"Although it's nearing the end of the Second Shinobi World War, it's still wartime," Yūbi thought to himself.
The environmental pressure felt by ninjas during wartime was naturally different.
The patrol missions they took on usually lasted for months… and they weren't even on the front lines; this was already considered a low-risk C-rank mission.
But in special circumstances, even a C-rank mission could be extremely dangerous for fresh graduates from the Ninja Academy.
Chūnin Endō walked to the cave entrance, cautiously observing the outside.
The two genin beside Yūbi grew increasingly tense.
It felt like an eternity…
After a while, Endō frowned, picked up a stone, left a special mark on the cave wall, and turned to the three. "Pack your things and move to another location."
Yūbi immediately sprang into action, first helping the injured chūnin to his feet.
"Hurry up!"
Seeing the remaining two still dazed, Endō urged them sharply.
It had been too long; their companion who went to find Shimada should have returned by now.
Something had likely happened.
Though uncertain, they had to prepare for the worst.
The two genin quickly grabbed their belongings.
Then, Endō destroyed all traces of their presence inside the cave.
He led them away.
Fortunately, the injured chūnin could still move, though he was quite weak.
"To survive on the battlefield, you need to stay alert."
The five of them raced through the canyon.
Yūbi stared at Endō's figure, a thought flashing through his mind.
What if the chūnin who went to find their companion had encountered the enemy? He might reveal their hideout, leading to their capture.
"But that's not the main problem... The enemy has infiltrated this deep, which means the frontline guards and patrols have been breached. The lack of prior warning suggests the enemy isn't numerous… but they must be very strong." Yūbi's mind raced. "Judging from the timing… Nomura might have encountered them too. If it's a spearhead squad and intelligence wasn't relayed, then the entire second-line force is currently unaware of the enemy's presence."
That was the most terrifying part.
By this time, it was completely dark, and the valley was even dimmer due to the sandstorm.
But Endō, relying on his familiarity with the terrain, led the group without slowing down.
Whoosh!
Just as they were moving, Yūbi's ears twitched; he suddenly heard a faint whooshing sound.
"Watch out!"
He shouted immediately.
A kunai shot from an unknown direction, aimed directly at the two slower genin lagging behind.
A burning explosive tag was attached to it.
Boom!
Although Yūbi's warning was timely, his two companions were stiff—especially in their highly tense state of mind, which slowed their reactions.
After a burst of fireworks and explosions, Yūbi—clutching his nose against the smoke—landed on a boulder, hearing only the screams of his companions.
Someone was injured!
Yūbi swiftly pulled a weapon from his pouch: a scalpel—not the kunai typically used by ninjas.
He covered his nose with one hand, preparing for battle with the other.
At the same time, his cold eyes swept the surroundings.
"Ahhh…"
A dozen meters away, one boy injured in the explosion lay on the ground, screaming continuously.
"Still conscious… means it's not too serious."
Yūbi instinctively assessed as a doctor upon hearing the screams, but his gaze didn't linger on the boy.
"Yo, quick reaction…"
The moment they stopped, the enemy caught up.
A voice came from above Yūbi's head.
A shinobi from Amegakure appeared, wearing a tight-fitting white ninja uniform like a rubber raincoat, with four vertical lines on his forehead protector.
Like a cheetah, the opponent leaped onto the wall above and behind Yūbi, standing at a ninety-degree angle to the ground, firmly planted, and looking down at the wary boy with a mocking expression.
"The worst is yet to come…" Yūbi's heart sank upon seeing this.
The opponent's appearance was too conspicuous.
Amegakure… and judging from his attire, he was an elite member personally trained by Hanzō of the Salamander, the demigod of the ninja world.
As soon as he finished speaking, the Amegakure shinobi attacked from mid-air.
He transformed into a streak of lightning.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the kunai and scalpel clashed and passed each other.
"Huh?"
The Amegakure's attack failed, and his expression showed clear surprise.
The boy in front of him had some skill…
"However… he's still too inexperienced."
The Amegakure seemed to land directly in front of Yūbi, then turned and charged.
But the next second, his ferocious face appeared out of nowhere from behind the guarded Yūbi.
As he spoke, the kunai in his hand stabbed toward the boy's neck.
A typical clone technique… using a clone to distract and give the main body an opportunity for a fatal blow.
Now… he should succeed, right…?
The man smirked.
However, what surprised him even more was what happened next.
The boy seemed to have anticipated the underhanded move. The instant the main body approached, he suddenly turned and unleashed a flash of cold light.
The Amegakure's attack immediately stopped, and he retreated.
Fortunately, he pulled back quickly—otherwise, that blade would have slit his throat.
"…"
Still shaken, the Amegakure shinobi stood ten meters away and reached up to touch the wound on his cheek where the boy's strange blade had grazed him.
After repelling him, Yūbi had also managed to dispel the clones attacking from both sides in short order.
At this time, the others in the valley were fighting as well.
"There should only be three or four of them… they should be able to hold them off for a while." Yūbi analyzed, listening to the sounds from other directions.
"Not bad… You have some combat experience. For your age, your taijutsu is quite impressive… No wonder you're a ninja trained by a great ninja village." The Amegakure sneered, even clapping mockingly for Yūbi, but the killing intent in his eyes grew increasingly obvious.
"Water Clone… Water Release chakra. Looks like a ninja skilled in Water Release." Yūbi remained calm.
"Water Release: Iron Water Bullet!"
Immediately afterward, the Amegakure formed hand seals.
Like a machine gun, several fist-sized water bullets shot from his mouth.
Though it wasn't a Water Release ninjutsu Yūbi was familiar with, the appearance was quite similar.
It resembled the Hōzuki clan's Water Gun Technique, but the speed and power were far inferior.
At least, at this distance, Yūbi could react.
The rubble under his feet exploded as Yūbi's figure darted and shifted repeatedly.
However, just as he thought he could dodge and kept moving, several slender, hidden senbon needles suddenly shot out in front of him.
Bang!
The next second, his body was accurately hit by the senbon.
But it exploded into a puff of white smoke.
"Huh?"
The Amegakure was startled.
Turning around, he saw a short figure appear beside him—mirroring his previous sneak attack.
The figure retaliated with the same method.
"A clone? When?"
The Amegakure's heart skipped a beat.
"Data capture complete. Model established. Initiating counterattack."
Yūbi murmured expressionlessly, his voice barely audible.