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Ino's POV (Bandit Camp (Possessing Bandit Male))
Ino walked towards the main entrance. A building built of various chunks of wood stuck together. There were rough benches and bars indicative of a meeting place of sorts. The men inside were drinking, smoking, or gambling with reckless abandon. It was odd to think they somehow beat a squad. But perhaps they simply underestimated them. As she approached, two large men at the front of the gate welcomed her. She was some kind of elder in her current body. She quickly marched through claiming her shift was over. If the men truly cared they did not show it. She walked through the bar into the main space of the camp. For the most part, it was more of the same. But she knew two large tents to the northeast of the camp contained weapon caches. She would set up an explosive line in both entrances. If they entered they would likely perish along with their weapons. So she drifted towards them. Simply nodding at any who acknowledged her.
She arrived at the tents and saw two men guarding them. She briefly considered how to handle things but decided they would need to go. The man she was possessing wasn't very fit. But even with his dilapidated body, she could muster good kunai throws. These being the real deal they both pierced their throats accurately. The first one immediately dropped. Likely the blade had managed to sever his spine killing him instantly. The second was a more gruesome death. The man's throat was slit by the blade. Not allowing the man to call for help. He could only breathlessly gurgle as he bled out. Ino could feel something inside her grow cold at the merciless killing but they had prepared for this for years. She didn't flinch as she drugged the corpses inside the two tents. Laying her lethal explosive trap at both entrances. Her training was working well, time to free the prisoners. Hopefully, no unnecessary blood would be spilled today…
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Unknown's POV (Nearby Kakashi)
"Men," A voice whispered to six others. "Our target is directly in front of us. We will wait for him to engage the bandits. No need to complicate our ambush. Now our target is powerful, absurdly so. So don't play around. Kills this bastard before he kills us. Understood?" They all nodded. The captain's face grimaced at the lack of self-concern. He had no doubt seven Jounin may be able to kill even an elite Jounin. But there was no doubt several of them would die. His sound shinobi training suggested one or two would live and that was acceptable. But he loved his men. He feared they were being led by him to their deaths. Disobeying would merely lead to his men killing him and proceeding anyway. No, the only solution was to lead these men into killing a legend.
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Team Tremble POV (Nearby Naruto)
"Are they sending all three of us for him?" a young woman with long black hair that reached to her thighs and was tied at the end. She wore the sound fatigues which were a snakeskin pattern for her pants and scarf. As well as a tan sleeveless vest. Kin Tsuchi was the speaker.
"Seems harsh to me personally. But it'll be fun killing him either way!" A young man answered her. He had long spiky unruly hair that stuck straight up. He wore a forehead protector mask. As well as the sound fatigue over it he wore a tan one-piece with the kanji for death on it three times. Zaku Abumi was here as well.
"It is what it is. Don't play games, we have something to prove here. So this short clone runt has to die." Dosu Kinuta answered. He was shorter than the other two and was hard to describe. His head was almost completely wrapped in bandages. He wore the same fatigues as the others. The only difference is the gray long-sleeved kimono as well as a straw rain cape. They all tensed and prepared to kill as their master directed...
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Neji's POV (Outside Bandit Camp South)
Neji's eyes widened significantly as he saw four people creeping in at the edge of his vision. As he expanded his gaze he saw they were all about to be ambushed. "AMBUSH!" He called to the clone before destroying it. Ino awoke and jumped up.
"It's an ambush. As I was walking through the camp I searched his mind. Shinobi are coming to kill us! The people inside are mostly innocents with bandits sprinkled in!" Ino called desperately to the Hyuga.
"Some of that is news. Unfortunately, it gets worse. We are being approached by four shinobi. One of them seems to be high Chunin to low Jounin level." Neji says. Luckily around twenty clones gather around them. New orders are seemingly being dispensed among them. "Ino stick with me and the clones. We just have to stall until Kakashi gets here."
"R-right," Ino said she was undeniably nervous. Neji wanted to reassure her. But to be honest he knew they were in trouble.
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Kakashi's POV (Outside Bandit Camp North)
Kakashi stood with several clones as suddenly they all tensed. One of the copies of Naruto approached Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei!" The clone yelled. "It's an ambush! Neji and Ino are in trouble!"
Kakashi felt his single eye widen. He had wondered why any bandit group would be stationed here. Furthermore, how did they ever manage to repel an assault from the capitol? He had found this suspicious yet, he had never truly pondered it. His Genin may very well suffer from his mistake. He quickly dashed forward. If even a single hair was harmed on his Genin, he would slaughter any before him. He would not repeat the s-
Kakashi, trusting the random instinct, ducked as a storm of kunai flew over his head. He jumped back, having heard a whooshing of air. It had given away a strange masked man, with snake-scale clothing who attempted to land a double stomp on the Jounin. At least thirty clones landed before Jounin. Defensively, they formed a perimeter around Kakashi as six more men landed. All dressed in the same garb as the others.
