Chapter 3: Summoning Jutsu
Ao's fingers lightly traced the Hidden Mist symbol on his Forehead Protector. His young face still bore traces of unwashed blood, and his eyes were filled with a desperate desire to prove himself.
"It's him! He killed our comrades!" Feizhu Qingting cried out in fury.
"Why are you so angry? You clearly killed one of mine too," Ao said coldly from a tree branch.
"Ao... this is getting troublesome."
The others didn't recognize Ao. After all, the Hidden Mist Village was located on a large island isolated from the mainland, and major wars between it and the Hidden Leaf Village were rare. It was normal for Konoha ninja to be unfamiliar with the young Ao.
It had been over twenty years since the last large-scale military operation between the Hidden Leaf Village and the Hidden Mist Village during the First Great Ninja War, making it quite a distant memory.
However, Tsukasa Kaede immediately recognized Ao, who had not yet acquired the Byakugan.
"He claims to be a Hidden Mist Jonin, but it could also be a psychological tactic," Kazematsuri Takuya whispered. "They have three people, we have four, but none of us are Jonin. For now, we can only try to buy time or escape, hoping our comrades nearby will notice the commotion and come."
Kazematsuri Takuya himself was only a Chunin, and the others were all Genin, none of whom were combat geniuses with powerful Ninjutsu. This meant their chances of victory were truly slim.
But even with such low odds, surrender was out of the question. The enemy would never accept the surrender of multiple Medical Ninja within the Land of Fire.
Kaedelently, a thin mist seemed to rise in the forest. Kazematsuri Takuya gripped a Kunai, spun it twice between his fingers, and then threw it with force.
"I'll fall back!"
Tsukasa Kaede roared, grabbed two injured comrades who were unable to fight, and abruptly flung them backward.
Almost simultaneously, a Kunai with an Explosive Tag was thrown at him. Fortunately, Kazematsuri Takuya's timely thrown Kunai struck its tail, altering its trajectory. It ultimately grazed Tsukasa Kaede's billowing clothes and embedded itself in a tree trunk two meters away.
Boom! Amidst the wood splinters flung by the violent explosion, Tsukasa Kaede stumbled, propelled by the blast's shockwave.
Ao's figure had already appeared directly in front of them, performing Hand Kaedegns. "You seem to have a numerical advantage, but not for long. Water Release: Hail!"
Dozens of water droplets poured down intensely.
Kazematsuri Takuya tore open his medical kit, and as it burst open, scattered bandages formed a spiderweb in the air. Feizhu Qingting attempted to defend himself with a Kunai, but as an ordinary Genin, he lacked powerful Taijutsu and even the most basic combat prowess. After frantically deflecting two water droplets, he was pierced by the third, exploding droplet—a bloody hole in his right shoulder was rapidly draining his body heat.
Kazematsuri Takuya and Feizhu Qingting were lucky; they survived Ao's Ninjutsu, but others were not so fortunate.
"This makes it three against three."
Two Hidden Mist ninja flashed past, leaving gruesome wounds across the medical ninja's body, their weapons finally extracted from his nape.
In a single exchange, Konoha had already lost one person.
The two individuals who were already severely wounded now had some of their injuries reopening. Without immediate medical attention, they would soon die.
The situation had deteriorated to a critical point; unless Konoha ninja arrived as reinforcements immediately, there was virtually no hope of survival.
Don't let Ao's seemingly clownish behavior fool you, like screaming for retreat upon seeing the Yellow Flash or Shisui of the Body Flicker. He always managed to anticipate danger and survive.
To some extent, the ability to act decisively is also quite remarkable.
Now, Ao judged that he could quickly kill these Konoha ninja in front of him and then escape the Land of Fire.
Kazematsuri Takuya roared, "Whether we can beat them or not, we can't reach the border! Our Mission has already failed! I'll hold them off, you guys escape!"
"You can scatter and run. Maybe one of you will survive," a Hidden Mist ninja scoffed.
"Impossible! Konoha ninja would never abandon their comrades!"
Kazematsuri Takuya actively launched an attack, intending to tie down the two Hidden Mist ninja and buy time for the others to escape.
However, considering Kazematsuri Takuya's Combat Power, this was an incredibly difficult task for him.
"We're doomed! We can't last more than a few minutes. Even if reinforcements arrive, it'll be too late. Damn it, damn it! I've ruined everything for you, for everyone!" Feizhu Qingting cried, banging his head in distress. He was already a somewhat volatile person, and now he completely lost control of his emotions.
A young Genin was, after all, still young.
Then again, who wouldn't break down when suddenly given hope, only for it to turn into despair in an instant, realizing that the so-called hope was merely a weapon used by the enemy to create that very despair?
Ao and Kazematsuri Takuya were already engaged, while the two Hidden Mist ninja charged separately at Feizhu Qingting and Tsukasa Kaede. They were certain to win, as long as they weren't hit in a vital spot by a Medical Ninja's Chakra scalpel.
