Masks, armor, sword.
Standard Kirigakure's Anbu's equipment.
These nine who had just body-flickered in were Ninjas from the Kirigakure's Anbu's Third Division. They had come from Kirigakure, carrying the spirit jar sealed with the Three-Tails.
"Moon…"
"You've worked hard."
Sora looked at the woman at the front of the group, who wore a mask and had long white hair, and spoke in a light tone.
The spirit jar sealed with the Three-Tails was inside the scroll on this woman's person.
"Mmm."
The white-haired woman nodded, then suddenly said something rather inexplicable, "It seems that not being able to kill you during the Chunin Exams back then means I probably won't get another chance in this lifetime."
"Also…"
"For this mission, by Mizukage-sama's order, Frost, you are the supreme commander. All actions take priority based on your commands."
After speaking, she handed the scroll containing the spirit jar to Sora.
This woman is Hozuki Meigetsu, an Elite Jonin of Kirigakure, and the Captain of the Anbu's Third Division.
In terms of rank, she was Sora's equal. She was a Ninja from Kirigakure's great Hozuki Clan and a true genius.
In the fiercely competitive Village of the Bloody Mist, she was promoted to Jonin at age 11, reached Elite Jonin level at 13, and became an Anbu Captain at 15. Her path was so dazzling it was even more exaggerated than Konoha's prodigy, Hatake Kakashi.
The talent of the Hozuki Clan was indeed well-deserved.
A pity though…
While her talent was extraordinary, she was just born in the wrong place. According to the original work, Meigetsu had only just begun her development for a few years when she encountered the major event that changed the Naruto World's plotline. She ran into the final boss right out of the gate, belonging to the category of Talent S, Luck E!
"Hmph!"
"Captain!"
"Why hand over the team's command to this trash who got Jinpachi-sama killed?"
At that moment, an angry, masked Anbu behind Meigetsu spoke up, "He's just an incompetent loser. If we hand over command and the mission fails again, what then!??"
"Hmm?"
Before Sora could even speak, a grim expression appeared on Meigetsu's face beneath her mask. Before leaving the village, she had already made the orders clear.
'Was this guy from the Munashi Clan challenging my authority!??'
'Got Munashi Jinpachi killed?'
Sora's expression, however, became subtle.
'These Anbu had come from the village. In other words, was the narrative in the village painting him as the chief culprit responsible for the mission's failure?'
"Shut your mouth!"
Meigetsu's almond-shaped eyes widened. She turned around and glared angrily at the challenging subordinate from the Munashi Clan.
"He dared to do it, why can't I dare to say it?"
The Anbu still dissatisfied and shouted, "Not only did he get Jinpachi-sama killed, but he also caused heavy losses to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. Even the Combat Division's Yagura was severely injured. Yet he alone came out unscathed. If he didn't desert his post, who would believe it?"
The atmosphere in Kirigakure never held much reverence for superiors to begin with. Many Ninjas didn't even respect the Mizukage, hence the large number of Missing-Nin.
Moreover.
Jinpachi of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was this man's cousin. With the support of this high-ranking and powerful cousin, he could have smoothly risen through the ranks and might even have reached the position of Anbu Captain in the future.
But now, with Jinpachi's sudden death, his political prospects had cooled off by ninety-nine percent.
As the saying goes, taking someone's wealth is like killing their parents. This Ninja from the Munashi Clan naturally viewed Sora with extreme disfavor.
"You!"
Meigetsu's voice also rose. Her expression had escalated from displeasure to clear anger.
Her subordinate's sudden defiance was like slapping her in the face publicly!
"Frost, I think you should still hand over command to Moon-sama…"
Just as the Munashi Clan's Ninja was still provoking incessantly, his head suddenly flew into the air.
A fountain of blood spurted skyward.
"Pfft!"
Amidst the gushing blood, the headless corpse instantly collapsed.
'What a fast Body Flicker Technique!'
Meigetsu turned around, her gaze filled with extreme astonishment as she looked at Sora, who had struck so decisively. She hadn't even seen Sora's movement before her subordinate was directly killed!!!
It's too fast!
A speed even she, an Elite Jonin, couldn't react to!
Petrified.
Stunned.
Horrified.
The other seven Anbu's members all looked at Sora, who had drifted over, with terrified eyes, watching as he killed the disrespectful man with a single sword stroke.
"Are you kidding me!"
'Yuda was the strongest in the team besides Moon-sama! How could he be killed in one strike!??'
An Anbu's member couldn't help but exclaim inwardly, his face changing color.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Kurumi, Yuzuki, and Toden also drew their swords and flickered to Sora's side. They stared warily at their colleagues surrounding them, looking ready to fight at the slightest disagreement.
"Anyone else have something to say?"
Sora spoke lightly, his gaze sweeping over the remaining Anbu with utmost calm.