On the other side
Sam stood before the lifeless body of Might Duy, glancing at the fallen around him, and noticed the Four Swordsmen of the Mist.
Sam laid out the four swords he had taken from the dead swordsmen of the Hidden Mist. He approached them, took their swords, and placed them in his inventory.
Sam looked at their names and read them aloud: Hiramekarei, Kabutowari, Shibuki, Nuibari, - he said.
Sam: I need to return, - he said, and placed all the fallen bodies into his inventory, then headed back to the Hidden Mist camp. On the way back, Sam noticed skirmishes between the ninjas of Konoha and Kiri.
Sam entered a shop and bought an item.
[Shop]
[Support] – [Item: Map]
[Description] – Unfolding the scroll will provide a map showing the surrounding area within a 15km radius. The map can be fully customized.
[Duration: 1 week]
[Cost: 3 points]
Sam: Konoha is still fighting on another front, while Kiri is getting bolder, almost invading deeper, raiding caravans, villagers, towns, and merchants, - he said, looking at the map. Sam customized it to see all ninjas, bandits, structures (cities, villages, bridges, roads, etc.). He saw everything in real-time, with Kiri marked in blue fighting near the river against Konoha, marked with red icons.
Sam: This map is very similar to the Marauder's Map, a special map from the series of books by J.K. Rowling, which shows the locations of Harry Potter's friends and enemies in Hogwarts, - he said in admiration, looking at the map.
Two days after they had invaded, Kiri's forces were almost defeated, with the Four Swordsmen of the Mist dead, and out of 300 shinobi, only 140 were still alive. The Jinchuriki was dead too, and they had to retreat.
Sam: Konoha is giving the uninvited guests a hard time, - he said in surprise. Sam looked at his uniform and took a deep breath.
Sam: The Hidden Mist needs help… - He changed direction towards the river to aid Kiri.
Sam: I need to buy a technique, - he thought to himself.
[Technique: Hiding in Mist]
[Cost: 2 points] – Purchased
As he approached the battlefield, a blue screen suddenly flashed.
Mission to help one of the sides:
[Konoha: 24 shinobi] - Select
[Kiri: 12 shinobi] - Selected
[Defeat] – 1 point for each
[Kill] – 3 points for each
Sam chose Kiri's side and dashed towards the battle.
In Sam's eyes, figures of people appeared outlined in red and blue.
Sam: I like the feature that helps me see through objects.
Sam activated his skills, and his strength tripled, rising from that of a chunin to a weak jonin. In 12 seconds, he covered a distance of 300 meters and landed on the river's surface. The water splashed into the air and spread in waves. The Kiri and Konoha shinobi stepped back in surprise.
As the waves subsided, everyone saw who was standing on the water's surface.
Sam formed hand seals: [Ox] [Snake] [Boar].
The Hidden Mist shinobi, seeing their ally radiating power, felt their spirits lifted and charged at the enemy with battle cries.
Ninja: Forward! – yelled the Kiri shinobi. Their advantage lay in their coordination within the mist. The mist summoned by Sam was so dense that visibility was nearly zero for several hundred meters. Unlike other shinobi who use the Hiding in Mist technique, Sam was unique in his ability to see enemies in such dense fog. Though Kiri shinobi are adapted to this technique, Sam was unmatched in his skill.
Sam saw one of the Konoha shinobi quickly form hand seals and place his hand in the river. Understanding his intent, Sam jumped towards the shore, heading for the Konoha shinobi. An electric charge instantly struck and killed three Kiri shinobi. They died instantly. Sam flew at one of the Konoha shinobi, kicking him in the stomach so hard he was sent flying into his comrade, who caught him.
Sam saw another Konoha shinobi beginning to form seals. He immediately rushed at him, grabbed his hand, interrupted the seal formation, broke his wrist, and then grabbed him by the collar and threw him into another Konoha shinobi. Sam looked around, searching for strong shinobi, knowing that defeating their leader would demoralize the others.
The Konoha shinobi began to retreat. Sam had defeated many, but he realized his side had suffered heavy losses. He dispersed the mist and looked towards the Kiri ninjas.
Sam: Leave them to me, and you bury the bodies. We're not savages to leave them like this! - he said in a rough, low tone. The exhausted Kiri ninjas agreed in unison.
Sam: So many people have died, - he thought, looking at the lifeless bodies. A lump formed in his throat, making it hard to breathe or swallow. Sam had killed none of the people lying dead on the ground. It was his comrades from the Hidden Mist who had finished them off, as Sam had merely incapacitated others, leaving the killing to the Kiri shinobi.
Nine Konoha shinobi and seven from Kiri died in this battle. Sam chased the remaining Konoha ninjas, as the mission was not yet complete. After a minute, the Konoha shinobi had gained a considerable distance and started to rest.
But they did not expect a pursuit from Kiri shinobi, they were resting and catching their breath. Sam suddenly appeared in a tree, looking down at them from above.
Sam: Didn't notice? - he thought, planning his attack. At that moment, he wanted to be remembered as a nightmare in their dreams, aiming to leave an impression of strength. This would make him appear stronger than he actually was.
Sam: Induced fear will make me seem stronger than the power I actually have, - he smirked.
