Takigakure Village, November, Year 60 of Konoha
Inside the hollow of the God Tree, Senji watched the trio who had suddenly appeared below, his face drained of color. He must have realized Naruto and Sasuke were no match for those three Rain ninja. He glanced towards Sakura but ultimately held his tongue; Shibuki had told him she was only a Chunin, and the three enemies below seemed formidable. Against all three together, Sakura likely wouldn't be a match either.
Sakura, however, wasn't nearly as concerned as Senji. The caliber of these three was indeed superior to the fodder ninja they'd just dispatched, but not so overwhelming that her teammates would lose instantly. The previous skirmish hadn't been a true test of the boys' recent training; these three would provide a decent challenge. Still, seeing their Rain Village headbands made her thoughtful.
The Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Rain were both smaller countries sandwiched between larger nations, similar in territory size and bordering each other. Sakura hadn't heard any current intelligence about Amegakure; her only information came from memories of her previous life – the village under Pain's control. She doubted these suddenly appeared Rain ninja were connected to Pain; if Pain wanted something, he wouldn't send pawns like these.
"Shibuki-sama," Senji urged, watching Naruto and Sasuke locked in combat with the three Rain ninja below. As though steeling himself, he said, "Please, go down and drive back those enemies!"
"Don't... don't be ridiculous!" Shibuki cried, trembling as he clutched his head. "It's hopeless! We'd definitely fail!"
Seeing Shibuki's obvious terror, Senji sighed heavily. Truthfully, he was gripped by fear himself but kept it hidden. His initial plan had been simple: if the Konoha ninja could handle the invaders, great. If they fell, he would escape with Shibuki and that thing, and wait for an opportunity to return and reclaim the village. Watching the battle raging below, he wished Shibuki would intervene, but seeing his leader utterly broken, he knew sending him down would be suicide. Glancing at Sakura, who was watching intently, frowning, Senji approached her.
"Captain Haruno Sakura," he began urgently, "in this situation, don't you think we should fall back and get reinforcements?"
"Unnecessary," Sakura replied without taking her eyes off the fight below.
"But your two teammates are on the verge of defeat!" Senji protested. "It's not that I doubt your strength, Captain, but there are three enemies down there. If your teammates are defeated, taking on three alone... your chances of winning are slim."
Sakura finally tore her gaze away from the battle to look at Senji. "Still unnecessary," she stated calmly. "Rest assured, I don't rate those three down there very highly. When the opportunity presents itself, I'll deal with them myself."
Hearing her confidence, Senji, though impatient, had no choice but to wait. The battle below had reached peak intensity. Naruto was battered and bleeding from the relentless coordinated attacks of the three Rain ninja. Sasuke, despite the preemptive abilities of his Sharingan, couldn't avoid every hit and was equally beaten up.
Yet, despite their injuries, neither boy had lost their fighting spirit. Staggering back-to-back, they faced the trio again.
"Hehe, the two brats can actually put up a decent fight," the ninja named Murasame sneered, licking his lips as he eyed the alert duo.
"Enough playing around. End this now," Kirisame said brusquely.
"Hehehe, little boys," Hisame added with a playful pout. "Looks like your big sister Hisame can't play anymore."
"Water Style: Crackling Whip Jutsu!!"x3
The three simultaneously flashed through hand seals, invoking the jutsu in unison. As the seals concluded, they thrust out their right hands, forefingers and middle fingers pressed together. Lashing tendrils of water, like striking snakes, erupted from their fingertips, snaking towards Naruto and Sasuke as if alive.
"Crap!" Sasuke swore under his breath, seeing the oncoming water whips. They had maneuvered back-to-back intending to hold a defensive line, catch their breath, and recover some chakra. He hadn't expected the trio to exploit the opening like this. This must be their finishing move, he realized grimly. Now, all sides were blocked by the whips; there was no escape route.
Both boys were nearly out of stamina. Inevitably, neither could evade the Rain ninja's attack. The water whips enveloped them, binding them securely.
"Heheh. Nap time, kids," Murasame sneered. Crackling electricity flashed along the watery bindings, and both Naruto and Sasuke were instantly electrocuted into unconsciousness.
Back in the tree hollow, Sakura watched the cooperative ninjutsu unfold, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Interesting. A combination technique. Looks like I underestimated this bunch a bit. Even fodder can have surprising tricks."
Watching from above for some time, Sakura hadn't thought the trio seemed overwhelmingly strong – mid-level Chunin at best. However, their extensive experience fighting together clearly showed; their teamwork was seamless. Naruto and Sasuke have come a long way, she acknowledged internally. They coordinated well together; that's why they held out for so long. If they hadn't been caught by that coordinated attack, they might have even pulled out a win.
