"Gentle Fist : Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"
Hyuga Kazuki's face showed strained blue veins under his mask. His white eyes were uncommonly focused and intense. He released a chakra shockwave, causing the two robust Cloud Ninja in front of him to stagger and take a few steps back.
Without hesitation, Kazuki rushed forward, employing the Sixty-Four Palms of the Hyuga Clan. The unfortunate opponents found themselves soaked in rain and dew. Their chakra systems were disrupted, and meridians ruptured. They simultaneously spat out mouthfuls of blood, landing unwillingly on the hard ground.
"What technique is this...!"
Kazuki Hyuga's white eyes remained Secret behind his mask. From a distance, the Cloud ninjas couldn't identify the renowned Gentle Fist technique. Instead, they considered it some form of exceptional and enigmatic Taijutsu.
"Huff... huff... Am I going to die..."
Hyuga Kazuki was drenched in sweat, his clothes coated in dirt. As the fierce struggle for survival subsided, the tremendous chakra expenditure left everyone exhausted, and casualties escalated.
"Water Style : Water Waves!"
Nightingale emitted a melodious cry, performing hand seals from bottom to top.
However, a barrage of shuriken assaulted her. Fatigued and unable to dodge, Nightingale accidentally took a hit to her shoulder. Her pale face grew even paler as crimson blood flowed.
Dodging the remaining attacks by flipping over a rock, Nightingale retreated, seeking refuge with her fellow teammates.
Engaged in this melee, Nightingale, comparatively weaker and less aggressive, found herself in grave danger. To exacerbate matters, she refrained from employing Wood Style. Despite the mutual ignorance between the two villages, the fame of the First Hokage's jutsu was too widespread, and her identity would inevitably be revealed.
"Is this where I meet my end? I possess such great potential and even the Wood Style! If only..."
Mid-contemplation, Nightingale was intercepted by a swift slash from a Cloud ninja's blade. She parried desperately, but her manoeuvring space dwindled.
Falcon fared no better. Although his Kenjutsu proved razor-sharp and his mastery of Light Release superior even to the current Orochimaru, the chaos of battle exposed his vulnerability to defense. His body bore the scars of combat, illustrating his predicament.
With no allocation of roles based on specialties, no coherent tactical deployment, nor unified command, the mission's objective remained obscure.
Were it not for Orochimaru's single-handed attempt to restrain the three Jōnin, this 30 vs. 100 confrontation would have ended swiftly. Merely a few rounds of ninjutsu would have decided it.
At this juncture, Orochimaru's resolve wavered, and even his heightened sensory mode could only be maintained briefly to conserve mental energy. Consequently, the two Jonin capitalized on his momentary vulnerability, rendering him akin to a trapped rabbit.
Fortuitously, Orochimaru managed to momentarily stave off defeat, barring any lethal injury. This illusion fueled the Jōnin's conviction that, "if they pushed harder, they could eliminate this loathsome wretch."
For if a single Jōnin could restrain Orochimaru, the remaining Jōnin could engage the remaining Anbu, thereby quelling any resistance. Orochimaru might have fled, risking mission failure or accusations of betrayal.
"A substantial force approaches!"
Orochimaru's endurance waned. Amid his mental perception, two units approached rapidly.
"Damn it! It's not our reinforcement! By the chakra and aura, it's Kiri and Iwagakure! You scoundrel!"
Despite his foresight and a presumption that Yaksha might be connected to Danzo, this situation incensed Orochimaru, provoking furious anger.
As expected, these rookies were condemned to serve as advanced cannon fodder in this mission.
"Watch out!" Orochimaru bellowed, prompting his three teammates to retreat in synchrony, gravitating towards his position.
"No reinforcements await us. We're mere pawns instigating conflict between other shinobi villages!"
Orochimaru swiftly weaved hand signs, drawing a deep breath before exhaling an immense cloud of acid mist.
"Secret Jutsu: Chameleon Acid Bomb!"
Crisis pressed Orochimaru into unveiling yet another Secret technique.
"What manner of technique is this?! Is he a Mist Ninja?"
The acid mist's broad dispersion incapacitated the two Cloud Jonin, lacking the protection of Tazun's Lightning Style. When they came into contact with the mist, their skin stung, particularly their vulnerable eyes.
"Now! Reinforcements are inbound! Open your scrolls!"
Having diligently observed from the rear, the individual who'd earlier diverted the watercourse became animated, possibly in response to a signal. His excitement mirrored that of a fervent believer receiving divine instruction.
Certainly, this character had been placed by Yaksha to serve this purpose.
"Peril looms! Those scrolls can't contain mere defensive ninjutsu!"
The revelation dawned on Orochimaru, as though recalling a scene from a different world. An infected populace encircled a city, survivors directed to a designated zone, where a great treasure was eventually bequeathed.
An icy current coursed down Orochimaru's spine. Gazing at the scrolls, his thoughts converged: this ploy was orchestrated by Danzo!
"Unseal—!"
Three Anbu operatives had already unfurled the scrolls, revealing intricate, elaborate seals that sprawled like spider webs. Their area of effect expanded astonishingly, enshrouding hundreds of meters.
Yet, nothing transpired.
"How... How can this be?!"
The one who issued the command could scarcely believe that the trio who had desperately activated the scrolls now lay still, their hearts pierced by the alert Cloud ninjas.
"Impossible! It must be a mishap! Proceed, you three!"
Unbeknownst to them, in the distance, Mist and Stone shinobis approached from divergent directions. They neared the battleground yet detected no immediate disturbance.
Had Orochimaru deployed his sensory abilities, he might have discerned a peculiar chakra emanation from the opened scrolls, weaving an extensive enchantment across the battlefield. This enchantment masked movement and obstructed sight—a strategic illusion scroll.
