For the next three days, Iwagakure's ANBU teams stationed in the Land of Mist lived in constant fear, dreading that they might be targeted by that elite Konoha ANBU squad.
In just three days, another four of Iwagakure ANBU squads were hunted down.
Adding the previous two squads, a total of six ANBU teams had fallen to that Konoha squad, amounting to 24 shinobi in total—the equivalent of an entire ANBU division from Iwagakure.
Despite attempts to band together and launch counterattacks, their efforts were futile. First, they couldn't track the enemy's movements.
Second, even when their sensory ninjas detected the enemy's presence, the Konoha squad would vanish before they could form a proper encirclement.
This revealed that Konoha's elite squad had at least one sensory ninja, and this individual's sensory abilities were far superior to most of Iwagakure's own sensory shinobi.
Thus, the Iwagakure ANBU squads had no choice but to retreat, gather in groups, and avoid being caught alone.
This situation greatly frustrated the Iwagakure ANBU Commander, Kamizuru Ishigawa who had recently entered the battlefield in the Land of Fog. He was determined to eliminate the Konoha squad entirely.
Inside a cave that served as the Iwagakure ANBU headquarters, a group of ANBU members gathered for a meeting in a hastily set-up conference room.
"Commander, here's the information we've gathered on the Konoha ANBU squad," said one ANBU operative, holding a notebook as he addressed Ishigawa, the Iwagakure ANBU Commander.
Around them sat several Iwagakure ANBU division and squad leaders, each listening intently.
"Based on the data we've collected, the Konoha squad consists of four members. In terms of strength, the team includes one elite jonin, two jonin, and one elite chunin.
"At least one of the members is a sensory ninja with a range of approximately three kilometers.
"Regarding their abilities: the elite jonin is a small figure, likely under 50 kilograms, and appears to specialize in Wind Release and Fire Release ninjutsu, along with expert swordsmanship.
"One of the jonin uses Lightning Release and Fire Release techniques and is likely a full-grown adult weighing around 65 kilograms, based on footprint analysis.
"The second jonin is also proficient in swordsmanship, with a weight estimated to be around 67 kilograms—also an adult.
"Lastly, the elite chunin doesn't seem to specialize in anything specific, likely the weakest member, weighing around 60 kilograms. However, our fallen ANBU, both elite chunin and chunin, were defeated by this individual.
"We believe this elite chunin is the sensory ninja of the team. Without a sensory ninja, there would be no need to bring someone who appears to be a 'weak link' in an otherwise elite squad.
"That's all we've been able to determine about their abilities so far, though there could be more we are unaware of.
"Their area of activity is broad but primarily focuses on the region of the Land of Fog near the Land of Earth. The last sighting was near the Nanchuan River."
The ANBU finished and sat down, waiting for Ishigawa's response.
Kamizuru Ishigawa, a middle-aged man appearing to be in his forties, was a member of the Kamizuru clan, which produced both the First Tsuchikage and the future Third Tsuchikage.
Drumming his fingers on the table, his brow furrowed in thought. After several seconds, he finally spoke in a cold and displeased tone.
"So, we've lost 24 excellent ANBU members and still haven't gathered any concrete information on the enemy?"
Several division leaders stood up immediately, bowing their heads in apology. "It's our failure!"
"Hmph! Konoha's elite ANBU, huh? They've sent an elite jonin and two jonin, along with an elite chunin, to form an assassination squad. Very well then. Let's make Konoha feel the pain of losing their finest shinobi!"
Kamizuru Ishigawa spoke icily, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He was confident that he could track and destroy this Konoha squad because he was a direct disciple of the Second Tsuchikage, just like his cousin Kamizuru Onoki.
While Onoki inherited the Bloodline Limit Dust Release, Ishigawa inherited the Second Tsuchikage's sensory abilities.
That was precisely why he had personally entered the battlefield in the Land of Fog: to deal with this squad.
"Starting tomorrow, each team will operate in pairs. If that Konoha squad is bold enough to remain in the area, they won't be able to resist attacking a larger target.
And once they enter my sensory range, there will be no escape for them!" Ishigawa ordered, his mind already formulating a plan to corner Mochizuki Hui and his team.
Meanwhile, Mochizuki Hui's squad was unaware that Iwagakure's ANBU Commander had personally entered the Land of Fog to hunt them down.
At that moment, the four of them were resting in a hidden location far from Iwagakure's ANBU gathering point, ensuring they were out of sensory range while they planned their next move.
"Captain, we've already taken down four more Iwagakure ANBU squads. I bet Iwagakure is panicking by now!" Hunter said, his voice filled with excitement. The recent hunts had left him feeling as if he were living in a dream. Never had he felt so powerful before.
"That's a given! If this were four years ago, six ANBU squads would be more than an entire division!" Lightning boasted, enjoying the taste of his soldier pill. However, after chewing for a moment, his face twisted in disgust.
Internally, Lightning cursed: Damn, these things are still as disgusting as ever!
"Don't underestimate Iwagakure," Mochizuki Hui cautioned, swallowing his own soldier pill in one gulp to avoid tasting it.
"By now, they've likely gathered a fair amount of information about us. Iwagakure won't just sit back and let us keep hunting their teams. Their next move will probably be a targeted plan against us."
Hearing this, both Lightning and Hunter's faces grew serious as they nodded in understanding.
While things seemed to be going smoothly now, they were still living in the world of shinobi—a world where death could come at any moment.
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