The exchange with the Anbu went exactly as Takeshi expected, and even less as he wanted.
Two squads, eight individuals. They were not particularly strong, nor outstanding frontal fighters. But they were ruthless as only off-screen shinobi could be.
The tags detonated behind the Yuki, shaking his flashy Akatsuki cloak with an epic and dramatic effect, giving him the air of a relevant villain, or so he thought.
The shockwave sent one Anbu flying while another's legs were cooked by the flames, eliciting a barely audible whimper of pain from him. The third performed some strange maneuver, changing his direction mid-jump and saving himself from suffering injuries.
A fourth member, whom Takeshi didn't know if he was the squad leader or just another guy, wove hand seals and spat a standard fireball at the Akatsuki. Takeshi countered with a torrent of water, nullifying the enemy Jutsu and obtaining a thick cloud of steam for cover.
His hands blurred into seals, forming ice around him and shaping it into humanoids in an instant.
The efficient ice clones shot out towards the Anbu while Takeshi continued to chain seals.
Outside the cloud of steam, the four Anbu were met by abrupt charges from the Bunshin, who forced them into a brief hand-to-hand combat.
But Takeshi wasn't worried about the Anbu. He wanted to take advantage of the little adrenaline the fight generated to complete the hard part of his mission without remorse getting him into trouble.
Water gushed around him, compressing and forming thin, icy needles that danced ominously for a few seconds.
The noise of the fight and the explosions caught the attention of the villagers, most of them locking themselves in their homes and huddling with their families.
But some foolish people chose the worst time to run out, afraid of being next if they stayed in their houses. An accurate thought, very accurate. Too bad it wouldn't work out for them.
The Yuki shot out of the nearly vanished steam cloud, ignoring his Bunshin and the Anbu in combat, fixing his brown eyes on the terrified civilians running in search of survival.
The ice Senbon received the command, and an avalanche of death fell upon the poor wretches, mainly stabbing their skulls for a swift and painless death.
There were no cries of pain, nor pitiful moans. Only the slight crunch of bone being penetrated and the dull thud of running bodies suddenly losing mobility, like puppets with their strings cut.
—It's okay, you got this, buddy. They are just fictional characters from a fictional world. They are not real, just extras placed there to fill the setting— Takeshi repeated to himself, pretending to maintain a touch of humanity, even as he was breaking into the other houses with the storm of needles swirling around him.
He made sure not to look directly at any of his victims, nor to cause unnecessary pain. A needle in the skull, between the eyes, in the back of the head.
Fast, efficient, and, as far as possible, merciful. At the very least, it was better than sending an explosive tag to their face or throwing a fireball at them, mutilating and burning them.
Mothers sobbed for mercy, children stared with dread in their eyes, babies cried without understanding what was happening, and fathers or older siblings charged at him with challenging roars, trying to protect their loved ones.
Takeshi killed them all, without exception. Luckily, he already had experience in the matter and didn't end up vomiting. Unfortunately, that experience was limited to petty thieves, bandits, and other shinobi. Scum, not children. Assassins, not helpless women.
Meanwhile, the Anbu had managed to tip the scales by having two of them coordinate to eliminate the same Bunshin, gaining numerical superiority.
—Hey, don't let them split up and escape!— one clone warned another, weaving seals and spitting a wall of water to shield himself from the rain of shuriken thrown against him.
The other Bunshin nodded, cursing its main body for not giving them throwing weapons with which to control the terrain while spending its own chakra to spit an endless barrage of water projectiles.
The Anbu who tried to leave the encirclement was forced to retreat, a little surprised by the incredible volume of attacks the Bunshin relentlessly unleashed.
—Captain, I think that's the main body!— an Anbu informed the one who seemed to coordinate the others in a whisper. The Captain, wearing a bird mask, shook his head. This shinobi was a sensor and could detect the dense chakra of the main body rampaging against the civilians in their homes.
—It is not. They are all Bunshin— he said solemnly, weaving seals quickly and slapping the ground.
The clones narrowed their eyes at the enemy movement. Dark Release was not very effective at absorbing chakra used to manipulate already existing matter, as most Earth Release Ninjutsu usually were.
The clone fighting the Anbu captain and the one firing the water bullets jumped to the sides, evading the unexpectedly fast earth spears that shot up from the ground.
The attack was on a surprising scale, interrupting the other fights as well.
—Disperse!— the bird Anbu shouted, mobilizing chakra along his spine and limbs in preparation for a Shunshin.
The others did the same, the less capable having to weave up to two seals to complete the technique. But they forgot the nature of their opponents, and probably some had never encountered an ice clone in their lives.
An instant before the most skilled of the Anbu darted away, all the Bunshin dispelled the technique with an intense explosion of ice fragments in unison.
Positioned around the Anbu and among them, the seven Bunshin caught the Konoha shinobi off guard.
Muffled groans resonated, grunts of pain escaped from some throats, and a couple of final gasps marked the success of the tactic.
The fastest of the Anbu to execute the Shunshin crashed into a tree, half-dead upon impact and with his body horribly perforated, leaving a trail of blood along his trajectory.
The less fortunate received debilitating but non-fatal cuts and stabs, although they also failed to complete the technique or were outright sent flying a few meters before falling face-first.
Two of them died instantly, struck in their throats and other vital points. The other, less experienced Anbu captain, received some fragments in his eyes, completely disabling him.
Only two of the Anbu had the strength to get up again and complete the Shunshin, getting away from the scene as fast as possible.
What they didn't notice was that there was a ninth Ice Clone that hadn't been involved in the initial battle, in case something like this happened. That clone pursued them and ambushed them in the forest, silencing them forever.