"Your spying days are over! Despite my ignorance of your findings, your demise is imminent! Speak—reveal your affiliations!"
Kiri ninjas emerged before a long-haired youth, his attire emblematic of Kirigakure. His repressed chakra and overwhelming aura signalled his status as a near-powerhouse of the Kage level.
"Unseal!"
Another trio of Anbu operatives revealed the scrolls, unfurling colossal, sprawling seals. Two scrolls bore expansive, hundred-meter spells. The third scroll yielded a massive earth manipulation technique.
An imposing earthen wall rose, a makeshift bulwark safeguarding the remaining Anbu. However, their dwindling numbers, not exceeding ten, faced over fifty Cloud ninjas.
"Phew... Received orders from Lord Yaksha! Reinforcements approach! Our efforts have slowed Cloud ninjas's advance. Tazun's likely defeated. This base is compromised!"
The Chunin issuing commands appeared on the brink of frenzy. Although his demeanour seemed irrational, his compatriots scrutinized the enigmatic spells beneath their feet, the wounded ninjas clustered nearby, and grew eerily silent.
With tireless diligence, they had infiltrated Anbu ranks, braving formidable trials, all to sacrifice themself in an obscure base in the Land of Hot Water and Clouds?!
Did their arduous training, painstaking efforts, culminate in confronting a vastly superior enemy, merely to meet their deaths?
And their intended quarry, Tazun, had been vanquished single handedly by Instructor Yaksha. Were they nothing but expendable pawns?
Beyond the barricade, Cloud Ninja methodically dismantled the earth wall. While strategically potent, the scroll's earth jutsu remained a temporary measure, bound to falter.
"These opponents are odd. I anticipated their readiness to die, yet they wield potent scrolls of such magnitude."
Cloud Ninja exchanged apprehensive glances. Their gazes shifted from the colossal, unfamiliar spells beneath them, to their fallen comrades, culminating in a sense of impending conspiracy.
"Annihilate them! Eliminate them promptly!"
A seasoned Jōnin, radiating formidable power, formed a formidable hand seal, amassing blinding electric chakra. He charged forward, striking the rock wall with unfathomable might.
"Thunderbolt Thunderstorm Hammer!"
A tremendous blast ensued as the earthen wall crumbled. Orochimaru, clutching the Kusanagi sword, regarded his adversaries icily, a sardonic smile playing across his lips.
"The reinforcements arrive!"
Simultaneously, Mist and Stone breached the barrier, their anticipation met with the unexpected. Within the forest's confines, they witnessed Cloud ninjas merely meters away, entrenched in a maze of unfamiliar spells.
"This doesn't bode well! It's a trap by Cloud shinobis! Fall back!"
Iwagakure and Kirigakure leaders shouted in unison. Though they maintained a hundred-meter distance, the baffling enchantment rendered them blind to one another, lost in an illusory quagmire.
"Retreat!"
Mist and Stone exclaimed in tandem, synchronized in sentiment.
In an almost synchronized exhortation, Cloud ninjas pronounced, "Daring to infiltrate the territory of Kumogakure, you shall learn your lesson today!"
They tore open their robes, revealing detonating talismans strapped across their forms.
"Fall back—!!"
An explosive eruption followed, as Cloud ninjas activated their talismans simultaneously. Iwagakure and Kirigakure ninjas sustained casualties, gravely wounded or obliterated in the blast.
Meanwhile, under Anbu Chunin's direction, Tiger at last opened the final scroll.
"As predicted! Retreat! Prepare to fall back!"
Orochimaru's voice resounded in a mighty roar, prompting an immediate withdrawal. His serpent companions extended, ensnaring the bewildered Tiger, dragging him to safety.
"Silence—!!"
Amid startled gazes, the final scroll unravelled, birthing a horrifying abyss. Inky tendrils surged forth, a voracious maw exuding ominous suction. All that stood before it was devoured.
The Four Symbols Sealing Technique.
"Impossible—!!"
The Chunin commander, enveloped in despair, was inexorably pulled within. Nearby Anbu succumbed in an instant. Orochimaru's teammates, empowered by his telepathic guidance, extricated themselves just in time.
Yet, the sealing symbol inscribed on the scroll exceeded their expectations. Its force escalated, growing irresistible. The activation of two massive, previous jutsu compounded the magnitude, extending its reach hundreds of meters.
The force resembled that of a cosmic collision.
"Out of the way—!"
Successive torrents rent the earthen walls, sweeping away all Anbu but Tiger. Beyond, the Cloud ninjas remained oblivious, enshrouded within the bewildering illusions. Even the distant Iwagakure and Kirigakure forces were ensnared.
"Ah—save us!"
Orochimaru's snakes coiled around Nightingale, the Four others, and the embattled earth walls. The quintet collaborated, labouring to counteract the pull. Yet, their fate loomed—extinction within ten seconds!
Orochimaru alone retained composure, orchestrating his preparations for retreat, his allies in tow.
In the midst of his actions, an inexorable current bore down—Cloud ninja's formidable Jōnin hurled at them!
Among the distant Cloud ninjas, the one armed with a spear anchored his weapon to the ground. Confronted by irresistible pull, he flung himself forward. The torrents intensified, gripping him tighter.
His resolute determination propelled him towards Orochimaru's group. Hindered yet invincible, he became an emissary of annihilation.
Beyond the earth wall, Cloud ninjas deconstructed their makeshift defense. The unnoticed jutsu dictated their destiny.
"Curse it all! If I must perish, I'll drag you with me! We shall meet our end together!"
Ultimately succumbing to the force, the robust Cloud ninja cast aside all resistance. His massive fist surged with lightning, a desperate blow aimed at Orochimaru.
**********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/Unique_Writer