The ANBU operated as elite forces separate from the main ranks in each village, directly under the Kage's command. They handled assassinations, intelligence gathering, and all forms of covert warfare. Cold and ruthless, the ANBU didn't flinch at any methods necessary to complete a mission, however cruel or grim.
Over the years, grudges had accumulated between the ANBU of various villages; an ANBU captured by the enemy could expect unimaginable torture and suffering. Rivalries between these units ran deep, with animosity and hatred passed down from generation to generation. The sight of a Konoha ANBU, for Cloud Village's dark ops, meant only one thing: a blood feud.
Spotting Kazuya from a distance, the eyes of Cloud's ANBU squad turned bloodthirsty.
"A Konoha ANBU!"
"And only three of them! This is our chance. Get them!"
With twelve members against three, the Cloud ANBU felt confident in their numbers. They rushed forward with a roar, their faces twisted in glee.
From a distance, Yūgao scoffed, "Captain, why do these Cloud ANBU look so ordinary yet act so confident?"
She felt no fear as they closed in. After all, Kazuya—the man who'd wounded Orochimaru—was right next to her. With him here, what did they have to worry about?
Kazuya could tell Yūgao was impressed and amused by the Cloud ANBU's boldness. Despite their vicious expressions, he knew they were no match for his level of strength. A group of basic-level ANBU, however numerous, couldn't hold a candle to him.
The Cloud ANBU closed in to within a hundred meters. Kazuya clenched his fist, feeling the adrenaline surge.
"Finally... a warm-up."
He'd been observing from the sidelines long enough; his hands were itching for a fight. This group would be perfect to knock around.
"Attack! Take down the Konoha ANBU!"
The Cloud ANBU charged, their eyes glinting with bloodlust. In the blink of an eye, a flash of white light burst forth as Kazuya moved at incredible speed.
With a single blow, he sent the lead Cloud ANBU member hurtling backward.
BOOM!
Kazuya's monstrous strength, at level five, blasted the enemy with an impact that left no doubt about his power.
"What…?!"
In an instant, the Cloud ANBU were paralyzed with shock. What had happened? Their comrade had been blown apart in a single hit! And when had this Konoha shinobi even moved? He was impossibly fast!
Shaking off the initial shock, their leader growled, "This Konoha ANBU isn't ordinary. Don't bother with the others—focus on him!"
He and his comrades formed hand seals in rapid succession.
"Lightning Style: Stun Surge!"
Electric orbs materialized in the lead Cloud ANBU's hands, pulsing with lethal energy.
Their target may have been unknown to them, but they could tell from his speed that he was no ordinary shinobi. They all launched their attacks at once.
"Lightning Style: Thunderball!"
"Lightning Style: Capture Net!"
"Lightning Style: Shockwave!"
Searing bolts of lightning, kunai, and shuriken hurtled towards Kazuya. Electric pulses illuminated the field as if a storm had broken over the battlefield. With their opponent so clearly a threat, the Cloud ANBU poured all they had into their attacks.
The field was alive with sound, the intense crackling of electricity and the shrill whistles of flying weapons.
But Kazuya, calm and composed, stood at the eye of the storm, his eyes catching sight of glimmering particles in the air—attribute points, rewards for the chaos.
[You have collected 100 Chakra points]
[You have collected 150 Chakra points]
[You have collected 50 Lightning Style points]
[You have collected 80 Lightning Style points]
[You have collected 30 Water Style points]
[You have collected 200 points of Lightning Style: Thunderball experience]
"These ANBU are decent," Kazuya acknowledged, a small smile crossing his face.
From the quality of the attribute orbs he was picking up, he could tell these were highly skilled, possibly elite jōnin-level. This was no surprise, as the Cloud Village ranked highly in terms of raw shinobi power, with only Konoha matching or surpassing it.
Kazuya's movements picked up speed. He danced through the maze of crackling lightning techniques, dodging and weaving with ease. This was truly a golden opportunity—Cloud's ANBU had extensive Lightning Style knowledge, something rarely found in Konoha. Kazuya's heart swelled with satisfaction. Here, Lightning Style was everywhere, like candy for the taking.
As he deftly dodged attacks, Kazuya purposefully slowed his movements just enough to make the Cloud ANBU feel like they were on the brink of landing a hit. His apparent vulnerability baited them into putting even more force behind their Lightning Style techniques, as they were convinced he was relying on raw physical strength.
"He's a close-combat specialist!" the Cloud squad leader yelled. "Spread out, and hit him from range with Lightning Style!"
"Yes, sir!"
The surge in Lightning Style techniques lit up the field in an explosive display, while Kazuya stayed just out of reach, skillfully evading each blast.
[You have collected 50 Lightning Style points]
[Your Lightning Style mastery has reached the maximum level. You've received a passive bonus: Lightning Style damage increased by 100%.]
[You have two maximum-level jutsu masteries. Special reward unlocked: S-rank Lightning Style jutsu—Kirin (Perfected).]
[Kirin (Perfected): Requires no weather conditions or jutsu setup; can be used anytime with chakra alone, automatically locks onto targets.]
Kazuya's eyes lit up. His Lightning Style was now at maximum power, granting him double the damage on all techniques and gifting him the perfected version of Kirin, the mighty lightning strike jutsu used by Sasuke against Itachi's Susanoo in the original series. With this perfected version, he could call down devastating lightning strikes at will, unrestricted by weather.
"Time to end this warm-up," Kazuya murmured, grinning under his mask.
Kazuya moved in an instant, bypassing the wild bursts of Lightning Style to close the gap with the Cloud ANBU. In a series of swift blows, he took down two of them instantly, sending them sprawling.
Boom! Boom!
Another two went down. In a matter of seconds, the squad was almost halved.
"What's happening?" one of the remaining Cloud ANBU gasped, panic overtaking him. "We almost had him surrounded—how did half of us fall so quickly?"
But under the blinding speed of Kazuya's level-5 body flicker and crushing strength, the Cloud ANBU had little time to register their fear before another member went down. Soon, only their squad leader remained, his legs trembling as Kazuya approached. The once-arrogant shinobi was now consumed by terror as he looked at Kazuya, surrounded by the scattered remains of his team.
"Wha…what are you?" he stammered, his face pale.
But before he could react further, Kazuya closed in, knocking him out in one precise, controlled blow.
"We'll bring him back for interrogation," Kazuya said to his team, his tone steady and cold.
"Yes, Captain!" came the response from behind him.
Yūgao and Red both watched in silent awe. Their gaze followed Kazuya, their expressions filled with admiration and a hint of reverence.
"The Cloud shinobi are nothing more than chickens and dogs," Kazuya thought, scanning the battlefield with a mix of confidence and calm. His gaze locked onto the heart of the battle, where Shisui Uchiha and Nii Yugito were fighting intensely, a clash of powers that sent waves of chakra energy through the battlefield.