"Copycat Kakashi of the Sharingan. A living legend, surely a future S-rank shinobi. Or you would've been, but we were assigned to kill you." The leader of the men stated. "Any last words?"
"Naruto's, go and help Ino and Neji. I'll dispose of these dead men and head towards them after." Kakashi ordered. His tone made it clear this was not a debate.
"Fine with us, they wouldn't be much assistance, and you all will die today."
"Just for that," Kakashi started as the clones quickly left. Exposing his Sharingan eye. "Your deaths will be painful."
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Ino's POV (Outside of Bandit Camp South)
Ino and Neji both tensed as the enemy force grew closer. They both had combat experience but not against enemy shinobi. Luckily the two's composure held. Being reinforced by each other's presence. The approaching team arrived in the clearing. As Neji had predicted there were four of them. All of them were men though one towered beyond the others. He had an aura similar to Jounin, Ino had met many in her time. There was no doubt he was stronger than the other three. Likely stronger than her and Neji as well. The man was dressed with a mask covering his entire head and shinobi fatigues marked with a snake scale pattern. The other three were also garbed similarly, though their faces were partially exposed. One had a face mask and prescription glasses. Another similar but he wore sunglasses. The last man was bald and scared all over.
"Hello there, victims." The leader of the four said. "Excellent, I was hoping there would be a kunoichi with you. It's been far too long." He chuckled darkly. "Yoroi, Misumi, Kaku, kill the male." The three nodded before charging toward the Hyuga. Ino went to join him before she had to dodge a line of flame. "Sorry beautiful but we have a date."
The man held a stance that showed it had been a jutsu. He never even called it out. Ino was outmatched. Ino looked over to see the three men engaging the Hyuga. He was somehow holding his own as the three engaged in a wild brawl. She was on her own… fear pulsated throughout her body. She was frozen. Maybe Neji would be able to somehow contest a man of this caliber. But certainly not her.
"No need to be fearful. I'll beat you up a little then we'll have some fun. Well, I won't lie and say it's gonna be fun for you."
Ino swallowed her fear and gripped a kunai. As a member of Team Seven, she would not back down. Besides, Kakashi would surely be there shortly.
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Naruto's POV (Outside of Bandit Camp East)
Naruto blinked as the memory of the clone Neji destroyed flooded through him. He heard his clones yelling. They had been alerted to the presence of an enemy, or enemies, due to their heightened awareness once they knew there would likely be enemies nearby. Naruto felt conflicted, the bandits were still a threat especially if they were now under attack. But his teammates may very well be in trouble. It was apparent he was in trouble as well.
Naruto heard several clones pop in the forest making it clear he did not have time to think this out. He summoned fifty clones half charging into the bandit camp. And the others rush off where Ino and Neji should be. Naruto nodded to the nearby clones as they all charged into the forest. They settled down in the trees above where the mystery enemies were fighting his clones. The three were dealing with them well using good teamwork. But it was clear the woman in the group was a bit damaged. She must be lacking in wide-scale attacks. He signals for the majority of the clones to rush her. The other boy cackled madly as he blew away clones wildly. Seeming to shoot out pressurized air from his palms. But his movements were kinda wild and basic. Naruto would use his real body and a few clones and blitz the man. The last one was better than the other two. Outmaneuvering the clones and destroying them with relative ease. He would hope to stall him out while he defeated the other two. Mother's lessons were paying off.
Naruto could feel the blood pumping throughout his body. They were here to attempt to kill his friends. Naruto would rather die than witness such a thing. As a shinobi, he was faced with killers. He would be a killer himself, he couldn't afford to hold back with his friends' lives on the line. With a nod to the clones, they fired off an absurd amount of kunai. The enemy team noticed it seconds before becoming pincushions. The boy with tubes in his arm pointed his arms to the ground as a ton of clones and kunai closed in on the three. The other two jumped out of the way of the man as he roared. "Obliterating Airwaves!" The resulting invisible blast shattered the ground before him and annihilated any clone close by. The kunai were deflecting by the blast, stopping them like an iron wall.
"It seems our prey intends to become the hunter. Works for us. My name is Dosu Kinuta, my teammates are Zaku Abumi and Kin Tsuchi. We are tasked with killing you." The now-named Dosu started evenly. The other two spread out a bit facing Naruto and his batch of clones. "I'd offer you mercy for surrendering but I think we both know we're past that."
"Ya your right there, can't afford to die here since I'll be Hokage someday. And I can't afford to let you bastards bother my teammates. Soo," Naruto and his clones drew their tanto. Suddenly jumping around mixing each other up. No need to make it easy for the three to target him after all. He subtly created several Walking Landmine clones. If they intended to stand as his enemies. Then he would have to play for keeps. "I'll just kick your asses and check on them!" There were no words. Merely the whistling in the wind as the mob of clones charged the three assassins.
