Over the next couple of days, Fujin tried 17 varieties of noodle dishes. All were delicious and could be put at a similar level as Ichiraku.
Sotan was dissatisfied with Fujin's carefree nature and acting as if he was on a vacation. But Fujin paid him no heed. Tamotsu and the rest also noticed Fujin's attitude but didn't say anything.
They concluded that Fujin had gotten carefree after a couple of very easy missions. They themselves had a similar experience. They believed that Fujin's attitude would improve after they get a mission that gets very serious.
Of course, their analysis was incorrect. Fujin was very alert. Despite his carefree attitude, he was very serious. Once the fighting begins, he will be as serious as he can be. His actions were only a result of him deciding to relax mentally and physically after a longish training routine as they had nothing to do until their opponents decided to show up.
On the 3rd afternoon in the castle, Fujin was sitting on the edge of the balcony on the top floor, eating the last of the 19 dishes. It was Chicken and Mushroom Sauced Noodles with Basil.
As he grabbed the noodles with his chopsticks and ate, he looked straight ahead. His eyes glowed blue as he observed numerous silhouettes trying to approach the castle stealthily.
He swallowed the noodles and said with a steady voice, "They are here."
After saying that, he began eating again while thinking, 'Just 18? These guys need to find their source and hang him. There are over 50 attackers. And all have chakra. Though none are exceptionally strong.
Anyways, I didn't think that standing at an altitude would increase the range of my chakra-enhanced eyesight so much. I can barely see a few hundred meters when at ground level. But from here, I can observe for almost 3 kilometers. A shame that the chakra field doesn't extend in this manner too.'
Fujin's voice was heard clearly by the people on the top floor. Tamotsu, Ryota, Katsumi and Tadashi immediately appeared behind him, only to see him eating in a very relaxed manner. Black lines formed on their faces.
Fujin said, "The intel was incorrect. There are over 50 attackers."
Hearing that, all four became serious and began observing the surroundings. The attackers were still over a couple of kilometers away. But the Konoha Chunins could see the slight movements in the trees as they moved.
Tamotsu made a shadow clone who went to warn Sotan and get him to ready his men.
Ryota said with a bitter smile, "It looks like we hit a steel plate this time. It will be a tough fight."
Tamotsu said, "Focus on keeping yourself alive. I know that the mission statement is to keep them alive. But keeping ourselves alive is the most important thing. We can't do our mission if we are dead. Especially you, Fujin. Don't get too excited."
Fujin replied, "Don't worry. Though their numbers are high, none of them seems exceptionally strong. So we should be fine."
Tamotsu was surprised. He said, "I didn't expect your sensory skills to be so strong."
Fujin replied, "The altitude helps in covering more area. But I can't extend my chakra field that far away. So I am not 100% sure. And we should consider the possibility of someone being able to conceal their chakra."
Tamotsu nodded and said, "It's good that you are considering these aspects."
Fujin asked, "So, what's our plan? With the enemy outnumbering us almost 2:1, the old plans are unusable."
Tamotsu nodded and said, "We won't focus on trying to defend. Instead, we will move in groups and kill as many of our enemies as quickly as we can. Tadashi and Katsumi will move together. Ryota and Fujin will move with me."
Fujin said, "My teamwork with you guys isn't that good yet. It could be bad considering the scale of this battle. Can I move alone instead?"
Tamotsu frowned. He didn't expect such a request to be made by Fujin. He thought, 'His request is logically correct. But, Lord Hokage asked me to ensure that he doesn't die prematurely. That said, he also said that Fujin is quite strong and could put up a fight even against me.'
Tamotsu asked, "Are you sure? It will be very risky with no one to watch your back."
Fujin said, "Don't worry. I can sense who is strong and who ain't. So I will focus on clearing the weaker ones."
Tamotsu agreed and said, "Alright. But be careful."
Fujin nodded without looking at him and continued eating his noodles. His teammates watched him with strange looks in their eyes.
Meanwhile, Sotan began arranging his subordinates into proper positions. Every ninja in the castle became very alert. The common people realized that they were about to be attacked and quickly evacuated to the underground safehouse under the castle.
