The sound of the wind was cut by a dry crack.
Shluk!
One of the four unidentified shinobi fell before he could react, blood splattering on the muddy ground. Li Shang moved like a living shadow — each step was a sentence, each blow, a precise execution.
Crack!
The second enemy had his neck twisted in a single movement. The body collapsed without resistance, eyes still open in shock.
The screams echoed through the forest.
"GYAAAAH!"
"Aaaaaargh!"
Shlak!
In less than ten seconds, silence returned. The last of the four bodies fell to the ground, and Li Shang wiped his blade, his gaze impassive, without a trace of emotion.
In the distance, teams 7 and 9 were finishing immobilizing their opponents. Naruto and Lee, still vibrating with adrenaline, stopped what they were doing upon hearing the cutting sounds coming from Neji's direction. Sakura and Tenten exchanged confused glances, while even Sasuke raised his head, his brow furrowed.
"Those screams... what was that?" Naruto asked, swallowing hard.
Kakashi and Gai were nearby, guarding the captured Suna ninjas. The copying jounin averted his gaze in the direction where Li Shang had disappeared among the trees.
"Was he always this determined?" Kakashi asked, his voice low and controlled.
Gai crossed his arms and sighed.
"After the near-death accident with Hiashi... he transformed. He's not the same boy as before."
Kakashi observed the battlefield — the young Konoha ninjas did their best to only incapacitate the enemies. It was the traditional method, the most "correct." But Li Shang did not hesitate. He eliminated.
'Exactly like in the past.'
The thought weighed on his mind. For an instant, Kakashi saw himself reflected in Neji's cold gaze.
He remembered the war — the smell of blood, the trembling hands after the loss of each comrade.
'The difference is... I stopped when there was no one left to protect.'
On the other side of the clearing, Li Shang raised his face. The Tenseigan shone in crystalline blue, an unnatural contrast against the scene around him. He looked briefly at Kakashi and Gai, saying nothing, and then turned, wiping his sword on the body of one of the dead.
"They are avoiding using jutsus so as not to reveal their village."
Li Shang's cold voice cut the silence. He approached calmly and dropped a bloody body at Gai's feet. The dull thud of the fall caught everyone's attention.
"This guy is from Iwa."
Kakashi, who was analyzing the field nearby, looked up over his mask, assessing the body.
"Are you sure?"
Li Shang stared at him, his voice devoid of emotion.
"His will wasn't very strong. After losing an arm, he gave in."
The silence that followed was heavy. Even Naruto, who would normally break the mood with a joke or exclamation, remained quiet upon hearing that.
Gai crossed his arms, his expression serious.
"This is the second group to attack us. Kakashi, could some information have leaked?"
Kakashi observed the horizon, his gaze sharp.
"If it leaked, then someone is tracking our movements. Or they are testing the new Hokage."
Gai sighed, looking away at the young ninjas resting further back.
"Sasuke and Naruto are still exhausted from the last fight. Even Lee and Tenten have unstable chakra. If this continues, we will have to force a strategic retreat."
Li Shang retreated without saying anything. He silently climbed a nearby tree and crouched on one of the high branches, observing the field below.
The clearing was filled with bodies — nine, exactly. He counted them without needing to look twice. The bloodstains were already mixing with the earth, and the metallic smell hung in the air.
'Nine dead...'
Li Shang's fingers drummed on the hilt of his sword. The Tenseigan glowed in bluish tones, scanning the perimeter for more hidden presences.
'If I were alone, I could absorb all of them. The vital energy of a group like this would be enough for a significant advance.'
Irritation grew like a cold flame within him. The presence of others prevented him from acting freely. Konoha's moral code — to capture, to spare — seemed an increasingly useless burden.
'Cultivating in this world is like breathing with chains around my neck.'
Below, Kakashi and Gai continued talking in low voices.
"If it really is Iwa, then tensions on the borders are more serious than the Council imagines," Kakashi commented.
Gai nodded.
"They are probing us. They want to measure Konoha's response time. And, if Neji is right... this is just the beginning."
Li Shang kept his gaze fixed on the dense forest around, his senses sharpened.
'The beginning... then let them all come. If war is inevitable, at least it will serve as fertile ground for my cultivation.'
The wind blew, spreading the smell of death through the clearing.
While the others rested, Li Shang remained motionless high in the tree — like a living shadow, patient, watching and waiting for the next attack.
The following days were marked by constant tension. Since the last attack, the group had been moving in silence, attentive to every sound in the forest.
There were only two more confrontations, but each left deep marks. The first occurred during the crossing of a rocky valley — ambushed by a squad of eight masked enemies. Even prepared, the initial shock almost proved costly.
Sasuke, pressed against the rocks, had his gaze filled with fury and frustration. The chidori shone in his hand, cutting through the air and the body of the enemy in front.
The sound of tearing flesh echoed like a muffled thunder.
He stood still for a few seconds, panting, watching the body fall.
For the first time, the young Uchiha had killed someone.
"You had no choice," Kakashi said in a low voice, touching his disciple's shoulder.
But Sasuke's gaze remained fixed on the blood dripping from his kunai blade.
The second attack came days later, during the night. An even more silent, more coordinated group. This time, everyone fought with instinct — and not with hesitation.
Naruto crushed the chest of one of the opponents with a chakra-enhanced blow. Sakura, trembling, plunged a kunai into the throat of an enemy trying to reach Sasuke from behind.
Tenten eliminated her target with cold efficiency, driven by the need to protect the group.
The exception was Rock Lee, who, even in the brutality of the field, held back. He fought to incapacitate, not kill. Each of his punches broke bones, but left enough life for the enemy to breathe.
When silence returned to dominate the field, the young shinobi looked around, panting, covered in sweat and blood. No one celebrated. Victory had no taste.
Li Shang remained aloof, his eyes observing the surroundings. He perceived something beyond the visible — the vital energy slowly abandoning the bodies around.
'These were not ordinary soldiers... their chakra is dense, refined. All are well trained.'
The weight of the realization fell like a blade.
'So that's it... the previous attacks were just to measure our strength, analyze our tactics, and deplete our chakra reserves.'
His gaze rose to the mist-shrouded horizon, and an uncomfortable sensation took hold of his chest. The chakra trail coming from the west pulsed like a sinister signal.
'They are coming again... and now they will come with everything.'
The forest remained silent for only a few seconds — before the air around distorted, and multiple presences emerged at the edge of the field.
It was the beginning of the true attack.