Calmly, Kazuki performed a hand seal, activating a sensory technique that covered the battlefield with an even greater range than the Byakugan.
"From the coast of the Land of Water to the border of the Land of Fire, this area is the most suitable for entering Konoha..."
Kazuki chuckled and said, "They want to attack us at the fastest speed. If they are in such a hurry, let's let them try harder!"
[Boom!]
In the distance, an explosion was heard accompanied by the cracking of falling trees.
Kazuki applauded. "Enjoy it, it's time to start..."
"Now is the time to test the luck of these enemies." he said with an air of expectation. "Will it be an explosion that incapacitates them or one that kills them instantly?"
On the battlefield, Kazuki needs these Kirigakure shinobi to experience the taste of the unknown and fear...
He did not want them to give up easily. If they had made mistakes, they had to face the consequences.
When their spirits were broken, and in panic they tried to fight desperately, then he would crush them with overwhelming force.
In this way, the emotions of the entire Kirigakure will constantly change and fluctuate, and the highest peak will be reflected on Kazuki.
Then, Kirigakure will be deeply bound to Kazuki and become his source of power.
...
"Damn, there is an ambush!"
A Kirigakure Chunin hugged his thigh that was blown apart and rolled on the ground in great pain. "Save me, save me!"
The Kirigakure assault team suddenly stopped, and everyone was on alert, looking around.
In this group, there were some familiar faces to Kazuki: Jinzaburo, Mei, Kisame, and Zabuza. Leading the unit were two of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist: Kushimaru and Jinpachi.
After Kisame and the others returned to Kirigakure and showed the information of Fuguki's collusion with the enemy to the Third Mizukage, they temporarily passed the test and were not held responsible.
As they had guessed before, the Third Mizukage was very surprised that the ANBU members and the Shinobi Bloodline Clan in Kirigakure were cooperating.
And the only explanation is that someone betrayed the village, which allowed them to unite temporarily.
Thus, the Third Mizukage did not punish Kisame and Zabuza for failing to complete the mission and temporarily stopped their attempt to assassinate Mei and Jinzaburo.
Kushimaru looked around solemnly, but only heard the sound of wind and leaves, and did not observe the appearance of the enemy.
"Careful, there are hidden explosive tags!" Jinpachi shouted sternly. "Pay attention to any suspicious fuses on the ground! If there is a detonation mechanism, it will be obvious. Stay alert!"
"No, help me! This isn't a trap with a detonation mechanism!" the wounded Kiri-nin cried in despair. "I was careful! There was nothing where I stepped. It suddenly exploded!"
Jinpachi's gaze hardened. Were they questioning his professionalism?
Suddenly, Jinpachi swung his sword and eliminated the wounded ninja in one blow. "Don't lose your cool! Advance!" he ordered in a firm voice. "The Mizukage's order is clear: we must clear the front for the invasion of Konoha. We cannot afford any delay!"
Kisame silently watched the scene from a distance. From the moment his comrade was injured, Kisame had had a premonition: in Kirigakure, a person wounded in battle was not worthy of rescue.
However, what he didn't expect was that Jinpachi would execute him on the spot. Even leaving him behind didn't seem like an option...
"Kisame-san, don't be afraid." A brown-haired kunoichi beside him murmured. "Stay behind me. I have sensory abilities and can protect you..."
Kisame's face froze.
That woman, named Miru, was a member of the village's Cypher Division. To him, she had always been a peculiar person: she insisted on sharing meals with him and, from time to time, gave him gifts.
What Kisame didn't know was that this woman would be, in the original timeline, the key reason for his eventual desertion of the village.
"Please don't come near me, this is on the battlefield." Kisame replied coldly as he pushed her behind him "You're an important sensory shinobi, protect yourself first!"
Not far away, Mei and Jinzaburo looked at each other and saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.
They wanted to save Kazuki, who had multiple iconic kekkei genkai of Kirigakure, and make him the next generation of Mizukage or at least the best weapon of the shinobi clans with kekkei genkai. However, their respective clans had received their reports with evasive answers.
