44 Chapter 44

The Leaf ANBU, with Gai's assurance, followed Kazuki after reaching a good hiding spot. Once there, Kazuki reactivated the isolation barrier to enclose all the Leaf shinobi.

Quickly pulling out a blank scroll, Kazuki started drawing a layout of the surrounding forest. The detail was concise and clear, earning a satisfied nod from the ANBU captain as the young Genin completed the layout of the assigned traps. When planning an ambush, it was crucial to ensure that teammates wouldn't fall victim to the traps set for the enemies. After everyone memorized the layout of the traps, the ANBU captain asked a pointed question.

"Do we have a count on the enemy's number and strength?" The ANBU captain was direct, aware that time was of the essence and efficient planning was required. Despite sending a message to the village for reinforcements, it might take hours for them to arrive.

"The enemy Shinobi's are about a dozen miles out from our current location. I fell back immediately after sensing them. They are not aware that they have been spotted. I'm not sure about their exact strength, but I counted a dozen chakra signatures." Kazuki shared the information he had gathered with his unique sensing ability, which surpassed that of other sensory ninjas.

After Kazuki shared the hand seals for the seal tags used on the traps, the ANBU captain quickly gestured for the other ANBU to recheck all the traps. Meanwhile, he asked Kazuki to maximize his sensing range and inform them the moment the enemy Shinobi was detected. The ANBU swiftly rechecked and added more traps within a few minutes. When Kazuki signaled that the enemy was within his sensing range, the ANBU retreated inside the isolation barrier. The enemy remained unaware that their mission had been compromised, and the Leaf team lay in ambush. Kazuki felt two chakra fluctuations from the ANBU captain's eyes and the other ANBU. He recognized both as Dojutsu users—Hyuga and Uchiha. The Uchiha was Shisui, and Kazuki sensed the unique chakra of his Mangekyou Sharingan, although Shisui had only activated up to three tomoe. The Leaf team waited anxiously for the enemy ninja.

Meanwhile, a dozen Kirigakure ANBU, led by Ao, moved stealthily through the forest in the direction specified by the intel. Suddenly, Ao stopped and made a hand gesture, prompting the Kiri ANBU team to form a tight defensive formation. Ao activated his Byakugan to its maximum and began scanning his surroundings. However, just as he detected the explosion tag buried by one of the Leaf ANBU, all the Leaf ninjas acted simultaneously to detonate the traps.

"KATSU!" Kazuki released all the traps near the Kiri Ninja, and the explosion engulfed the entire Kiri Shinobi team. Simultaneously, Gai and the other two ANBU launched a fierce counterattack. While it was earlier decided that Kazuki would stay back to provide combat support, Kazuki held back and released his shadow puppet to assist. Because the Hyuga ANBU had taken command, Kazuki was obliged to follow his orders temporarily so as not to cause confusion within the team.

"AMBUSH!" Ao screamed at the top of his voice. All the Kiri Shinobi reacted instinctively, as every ninja assigned to this mission was of Tokubetsu Jonin level or higher. For Kirigakure, which had lost much of its higher-end combat power during the Third Shinobi War, this was a luxury lineup. Many among the team had questioned whether the Mizukage's orders were made hastily, but what they didn't know was that their current Mizukage was under the control of Obito, seeking revenge on Kiri for being responsible for Rin's death. If the Mizukage were self-aware, he wouldn't have sent such a team on a dangerous mission, even if the intelligence was valid.

"[Suiton: Bakusui Shōha]" (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave) A Kiri Jonin with a monstrous amount of chakra launched an attack immediately, using the Kiri team as the center. They created a wave wall to defend the entire team from the explosion. The other Kiri ninja immediately executed the [Kirigakure no Jutsu] (Hiding in Mist Technique) and filled the surrounding forest with a thick mist. The Kiri Shinobi quickly regrouped with commands from Ao, who was assessing the situation with his Byakugan.

Despite the swift reaction of most of the Kiri ANBU, the Leaf team, with the help of the well-placed explosion, managed to reap the life of one of the enemy Shinobi.

The Kiri team kept spamming waves after waves as the explosion traps set by Kazuki went off continuously, chaining one after another. In a span of a few seconds, Kazuki had triggered more than a hundred explosive tags. Each of these tags was handcrafted by Kazuki himself, so their power and blast radius were much greater than the standard tags. The Kiri Shinobi killed was also caught off guard because he underestimated the blast radius.

Ao, who was scanning the enemy, now recognized his opponents and the specific chakra signatures of the Byakugan and the Sharingan. He pinpointed the Leaf ANBU with the Sharingan, remembering encountering this particular Uchiha during the Third Shinobi War. The explosion created by Kazuki's trap was so huge that even the retreating barrier team was able to witness the blast clouds, even though they were a few miles out.

"Everyone be careful; they have two Dojutsu users among them, and one of them is Shunshin no Shisui. The other is a Hyuga. Reform the formation; they might be able to perceive us through the mist." Although Kirigakure's mist technique was known to counter most Dojutsu's, it all depended on the opponents' proficiency and the potency of the mist. If the opponent had a high degree of mastery over Dojutsu, they might even be able to see through the mist.

Gai unleashed his gates one by one, all the way up to the fourth gate earlier. Now, with Kiri Shinobi hiding within the mist, Gai decided to release the fifth gate. With Kazuki on the team with his Iryo ninjutsu, Gai did not have to care much about the backlash. With the custom-made medicines he provided, Gai could offset most of the damage Kinjutsu caused.

