13 Ch-13 A Battle in the Night

I express my gratitude to Pierre-Louis, Vladinchkin, Humlocks, Timothy Scholze, Ecokane_0, Nadeem Khan, Alejandro Delgado, chris ondigi, Miguel razo, shaei-phet, Left_Nut_Of_Madara, Wolfdog for their support and becoming a patron on Patreon.

You can read 5 chapters ahead of everyone on patreon.

Link:https://www.p@treon.com/Hkj822

...

After midnight, the festivities in Uzumaki village came to a close and the revelers slowly made their way back to their homes.

_____

At the same time somewhere in land of fire.

"Rest here for two hours. After that, we'll continue our journey," instructed Hatake Sakumo.

"Got it," replied Nakamura, before they both sat down on a nearby tree to rest.

"Master White Fang," Nakamura began, his voice heavy with emotion. "I have grave news to deliver. One of my companions, who had just become a father, has fallen in battle. His joy and happiness at the birth of his child has now turned to despair and tragedy. I cannot bear the thought of facing his wife and telling her that her husband will never return home. The weight of this task is almost unbearable, and it makes my legs heavy with reluctance to continue our journey towards Konoha."

Sakumo gazed up at the sky, a pained expression on his face. "The Hokage believed in me and placed me in charge of this mission to protect everyone. But now, I am the only one left alive. I may not have known them all personally, but I was responsible for their safety and yet, they still perished. It's a burden that I must carry for the rest of my life," he spoke with a heavy heart.

After a moment of silence, Hatake Sakumo suddenly became alert and stood up, his gaze fixed on a single direction. Observing Sakumo's reaction, Nakamura quickly followed suit, rising to his feet and becoming equally vigilant.

As they stood guard, Sakumo and Nakamura spotted a team of three Kirigakure ninja. The Kirigakure squad noticed them as well, and the two groups faced each other in tense silence.

Sakumo broke the silence with a question. "What are ninja from Kirigakure doing here in the Fire Country?" he demanded to know.

"We are on a mission," replied the leader of the Kirigakure team, his voice cold and confident.

"Why don't we just kill them? They're only three people," whispered one of the Kirigakure ninja into the leader's ear.

The leader of the Kirigakure team listened intently and then grinned wickedly, clearly amused by the suggestion.

Sakumo, who was a Quasi-Kage level ninja, heard the whisper from the Kirigakure ninja and immediately drew his short sword. His instincts were honed, and he was prepared for whatever the enemy squad might throw at him.

"Head towards Konoha. I will take care of them," instructed Sakumo to Nakamura. He knew he had to finish this battle before it caused any more damage, and he was determined to do it alone. Nakamura hesitated for a moment, but then, trusting his leader's abilities, he nodded and left to follow Sakumo's orders.

Sakumo moved swiftly through the forest, his sword at the ready. The three ninjas from Kirigakure emerged from the shadows, their eyes glinting in the moonlight. The first ninja raised his hands and created a massive wall of earth, blocking Sakumo's path. Undeterred, Sakumo used Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu to slice through the earth wall and continue his charge.

The second ninja leapt forward and launched Water Style: Water Shark Bullet Jutsu, sending a fast-moving stream of water shaped like a shark towards Sakumo. Sakumo quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack. As the water crashed into the trees behind him, several of them toppled over, crashing to the ground with a thunderous roar.

Meanwhile, the third ninja used Earth Style: Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide to split the ground beneath Sakumo's feet, causing him to stumble. Seizing the opportunity, the ninja charged forward, kunai in hand. But Sakumo quickly recovered and used his lightning-fast swordsmanship to parry the attack and strike the ninja down.

The first ninja unleashed another jutsu, Earth Style: Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide, splitting the ground beneath Sakumo once again. But this time, Sakumo was prepared. He used Thunder Style: Thunder Blade Jutsu to create a sword made of lightning, which he used to cut through the earth and land a blow on the second ninja, injuring him badly.

As the third ninja circled around for another attack, Sakumo used Wind Style: Wind Blade Jutsu to slice through several nearby trees, causing them to fall and block the ninja's path. The ninja quickly darted around the fallen trees, but as he did, Sakumo charged forward and used his swordsmanship to strike a fatal blow.

With two of the Kirigakure ninjas defeated, only one remained. But this ninja was a skilled water user, and he launched Water Style: Water Release: Great Shark Missile Jutsu, sending a massive, powerful shark-shaped stream of water towards Sakumo. The force of the attack was too much, and Sakumo was knocked off his feet, landing hard on his left shoulder.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Sakumo slowly rose to his feet, his sword at the ready. The final ninja charged forward, kunai in hand, but Sakumo was ready. Using Thunder Style: Thunder Blade Jutsu, he created a sword made of lightning and clashed with the ninja in a fierce battle. But Sakumo's skill was too much for the ninja, and in the end, Sakumo emerged victorious.

As the battle ended, the forest was in shambles. Trees had been cut down, the ground was torn apart, and the bodies of the defeated ninjas lay scattered around the clearing. Sakumo's left shoulder throbbed with pain, but he knew he had emerged victorious. With a weary sigh, he sheathed his sword and began the long journey back towards Konoha.

In the midst of a dense forest, Nakamura and the other ninja faced off in a battle that would determine the victor. Nakamura was armed with his formidable fire style ninjutsu and his mastery of the Three Body Technique. Meanwhile, the other ninja wielded a sharp sword and C-level water Release.

The battle started with the other ninja charging at Nakamura with his sword. However, Nakamura's Substitution Technique allowed him to dodge the attack and counter with his "Fire Release: Flame Bullet" ninjutsu. The other ninja managed to dodge the flames but was caught off guard by Nakamura's "Fire Release: Mist Blaze Dance Technique," which created a thick cloud of smoke, obscuring the other ninja's vision and after that as Nakamura added a fire the whole smoke caught fire.

Taking advantage of the unpreparedness of the other ninja, Nakamura closed in on the other ninja and launched his "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique." He wasn't that proficient in it due to which the blast of fire was so powerful that it caused a small explosion, and in the process, Nakamura lost his left hand. But it was enough to defeat the other ninja, who fainted from the impact of the blast.

Despite his injuries, Nakamura emerged victorious. His Three Body Technique allowed him to evade the other ninja's attacks and land decisive blows. And his mastery of the fire style ninjutsu proved too much for the other ninja to handle. However, the cost of victory was high, as Nakamura had lost his left hand in the process and for a Ninja his arm is very important.

(A/N: If you like the story vote power stones.)