All the clans believed that this was the excuse that Mei and Jinzaburo used to justify the failure of the mission.
"Keep moving forward!"
As the order to move forward fell, another explosion sounded...
This time, a shinobi near Jinpachi was thrown into the air.
This time, Jinpachi clearly saw that there was indeed no detonation mechanism, and he could not even sense the chakra fluctuation, but suddenly the explosion occurred.
"Stop, stop!"
Jinpachi's back was drenched in cold sweat. Luckily, he had stayed one step behind. If he had moved a little faster, he would have been the one blown into the air.
"This is an ambush. Konoha has modified the explosive tags. They must be buried underground and are activated by stepping on them..." Jinpachi spoke in a low but firm voice, "I understand now. This is Konoha's advantage: they have developed new ninja tools."
"There are footprints there. They should be left by Konoha's shinobi..."
Kushimaru narrowed his eyes, watching a trail of footprints leading into the forest: "Let's follow them."
"They are clever, but not clever enough. The execution of details is still lacking. Compared to us Blood Mist shinobi, those of Konoha are still too inexperienced."
The Kiri-nin seemed to perk up a bit.
The two previously unexplained explosions had strained his nerves to the limit.
Everything seemed normal until suddenly, a misstep would result in an explosion, as if a vengeful spirit was stalking them. Even the soft rustling of leaves seemed disturbing to them now.
Fortunately, the experienced members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen led the group and had found a weak point in Konoha's strategy.
The Kiri-nin, following the trail of footprints, sighed in relief for a moment.
For a while, they had suspected that the footprints might be a trap.
But, apparently, they were wrong.
However, as the group moved forward, when all of Kiri's scouts had entered the area, another explosion suddenly rang out.
From a distance, Kisame watched the flames in disbelief. Before he even came face to face with the enemy, the entire scout squad had been wiped out.
Mei and Jinzaburo looked at each other, frowned, patted Kisame and Zabuza, before retreating behind the crowd.
Something is wrong...
Zabuza walked silently to the back of the team. Although he was not afraid of death, he did not want to die inexplicably.
Kisame, for his part, looked at Miru, who was standing behind him. Hesitating for a moment, he took her arm and stood with her at the back, pretending to be unconcerned.
"Damn it, damn it!"
Kushimaru and Jinpachi were furious. They couldn't understand how they couldn't detect the traps.
"What's with the sensor-type shinobi? How can they not detect the traps! It must be some secret technique, not simple explosive tags. Investigate the area in front of us thoroughly, scan for any chakra or abnormalities!" Kushimaru yelled, "Even if we have to advance step by step and sacrifice our lives, we must clear a path for the Mizukage! That is our mission."
Kisame remained silent, covering Miru's mouth before blocking Kushimaru and Jinpachi's vision with his body.
Although surprised, Miru did not resist Kisame's actions and remained silent.
A few sensor shinobi reluctantly stepped out of the group and began scanning the area with extreme caution.
...
Ten kilometers away.
Hizashi nodded slightly, although with some resignation.
"This war started too early. Although our booby traps were carefully prepared, some still have small chakra leaks. The enemy has reacted quickly and could avoid them using sensory techniques."
"If we had had more time, we could have designed even more undetectable traps."
Kazuki nodded.
"Hizashi, the village has already prepared for this..." Kazuki felt the somewhat humid sea breeze and took a deep breath.
In this forest near the coastline, the air is extremely humid and filled with faint fog.
"Hiding in Mist Technique..."
From its mouth, a dense white fog began to spread, quickly covering the battlefield and drastically reducing visibility.
Hizashi watched in amazement as the mist stretched for miles in all directions, enveloping the entire area. Even with his Byakugan, the chakra interference in the water made it difficult to distinguish the booby traps from the mist itself.
"This…" Hizashi smiled, somewhat incredulously. "With this fog, I can't imagine how they plan to break through."
Kazuki waved his hand leisurely. "If they work hard, they will still have a chance..."
"Of course, the opportunity to meet our Tobirama series bombs." ---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---