Sam: I'll just scare the kids, I've had enough death for today, - he said, and bought a single-use scroll that applied specific debuffs to a certain number of people.
[Item: Debuff Scroll]
[Description: A specific type of scroll that can apply any debuffs and use them against enemies]
[Debuffs] – Weakness, Slowness, Silence, Fear.
[World: Terraria]
[Cost] – 5 points
Among the resting ninjas, he saw familiar faces: Asuma Sarutobi, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Genma, Ebisu, and other chunin. Many jonin had been killed by Kiri shinobi with Sam's help.
Now, they were without their main captain, and no one could take command. Sam analyzed them and noticed the fear of responsibility in some chunin. Those who fled the battlefield were genin and chunin.
Sam jumped from the tree and landed on the ground, making a sound upon impact. The Konoha shinobi slowly turned and saw the ANBU operative.
Sam now stood with a mask displaying ocean waves, his disheveled hair falling unevenly, standing in the tree's shadow, watching them.
Sam: Running from me was an absurd decision, - he said, applying the scroll and casting negative effects on all the present Konoha ninjas.
Their bodies suddenly felt heavier than boulders, fatigue came from nowhere, and their movements slowed. Even breathing became more difficult with Sam's presence. Silence made their tongues taste bitter and caused sharp pain in their throats.
Sam began walking slowly toward them, drawing the Shibuki sword from a holographic hole. None could even swallow their saliva as they watched him pull such a massive sword from a small blue void.
Sam: This place will be your grave, - he said in a hoarse, low tone.
After 20 seconds, the weakness effect wore off, and their strength began to return. Sam did not expect what he saw next.
Sam watched in surprise as shuriken flew toward him, thrown by the son of the Third Hokage, Asuma Sarutobi! He was the first to intend to fight, but those standing beside him had already begun to flee.
For Asuma, time seemed to slow as he watched the shuriken being deflected effortlessly.
As Sam attempted to step forward, he felt someone's presence.
XXX: Konoha Hurricane! shouted a boy in a jumpsuit, attacking Sam with a kick, but his kick was blocked as Sam used the sword as a shield. The resounding clash echoed from the boy's strike.
Sam recognized him as Might Guy, glowing with the green aura of the first gate from his father's technique.
Might Guy pushed off the sword, and as soon as his foot touched the ground, he attacked Sam again.
Seeing his comrade's action, Genma flung a toothpick with such precision that Sam had to catch it a few centimeters from his eye, while the boy in the jumpsuit was already flying toward him, shouting about his techniques.
Sam crushed the toothpick in his fist, threw his Shibuki sword into the air, and with one hand blocked Guy's leg while grabbing his throat with the other. He squeezed tightly, preventing any escape. Shibuki soared into the air and began descending.
Sam: I can see all your movements… Son of the great Blue Beast, - he said, catching Shibuki with his free hand and striking Guy with the flat side, sending him crashing into a nearby tree.
Sam activated the Hidden Mist technique, enveloping the entire area in a 100-meter radius with a dense mist.
Minutes later, the mist cleared, and all the Konoha shinobi were lying on the ground. None could resist or escape.
From Kurenai's perspective
Kurenai: Mist? - she thought, confused, tears streaming from her eyes after the recent terrifying aura of the masked man.
Suddenly, a figure appeared before her, taller than her, wearing a mask from Kiri. She could only remember his green eyes before a light blow to her neck made her lose consciousness, and the mist quickly dissipated.
Kurenai: Asuma? Guy? - she growled, seeing them lying on the ground.
Kurenai opened her eyes wide, seeing the masked man standing before Genma. Out of all her friends from the previous battle at the river, Genma had been wounded in the stomach and couldn't run fast. Even now, he tried to help but his condition worsened.
Genma was sweating and felt he was about to die. His body was feverish, and he clutched the open wound in his stomach as the masked man stood before him.
Kurenai: Genma... - she tried to help.
Genma's eyes were closing, and he began to drift off. The man squatted and said: I see you're dying; I can help and heal you, -he said, placing the massive sword back into the black void.
Genma: What? - he said, not believing what was happening.
Sam: I can show mercy and help you. After all, if a person is not merciful, they will not receive mercy in return. Right? - he said.
Genma: What do you want in return? - he growled with his last strength.
Sam: Stop talking, just drink this, - he said, giving him a small green potion. Genma drank it and immediately fell asleep. Sam placed his hand on Genma's wound and felt the potion working.
Sam took protectors and carved one word with a kunai: {Death}
From Sam's perspective
Mission: [Help one of the sides] – Completed.
[Defeated] – 15 points earned (15 defeated)
[Killed] – 27 points earned (9 killed)
Sam: I have 67 points, - Sam declared, surveying the field after the bloodless battle. He gathered all the wounded from the fight, dragging each exhausted body to one place. After collecting everyone in a pile, he hid them in dense foliage, far from prying eyes. Sam removed his ANBU mask, revealing his face. He savored the moment, massaging his tired features, and looked up at the sky. Gazing at the sun through the dense tree branches, he reminisced about his family.
Sam: It's time to go, and to you Konoha shinobi, pleasant dreams, - he said and left.