Battle erupted

Under the bright moonlight, several pitch-black figures flashed through the forest.

"Pick up the pace!"

A muffled voice came from beneath a white animal mask. The dark figures moving through the forest were shrouded in black cloaks and coats. Occasionally, a passing breeze lifted their cloaks, revealing combat bodysuits and white strapped vests underneath.

Led by Shihōin Naraku, the Anbu ninja raced through the forest, traveling by the bright moonlight.

They had already crossed the Land of Fire's border and entered the Land of Birds, not far from the team's rendezvous point.

Whoosh...

A gentle breeze brushed across the clear lake, stirring ripples that slowly spread.

Morning sunlight spilled down, waking the quiet forest from its night's sleep, and insects and birds began calling.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

Several figures appeared in a secluded spot in the forest.

"Lord Ryū!"

"Mm!"

Apart from the ninja keeping watch on the perimeter, Shihōin Naraku and the Anbu members had arrived in the forest ten kilometers from the mission site, waiting for their opportunity.

"Sir, our reconnaissance found three ninja keeping watch in that forest. We haven't finished thoroughly checking the areas farther out yet. The Land of Birds' capital has a large population, which makes the search difficult."

That was also why they had chosen to rendezvous in the forest. Although the Land of Birds' capital was not large, it was densely populated and too chaotic, making unexpected incidents more likely.

"Take turns resting and keeping watch according to the schedule, but keep an eye on the mission site at all times. Our intelligence isn't necessarily a hundred percent accurate..."

The Anbu had their own procedures for carrying out missions outside the village. They only needed to follow the standard protocol, making changes only if something unexpected happened.

Still, these dangerous assassination missions required the ninja themselves to adapt on the fly.

Shihōin Naraku had carried out quite a few combat and killing missions, so he was very familiar with the process. After giving a few brief instructions, he arranged for the remaining members to rest.

Naraku himself approached the mission site and inspected the surrounding terrain.

He had to know the area well so he could react if something unexpected happened during the battle.

Once he finished his inspection, he returned to the concealed temporary base and rested as well.

The moon hung high in the night sky.

An animal's cry occasionally broke the silence of the forest.

Swish!

Several figures silently appeared in a relatively spacious grassy clearing in the forest.

The terrain here was clear at a glance, allowing them to see every spot around them and guard against enemy ambushes.

The figures that had suddenly appeared stood quietly in place, watching for movement around them as they waited.

Time passed little by little. Just as they were growing very impatient, a faint rustling finally came from the forest opposite them.

Those waiting immediately watched with their full attention and vigilance, and some had already begun reaching for their ninja tools.

Soon, figures leaped out of the forest one after another.

Seeing the Sunagakure forehead protector worn by the leader opposite them put them somewhat at ease.

Looking at the Sunagakure team that landed a short distance away, those who had arrived first were rather dissatisfied.

"Why are you so late? The agreed time was almost up."

"You Iwagakure ninja are always so rigid! It's not even the agreed time yet."

"Enough talk. Let's exchange the intelligence first."

After a brief verbal exchange between Sunagakure and Iwagakure, the lead ninja each took out a scroll they had prepared beforehand.

"Throw them together!"

"All right!"

As soon as they spoke, the two leaders threw their scrolls to each other, then caught them at the same time.

Worried about being deceived, both immediately opened the scrolls and examined them.

Under the circumstances, they obviously could not go through all the intelligence carefully, but a general check for problems would suffice.

"No problems!"

"Iwagakure's people played by the rules this time."

The two leaders were also speaking to their own subordinates, signaling that the other side had not tried any tricks this time.

The successful exchange of intelligence put the ninja on both sides somewhat at ease.

Next came the exchange of supplies, the most important part.

Both sides immediately produced an enormous scroll, one specifically designed to store supplies.

The scrolls ordinary ninja used to store weapons or other things could not hold much. Only scrolls specifically designed to store large quantities of supplies would do, and those scrolls were extremely expensive.

Ordinary ninja could not afford them at all, nor did they have any need for them.

This time, Sunagakure and Iwagakure could not simply throw the scrolls. Each side had to send a ninja to carry out the exchange.

At that moment, both sides quietly reached for the weapons in their pockets, guarding against any trouble from the enemy.

But just as both sides focused their attention on each other-

"Fire Fist!!!"

An enormous roar suddenly erupted from the dark, silent forest!

Boom!!!

Scorching flames abruptly surged into the sky, forming an immense fiery fist amid a frenzied roar and blasting forward in an instant.

Even before it reached them, the searing heat was already upon them, making everyone from Sunagakure and Iwagakure pale.

"Wind Release: Air Current Dance!"

Two Sunagakure ninja quickly stepped forward, their hands rapidly forming hand seals. They unleashed wind that was normally very basic and had almost no killing power, but with their combined efforts, an extremely turbulent gale swept toward the flames.

The Sunagakure ninja wanted to blow the sudden Fire Release attack back!

But clearly, everyone had underestimated the flames' ferocious power.

Not only did the gale fail to blow the flames away, it instantly fueled them, making them even stronger!

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

With no time to blame the Sunagakure ninja for trying to be clever, three Iwagakure ninja joined forces and raised extremely broad, thick walls in the fiery fist's path.

"Rumble!!!"

The deafening blast utterly shattered the forest's former silence. In an instant, the fist of flame smashed through every wall, its terrifying impact slamming straight into the ninja from both sides who had not managed to escape.

"Aaah-"

Screams rang out one after another...

"Damn it! Who's attacking us?"

Watching the towering blaze erupt, the ninja from both sides who had escaped at the last possible moment exchanged wary glances, then turned and ran.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Before the ninja could wipe the blood running down their foreheads, a barrage of concealed weapons shot toward them from the front.

In an instant, ninja who failed to dodge were riddled with weapons like pincushions, losing their lives in the blink of an eye.

"Bastards!"

They had not even glimpsed the enemy, yet they were already on the verge of being wiped out.

But before the remaining ninja could rejoice at having dodged the surprise barrage, they discovered to their horror that explosive tags tied to the weapons were burning.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Enormous explosions rang out once more.

Fiercely burning flames rose into the air, rubble flew in every direction, and thick clouds of smoke and dust spread.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

"Someone actually survived?"

Swish!

The Konoha Anbu ninja who had launched the surprise attack finally appeared, standing atop tall trees and looking down at the explosions that had yet to subside.

"Shunk!"

The sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out. Beneath his mask, the eyes of a Konoha Anbu standing on a large tree suddenly bulged. Behind him, a Sunagakure ninja had appeared at some unknown point, holding a tachi.

"Don't underestimate us Sunagakure ninja!"

With a bang, the Konoha Anbu whose body had been pierced by the tachi suddenly turned into a log.

Substitution Technique!