Yukina moved through the thick mist, concealed by her camouflage jutsu and the deadly precision of the Silent Killing Technique. Her eyes narrowed as she carefully sensed the formation the Konoha shinobi were taking.
'They had arranged themselves in a circle around the supplies. I could infiltrate quietly and start killing them one by one, beginning with the weakest link. But the strategy carried risk. One mistake and my presence would be exposed. Even with the Invisible Wolf Jutsu, my Silent Killing Technique still falls short of Zabuza's. That bastard can kill without making a single sound. I'll need much more training before I reach that level.'
'Following Kengetsu-senpai's strategy gives me the highest probability of success. I'll wait for the right opportunity before moving toward Konoha's supply.'
Once she made her decision, Yukina suppressed her chakra and crept toward the carriage carrying Konoha's supplies, taking care not to alarm the Konoha shinobi stationed around it.
"SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!"
Suddenly, sharp whistling sounds cut through the air from every direction, and Yukina instantly dashed to the side.
"CLANK!, CLANK!, CLANK!, CLANK!, CLANK!"
Shinosuke broke free from the genjutsu Koko had cast. Without hesitation, he snatched a handful of shuriken from his pouch and hurled them toward the incoming kunai.
"Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu."
"SWISH!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough Jutsu."
"WHOOSH!"
A massive glob of water hurtled toward Shinosuke at incredible speed, but he responded instantly, blasting a powerful torrent of wind from his mouth to counter the Water Jutsu.
"BOOM!"
Kengetsu scowled, irritation flashing across his face as Shinosuke easily countered his jutsu and blasted the mist away.
'He's better than I thought. With a single jutsu he blocked my attack and blew away the mist. If I want to finish him, I'll have to go all out.'
Kengetsu unsheathed his katana and shunshined beside Shinosuke, swinging it in a swift arc aimed to behead him.
Shinosuke's instincts screamed at him; he ducked under Kengetsu's strike, snatched a kunai from his pouch, and drove it straight into Kengetsu's heart.
"SPLASH!"
Shinosuke's eyes widened as water splashed across his face the moment he thrust his kunai toward Kengetsu's heart.
'A Hozuki clan shinobi… damn it, they're always such a pain to deal with.'
A malicious smirk curling on his lips, Kengetsu spun his katana into a reverse grip and plunged it mercilessly into Shinosuke's spine.
"PUFF!"
The moment Kengetsu's blade pierced Shinosuke's spine, Shinosuke erupted into a blinding puff of white smoke. When the smoke cleared, a crude log lay in his place, eerily mimicking his fallen form.
'I knew it… this guy is a pain to deal with. Even catching him off guard won't help—he's the Third Hokage's son, after all.'
Shinosuke stood on the branch, and as their eyes met, the air between them seemed to thrum with killing intent.
Within seconds, they both shunshined from their spots, engaging in a rapid exchange of close-range blows.
"CLANK!, CLANK!, CLANK!, CLANK!, CLANK!"
Shinosuke's kunai clashed repeatedly against Kengetsu's katana, each strike sending sparks flying into the air like tiny stars igniting the battlefield.
Kengetsu gave a bloodthirsty smirk, reveling in the thrill of the battle as he matched Shinosuke strike for strike.
'This battle is so much fun it is a shame that I need to finish it quickly.'
With a sharp spin, Kengetsu delivered a roundhouse kick, yet Shinosuke flipped back just in time, putting a safe distance between himself and his foe.
He bit his thumb, rapidly forming a series of hand seals, then slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu."
"PUFF!"
From a curling wisp of white smoke, a small monkey—brown and white, no larger than a cat—emerged. Its eyes darted around, confusion etched on its tiny face, and when they settled on Shinosuke, a flicker of annoyance crossed its features.
Hidden beneath the folds of a dark bandana, the monkey's black eyes shimmered, its black-and-white kimono fluttering as it erupted in a scream of fury.
"Shinosuke, seriously! I was on a date with Sarina, making little monkeys with her, and you drag me away—again! Can't I get a break for once?"