Seeing the two boys defeated, Senji's face turned even paler, if possible. "C-Captain Haruno..." he stammered. "Maybe we really should retreat now! Th-they're too strong! Ai, it's a terrible shame our Takigakure Jonin isn't here right now..."
Sakura was just about to make her move when Senji's words made her freeze again. "Takigakure has a Jonin?" Based on her earlier assessment, the fodder ninja holding the villagers weren't that skilled, implying Taki's overall strength was low. She was surprised they possessed an elite Jonin – even the Five Great Shinobi Nations had relatively few ninja of that rank.
"We do," Senji confirmed sorrowfully. "Our village's sole Jonin is named Suien. He is Shibuki-sama's former teacher. A week ago, he left on assignment and still hasn't returned. Please, Captain, we must retreat!"
"Hmph. Retreat? Why would we retreat?" Sakura scoffed, cracking her knuckles. "I'm going down right now to finish this."
"Th-this..." Senji watched her moving towards the exit, started to protest, but said nothing. Maybe it's for the best, he thought desperately. She can keep those Rain ninja busy. If things go south, I can still escape with Shibuki and that thing*. Then I can find Suien, wherever he is, and we can come back and save the village.*
Sakura pushed aside the leafy curtain covering the tree hollow entrance, about to drop down, when she suddenly froze, ducking back into cover.
"What is it, Captain Haruno Sakura?" Senji asked, puzzled by her abrupt halt.
"Hold on," Sakura whispered, eyes narrowed. "There's another one. And this one... feels dangerous." She watched cautiously as a figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere beside the Rain ninja trio below.
"Another enemy appeared? Who?" Senji asked, alarmed. He reached out with a trembling hand, trying to see for himself, when a voice suddenly resonated around them in the hollow.
"Ahem... I know you're hiding in there. Show yourself, Shibuki!"
It was a deep male voice, sounding middle-aged. Because it seemed to come from right beside them, Sakura whirled around instantly, kunai flashing, ready to face an imminent threat – but saw nothing. The voice continued, echoing unnervingly.
"Didn't expect you to bring Konoha brats with you, Shibuki. But it's pointless. They've already been dealt with by my subordinates. All I want is that thing. Give it to me, and I'll let this village go."
Still no visible source, yet the voice rang clearly in their ears. Sakura stayed alert, eyes darting around, then turned to Senji. "This person seems familiar with Shibuki. Any idea who that is?"
"!!!"
After a moment of silence, Senji still hadn't spoken. Sakura looked over and found his face white as a sheet. Shibuki wore the exact same look of horror. Both their eyes mirrored profound shock, mixed with utter despair.
"You two..." Sakura asked, startled by their identical reactions. "What is it? What's wrong?"
" Wood Spirit Jutsu!" Senji managed hoarsely. "It's... Suien."
Sakura went cold. "Suien?" She remembered what Senji had just said about their village's Jonin. "Isn't Suien your village Jonin? That voice... that was Suien? And what's Moku Rei no Jutsu?"
"I never thought..." Senji slumped to the ground, utterly devastated, murmuring brokenly, "I should have seen it... I should have known all along..."
"Hey! Snap out of it!" Sakura said sharply, waving a hand slightly. "What's this Moku Rei no Jutsu?"
"Wood Spirit Jutsu is a ninjutsu exclusive to Takigakure," Shibuki suddenly spoke up, his voice hollow. "Its sole purpose is to project the user's voice throughout the entire village."
"Then what about Suien?" Hearing the explanation, Sakura put aside her immediate concern about being discovered and pressed further. "Isn't Suien one of Takigakure's own ninja? I thought you said he was your teacher?"
"He was," Shibuki confirmed, his lip trembling slightly. "It appears now... Suien-sensei has betrayed our village."
"Come out, Shibuki!" Suien's voice boomed again through the hollow. "Your beloved villagers are all my captives. Just cooperate and hand over the Hero Water, and I will release them."
"Hero Water? What's that?" Sakura asked sharply. Senji had confirmed Suien was a Jonin. Sakura decided getting intel was paramount now. If he was just a run-of-the-mill Jonin, she might still have a chance. A ninja's true strength wasn't just about rank, after all, but their full range of abilities and experience.
Comprehensive skill set is the true measure for rank, Sakura mused fleetingly. It's not like any talented Genin automatically becomes Chunin, or Chunin becomes Jonin just by being strong. That said, anyone who achieved the rank of Jonin was guaranteed to be formidable. It seemed contradictory, but it was the reality. Rank was never solely defined by combat power; formal ninja ranks were a product of the village system established by the First Hokage. During the Warring States Era, this system didn't even exist.