elite Konoha squad. Retreat!"

Smoke bombs struck the ground one after another, blanketing the entire battlefield.

Fugaku's Sharingan kept spinning. The smoke was thick, but he could still see figures fleeing through it. Several kunai flew from his hands.