Shinosuke didn't know whether to laugh out with amusement or cry from embarrassment but Kengetsu couldn't control himself he threw his head back and burst out in laughter.
"I really like this little monkey; he's so entertaining!"
Shinosuke's lips lifted in a brief, relieved smile at Kengetsu's words, yet the small monkey's dark eyes burned with fury, its murderous intent almost tangible in the air.
"Did you just call me little?"
Kengetsu raised his eyebrows in confusion and nodded.
"Yeah, I called you little—after all, you are a small monkey."
After confirming what it heard the little monkey yelled in anger.
"You've got some nerve, Kirigakure bastard—calling me little. I'll make you pay with your life!"
Kengetsu sweat drop upon hearing this.
'Hah… a summon with attitude? Well, this is certainly a first. I've never encountered one quite like it.'
The little monkey then pointed at Shinosuke and said.
"Listen, Shinosuke. I won't scold you for summoning me this time, but as for that Kirigakure bastard… he dies here, and he dies now."
Shinosuke gave a wide smirk and nodded.
"Fine, but be careful. He's from the Hozuki clan. I'll need to attack him with Lightning Release, your body isn't as strong as your father's."
The little monkey scoffed upon hearing this and replied.
"Don't worry—so long as you kill him, that's all that matters to me."
At that instant, the little monkey sprang into the air, twisting mid-flip with a blur of fur and bandana.
"Transform."
"PUFF!"
A thick cloud of white smoke swirled around the little monkey, and from its depths, a black staff twirled violently, descending toward Shinosuke.
The staff, black as midnight with silver tips at either end, felt weightless in Shinosuke's grasp
With decisive focus, Shinosuke poured lightning chakra into the staff, and its black surface shimmered as blue serpentine lightning twined and hissed along it.
"BZBZBZBZBZ!"
Kengetsu's gaze sharpened, drawn irresistibly to the staff Shinosuke held, alive with the chaotic dance of blue lightning chakra.
Without a hint of warning, Shinosuke hoisted the staff high above his head, then drove it down with bone-shaking force into the ground.
"BOOM!"
"BZBZBZBZBZ!"
"Lightning Release Screaming Waves."
"BZBZBZBZBZ!"
Countless waves of blue lightning surged toward Kengetsu, writhing like a legion of serpents that encircled him from every angle, cutting off every possible escape.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
Kengetsu screamed as the lightning waves tore through him, his body convulsing in agony. In the very next instant, he vanished in a blinding puff of white smoke, leaving nothing behind but a lone log where he had stood.
"Substitution jutsu!"
"Tsk… he's skilled. Sarugi, can you sense him?"
"Give me a second."
Kengetsu frowned while hidding between the tree branches.
'Damn… his Lightning Release is way too refined. This battle going to push me to my limits.'
Blue lightning sparks danced around Kengetsu as he frowned, feeling his body stiffen under the creeping paralysis.
'His wind jutsu blocked my Water Jutsu, blew the mist away… now he uses Lightning Release. This guy's too skilled—and he looks about my age.'
'Father once told me the Sarutobi clan has a strong affinity for Fire Release. If that's the case… then Shinosuke must be proficient in it too.'
'This battle is going to be a real headache… I'll need to outsmart him. The substitution jutsu I executed just now was pure luck.'
Kengetsu concealed his chakra presence and quickly checked his pouch. A moment later, he pushed himself up and muttered quietly under his breath.
"That jutsu still isn't perfected… I'll need the others to back me up if I want to use it. For now, I just have to buy enough time for Yukina to deal with the supplies."
Kengetsu's eyes hardened, and in the next instant he shunshined away from his position.
_______
With Zabuza
Zabuza frowned as Shinosuke's wind jutsu swept the mist away, ruining the cover he had relied on.
'Tch… those Konoha bastards ruined it. With the mist as cover, killing them would've been easy.'
