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War could bring death to ninjas, but it could also make them grow rapidly at an unconventional pace.
Let's not talk about Haori. The other three members of this team were just ordinary students less than a year ago. But now, they were qualified killing machines.
During the previous graduation exam, Yūhi Kurenai could be easily angered by Haori. But that wouldn't happen again. It wasn't that she had became a calm person, but that she had begun to mature.
Whether they trusted each other or not, as long as they were on this team, they had to obey Haori's orders.
In this team, what Haori said wasn't a suggestion or an opinion, but an order that needed to be obeyed.
There wasn't much communication between the four. Besides Asma and Kurenai, Haori and the remaining Yamakage Aoba were both quite silent.
Aoba's silence was probably due to his personality. Haori's silence was due to the pressure that came with being the captain. This was the responsibility of being a commander.
When he was the one being commanded, he was more free. As long as he could complete the assigned mission, he didn't have any worries. But now, he was the commander. Every decision he made had to be responsible for the lives of the four people, including himself.
So, in this environment where they could encounter enemies at any time, he was occasionally nervous and constantly vigilant.
Reconnaissance teams like Haori's team operated independently within their respective reconnaissance areas. In other words, they didn't have reinforcements. No matter what happened, they had to solve it themselves.
The specific mission content was to investigate and detect Ame's movements within the reconnaissance area assigned to the team every 15 days and regularly transmit information to the command and intelligence departments.
After Haori emphasized that the mission was about to begin, the three quickly finished their food and began to check their equipment and ninja tools.
The four were dressed in uniform, similar to the Akatsuki's uniform later on, but it was pure black. That arrogant red cloud was impossible for Leaf Village ninjas, and they also had hoods on the back of their necks.
This kind of mission gear was mainly chosen considering the reconnaissance teams' range of activity. When operating near the Land of Rain, their clothes had to be waterproof.
"Let's clarify today's mission." Haori said as he unfolded a detailed combat map on the ground.
The three immediately gathered around.
"Now, we're leaving from Base B, turning north, avoiding the main activity areas and regular routes of Ame ninjas, then turning west at Landmark D, which is 30 to 50 kilometers from here, to enter the Land of Rain without alerting the enemy."
"After infiltrating the Land of Rain, our main goal is to scout the frontline camp opposite our reconnaissance area, determine the increase or decrease in the number of ninjas in the camp."
As he described the mission in detail, Haori's fingers traced their route of movement and the main key locations along the way.
This kind of infiltration reconnaissance mission required extreme caution, both before and during the mission.
"Any questions?" Haori asked again.
Yamakage Aoba and Yūhi Kurenai both shook their heads.
(ShixT9: I only know kurenai and Asuma here, if there's a character I named wrong please mention, especially major characters)
In a tense mission like this, if you had questions, you asked. If you didn't, no one would say anything unnecessary.
But Sarutobi Asuma asked, "I have a question. How did you consider our withdrawal route after completing the mission?"
His question was on point. Withdrawal was still an important matter. They couldn't just complete the reconnaissance mission and then die heroically in enemy territory.
"There are three withdrawal plans. Plan A is to return the same way if we don't alert the enemy. Plans B and C are for if we're discovered. Depending on the specific situation, we'll detour south or north to the Land of Rivers or the Land of Grass and return. The Land of Rivers is our ally. Leaf Village ninjas are allowed to operate within their territory. And now, the Land of Grass is frequently invaded by the Land of Earth, and they're also close to us during the war. So, these two routes have a certain level of security."
Haori said this, but in fact, things weren't that simple. Once they were discovered by the enemy, it would be very difficult to choose any withdrawal method.
After finishing, Haori first folded the map and put it in his ninja tool pouch. Then, he picked up the mask that was lying next to him, put it on his face, and then put the hood on the back of his head on his head.
The remaining three did the same, putting on their hoods.
The fire in the tree hollow was also extinguished. The four stood up and nodded to each other.
Haori's voice came out through the mask, a bit muffled. He said,
"Mission start. Let's go."
After saying this, Haori opened the camouflage at the entrance of the tree hollow and charged out first.
The three followed closely behind him. The four young ninjas moved quickly, and the sounds they made while moving were almost imperceptible in the rain.
After spending more than seven days together, the three had some understanding of their captain. If they had to say what was the most important impression of Haori, it was that his mind was always clear, no matter what.
Having a good mind was especially important for a captain-level ninja, even more important than how strong he was.
For now, the three didn't necessarily trust Haori, but they did respect him.
Just as Haori had received their information, Asma and the others had received Haori's information.
Haori hadn't been active on the battlefield for long, but he had done quite a few things. Some of these things were only vaguely mentioned in the information, and the detailed process was hidden. But the parts that were revealed were enough to shock them.
Not to mention anything else, just in terms of missions, although the overall number was far lower than the three, Haori had already completed two S-rank missions.
For example, Asma, who was well-informed, must have heard of the name "White Fang" and what it represented…
According to the predetermined direction, the four moved in a single file. Haori was in the front, followed by Asma, then Kurenai, and finally Yamakage Aoba.
Haori was in the lead. He was paying attention to any signs of ninja activity along the way. But in this downpour, even if enemies had passed by, there wouldn't be any trace left after five minutes.
They didn't find anything along the way. Team Haori moved steadily along their route until Haori suddenly raised his arm and made a gesture to stop.
The downpour had interfered with his perception ability, greatly shortening the detection distance.
Haori was just about to make a gesture to say that there was a suspected enemy squad ambush. At this moment, the enemy's attack arrived.
Shuriken!
Haori tilted his head and dodged the enemy's attack. Seeing this, he realized that they had been discovered. So, he simply abandoned the sign language and directly issued a short and powerful order:
"Attack!"
In this combat zone, ninjas from different forces would fight to the death upon encountering each other.
There would be no verbal communication, no pointless probing. The first move would be the killing blow.
Before Haori finished speaking, he had already charged out first.
Asma's reaction was equally fast. He followed closely behind Haori.
He ducked down, moved quickly, and locked onto an enemy from the trajectory of the shuriken attack.
Seeing the two Leaf Village ninjas charging at him, the enemy didn't retreat but instead charged directly at them.
"Fast!"
This was his first reaction.
However, Haori could be even faster.
When he was about ten meters away, Haori unleashed his Lightning Release.
Lightning flashed all over the place in the downpour. Haori's movement speed instantly increased.
This was the advantage of a jutsu without hand seals. Haori's attack rhythm changed instantly. The enemy simply didn't have time to react effectively.
Haori quickly closed the distance between them, ducked down, jumped up, and kicked the enemy hard in the back of the neck with his right foot, carrying immense momentum and force.
On the muddy and soft rain-soaked ground, the enemy's body, unable to stop its momentum, was slammed hard into the ground. Then, it actually bounced back up from the ground.
The soil's cushioning couldn't absorb Haori's force.
Such a lightning strike!
After this strike, the enemy was dead or unable to counterattack. So, Haori didn't even stop.
Because Asma was following behind him.
Although Asma wasn't as imposing as Haori with his Lightning Release, he was more ruthless.
The enemy was still floating in the air from the force of the rebound. Asma arrived just in time. So, he kicked the enemy in the head again.
Then, he kicked him again.
One step, two steps, one step, two steps
One step, two steps, like claws and teeth
The rain sounds swish, swish, swish
Lightning Release crackles, crackles, crackles
The ninjas don't speak
They just rub, rub, rub their feet
Rub, rub, rub
This is the devil's pace
This is the devil's pace
The devil's pace
…
The two completed their three attacks in one go. This ninja was deader than dead.
---
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