10 Chapter: 10
"We have received word that the Hidden Sand and Hidden Stone are mobilizing their forces as we speak."
The old man paused in his speech, after all, his words had just ignited a fire under most of the ANBU's asses. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide,
"As of this instance, all missions assigned to the ANBU below rank A are suspended indefinitely!"
'Wut!?'
"We will send a strike force to Hoshigakure to reinforce their defenses and repel any aggressors."
'WUT!?'
"The ANBU Black Ops. will be the vanguards, leading the charge! Our forces will be divided into strike teams and coordinate with our allies to launch preemptive strikes against the enemy forces once they cross the border into Hoshigakure."
'WUT!!!???'
"The success of this mission is paramount. Failure is not an option. We must protect our allies at all costs and show the world that the Hidden Leaf stands strong against any threat!"
His words were met with the resounding silence from the gathered ANBU, their spirits were ignited alright, but discipline kept them quiet.
"Each of you has been chosen for your exceptional abilities and unwavering dedication to the village. The Will of Fire burns ever bright in your souls!"
The old man's gaze swept over the gathered ANBU members, his eyes shining bright,
"Remember, you are the protectors of the Hidden Leaf and its honor! And tonight, you will shine brighter than ever before. Now, go forth, and may the Will of Fire guide your path!"
With that final command, the Third Hokage disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving the ANBU members to prepare for their mission
'Man, talk about troublesome!'
The old bastard was talking about stuff that might ignite the Third Shinobi World War!
But wasn't it started by an emo kid from the Sand village, he killed their leader and then disappeared, right? Did the butterfly effect kick in? But all she's done is order an extra large spicy beef ramen!
Then, could it be that Spicy Beef Ramen is the main cause behind the Third Shinobi World War?
While Kaori was busy making a mush out of her brain, the ANBU members had already begun organizing themselves into strike teams.
Generally speaking, a Strike team consists of at least one Elite Jonin or Jonin, and at least five or more Chunin. Owl's squad already consisted of one Elite Jonin, one Jonin, and seven Chunin, enough to form a strike squadron.
"Alright, listen up,"
Owl's voice cut through the murmur of the ANBU that surrounded them, and he had somehow procured a scroll that was not with him before. How curious,
"Lord Hokage's orders, I will be your acting Captain for this mission. Meet me at the western gate in thirty minutes, prepare for a long journey and possibly your last one."
With that he too disappeared from his spot, presumably having left to inform the Hyuga clan of the volatile policies of Hidden Leaf on the matter. The rest of the squad followed after him, except for Kaori, she just stood there for a minute.
'A suicide mission? Just great!'
Kaori sighed deeply as she processed the gravity of the situation. Now she regretted not having stayed in the hospital for a little while longer, maybe she could have avoided this mess altogether. She shook her head and made her way back to the ANBU dormitory.
The place was bustling with excitement, everyone was preparing for War. It was not just the prospect of conflict and honor that excited them, but also the possibility of promotion. War was the best time to make a meritorious resume and rise through the ranks of ANBU.
She gathered her gear swiftly, the ones she received from the beginner's pack and the standard gear issued by the ANBU department. Of course, to check the authenticity of the system, she had tried summoning all the gears, and to her surprise, it was not an elaborate Genjutsu.
Following the cardinal rule of an ANBU, she made a thorough inventory,
'Kunai? 50 from the card and another 20 from the ANBU.'
'Shuriken? 100 from the card, and another 50 from the ANBU.'
'Paper bomb? Smoke bomb? Flash bang? 20, 20, 10.'
'Ninja string? Twenty-meter long spool.'
'Medical kit? Ration pills? Dried rations? Check, check, and check!'
Except for the explosives and flashbangs, she thought she had packed up quite nicely!. Now, to focus on how she could survive the upcoming battle. She had thought long and hard, finally deciding on what steps she could take to ensure her survival,
'Although I got a day's worth of training in, I don't think I can exert my full powers yet.'
But... desperate situations call for desperate measures,
'Alright, I might as well use it while I can.'
She made herself comfortable on the cot, removing her mask and propping herself against the wall,
'Menu,'
The interface flickered into life, showing her own figure draped in ANBU gear and a small chart next to it.
'Will it hurt to use a bloodline card?'
[Answer: Very much.]
Shit, that's what she was afraid of.
'How long will it take?'
[Answer: Ten minutes.]
Alright, she had twenty-five to spare, so she might as well get on with it.
'Inventory!'
[Inventory:
- Talent Card(White): Tranquility.
- Talent Card(Light Blue): Snake's Bite
- Bloodline Card(Red): Uzumaki
- Kenjutsu Card(Green): C-Rank: Iai
- Kenjutsu Card(Green): C-Rank: Chakra Blade
- Shurikenjutsu Card(Light Blue): D-Rank: Shadow Shuriken Jutsu
- Leaf Concentration Technique Card
- EXP Points: + 872
- Physique Enhancement Cards(+5 & +25)
- Old Tanto(White)
- ANBU Tanto(Light Blue)
- 100,000 ryō]
'Use the bloodline and talent cards.'
[Using: Talent Card(White): Tranquility! Using: Talent Card(Light Blue): Snake's Bite! Using: Bloodline Card(Red): Uzumaki!]
The cards vanished in a puff of red, white, and blue, entering her body one after the other. She waited for the pain to come and it did, as expected. The sensation was like tendrils of fire coursing through her veins, every nerve ending screaming in protest. Kaori's eyes opened wide, her mouth split wide open in a silent scream and she fell face-first onto her bed. The feeling of every cell in her body dying and regenerating in an instant was too much for her to handle. Within the first three seconds of her transformation, she fainted.
As Kaori's body convulsed with the intense pain of the transformation, her subconscious mind fought to maintain control. In a desperate attempt to quell the agony, her hand instinctively reached for her ration pouch. With trembling fingers, she managed to retrieve a ration pill, her body acting on pure survival instinct despite her unconscious state. The pill slid down her throat, its effects working to provide her body with all the nutrition it needed to keep the metamorphosis going, and then, the process finally began.
She felt her skin peel off in a searing wave of pain, the outer layers of her flesh dissolved away, her muscles tearing and rippling, followed by her bones splintering. Next, her internal organs began to shift and melt, her heart pumping into overdrive, blood boiling as it rushed through her arteries and veins. Her nervous system began to shut down as every one of her sensory neurons fried all at once, sending intense shockwaves of agony throughout her entire body.
Her heart, lungs, brain, and everything that allowed her to maintain life were being completely dismantled. Slowly but surely, she could feel it all changing. The only source of pain, agony, and fear was her consciousness, and she was slowly losing it.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the transformation stabilized. Broken bones began to rearrange and fix themselves to form a full frame, new organs began to take shape, muscles began to reknit themselves, and new skin began to form, stronger and more resilient than before.
Slowly, the intense pain subsided, replaced by a numbing sensation.
