Bang!
With a dull thud, the Sunagakure shinobi was suddenly struck by a knee to the kidney.
The brutal attack brought severe pain and robbed him of any chance to counterattack.
Swish!
The katana in the Sunagakure shinobi's hand was snatched away in an instant, then turned against him and thrust into his heart.
The Konoha ANBU, who had just dodged the attack using the Substitution Jutsu, immediately counterattacked, shoving the opponent's body to the ground.
At that moment, a shinobi who had survived the violent explosion of the paper bombs looked at the corpse flying toward him and dodged with a quick sidestep.
But he didn't miss the small flicker of flame on the body.
"Damn it! Another paper bomb!"
The enemies taken down by the Konoha ANBU had paper bombs attached to their bodies.
BOOM...
Another violent explosion echoed through the forest.
"Water Style: Water Wave!"
"Lightning Style: Lightning Strike!"
The shinobi, who had managed to survive another paper bomb explosion, were completely overwhelmed.
Under the continuous attacks, they had no room to fight back.
The only one who had found an opportunity to strike was easily dealt with, and his body even became a weapon used against his comrades.
A massive stream of water crashed down from above like a small lake, carrying a terrifying impact that knocked all the shinobi on the ground off their feet.
Immediately afterwards, a thunderbolt struck directly into the water. Electricity coursed through the bodies of these shinobi, making them tremble uncontrollably.
After ensuring the area was secure, the vigilant Konoha ANBU finally dropped down from the trees.
Clang!
Everyone drew their weapons, prepared for any surprise attack.
Bang!
The seemingly calm ground suddenly erupted as three figures emerged from different places, brandishing weapons and rushing toward the Konoha ANBU warriors!
Close-range combat was extremely dangerous—one mistake could cost a life.
Under the moonlight, the shinobi engaged in a bloody battle.
Clang!
Sparks flew as weapons collided!
As time passed, the Konoha ANBU killed the remaining enemies one by one.
Despite using some chakra when performing their jutsu, the ANBU remained in good condition overall.
The enemy had been ambushed and was in poor shape, making it nearly impossible for them to win.
"Where is Captain Naraku?"
"He went after the Iwagakure leader..."
"You guys clean up here. Let's go help the captain!"
"Yes, sir!"
...
Swoosh!
The Iwagakure leader quietly landed in a thick bush, trying to control his breathing and reduce his presence.
The next second, Shihouin Naraku appeared. He looked around, then spotted something and rushed off in that direction.
Only when Naraku's figure completely disappeared did the Iwagakure leader let out a sigh of relief. He immediately stood up and retreated in another direction.
He tightened the scroll secured to his back, and a smile appeared on his blood-streaked face.
Despite the enemy's surprise attack, Iwagakure's mission was a success—he had snatched the scroll brought by Sunagakure during the chaos!
The quality of Iwagakure shinobi was indeed higher than that of Sunagakure shinobi.
For this exchange, Iwagakure had brought only one squad of four people plus their leader, while Sunagakure brought two full squads. Yet in the first wave of attacks, more Iwagakure shinobi had survived.
By the time the Konoha ANBU launched their final attack, two Iwagakure shinobi were still alive, hiding underground to launch a surprise attack, and their leader had already escaped.
As for Sunagakure, only one shinobi remained.
The skill gap was quite significant.
...
"Huff... huff..."
Though aware his breathing was becoming more rapid, the Iwagakure leader showed no intention of stopping.
He couldn't waste the opportunity his subordinates had won for him at the cost of their lives.
The Iwagakure leader desperately channelled the chakra in his body, increasing his speed as he passed through the trees like lightning.
Blood running down his forehead soaked his eyes and blurred his vision, but he didn't even have time to wipe it away.
What he should have done was tend to his injuries, as the dripping blood would expose his location, allowing enemies to track him easily.
But time was too precious.
Blinking hard to clear his vision, the Iwagakure leader quickly darted through the woods, scanning the environment ahead.
Hmm?
His pupils suddenly contracted as a figure appeared before him.
The figure stood quietly on a large tree branch. Several special red markings decorated the white animal mask. He wore an ANBU vest and had slightly messy black hair that swayed gently in the breeze.
Shihouin Naraku!
Looking at the approaching Iwagakure leader with his murderous intent, Naraku remained silent. He had been waiting for some time.
How did he get here so fast?
Which village is this ANBU from?
I've run all this way, but he's already ahead of me.
The Iwagakure leader gritted his teeth, quickly drew several shuriken, and hurled them at the silently waiting Naraku.
Whoosh!
The shuriken sliced through the air, instantly reaching Naraku.
"Did I hit him?"
The Iwagakure leader couldn't believe how easily he had defeated his opponent.
But in the next second, the shuriken passed through Naraku's figure and embedded in the tree behind him.
"What? An afterimage?"
Before the Iwagakure leader could react, a figure appeared in his view as if teleporting.
Bang!
Shihouin Naraku's figure flashed through the air and appeared before the Iwagakure leader. He delivered a powerful, chakra-enhanced kick.
"Gah—!"
The Iwagakure leader's eyes widened as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Such a fierce attack instantly disabled him. He fell heavily to the ground and rolled into a large tree.
Slash!
Naraku followed closely, drew his katana, and pierced the Iwagakure leader's body, pinning him to the tree.
"Ugh—"
With eyes wide open and blood streaming down his face, the Iwagakure leader tried to speak, but all strength had left his body. Soon, he fell into complete darkness.
After confirming the enemy was dead, Shihouin Naraku walked over and picked up the large scroll dropped by the Iwagakure leader during their brief battle.
"It's Gold Dust!"
After opening the scroll, Naraku realized it contained a large amount of gold sand.
The current Kazekage of Sunagakure was the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, who specialized in manipulating Gold Dust using Magnet Release.
Since the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had long reduced Sunagakure's size and funding, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa had been collecting and refining gold from underground to barely maintain his village.
Because of this, Sunagakure often traded Gold Dust with other countries, including Konohagakure.
"Gaara's father is in trouble this time. The Gold Dust he collected and refined with such difficulty has disappeared, and he didn't even get the supplies he needed in return," Naraku thought with some amusement as he shook the scroll in his hand.
Compared to Konohagakure, Sunagakure was truly struggling.
"Captain!"
"Lord Naraku, are you alright?"
While Naraku was examining the scroll, Konoha ANBU members caught up and landed behind him one by one.
"Let's head back!"
Naraku casually tossed the scroll to one of his subordinates and departed with his team.