Chapter 127: Rain Ninja Slaughter Tour (I)
In the southwest of the Ninja World continent, north of the Land of Rivers, lies Amegakure (Hidden Rain Village), established by Hanzō of the Salamander, the only Kage-level powerhouse outside of the Five Great Nations.
True to its name, the climate in this region is perpetually cloudy and rainy. Several large rivers weave through the area. Although vegetation is abundant and widespread, the soil is loose, forcing most structures to be built as stilt houses or small brick-and-tile homes over the water. The local customs are entirely unique, offering a distinct and scenic flavor compared to other parts of the continent.
Today was another rainy day. The December rain, fine and continuous, had been falling for several days, saturating the air with a chilling, damp moisture that was intensely uncomfortable.
The Ambush
Daishi was a middle-aged man and a Chūnin squad leader in Amegakure. Like the system in the Five Great Nations, he barely managed to lead a Genin squad. Today was their turn for patrol duty.
Trudging through the muddy forest paths, their feet were caked in mud and grass. The cold, damp air felt as if it was constantly trying to seep into one's bones. All of this made Daishi irritable, and his frustration with his three rookie Genin grew with every step. He spent the entire journey muttering and cursing under his breath.
Daishi started to boast again, perhaps to alleviate his increasing gloom: "Damn it, you rookie Genin deserve to be disciplined! When I was a Genin, I was the elite of my squad! I was in no way inferior to the ninja of the Great Nations..."
As he spoke, Daishi suddenly felt a strange silence behind him. The surroundings had become eerily quiet, with only the shh-shh-shh sound of the rain audible.
The already cold rainwater seemed to be layered with frost, making the chill feel even more sinister.
Daishi couldn't help but shiver. He cursed as he turned around: "You little brats, you were so talkative a moment ago! Why are you suddenly... er..."
He was cut short. The moment Daishi turned, it felt as if a hand had brutally choked his fragile throat, trapping the rest of his words inside.
The sight before him filled Daishi with absolute terror.
A pale-skinned, slender man stood silently in front of him. The man's forearm easily gripped one of the Genin's throats, just like clutching a small chicken. The Genin struggled desperately, but the man was rooted to the spot, completely unmoved.
Two Genin corpses already lay on the ground. Crimson blood mixed with the rain flowed out from under their bodies, drip, drip, dripping.
Seeing Daishi turn around, the man gripping the Genin's throat suddenly exerted force. With a chilling crack of bone, the Genin's body, its eyes now vacant, fell with a plop onto the ground.
After casually killing all of Daishi's subordinates, the man smiled faintly at Daishi.
That sinister and chilling smile, like the temptation of an evil demon, made Daishi tremble. He felt the strongest sense of crisis he had ever experienced as a ninja emanating from this ghostly, terrifying man, coupled with an overwhelming sense of being utterly outmatched. The feeling sent waves of numbness across his scalp, and his temples pounded violently.
Daishi, who still retained some minimal ninja training, turned and fled, his face etched with panic. His right hand instinctively reached for his ninja tool pouch. He knew that if he could retrieve the alarm signal scroll inside, he might still have a sliver of hope.
But before he could take more than a few steps, Daishi was horrified to find that the man had reappeared two meters in front of him.
Daishi had not seen how the man had moved.
He realized this wasn't a failure to see, but a massive disparity in strength that left his reaction speed completely unable to keep up with the man's movement.
Before Daishi's right hand could even touch his tool pouch, he felt a sharp pain in his throat. Then, his vision darkened, and he lost consciousness forever.
A Bloody Warning
Orochimaru pulled a sharp kunai from the dead Chūnin's body. He wiped the blood-stained edge on the corpse, then stood up. Sensing the chakra fluctuations around him, he extended his tongue and licked his lips. The gradually fading scent of blood in the air excited him. Without stopping, he headed toward the next Amegakure patrol squad.
The ghostly figure in the moon-white kimono appeared before four Rain Ninja patrol members. Before any of them could cry out in alarm, two banded, half-meter-thick venomous pythons snarled and shot out from Orochimaru's sleeves.
Their gaping, terrifying maws swallowed the four ninja without mercy.
Poof—Orochimaru's figure vanished once more.
Half an hour later, Orochimaru, who had completely slaughtered the entire patrol contingent on the eastern side of Amegakure, stood outside the village, faintly cloaked in the scent of blood. He had used this bloody killing spree to deliver a naked warning to Amegakure and Hanzō of the Salamander. He intended to use his power to change the history of the Second Great War, and this was his first step.
The village was a complex of stilt houses and brick-and-tile homes built over the water. The loose geology prevented the construction of tall walls, and limited ninja training resources made it impossible to build the complex, sturdy sealing array defense systems of the Great Nation's villages.
Nevertheless, the Amegakure complex, spanning several hundred acres, employed a close-quarters garrison strategy, with ninja-guarded stilt houses and tile homes crisscrossing and mutually supporting each other, protecting the internal residents and important structures.
Combined with the advantageous terrain created by the several rivers weaving through the area, this allowed the Rain Ninja to maximize their use of Ninjutsu and their own combat strength.
At this moment, the high-ranking officials within Amegakure had finally reacted to the lack of contact from the eastern patrol squad for the past half hour.
Mitsuyama Otoko, an Amegakure Jōnin and the overall leader of the eastern patrol, led a squad of ten Rain Ninja out of the village at a quick pace, intending to personally check the situation.
Orochimaru, who was standing at the entrance surveying Amegakure's defenses, came face-to-face with Mitsuyama Otoko as the Jōnin was leaving the village.
Seeing the unknown man in the moon-white kimono, Mitsuyama Otoko involuntarily halted his steps and examined him closely.
Sensing the Jōnin's presence, Orochimaru smiled wickedly and slowly stepped forward, muttering: "Finally, a slightly more interesting fellow has arrived."
Seeing the unknown figure in the moon-white kimono approaching, Mitsuyama Otoko keenly sensed the bloody aura on Orochimaru. He immediately shouted: "Which country's ninja are you? This is the..."
Before he could finish his official statement, Orochimaru had already lunged at him with a kunai.
"Damn it, attack!" Mitsuyama Otoko cursed angrily, shouting to the ten subordinates behind him.
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