Slipping out of Hoshigakure, the squad split up as per their previously discussed plan.
Taking out Kumo's observers sent to track them was the first order of business since the effectiveness of their ambush relied on the element of surprise.
There were four in total, split into two pairs, Shinka and Shiki expertly masked their presence while sneaking up on them meanwhile, the rest of the squad was already starting to make their way to the Land of Valleys where Kumo's forces were suspected to be lying in wait.
If all went to plan, Shinka and Shiki would catch up after taking care of the observers but just in case the enemy managed to get the message out, the group would rush to the target location in hopes of striking at the enemy before they could complete their full preparations.
The Aburame girl, now free to employ her more dangerous insects, merely approached until medium range and silently sent out her Kochu, quiet, nearly undetectable and highly venomous, their poison was impossible to survive.
It could nearly instantly paralyze opponents, killing them a short while later and then vanishing from their system. Sufficiently powerful shinobi could withstand the paralysis and live for a little while longer but that restricted list of people did not include Kumo's observers.
After a spell of dizziness, the enemy pair looked at each other with alarm before crumpling to the ground, paralyzed and helpless.
All they could do was watch in abject horror as Shinka silently approached them and slit their throats before the poison could finish the job, all in the interest of saving time.
'Shiki would probably want their bodies right?' The girl wondered.
'I'll store and bring them with me just in case.' She quickly decided.
The shinobi world was truly darker and more macabre than the series often made it look but even in that medium, the darkness could be detected, creeping in from the corners.
*
On Shiki's side, his M.O. was pretty much the same as always.
The boy hid his presence with the Chakra Camouflage Jutsu and approached using Hiding in Surface to travel underground.
The Kumo observers never stood a chance.
Silent rising from the earth, the flute-like sound of air escaping slashed throats filled the air as the boy's prey drowned in their own blood.
Collecting their corpses as per usual, Shiki set off to catch up with the advance party, meeting Shinka along the way.
The Aburame tossed him a scroll and before he even asked, signed what it was.
{The bodies of my targets.}
Shiki's eyebrow rose.
"Thanks." He simply replied, noticing his teammate had been getting chummier lately.
It was the first time she had shown an actual gesture but the way she had been acting was noticeably less distant than before.
'Coming clean really helped her feel more like a part of the team I suppose.' The boy thought, thinking no more of the matter.
Soon after, they rejoined the rest of the squad, signaling that everything went without an itch.
It was almost a certainty that the observers had some way to maintain regular contact with the main Kumo force so speed was still the key.
The Reinforced Team 6 now had to reach their targets before they caught on that something was wrong. This would allow them to maximize the advantage brought by their ambush.
Moving at the maximum speed they could get away with without wearing themselves out, it only took a day of running to reach the likely area of the prepared ambush.
Military Ration Pills kept them all active and ready to fight despite a full day of running. Shinobi were highly resilient after all, this much was nothing.
However, when Shiki used his recently enhanced sensory abilities to search for the enemy, he immediately found a rather concerning issue.
"We have a problem." The boy spoke, making a signal for the group to hold.
The other just waited for him to explain.
"It seems our Kumo foes have come across unexpected assistance. Mercenary-Nin by the look of it, expensive ones." Shiki continued.
"Twelve non-Kumo shinobi, three squads of four with two of them being Elite Chunin level enemies led by regular Jonin and the last four man squad being three regular Jonin led by an Elite Jonin."
"Based on their chakra signature, the strong squad is composed entirely of kekkei genkai wielding shinobi." The boy concluded his assessment.
"What are the Kumo forces looking like?" Inori quickly inquired.
"Three Elite Jonin including Dodai and Zee along with six regular Jonin as support so on the higher hand of our estimations but still expected." Shiki replied.
"Where the hell did these crazy reinforcements come from!? Did Kumo really hire mercenaries?" Mei questioned.
Makoto's expression became heavier as did Inori's while Fugaku's usual frown only barely changed, his Three Tomoe Sharingan ominously spinning.
As a proud Uchiha genius, the additional enemies did not deter him in the slightest but since Inori was the one leading the mission, he did not speak out. His attitude and stance towards the matter were clear however.
'Thankfully, my cute little Mei is the reasonable sort of Uchiha.' The Violet Rose thought to herself, noticing the thoughts of the Uchiha's young clan head.
As for Shinka, traces of that old Root mindset of completing the mission at any cost remained, making her the most undeterred after Fugaku.
Tomoe was even more iron blooded, willing to give her life for her young mistress so nothing changed in her mind. The calmer Ema was worried however.
"Maybe these unexpected foes are here for the three of us?" Benihime suddenly suggested.
"Of course, Kurogan Saburo's hirelings . . . We knew they'd come eventually but they really picked the worst possible timing." Inori complained rapidly evaluating the situation, wondering if their plan of attack was still feasible.
"This changes nothing. In fact, it only makes things more urgent." Shiki spoke.
"You're right. They'll all come for us anyway, might as well strike first while we have the advantage. Our battle will have to change significantly however." Inori responded.
Against four Elite Jonin, eleven regular Jonin and six Elite Chunin, the formation Team 6 had previously thought up, would be easily overwhelmed in frontal combat if they could not kill enough enemies in the initial assault.
"Should we go for hit and run tactics?" Mei suggested.
But Inori shook her head.
"The enemy won't let us go so easily after we strike. But we do need to employ guerrilla tactics, it is the most effective way of taking down a numerically superior force. The only question is how." The Yamanaka said.
"There's only one way I see this working without major sacrifices on our side." Shiki started.
"Some of us will have to accept a higher risk to conduct the first strike. They will then retreat towards prepared ambush spots where the others await." The boy proposed.
"Would they fall for that?" Hyuga Makoto doubted.
"They have to. Otherwise they'll just be hit and run over and over." Shiki responded.
"But this also means the strike team will bear a tremendous amount of risk. If the enemy can prevent their retreat, death is inevitable. Not to mention they will have to plunge themselves into the enemy's main force." Inori cautioned.
It was practically a suicide role.
One that required the most skilled members of their group to have a chance of success.
But who would be willing to take on such a perilous task?
+++++
Hey, Author here!
To promote the novel I will be releasing BONUS CHAPTERS on SUNDAYS based on the previous week's power stone count.
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
500 Power Stones = 2 Bonus Chapters
1000 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
Every earned BONUS CHAPTER on Webnovel will also be posted on Scribble.
Just a reminder that you can read up to a FULL MONTH ahead of this site on pa-treon.
I'm trying to become a full time Author now and I'm not going to be starting any new novels just so I can make sure this one is properly completed.
Find those sweet advanced chapters on pa-treon.com/lusoba without the -