Although the Second Shinobi World War was already drawing to a close, it was still wartime, after all.
Yubi thought to himself.
In wartime, the pressure ninja felt from their surroundings was naturally different.
Patrol missions like the one they had accepted generally lasted several months... and they were not even on the border's front line. It already counted as an extremely low-risk C-rank mission.
But during extraordinary times, even a C-rank mission was very dangerous for those who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy.
Endo, the Chunin, walked to the cave entrance and kept watching outside, extremely cautious.
The two Genin beside Yubi grew increasingly nervous, too.
It felt a little as though each day dragged on for a year...
After a while, Endo frowned, picked up a stone, and left a special mark on the cave wall. He turned to the three of them. "Pack up. We're moving."
Yubi immediately sprang into action at his words.
He was the first to help the injured Chunin up.
"Hurry!"
Seeing the other two still standing there in a daze, Endo urged them again sharply.
Too much time had passed. Their companion who had gone out to find Shimada should have returned long ago.
Something might well have happened.
Though he was not certain, they had to prepare for the worst.
The two Genin immediately began picking up bags of supplies, too.
Then Endo destroyed all traces of their base inside the cave.
He led them away.
Fortunately, the injured Chunin could still move; his body was simply rather weak.
To survive on the battlefield, you had to stay alert enough.
The five of them raced through the canyon.
Watching Endo's figure, a thought flashed through Yubi's mind.
If the Chunin who had gone to find their companion had encountered enemies, he might well reveal their base, allowing the enemy to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.
But that wasn't the problem... enemies infiltrating this far meant they had broken through the frontline sentries and patrol teams. The lack of advance warning meant there weren't many enemies... but they had to be very strong. Yubi's thoughts raced. Judging by the timing... Nomura might have encountered them, too. If they were a spearhead squad, and word hadn't gotten out, then all the teams in the second-line area were still unaware of their presence.
That was the most frightening part.
By now, the sky had gone completely dark, and the blowing sand made the light inside the canyon even dimmer.
But Endo relied on his familiarity with the terrain, and under his lead... the group did not slow down.
Whoosh!
As they hurried along, Yubi's ears twitched. He suddenly heard a faint sound cutting through the air.
"Watch out!"
He shouted immediately.
A kunai shot out from an unknown direction, aimed straight at the two slower Genin who had fallen a little behind.
A burning explosive tag hung from the thrown kunai.
Boom!
Although Yubi's warning came promptly, his two companions moved stiffly. In particular, their constant state of high tension hampered their reactions.
After the explosion of smoke and fire, Yubi landed on a boulder with a hand over his nose, but what reached his ears were his companions' screams.
Someone was hurt!
Yubi flicked his arm, swiftly drawing a weapon from his belt pouch.
A scalpel.
Not the kunai ninja were adept at using.
Keeping one hand over his nose, he took a fighting stance with the other, ready for battle.
At the same time, his cold gaze swept over his surroundings.
"Aaagh..."
Over a dozen meters away, the boy wounded in the explosion fell to the ground, screaming incessantly.
He was still conscious... which meant it wasn't too serious.
Hearing his companion's screams, Yubi immediately made a doctor's instinctive assessment, but his gaze did not settle on him.
"Oh, pretty quick reactions..."
The moment they stopped, the enemy caught up with them.
A voice sounded above Yubi's head.
He saw an Amegakure ninja wearing a tight-fitting white ninja uniform that resembled a rubber raincoat, with four vertical lines on his forehead protector.
Like a cheetah, the man leaped onto the wall above and behind Yubi. His body stood at a ninety-degree angle to the terrain as he planted himself firmly on the wall, studying the boy's battle-ready stance with a mocking expression.
The worst had come...
Yubi's heart sank at the sight.
The man's appearance was a little too distinctive.
Amegakure... and judging by his clothing, one of Amegakure's elite.
A subordinate personally trained by Hanzo of the Salamander, known as the Demigod of the Ninja World.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Amegakure ninja swooped down.
He became a streak of light.
Clang!
Sparks flew as kunai scraped against scalpel, and their bodies crossed past each other.
"Huh?"
The Amegakure ninja looked visibly surprised when his strike failed.
The boy before him had some skill...
"But... you're still too green."
The Amegakure ninja appeared to land directly in front of Yubi, then turned and charged at him.
But in the next instant, his sinister face appeared, as if by magic, behind Yubi, who was on guard against an attack from there.
As he spoke, the kunai in his hand stabbed toward the boy's neck.
A very typical Clone Technique... using a clone to occupy the target's vision and attention, creating an opportunity for the real body to deliver a killing blow.
This time... that should do it...
The man's lips curled upward.
Yet an even more startling sight appeared.
As though he had anticipated the dirty trick, the boy abruptly spun around the instant the man's real body swept close, whipping out a cold gleam.
The Amegakure ninja immediately halted his attack and pulled back.
Fortunately, he retreated quickly. Otherwise, that blade... would have slit his throat.
"..."
Still shaken, the Amegakure ninja stood ten meters away and reached up to touch the cut on his cheek left by the boy's strange blade.
After driving him back, Yubi actually took out the clone attacking from the other side in another brief instant.
The others in the canyon were fighting their own battles, too.
There should only be three or four of them, too... we should be able to hold them off for a while, Yubi analyzed as he listened to the sounds coming from other directions.
"Not bad... you have some combat experience, and your taijutsu is excellent for your age... just what I'd expect from a ninja trained by a major ninja village." The Amegakure ninja sneered and even clapped for Yubi, but the murderous intent in his eyes had grown increasingly apparent.
A Water Clone... water-nature chakra. Looks like a ninja who specializes in Water Release. Yubi betrayed nothing.
"Water Release: Iron Water Bullet!"
Immediately afterward, the Amegakure ninja suddenly formed hand seals.
Like a machine gun, his mouth fired several fist-sized balls of water in succession.
Although it was not a Water Release Ninjutsu Yubi knew, the way it worked looked very familiar.
It was somewhat similar to the Hozuki Clan's Water Gun, but its speed and power were far inferior.
At least, given a certain distance, Yubi could react to it.
Gravel burst beneath his feet as Yubi repeatedly leaped, twisted, and dodged.
But just as he thought he could evade it, his body still moving, several slender, concealed senbon suddenly shot right before his face.
Bang!
In the next instant, the senbon struck his body precisely.
Only for it to burst into a cloud of white smoke.
"Hm?"
The Amegakure ninja was startled.
Turning his head, he saw that a small figure had already appeared at his side, copying his earlier sneak attack exactly.
He repaid him with the very same method of attack.
A clone? When?
The Amegakure ninja's heart jolted.
"Data capture complete. Model created. Initiating counterattack."
Yubi's face was expressionless as he murmured in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.