Three Konoha genin stiffened as they faced Zabuza. With wary eyes, they pulled handful shuriken from their pouches, and in the next instant one of them sent the blades slicing through the air toward him.
"SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!"
Zabuza vanished from his spot, leaving behind a fading afterimage. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared beside one of the genins, his massive cleaver carving through the air as he swung it down mercilessly.
"SQUASH!"
"AAAAAHHHH!"
"THUD!, THUD!"
Zabuza cleaved the genin in two. The body collapsed in gruesome halves, leaving the remaining two genin rooted to the spot, staring in horror at what was left of their teammate.
Zabuza scoffed at their frightened reactions and strode toward them with slow, deliberate steps.
'Damn it! Out of sheer instinct, I used Yukina's jutsu… Curse you, Yukina! I swear, I will surpass you someday.'
A sharp whistle cut through the air, and in an instant, he lunged sideways, evading the flurry of shurikens aimed at him.
In a heartbeat, three chunin stood before the two remaining genin, their presence undeniable and threatening.
Zabuza scoffed at the chunins and said.
"Do the three of you really think ganging up on me will make a difference? I'll finish all of you in a single strike."
"SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!"
A barrage of bone bullets erupted from the shadows, racing toward the Konoha chunins. They ducked instinctively, but the genins trailing them weren't fast enough—the projectiles pierced them through, ending their lives immediately.
"PU!, PU!"
With a sudden blur, Hiro stood next to Zabuza, his eyes glinting with bloodlust, yet Zabuza scowled and snapped at him sharply.
"Hiro! You damn bastard! Those genins were mine to slaughter! How dare you step in?"
Hiro scoffed upon hearing this and replied.
"Zabuza, zipped up, is this really how you thank me for saving your ass? And don't forget—you're not even the team captain here."
Zabuza opened his mouth to retort, but before a word could leave, Ameyuri's sharp, booming laughter cut through the air, halting him in his tracks.
"HAHAHA, THIS IS SO MUCH FUN I AM GOING TO FRY YOU ALL UP."
Ameyuri and Yagura blurred into motion, flanking Zabuza and Hiro. Ameyuri's smile was sharp and predatory, a silent vow to drench the ground with the blood of the three chunins. Yagura, by contrast, remained stoic, letting out a resigned sigh as if the carnage was inevitable yet burdensome.
'Seems I'm the only one with a shred of sanity among them… why are they so bloodthirsty? I can't make sense of it.'
________
With Mei and Koko
Watching the situation unfold, Mei, who had been guarding Koko, couldn't help but smile.
"Koko-chan, let's move and back up those idiots."
Koko smiled, nodded, and in a blur of movement, they shunshined from their positions, appearing beside Zabuza and the others in an instant.
"What… do you two think you're doing? Again I'll say it—this is my fight."
"SLAP!"
Mei slapped Zabuza sharply on the back of his head and snapped.
"Zabuza, quit being stubborn! We have to complete this mission—failure isn't an option."
Zabuza's eyes narrowed, but he gave a grudging nod and spoke.
"Fine let's finish these three losers now."
Everyone grinned at the words, forming a tight circle around the three chunins before lunging forward without a moment's hesitation.
__________
With Mangetsu and Shingo
Mangetsu and Shingo planted their feet firmly, backs pressed together, forming an unspoken shield for one another. Around them, four Konoha chunins circled like predators, eyes sharp, hands twitching toward their weapons. The tension hung thick in the air, a silent countdown to the storm about to erupt.
Shingo's hands moved quickly, retrieving two scrolls from his back.
"I'll handle the two in front of me. The other two are yours."
Mangetsu smirked and nodded his head.
"Got it don't die on me man."
With a sharp snort, Shingo snapped open the two scrolls and swiftly formed the ram hand seal.
"PUFF!, PUFF!"
Two massive puffs of white smoke erupted from the scrolls, and before Shingo, two puppets materialized, ready for battle.
A massive puppet appeared from one of the scrolls its jet-black body shaped like a formidable turtle, its shell covered in jagged armor plates that gleamed under the dim light. From the rear of its carapace, a sinuous snake slithered out, its scales glinting like coiled steel.