"Don't wallow in regret, just run! As the Captain said, split up and escape!"
Tsukasa Kaede didn't hesitate. Enduring the severe pain from the explosion's impact, he turned around immediately.
For him, there was no need to agonize over whether the Mission or his comrades were more important; whichever helped him survive was paramount.
Tsukasa Kaede simply didn't care for platitudes like "those who don't cherish their comrades are worse than trash." In truth, most Konoha ninja wouldn't bother with such words when it truly mattered.
But at that very moment, as Tsukasa Kaede turned to flee, he grasped one injured comrade with each hand, the ones he had thrown earlier, and moved deeper into the forest with leaping steps, though not quickly.
Bang! Kazematsuri Takuya, whose Taijutsu wasn't particularly outstanding, was quickly defeated by Ao in close combat. Finally, a side-kick broke several of his ribs, sending him flying backward, spitting mouthfuls of blood.
"Kaede, you fool, even on the brink of death you haven't forgotten to protect your comrades, that's truly admirable... Then I won't disappoint you either! I'll risk my life to make sure you escape! Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Kazematsuri Takuya seized this fleeting moment, pressing his trembling hands to the ground. He had to buy time, even knowing that Tsukasa Kaede, carrying two people, would find it difficult to escape successfully.
The suddenly rising wall obscured the Hidden Mist ninja's vision. Kazematsuri Takuya knew it wouldn't do much, but even a tiny bit of delay would be enough.
By the time Ao destroyed the Earth-Style Wall with his Water Release Jutsu, the Konoha ninja were nowhere to be found amidst the scattering dust and debris.
"They won't get far. A Chunin with little talent, two Genin with almost no Chakra left... and one of them is even carrying two severely wounded individuals. Hmph, how foolish. Kio, that idiot is yours. Kill them all."
Ao snorted coldly, unfazed by the situation. Konoha ninja always seemed to be like this, constantly prattling on about boring things like comrades, Bonds, and friendship. Was this a way to flaunt their abilities with noble morality? No, it might also be a form of brainwashing to dispel negative emotions like fear and cowardice, thereby boosting their Combat Power. From that perspective, it wasn't a bad tactic.
The Hidden Mist Village was different. Kaedence the cruel Third Mizukage took office, countless lives had been taken. Hidden Mist ninja lived in constant fear, informing on each other, guarding against one another, and engaging in internal strife, to the point where the Village had already begun to show signs of becoming the "Bloody Mist."
...
Tsukasa Kaede coughed violently, visible streaks of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. Yet, even so, he still hadn't abandoned the two severely wounded and unconscious comrades.
Anyone witnessing this scene would undoubtedly marvel, believing Tsukasa Kaede to be a true practitioner of the Will of Fire.
"Have they caught up?"
There was no surprise on Tsukasa Kaede's face; buying these few minutes was already quite remarkable. "I heard that Hidden Mist ninja are generally cruel and cold-hearted. I thought you'd waste another minute or two to toy with me, enjoying the thrill of a small village ninja defeating a large village ninja."
Kio, the Hidden Mist ninja, appeared on a tree branch in front of Tsukasa Kaede. "Small village ninja? Don't underestimate the Hidden Mist Village. And with your age and physical condition, it feels like a gust of wind could blow you over. In the Hidden Leaf Village, you're probably just an outcast, so who would care about you?"
He watched Tsukasa Kaede panting heavily, yet still gently lowering the two injured comrades to the ground, and sneered, "Are you an idiot? Your body is so weak, yet you're trying to escape with two people... your speed is far too slow! Your Mission and your own life are the most important things, yet you'd abandon both to prioritize protecting your comrades. No wonder Captain Ao called you a fool."
"I'm not sure if Kazematsuri Takuya will survive against Ao, but that doesn't change what needs to be done... Thank you for giving me another minute. I think that should be enough."
After carefully positioning his two comrades, Tsukasa Kaede revealed his blood-stained hands; one hand was already forming a Hand Kaedegn, clearly having been secretly gathering more Chakra for a while.
"I felt something was off the moment I saw Feizhu Qingting and these two severely wounded individuals. I've been preparing a strategy since then. There's no chance of winning in a direct confrontation with you, and furthermore, for my Jutsu to activate successfully, it requires some time... The stronger the person, the longer the preparation time."
Not only was it due to his severely depleted Chakra, but also because these two critically injured individuals were quite strong, meaning Tsukasa Kaede needed even more time to achieve his goal.
Fortunately, he made it.
"Very well, kid, you've shown the proper reverence when facing a strong opponent. I'll let you die without pain—"
The opponent misunderstood, thinking Tsukasa Kaede was praising him as strong, and immediately flung out three Senbon.
"No, that's not it. My time is sufficient. The one who's going to die now... is you."
Tsukasa Kaede cut him off, slamming one hand down onto the ground.
Summoning Jutsu!
The ground suddenly churned like boiling water, and a black coffin burst forth from the earth.
(end of chapter)