The attackers finally began entering within 1 kilometer of the castle and into Fujin's chakra field. Fujin began sensing all of them properly. He didn't find anything odd with any of them. The attackers were spread out across the forest moving in groups of 2 or 3.
He analyzed, 'Hmm, 43 are at the Genin level, 14 barely into the Chunin level and 2 might be closer to the Elite Chunin level. Though, since they aren't from Konoha, their official ranks might be higher. I guess that the strongest 2 are Jounins. Still, they are weak. I kinda wish that I got some experience points for grinding these weaklings.'
Fujin swallowed the remaining noodles in his bowl and placed the bowl down.
He said, "I'm going in first."
Without waiting for anyone's response, he used Wind Instantaneous Body jutsu.
His teammates were surprised again. Tadashi said, "Did he really go to take the attack to the enemy?"
Katsumi noted, "More importantly, he left with chopsticks in his hands rather than his swords."
Ryota asked, "Will he be alright?"
Tamotsu said, "Let's hope that he stays fine. Anyways, they are almost here. Get ready!"
All four began preparing their opening jutsus.
Fujin appeared on a tree about 50 meters from a group of 3. Two in the front were at the Genin level, while the one in the back was at the Chunin level. Fujin hid behind a tree.
Soon, 3 figures appeared close to Fujin. Chakra flowed through the two chopsticks Fujin was holding. Fujin threw them at the two genins. Both chopsticks pierced through their throats. They dropped down while holding their throats.
The Chunin in the back was shocked. They hadn't even reached the castle walls yet! Before the Chunin could shout to attract attention, a sharp wind cut across his throat. He too joined the dead Genins.
Fujin flickered to the nearest group. He killed 2 groups, consisting of a total of 5 Genins in a row before getting to the rear of the attacking forces.
Fujin's kills were done very silently. The enemy group wasn't aware of his actions. After killing 8, he set his target on one of the Jounins.
Behind the enemy lines, there were no obstacles for Fujin. He flickered close to the nearest Jounin. After getting in range, he attacked from behind.
'Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet jutsu'
The Jounin and his two subordinates were moving ahead confidently. They were sure about winning. However, the Jounin suddenly felt some danger and moved to his left. The Vacuum Bullet grazed past his right arm leaving a cut. The Vacuum Bullet kept going ahead and pierced through multiple trees. They were shocked and quickly turned around to confront the sneak attacker.
Fujin was surprised, 'He dodged? I guess it might not be so boring after all.'
The Jounin and the two Chunins didn't see anyone behind them. Fujin had already flickered after attacking.
One of the Chunins asked, "Who attacked us, boss?"
The Jounin said, "Stay on alert. The enemy should be watching us! And don't get hit by his attack!"
They stayed on guard for a few seconds, but no new attack happened. The Jounin frowned, 'Is someone trying to kill me? Or is it just a tactic to stop me here? No, that attack was strong. I have to keep my guard up!'
The three stood with their backs to each other, watching every direction. Soon, some noise was heard from one direction. Two Wind Gale Wolves appeared and pounced on them.
The Chunins immediately threw a kunai with an explosion tag on each wolf. Both wolves were dispersed.
However, when they were distracted by the wolves, Fujin silently flickered behind them and used Air Bullet jutsu.
The Jounin realized and shouted, "DODGE!"
He immediately moved away. But the two Chunins were distracted by the wolves. Both got hit by multiple bullets. One of the bullets pierced through one of their hearts, while another pierced through the head of the other Chunin.
As soon as the Jounin dodged, he threw Shurikens at Fujin. However, Fujin flickered out of the way.
The Jounin was angry at how easily two of his subordinates died! He shouted, "Bastard! I will kill you!"
Fujin didn't reply. Instead, he threw a few shurikens at him. The Jounin easily blocked them with his kunai. However, while he was blocking, Fujin's shadow clone attacked with Air Bullet jutsu from the rear.
The Jounin once again dodged quickly. A few scratches appeared on him, but none were life-threatening.
The Jounin realized, 'He had a clone attack us with those wolves while his main body sneak attacked us. And now he has done the reverse. What a troublesome opponent!'
Meanwhile, Fujin was thinking, 'Does he have eyes at the back of his head?'
A/N : We reached the Power Stones goal! A chapter will be released on Sunday :-)
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