"[Hachimon: Kyokugen no Mon: Kai]" (Eight Gates: Gate of Limit: Open) Gai was shrouded in blue chakra as he opened the fifth gate and was ready to launch a counter-offensive once the blast subsided. Even the other two Leaf ANBU prepared themselves; however, they had a question in mind: How many tags did the kid even stack to create the traps? If they had not known about the trap layout and blast radius, even they would have been caught in the blast.

The moment the smoke blast subsided, the Leaf Ninja slowly regrouped to launch the next offensive. Suddenly, a blade pierced through the mist, targeting Hyuga's blind spot. Both Gai and Shisui quickly reacted to intercept the attack but were blocked by multiple Kiri Shinobi. They started engaging in a fierce battle within the mist. The Hyuga ninja, aware of the ambush, dodged; however, he was quickly surrounded by four Jonin, including Ao, and launched a combination attack, pinning him in a pincer formation.

"[Suiton: Senshokukō]" (Water Release: A Thousand Feeding Sharks)

The four Kiri Jonin launched a large-scale offensive on the Hyuga ANBU to eliminate him. The Kiri Shinobi knew that the Hyuga specialized in taijutsu, and blocking such a large-scale ninjutsu would be quite a burden. Then they could take the chance to eliminate him.

The Hyuga ANBU launched a large-scale defensive taijutsu as he had no way to dodge all the incoming attacks. "[Hakkeshō Kaiten: Zetsu]" (Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven: Sever), he created a large barrier to counter the incoming attack. Although the Hyuga was able to defend himself, blocking all the incoming attacks, defending such a large-scale offensive would take a few seconds to steady himself again.

This was the opening the Kiri Jonin were waiting for, and Ao commanded the other three Jonin to launch an offensive to finish off the Hyuga. Two of the Kiri Jonin released a dozen kunai tied with explosive tags, and Ao and the other Jonin went in for the kill. They did not want to give the Hyuga any chance of escape.

"[Doton: Ganchūrō no Jutsu]" (Earth Release: Rock Pillar Prison), tens of rock pillars suddenly rose from around the Hyuga and enclosed him in a defensive barrier. The barrier took all the damage from the explosive tags and also the two Kiri Jonin blades that were meant to behead the Hyuga ANBU. The Kiri Shinobi went on high alert because, originally, they were not aware of a fourth Leaf Ninja, and Ao quickly scanned the surroundings to identify the new threat.

"Everyone be careful; there seems to be one more Leaf Ninja hiding." Ao's command was transmitted through the mist using a special transmission technique.

Gai and Shisui were handling three of the Kiri Ninja simultaneously. While the Hyuga took on four, Shisui and Gai were able to create a stalemate for the time being. The favor of the battle was tilting toward Kiri Shinobi's side, with the Hyuga ANBU falling to a disadvantage. However, the inclusion of the fourth ninja stabilized the balance again.

What the Leaf ANBU were not aware of was that the last Kiri Jonin remaining, who had not engaged yet, was a Jonin from the Hozuki clan. He had earlier merged with the mist and was stealthily approaching Shisui to launch a sneak attack. Just as he stepped closer to attack Shisui's flank, a sudden attack caught him off guard, as he was not able to perceive the enemy even through his connection with the mist.

"[Raiton: Kaminari Shibari]" (Lightning Release: Thunder Binding) Kazuki was already aware of the Hozuki ninja. He stayed just at the edge of the mist, using his perception to track the enemies from within the isolation barrier. The Hozuki ninja caught in the thunder trap was electrocuted and had to exit his misty state. He was not even able to liquefy himself, as lightning was a natural counter to their bloodline. The ear-piercing scream of the Hozuki Jonin carried within the mist, momentarily distracting Kiri Shinobi.

Shisui, taking advantage of the situation, launched a large-scale fire ninjutsu at a Kiri Tokubetsu Jonin, "[Katon: Karyū Endan]." (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet). The Kiri Shinobi, although momentarily distracted, put up a counter, "[Suiton: Suijinheki]" (Water Release: Water Formation Wall). However, what the Kiri ninja forgot was what Shisui was famous for. The moment the Tokubetsu Jonin cut off the chakra for the water wall, a figure flickered past him, piercing through the mist. Shisui, using his extreme speed to his advantage, exploited the small opening to cleanly behead the Kiri ninja with his tanto.

Ao, who perceived Shisui's intent earlier, wanted to help the Kiri ninja, but an immense threat made him duck at the very last moment. A pitch-black metallic blade brushed past the top of his head. If he had reacted any slower, he was sure that he would have lost his head. Ao rolled, and when he regained his balance, he saw a black construct moving rapidly towards the other Jonin, who had earlier launched a killing strike on the Hyuga.

Ao quickly shouted to warn his comrade of the incoming attack, and the Jonin quickly reacted and blocked the incoming blade with his own. However, what the Kiri Jonin forgot was that the earth pillar prison behind him enclosing the Hyuga was retracted. Coincidentally, the Kiri Jonin's back was facing the now stabilized Hyuga ANBU.

The Leaf ANBU didn't let go of such a chance for a counter, "[Hakke Rokujūyon Shō]" (Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms). He launched a blitzkrieg of attacks on the Kiri Jonin's tenketsu points although the other two Kiri Jonin, who were attacking the Hyuga earlier, wanted to intercept. However, the black puppet used a multitude of hidden weapons to hold them back.

By the time the Hyuga ANBU completed his relentless attack, the Kiri Jonin was completely incapacitated. However, just before the Hyuga went in for the kill strike, Ao quickly intervened and saved the now-fallen Kiri Jonin. Ao started to weigh his decision carefully because now the balance was tilting to the other side. With the timely intervention of the fourth Leaf Shinobi, the Kiri team lost three Shinobi.