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Unknown's POV (Bar in Village in Vicinity)
A bar was bustling with patronage. All manner of drinking, smoking, sex, and gambling were going on. Past the rubble of people gambling life savings, or lucky money was the VIP section. In this section were the rich of the area. A gathering spot for them to mix with the poor while enjoying their wealth. One of them did seem a bit different though.
At the head of the table was what appeared to be a young, beautiful, healthy young woman. She wore a green haori over a gray kimono and dark gray leggings. But in truth, she was the most famous and influential person in the bar. She had come to their village years ago seeking booze and gambling and had found it in their seedy town. But in time once she owed money and they tried to collect the truth had been revealed. Tsunade of the Sannin had quickly annihilated the group, unknowingly saving the town. She had been labeled their protector and rewarded as a hero. As such the Sannin realized she could do as she pleased here. In exchange for the Leaf allowing her to be on leave she and the town paid taxes to the Leaf. As such she was still a shinobi and Hiruzen being the old fox he used her position for information. As well as of course having her come to teach her expertise as a medic was discovered. She even leaves the loyal Shizune in the Leaf. To ensure their medical program does not fall behind.
As such the woman felt conflicted upon hearing the latest news. A caravan had reported Leaf shinobi being ambushed close by. She thought she owed the Leaf nothing. But it would be bad for a woman of business to allow shinobi to attack her allies on her turf. With a sigh, the living legend left the table. Telling one of the attendants to take care of her debt. She had a mess to clean up.
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Kakashi's POV (Outside of Bandit Camp North)
Dodge to the left, duck the kunai thrust, catch the low kick, attempt to hamstring the man, but disengage to avoid another kunai thrust. He saw a man behind him channeling signs. He predicted and copied the technique giving him some breathing room as the ground beneath the Jounin in front of him formed spikes managing to impale one of the Jounin. That would leave him with only six. He weaved hand signs as he spun to dodge a kick from the man he had copied. As the man stumbled unbalanced from the missed strike Kakashi formed his signature jutsu. "Lightning Blade!" He called as he pierced the chest of the man off balance in front of him. As another attempted to use the moment to strike. Kakashi merely sliced through the man he had killed and decapitated the attacker. The remaining four stayed back for a moment as Kakashi wiped his hand with a cloth before disposing of it. He subtly took a deep breath. While they were much weaker than he had expected it was still surprising how tiring contesting with all of them were. But he was confident the remaining four would be dying today. It was simply a matter of how to do so without burning out. It seemed likely they were all being attacked after all. Kakashi was prepared to kill as many as it took.
The men seeming to have a new game plan all began weaving hand signs. Kakashi quickly flew through his own one-handed while dropping a smoke bomb. As the smoke covered the Cyclops the men roared. "Collaboration Technique: Elemental Devastation!" As they finished each fired off a stream of a certain element. The four each closed in on Kakashi smashed into the smoke and caused a big explosion. The captain fired off another wind jutsu to clear the smoke and confirm the body. But as the smoke cleared there was no corpse. The captain roared as he jumped up. "BELOW!"
Two of the men managed to heed his warning and the fourth was late. As soon as the man's feet left the ground a hole opened up and several kunai enhanced with lightning cut through the poor man. The captain was even further shocked the man didn't surface. "Again!" He and one other fired off kunai where they would land the third man weaving hand signs as he fell instead. "Earth Style: Ground Compression!" The ground below seemed to sink with a crush but even as this happened the silver-haired killer merely flew out of the ground before being crushed. Piercing the jutsu user's heart with a kunai. He drew the kunai and landed in front of the last two. There was silence as the two stared at the man who killed five Jounin seemingly casually.
"It's your turn," Kakashi stated, simply marching towards the two.
The captain clenched his teeth. He had failed his men just as he feared. He drew two kunai and charged forth roaring for his remaining ally to back him. He slashed with both hoping to slit the Cyclop's throat but he casually sidestepped this and he jabbed. The sound Jounin managed to lean back to avoid this but had to desperately sway away from several slashes of the Jounin. The captain steeled his nerves as he prepared his final gambit. He fainted a slash high while committing to one low. Kakashi drew a kunai absurdly quickly, deflecting the strike and stabbing the captain in the stomach. The captain spat out blood as he smiled. "KILL HIM NOW!" But there was silence, both men simply staring as nothing happened. The captain looked back to see another Kakashi standing over the bleeding body of his remaining soldier. Before the captain could try anything the Kakashi welding the blade he had stabbed him viciously with, slashed the blade out. Gutting the captain with a cold efficiency. The captain dropped as he gasped soundlessly. He was unable to speak.
"You truly thought I wouldn't use clones against a group?" Kakashi asked rhetorically. "Well, either way, enjoy death, I have Genin to check on." As the Cyclops said this he left the men to bleed out and die. A cruel fate for any who tried to harm his Genin would experience.