Deep in the night, in an unnamed valley on the eastern border of the Land of Hot Water.
Whoosh...
A cool night breeze blew intermittently through the valley entrance, bringing with it a low, whistling sound.
At the valley's mouth, the Kumogakure ninja contingent had already erected two watchtowers, strategically positioned on the mountain path leading into the valley. Eight Kumogakure ninja, divided into two squads, guarded each tower, with each squad equipped with one sensory ninja. The two watchtowers formed a pincer formation, completely covering the entire valley entrance.
Swish!
On the small mountain path, the figures of Kakashi and Shisui appeared on the dirt road.
Under the faint moonlight, the three tomoe of Shisui's Sharingan were already active beneath his Anbu mask.
On the nearby hillside, on the two watchtowers flanking the valley entrance, two Kumogakure sensory ninja simultaneously awoke in the middle of the night.
"Someone's there! Two of them, and they're at least Jonin level!"
The two sensory ninja quickly alerted their comrades.
On the two watchtowers, the remaining six Kumogakure ninja, responsible for accompanying the surveillance, were startled awake and immediately peered out from the towers.
In an instant, all six froze.
In their line of sight, a pair of crimson Sharingan with three tomoe met their gaze. The six Kumogakure ninja felt their entire world begin to spin, rendering them unable to move.
Not good! It's genjutsu!
Sensing the state of their six companions, the two sensory ninja were shocked. They had no idea how their comrades had fallen under genjutsu.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Shisui's active battlefield was in the conflict between Konoha and Kirigakure. The ninja who had truly experienced the power of Shisui of the Body Flicker were mostly from Kirigakure. Although the name of Shisui of the Body Flicker had spread throughout the ninja world, the Kumogakure ninja who had actually seen his Sharingan were few, and most of them were already dead!
In their panic, before the two Kumogakure sensory ninja could react appropriately, the sound of something piercing the air rang out.
Under the moonlight, a silver blade flashed on the watchtower. Before the two sensory ninja could react, they were decapitated.
Having dealt with the Kumogakure ninja on the two watchtowers, Kakashi and Shisui quickly infiltrated the camp under the cover of darkness.
Swish! Swish!
Two consecutive sounds of rushing wind echoed as Tatsuya and Guy appeared together on one of the watchtowers.
Looking at the Kumogakure camp under the night sky, Tatsuya had a vague, uneasy feeling.
Inside the camp, Kakashi and Shisui had smoothly entered the central area.
Sneaking into a tent, Shisui quickly controlled a Kumogakure ninja and learned the location of the food supplies: the northwest side of the camp.
Arriving at their destination, Kakashi and Shisui immediately saw a large area of supplies covered with burlap. Shisui scanned the surroundings with his Sharingan and was surprised to find no one guarding the area.
"There's no one here," Shisui whispered to Kakashi, feeling a sense of unease.
Hearing this, Kakashi stepped forward and gently lifted a corner of the burlap. Under the faint firelight, they both saw piles of food supplies beneath the cloth. Seeing this, Kakashi and Shisui's doubts were dispelled.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The two made hand seals, and several puffs of white smoke appeared beside them, each producing two shadow clones. The four clones leaped away, each heading in a different direction.
Serpent - Ram - Monkey - Boar - Horse - Tiger
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
The two, along with their four clones, simultaneously began forming hand seals. Six enormous fireballs erupted from their mouths, directly striking the food storage area.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
The six figures continued forming hand seals, simultaneously executing a C-rank Wind Style ninjutsu. Instantly, six gusts of wind blew from their mouths, swirling towards the burning fireballs.
BOOM!
The six giant fireballs illuminated the storage area. Enhanced by the Wind Style ninjutsu, they landed on the burlap-covered food supplies and instantly burst into flames. In the blink of an eye, the fire engulfed the entire storage area.
Seeing this, Kakashi and Shisui's eyes lit up with satisfaction. The operation had gone more smoothly than they could have ever anticipated!
"Oh no! Enemy infiltration!"
"They're at the food storage area! Hurry!"
…
The commotion instantly awoke the entire camp of Kumogakure ninja. Dozens of tents erupted with activity as Kumogakure ninja poured out.
"It's Konoha's Anbu ninja!"
Two Kumogakure Jonin, leading two squads, were the first to arrive. They ignored the burning storage area and instead moved directly to surround and attack Kakashi and Shisui.
"Retreat!"
Kakashi and Shisui exchanged a glance and immediately signaled the retreat. With the six Great Fireball Techniques, the already burning food storage area was sure to suffer significant losses. Their objective had been achieved; there was no need to continue engaging the Kumogakure ninja.
Shisui's two three-tomoe Sharingan activated simultaneously, and Kakashi also pulled down his left eye's headband, revealing a crimson three-tomoe Sharingan. Their movements were extremely fast, and they dodged before the two Kumogakure ninja squads could surround them. Several Kumogakure ninja with lower skill levels, affected by Shisui's Sharingan genjutsu, fell to the ground midway, completely losing their combat ability.
Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Water Style: Water Shockwave!
Wind Style: Wind Cutter!
…
Just as Kakashi and Shisui had escaped ten meters, several consecutive, dense ninjutsu attacks were launched towards them.
Facing the onslaught of ninjutsu, Kakashi and Shisui's expressions changed drastically. They both flashed away, quickly dodging to the left and right.
RUMBLE!
The Water Style and Wind Style ninjutsu combined, completely obliterating the area where they had just stood, leaving a scene of devastation.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Within the camp, the metallic sounds of weapons clashing echoed incessantly. Kakashi and Shisui, having dodged to the sides, were already engaged in combat with other Kumogakure ninja.
Both possessed Elite Jonin-level strength, excelling in both taijutsu and ninjutsu. In a one-on-one confrontation, it was unlikely anyone in this Kumogakure camp could defeat Kakashi or Shisui. However, this was a battlefield, and a large number of Kumogakure ninja were swarming in; they wouldn't give the pair a chance for a one-on-one fight.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Amidst the constant sounds of fist and foot collisions and ninjutsu clashes, Kakashi and Shisui were forced together by dozens of Kumogakure ninja working in unison. Behind them was the fiercely burning storage area.
After a fierce exchange, both Kakashi and Shisui were slightly out of breath. Their stamina and chakra had been significantly depleted in the recent fight.
Illuminated by the raging flames, Kakashi clearly saw the expressions of the surrounding Kumogakure ninja. He didn't see anger or urgency on their faces; instead, he saw only a burning desire to kill them.
Seeing this, Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, a sense of wrongness washing over him. Everything that had happened since they entered the camp reeked of something strange. However, the current situation didn't allow Kakashi the luxury of slow deliberation. The surrounding Kumogakure ninja gave them no chance to catch their breath, once again launching a coordinated attack.
Water Style: Water Shockwave!
Dozens of Kumogakure ninja from all directions simultaneously unleashed Water Style ninjutsu and launched a barrage of kunai with attached explosive tags. The massive surge of water and the dense rain of kunai surged towards Kakashi and Shisui.
This time, they had nowhere to run!