Deep in the dark and cold forest, it was around one in the morning, and Shiraishi and the two others were rushing towards their destination.
Under the faint moonlight, steel wires could be seen connecting the large trees, forming an impenetrable spider web, waiting for prey to fall into it.
It wasn't that they didn't want to break in from a safe place, but this was the weakest point of attack.
Further ahead was the location of a crucial supply point for the Sand Hidden ninjas.
This meant that it was impossible to sneak in silently, and given the importance of the location, there must be sensory ninjas monitoring it. Their whereabouts might have already been exposed.
As they cut through the spider web made of steel wires, a dense rain of kunai and shuriken shot down from the dark sky. Some of the kunai had explosive tags attached to their handles, their edges sizzling.
Boom!
Boom!
The endless explosions caused a throbbing pain in their eardrums.
The ground trembled, and the surrounding trees quickly burst into flames, engulfing the tranquility of the night.
However, this also proved that the front was a vital supply point for the Sand Village; otherwise, there wouldn't be such a meticulous defensive trap. Even with the Byakugan observing beforehand, it was impossible to avoid it without a trace, so they could only force their way in.
"They're here. Eleven from the west, nine from the south, and seventeen from the north."
Ayane, using her Byakugan, observed the number of ninjas coming to stop their advance into the defensive position: a total of thirty-seven.
Most of them were Chunin, with a few Jonin mixed in as leaders.
"Start taking the antidote."
Shiraishi said, then swallowed a white pill.
Ruri and Ayane followed suit, taking their antidotes.
Then Shiraishi took out two smoke bombs from his ninja tool pouch, which exploded in the flame-engulfed forest. Immediately, a hazy dust filled the air. Although useless against sensory ninjas, it could be used to obstruct other ninjas and throw them into confusion.
"Damn it, there's poison in this smoke! Get out of here quickly!"
The well-trained Sand Hidden ninjas who entered the smoky area immediately noticed something was wrong. Their bodies began to weaken, and a feeling of impending suffocation made their heads dizzy. Some ninjas with lower poison resistance directly collapsed to the ground, twitching in pain.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"
Ruri quickly formed hand signs, accumulating a much larger amount of chakra in her mouth than for the Great Fireball Jutsu, and released it all in one breath.
The soaring wave of fire, with an unstoppable force, crushed the forest ahead.
Amidst the scorching flames, the night was painted crimson like blood.
The originally cold air rapidly rose, making those within the range of the sea of fire feel as if their bodies were immersed in boiling water, their skin becoming incredibly hot.
Three small figures darted forward like lightning. They believed that with these "greeting gifts," the Sand Hidden ninjas at the supply point would no longer be able to sit still.
Ruri's Fire Style had a very large range, and since the area was full of flammable trees, using Wind Style would only fuel the flames, making the fire burn even more fiercely.
These large fires could only be extinguished with Water Style, which was the Sand Hidden ninjas' least proficient ninjutsu. Moreover, such a vast sea of fire had spread out completely, its affected area far exceeding that of ordinary Fire Style jutsus.
Extinguishing it with Water Style would not be something that could be done in a short time.
Because they only had ten minutes to act, it seemed the feint attack plan had worked, but Shiraishi and his two companions couldn't guarantee how much attention it would draw from the Sand Hidden ninjas. They could only do their best to complete the mission.
After ten minutes, regardless of the mission's success or failure, they had to withdraw from the battlefield.
In the fire-lit forest, continuous screams of agony echoed. The Sand Hidden unit that encountered Shiraishi and his two companions head-on was defeated in an instant.
Shiraishi twirled a kunai in his hand, sweeping past a charging Sand Hidden ninja, the kunai severing his carotid artery and killing him instantly.
"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!"
Boom!
Ayane's outstretched palm unleashed a chakra shockwave, similar to an air cannon, striking a Sand Hidden ninja who tried to ambush them from behind. The ninja was sent flying backward, spitting blood, and crashed into a tree, breaking it.
This was a unique long-range taijutsu derived from the Byakugan of the Hyuga clan. The technique was formless and colorless, making it almost impossible to discern the point of impact with the naked eye. Unless one was a sensory-type ninja, it was difficult to avoid such a technique.
This long-range attack technique was a reward for Ayane during their last mission.
Through negotiations between the Hokage and the Hyuga clan elders, and to enhance the combat power of Sakumo's squad, the Hyuga clan was asked to teach more secret Gentle Fist techniques to Ayane, a member of the branch family.
Eight Trigrams: Air Palm was one of those techniques.
