Just as Mochizuki Hui glanced over, a streak of white light flashed through the air.
The light wasn't large—it was a curved arc, resembling a crescent moon in the night sky, but it bore a greater resemblance to the fang of a colossal beast.
That fang sliced cleanly through the elite chunin's body, killing him in an instant!
On the other side, a crackling sound of lightning echoed through the forest as Lightning also finished off his opponent with a swift Lightning Release technique.
Now, only one elite chunin remained. Witnessing the swift deaths of his comrades, his face drained of color in sheer terror, and he stumbled into a panicked frenzy. This lapse allowed Hunter to seize the opportunity and swiftly eliminate him.
Thus, Mochizuki Hui's Fourth Squad successfully completed their first hunt of Iwagakure's ANBU team.
But this certainly would not be the last.
"Let's move. The battlefield will be cleaned up by our enemies, and we might even gain something unexpected," Mochizuki Hui remarked, and the four swiftly disappeared into the depths of the forest.
Two hours later, another Iwagakure ANBU team passed through the forest and discovered the bodies.
After a quick examination, the squad leader waved his hand, and one of his subordinates used Earth Release to bury the four corpses.
"Judging by the battlefield and the scope of the fight, it wasn't a prolonged battle. It ended quickly," one of the Iwagakure ANBU members said.
"Yes, their opponents were strong," the squad leader responded solemnly, deep in thought as he tried to deduce who could have executed such an efficient ambush.
After pondering for a while, only one conclusion seemed likely: Konoha's ANBU.
Although the entire world of smaller nations was embroiled in ANBU skirmishes, the Land of Fog was a buffer zone between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth. It wouldn't make sense for other nations to interfere here without a clear gain.
"Could it be Konoha's ANBU? Have they penetrated this deeply into the region already?" another team member asked, puzzled by the possibility. It seemed too bold, too risky.
"It must be them. Report this to the division leader and the ANBU commander," the squad leader said grimly. If Konoha's ANBU dared operate in such a deeply entrenched Iwagakure-controlled area, they should be prepared for a swift counterattack.
Suddenly, the sound of projectiles slicing through the air pierced the forest.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Ambush!" the squad leader shouted instinctively, leaping out of the way.
His reflexes were quick; the instant he sensed the attack, he alerted his team. His two elite chunin quickly followed suit, dodging the incoming barrage. But one of his subordinates, a mere chunin, wasn't so lucky. Despite the warning, the ambush came too swiftly for him to react in time.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions rocked the forest as explosive tags attached to kunai detonated, instantly killing the chunin caught in the blast.
Kunai, after all, weren't just simple throwing knives.
As the dust from the explosion settled, four figures darted out of the forest—Mochizuki Hui and his squad. They had deliberately avoided cleaning up the battlefield earlier to bait another team.
And now, their trap had worked.
No words were exchanged as the four launched their attack. With the element of surprise on their side, it was now a four-on-three battle. Mochizuki Hui set his sights on the Iwagakure squad leader, leaving the remaining elite chunin to Lightning and the others.
Gripping his sword, Mochizuki Hui dashed between the trees, readying a powerful strike.
Earth Release: Hardening Jutsu!
The Iwagakure squad leader instinctively used a jutsu to harden one of his arms, turning it into a stone-like shield.
In his other hand, he brandished a kunai, preparing to counter the moment Mochizuki Hui's strike landed, aiming to take advantage of the slight numbness his opponent would feel from the impact to plunge the kunai into his abdomen.
Cleaving the Mountain!
But Mochizuki Hui had something far more devastating in mind—he wanted to test out one of his new sword techniques, and the Iwagakure jonin was about to pay the price.
Cleaving the Mountain: A single sword strike, capable of cleaving through mountains.
The technique combined wind-nature chakra, sharpening the blade, and added a powerful light-based sword energy. The result was an immensely powerful slash, somewhat reminiscent of Sarutobi Asuma's Flying Swallow technique, but much stronger.
It also bore a resemblance to Uchiha Madara's fully-formed Susanoo slash that cleaved through mountains, though Mochizuki Hui's technique involved more finesse and less raw destruction.
Shing!
In the blink of an eye, Mochizuki Hui's sword sliced through the Iwagakure leader's hardened arm with ease. The blade didn't stop there—it continued downward, cleaving the jonin's upper body in half.
Another instant kill.
The opponent was an Iwagakure ANBU jonin.
The shock and terror of this scene left the remaining two elite chunin frozen in place. Paralyzed by fear, they became easy prey for Sakumo Hatake and the others, who swiftly dispatched them.
"Come on, man! You're making it so that I can't even enjoy the fight properly," Lightning said, his tone a mix of exasperation and admiration.
It was always the same—Mochizuki Hui would eliminate the strongest enemy with terrifying speed and power, leaving the remaining opponents too rattled to fight effectively. For the rest of them, defeating disoriented elite chunin had become far too easy, offering no real challenge whatsoever.
"That's because our captain is too strong!" Hunter said with admiration. These jonin, whom he once would have feared facing, were now being sliced down by Mochizuki Hui like mere fodder. It left him feeling a rush of excitement.
"That sword technique was completely unexpected," Sakumo Hatake chimed in, nodding in agreement.
He understood all too well what it meant. Even he, with his mastery of the blade, would likely fall in a similar number of strikes if pitted against Mochizuki Hui.
Two ninja with similar-looking kunai face off, but while the opponent believes they can block an incoming strike, they quickly realize that what they're trying to block is no ordinary blade—it's a laser sword that cuts through steel like butter.
In such a scenario, there would be no time to react or counterattack unless one possessed extraordinary reflexes, and none of their current opponents had demonstrated such a capacity.
"Alright, let's move. We've taken out two Iwagakure ANBU squads in this area, so the next time they send forces, it's bound to be a much larger group. There's no point in confronting them now. They'll analyze our tactics and most likely send a specialized ANBU team next, one fully prepared for us. We'll face tougher battles in the future," Mochizuki Hui said, cutting off the praise and signaling for the team to move out quickly.
This time, they really did leave.
Just as Mochizuki Hui had predicted, the next group of Iwagakure ANBU to arrive wasn't a single team, but three squads. As they surveyed the wrecked battlefield, still scarred from the explosive tags, and gazed upon the corpses of their comrades, their fists clenched in anger.
"Damn it, who did this?!" one of them spat, shaking with rage.
"Based on the battlefield, they used Wind and Lightning Release. Judging by the wounds on our men, they also possess incredibly powerful swordsmanship and close-combat skills," another ANBU member analyzed.
"Hmph, there's no need for such analysis. This was definitely the work of Konoha's ANBU!" declared the squad leader.
"It seems Konoha has dispatched a particularly elite ANBU team to infiltrate deep into this region to specifically hunt down our Iwagakure ANBU squads," another member growled.
"They're treating us like prey? Damn it, Konoha's ANBU are too arrogant!" the group fumed, anger rising with every word.
"Report this to the higher-ups. Since Konoha's ANBU has made the first move, we'll respond in kind!"
"Yes, let's have our village assemble an elite ANBU team of our own, complete with sensory-type ninja. We'll show these Konoha ANBU that Iwagakure's ANBU are not to be underestimated!"
With that, the Iwagakure ANBU left to report the grim situation. The news quickly reached the desk of Iwagakure's ANBU commander. Hearing that two of his jonin-led ANBU squads had been wiped out, he slammed his fist onto the desk in fury.
"Konoha's ANBU… Fine. If you're going to break the rules, we'll play along!" he snarled.
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