The puppet moved with an eerie, mechanical precision, each step shaking the ground slightly, and the snake's fangs grew, ready to strike at any moment.
The other puppet emerged from a swirl of smoke, medium. Its sleek body was coated in pristine white, each movement fluid and predatory, reminiscent of a real tiger stalking its prey. Bold black stripes traced across its back and limbs, curling and twisting in natural patterns that gave it a lifelike realism.
The claws, though mechanical, gleamed sharply under the light, ready to swipe or pounce at a moment's notice. Its tail swished behind it like a pendulum, balancing the puppet as it crouched into a predatory stance a perfect imitation of a living predator.
The Konoha chunins were surprised upon seeing the puppets and one of them said.
"How is this possible? The Puppeteer Art is a secret art safeguarded by Sunagakure! How did Kirigakure get their hands on it?"
The other chunin didn't reply. He stared at Shingo with a slow, calculating gaze, a faint smirk curling on his lips.
"It doesn't matter. We'll capture him and hand him over to Inochi-san. That way, we'll finally know how Kirigakure got their hands on the puppeteer art."
Mangetsu smirked, his gaze sharp and unreadable, and said.
"Shingo, they're looking down on us. Don't you think that's downright insulting?"
Shingo chuckled, but he didn't answer Mengetsu. In the next instant, two of his fingers twitched. Instantly, the tiger's jaw, the turtle's mouth, and the snake's fanged maw snapped open wide, unleashing a relentless hail of senbons that rained down on the two chunins before him, each needle-like projectile whistling through the air with lethal precision. Smoke and dust blurred the edges of the battlefield as the sheer speed and volume of the attack left little room to react.
"SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!, SWISH!"
"Guardians Puppets Art: Senbons Shower."
The two chunins lunged sideways, twisting and dodging with all their might, but the storm of senbons was relentless. Sharp needles whistled past, some piercing shoulders and cutting across knees, leaving stinging trails of pain in their wake.
Mangetsu's lips curled into a sly smirk, his eyes glinting with calculated anticipation. With a fluid motion, he unsheathed his twin katanas, the steel catching the light as they hummed softly, a silent promise of the chaos they were about to unleash.
'Well… I can't let the newcomer outshine me. If he does, I'll never be able to face Yukina-chan again.'
He lunged at the two chunins in front of him without a trace of hesitation. In response, the chunins tightened their grips on their kunais and surged forward, aiming straight for Mangetsu.
"SPLASH!, SPLASH!"
One of the chunins lunged forward, his kunai aimed straight for Mangetsu's heart, while the other struck from the side, driving his blade toward Mangetsu's throat. Time seemed to freeze as the two attacks converged, testing Mangetsu's reflexes to their absolute limit.
However, the two chunins froze, their eyes widening in sheer disbelief. The moment their kunais pierced what they thought was flesh, Mangetsu's neck and chest melted into a liquid, shimmering mass, flowing like water around the blades. The sudden, unnatural transformation sent a splash cascading over them, soaking their attires and leaving them staggered, hearts pounding with a mix of fear.
Mangetsu's smirk widened, reading their shock like an open book. Seizing the moment, he lunged forward, thrusting both of his katanas in perfect unison at the two chunins. The blades cut through the air with a deadly precision, leaving barely a fraction of time for them to react.
"PU!"
The first chunin let out a choked gasp as Mangetsu's blade pierced straight through his chest, blood blossoming across his uniform. He crumpled to the ground, his eyes wide with shock.
The second chunin, heart hammering, barely managed to twist backward as Mangetsu's katana slashed through the air where he had stood a heartbeat ago. Sparks flew as the blade missed him by inches, cutting deep grooves into the stone behind him. He landed on his feet, breath ragged, eyes locked on Mangetsu, calculating his next best move..