In this plan to attack the Sand Hidden supply point, Shiraishi and Ayane were responsible for the outer perimeter, while Ruri only needed to accumulate chakra and continuously release Fire Style ninjutsu to escalate the destruction and draw all the attention of the Sand Hidden ninjas. This was to open a breach for the Anbu to attack the supply point.
A massive wave of fire spread out again, with scorching heat and surging flames, sweeping away the cold air of the forest.
As far as the eye could see, there were traces of the raging flames everywhere.
However, the cost was also great. Due to the continuous use of high-level Fire Style ninjutsu, Ruri's chakra was rapidly depleting. She estimated that a few more such high-level Fire Style jutsus would leave her chakra reserves at rock bottom.
Ruri knew when to stop. The commotion here had almost reached its peak, and they needed to advance a little further to try and expand the scale of the disturbance.
As they delved deeper into the Sand Hidden territory, there was a stream in front, near the supply point. On the other side of the stream, numerous tents were set up, surrounded by tall trees that could conceal the camp.
The fire erupting in the forest on the opposite side had already alerted the Sand Hidden ninjas here. Under the effective command of the Jonin, the Sand Hidden ninjas stationed here stood firm and orderly, showing no concern despite the fierce enemy attack.
"Are they Leaf ninjas? Why are they attacking here? Could it be that they discovered the secret weapon here?"
One of the Sand Hidden Jonin frowned.
"If that's the case, things are not looking good. We can't afford any mistakes with the Jinchuriki."
"Regardless, the matter of using the Tailed Beast weapon must not be leaked prematurely! We must catch the Leaf off guard!"
The eyes of the many Sand Hidden Jonin were filled with killing intent, determined to eliminate every invading Leaf ninja.
On the other side of the river, Ayane's body suddenly trembled, and she stopped.
Seeing Ayane stop, Shiraishi and Ruri also stopped.
"What's wrong?"
As the eyes of the entire squad, without Ayane's Byakugan, Shiraishi and Ruri would only be flying around like headless chickens here.
"Something's wrong. I didn't see any warehouses for storing supplies. This isn't a Sand Hidden supply point at all!"
Ayane's face turned a little pale; she realized the seriousness of the situation.
Sakumo had told them that the main objective of this mission was to cut off the Sand Hidden supply point, requiring cooperation with the Anbu.
Even though they were ninjas claiming to be from 'Root,' they were still a branch of the Anbu, and their familiarity with the mission's details made the three of them believe it.
However, Ayane had now scanned the interior of this 'supply point' with her Byakugan, and found no warehouses for storing supplies, only a large number of Sand Hidden ninjas guarding it closely.
Other than that, there was nothing.
Regardless of why this place was occupied by Sand Hidden ninjas, Ayane could confirm that it was not a supply point.
After hearing Ayane's words, Shiraishi and Ruri's expressions also changed.
The mission had a problem! This thought instantly formed in their minds.
"Go!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Shiraishi was the first to react, disregarding the mission. Such a matter required an explanation.
If the mission failed due to their incompetence, Shiraishi would have nothing to refute.
However, if the intelligence provided was incorrect, and the mission was full of deception, there was no need to persist.
The three quickly moved to retreat, but by then, the Sand Hidden ninjas had already deployed personnel around them, forming an impenetrable net that surrounded Shiraishi and his two companions... On a distant cliff, four Anbu 'Root' ninjas stood or sat, with the moonlight behind them, looking down with indifference at the commotion and fire in the forest.
"Those three are quite capable, aren't they? No wonder Danzo-sama wants to eliminate that Uchiha genius. If she grows up, it would be too dangerous."
"Ultimately, Uchiha members are not to be trusted. It's a pity about the Byakugan and that medical ninja."
"It can't be helped. But if it means eliminating the evil Uchiha ninja, they would probably die for a good cause."
"This way, the White Fang of the Leaf will also bear the name of an incompetent superior who couldn't protect his subordinates. The next Hokage position will surely belong to Danzo-sama. Only Danzo-sama can lead the Leaf to a stronger path."
The four exchanged words, fervently believing in the 'Danzo-sama' they spoke of.
According to the original plan, they should have launched a suicidal assault on the Sand Hidden camp from here. However, they were now merely watching as bystanders, completely indifferent to their village's ninjas being surrounded by the enemy.
"Should we leave now? There doesn't seem to be anything else to see."
"Wait, although I don't believe they have the ability to break through, just in case someone miraculously escapes, we'll go and eliminate the survivors. Leaving no loose ends is also an order from Danzo-sama."