Sneaking Attack on a Chunin

Orochimaru jumped when Hoshi suddenly vanished. He had just been about to ask what was going on when Sakumo cut him off.

He glanced at Orochimaru and said in a low voice, "That's Hoshi's bloodline limit. I'll explain it to you later. For now, let's deal with those two."

At that moment, Hoshi, who had quietly circled around behind a large tree in the distance, spoke up as well:

"Those two are Stone Hidden Ninja. If they stay together, it'll be hard for me to find a chance to ambush them, so you have to split them up.

When you run into them, Sakumo, hold one of them back first. The rest of you take the chance to run, but don't go too far. Just lead your opponent in circles. Wait for Sakumo and me to come support you. Don't do anything rash."

After saying that, Hoshi fell silent. He focused all his attention on controlling his Chakra, lowering his presence as much as possible.

An Rui and Qiu pushed through the bushes in front of them and saw the visibly nervous Sakumo and the other two. Though they were tense, they could not help but feel relieved, and a trace of disdain rose in their hearts.

Thankfully, they were not Konoha ninja. If they had been dealing with ninja, they might have been dragged out until the enemy's reinforcements arrived. But if it was only three little brats, there was no need to worry about that.

One Chunin and one Genin could easily take care of three little brats without making too much noise.

If they could not even manage something like that, they might as well find a block of tofu and smash their heads into it.

Seeing the relaxed expressions on their faces, Hoshi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed neither of them was skilled at sensing. He had gambled right.

In Hoshi's view, if the two possessed talent for sensing, they would not have been assigned such a dangerous mission.

Although the First Shinobi World War was nearing its end, it had not ended completely. Sensor Ninja in this era were worth more than gold.

All the Sensor Ninja were being pampered in the main forces on the front lines. No one would dare use them as Spies.

That was where his confidence lay. The first step of the plan had succeeded. Now it depended on whether Sakumo and the others could cooperate properly.

Sakumo and the other two reacted quickly as well. Sakumo shoved Jiraiya and Orochimaru, saying, "Run! Go ask the Police Force for help! I'll hold them off first."

Jiraiya and Orochimaru also seemed to "snap out of a dream," scrambling to their feet and fleeing into the distance.

Qiu and An Rui could not help finding it amusing. An Rui, the more talkative of the two, said:

"Qiu, did you hear that? That little brat actually wants to stay behind and cover their retreat. Do you think something's wrong with his head?"

Qiu glanced at An Rui without replying, though the look in his eyes toward Sakumo was equally disdainful. He smacked An Rui on the back of the head and said:

"Stop wasting time. It'll be troublesome if those two brats run into someone. I'll take care of this one. You go deal with the other two.

Make it quick, and remember to bring the bodies back so we can disguise them together. We'll deal with these three brats first, then talk about the intelligence."

Hearing that, An Rui did not dare argue. He curled his lips and reluctantly headed in the direction Jiraiya and the others had gone.

Sakumo wanted to stop him, but the ninja called Qiu raised his hands and formed seals. "Earth Release: Earth Wall."

An earthen wall rose up behind Sakumo, cutting off his route to pursue An Rui and forcing him to "give up" on his plan.

Hoshi silently cheered at the sight. Sakumo usually acted so cold and aloof, but deep down, he was actually an Acting Master. That performance had nearly fooled even him.

Joking aside, Hoshi secretly drew his Dagger and crept toward Qiu step by step.

Qiu was a Chunin from Iwagakure. Though he had only recently been promoted, his strength was genuine. After cutting off Sakumo's retreat, he pulled out a Kunai and charged forward.

A Chunin was a Chunin. His speed and strength far surpassed Sakumo's expectations. Sakumo was startled by Qiu's speed, and with the Earth Wall behind him, he had nowhere to flee. He could only swing his White Fang at Qiu.

White Fang collided with Qiu's Kunai with a light clang. Qiu remained relaxed, but Sakumo's wrist went numb from the impact. He immediately made his judgment.

This guy was not someone he could face head-on. He had to rely on Hoshi's ambush.

Having understood that, Sakumo immediately rolled to the side to open up the distance from Qiu, then flicked out two Shuriken.

Qiu calmly deflected the two Shuriken. Looking at the small nick in his Kunai, he said, "That blade's quite a good one. I didn't expect to make an unexpected gain today."

As he spoke, Qiu charged at Sakumo again. What he did not know was that Hoshi had already drawn close at that very moment, with the second stage of Secret Technique: Assault poised to strike.

From Sakumo's perspective, he could just make out the translucent trace Hoshi left as he moved beneath the setting sun.

That figure gave Sakumo tremendous courage. Facing the rapidly approaching Qiu, he shouted, gathering all his Chakra into his feet before stomping heavily on the ground. Using the recoil, he launched himself high into the air.

Seeing Sakumo leap up, Qiu sneered inwardly. Was this brat tired of living? He actually dared to jump up and attack.

There was nowhere to gain leverage in midair. As long as he blocked this strike, the kid would be dead for sure.

With that thought, Qiu raised his head and swept the Kunai in his hand upward in an arc toward Sakumo.

But before he could raise the Kunai over his head, he suddenly heard a fierce whistling sound tearing through the air behind him. His heart jolted. How was that possible? There was someone behind him!

He hurriedly pulled back his hand, trying to defend his back, but it was already too late.

A gleaming Dagger had pierced through his heart from behind. He stared in shock at the Dagger protruding from his chest, and the final thought that flashed through his mind was:

What a fast blade.

Unwillingly, he tried to use his last bit of strength to turn around and see the face of the person who had ambushed him from behind.

But Sakumo was already falling from above. White Fang swept across Qiu's neck, taking away the last of his life and ensuring that Qiu never saw his attacker's face before he died.

Hoshi pulled out the Dagger and exchanged a glance with Sakumo. Both of them looked somewhat dazed. A Chunin had actually died at the hands of the two of them just like that.

As they listened to Qiu's body hit the ground with a dull thud, both their hearts trembled. Their heart rates had definitely exceeded 120 in that moment.

At the crucial moment, Sakumo was calmer than Hoshi. He gripped White Fang tightly and said to Hoshi, "There's still one left. We have to save Jiraiya and the others."

Hoshi came back to his senses as well. "You're right. And Jiraiya and the others?"

The two stopped looking at Qiu's body on the ground and rushed in the direction Orochimaru and the others had fled, moving as fast as they could.

The update was a little late because I had an innovation and entrepreneurship class this afternoon. Why does a second-year student like me still have to take this kind of class on a Saturday? (╯_╰)