Mangetsu smirked, the glint of his katana catching the faint light. He tilted the blade slightly, letting the sharp edge hum ominously as he fixed the chunin with a piercing stare. His eyes were cold, calculating, like a predator sizing up its prey, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to thicken with anticipation of the strike to come.
'Not bad… the way he dodged my katana. He's not just any chunin—this one's a high-level. Definitely above average.'
The chunin stood few feet away from Mangetsu he had a lean, muscular frame that hinted at disciplined training but not excess. His features were ordinary, almost unremarkable, yet framed by round shades that hid his eyes, giving him an enigmatic air. Fair-skinned and alert, he carried a gourd strapped to his back, the contents of which seemed as mysterious as his calm demeanor.
Over the standard Konoha Chunin attire, a brown coat draped loosely around him, swaying slightly with every movement, blending practicality with a subtle hint of style. Every element of his appearance—from the shades to the gourd—spoke of a ninja prepared for anything, yet unconcerned with showing off.
"BZZZZZZZZZ!"
Countless beetles swarmed out from the Konoha chunin, and the gourd on his back burst open on its own, releasing even more beetles that filled the air above him.
Mangetsu's eyes widened, and his usual smirk faltered for the briefest second. The scene before him was unlike anything he had anticipated.
'This guy… he must be from the Aburame clan. Goro-sensei mentioned them—shinobi who fight using insects. I have to be careful. Those beetles… they'll drain my chakra. Even my Hydrification Kekkei Genkai won't work against them. I can't afford to underestimate this guy.'
_______
With Yukina
While everyone outside was engrossed in their chaotic battle, Yukina moved like a shadow, silent and deliberate. She slipped into the carriage unnoticed, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. Inside, neatly stacked along the walls, were crates of medical supplies—bandages, potions, and vials of healing herbs. A slow, confident smirk spread across her elegant face as she ran her fingers over the contents.
"Well, too bad… these aren't the food supplies I wanted. I could've used the poison Kengetsu-senpai gave me. Hmph… oh well, I guess blowing up these medical supplies will have to do."
Yukina's fingers moved with calculated precision, attaching each explosive tag onto the medical supplies with a swift, fluid motion. Her eyes glinted with mischief as she ensured no piece was left untouched. Once every tag was in place, she stepped back, measuring the distance to safety with a practiced gaze.
Taking a deep breath, she formed the ram hand seal, and in an instant, the air was ripped with a sudden loud explosions freezing everyone in battlefield.
"BOOM!, BOOM!, BOOM!, BOOM!, BOOM!"
The medical supplies erupted with a deafening roar, flames licking hungrily at the wooden carriage until it splintered and collapsed in a cascade of fire and debris. Shards of wood and shattered glass were flung into the air, spinning like deadly sparks before crashing to the ground. A thick, black plume of smoke spiraled upward, blotting out the sun and choking the battlefield in its acrid haze. The reverberation of the explosion shook the earth, leaving scorched tracks across the nearby terrain. Amid the chaos, Yukina remained poised at a safe distance, her eyes glinting with cold satisfaction, a faint smirk barely visible behind the swirling curtain of smoke that hid her triumph.
'Explosions have always captivated me—the way fire and smoke dance in the air is mesmerizing and beautiful. The rush of orchestrating chaos on the battlefield gives me a thrill like nothing else except for sex blowing things up makes me so hot.'
Yukina let the last traces of her camouflage jutsu fade, her lips curling as she licked them as she watched the huge fire burning the carriage and the medical supplies.
Suddenly, Her eyes narrowed, piercing the shadows, as a surge of chakra signature charging towards her with incredible speed . A low, almost predatory hum ran through her veins, and a bloodthirsty smirk spread across her face. She didn't flinch—she thrived on the incoming storm.
"This guy's chakra… it's dense, way stronger than Juzo's sensei. Huh… interesting. I wonder if he's handsome." She tilted her head, a sly smile playing at the corner of her lips, her curiosity masked by the thrill of the hunt.
Yukina slowly drew her katana, waiting patiently for the one charging toward her.
'It is time for me to have my fun.'
__________