Kazuki's passive sensing suddenly picked up the presence of a lot of people inside the hill.
"Sensei, it's a trap!" Kazuki screamed suddenly.
In an instant, several shurikens shot out from the hill, aimed directly at Akari.
Akari easily dodged all the shurikens and landed near her team.
Before the dust could even settle, 10 enemy ninjas burst out from the camouflaged mountainside, drawing their weapons and completely surrounding the team.
'This will be interesting.' Kazuki thought.
Akari undid her transformation Jutsu in a puff of smoke. Her expression was completely serious as she started making rapid hand signs.
'Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears'
Large, sharp spikes made of solid rock suddenly erupted from the ground beneath the enemy ninjas. The attack was so fast and widespread that nine of the shinobi were impaled instantly, dying before they could even scream. Only one ninja managed to jump into the air just in time to survive the spikes.
But before he could even land, Ryuma rushed forward with a flicker. He unsheathed his blade and cut the surviving ninja down in an instant, sheathing his sword smoothly as the body hit the ground.
Yuki's eyes widened. "Woah, Sensei and Ryuma are amazing," she said.
Akari nodded slightly. "That last one who dodged my attack in time was probably their sensory ninja. Since he's dead, we are probably safe now. The enemy inside shouldn't be able to sense us anymore."
Kazuki said, "I don't think so, Sensei, If he was a sensory ninja, I would have known when he sensed me. There must be someone else who uses a different sensory method. We should stay alert."
Yuki looked at him and smiled. "That's very smart of you, Kazuki."
Akari smiled faintly. "Good thinking, Kazuki. But look closely at those seals on the mountain wall."
Kazuki looked where she was pointing. There were some unique seals placed on the rock.
"Those are sensory seals," Akari explained. "They can detect chakra in the surrounding area. That guy was probably using these seals to sense us and our jutsu, not his own sensory skills."
Kazuki stared at the seals. 'Interesting,' he thought. 'I should definitely learn how to make and use these seals. They would be incredibly useful.'
Akari walked up to the mountain wall where the seals were placed. She turned to her students. "The shinobi in here will probably be pretty weak since they are from a minor village, but don't let your guard down. They might have some Kumo shinobi backing them up in there."
She reached out and touched the solid mountain wall, and to everyone's surprise, her hand passed right through it. It was a barrier illusion.
"Follow me," she said, before stepping completely through the wall.
Ryuma and Yuki followed her. Kazuki walked up to the wall, quickly peeled one of the sensory seals off the rock, and stored it in his pouch before passing through the illusion.
They entered a dark, hidden tunnel. They walked stealthily through the passageway until they spotted two shinobi guarding a large iron door up ahead.
Akari stopped and looked at Kazuki and Yuki. "Use the Hiding Like a Mole Technique and kill them silently," she ordered.
Kazuki and Yuki nodded. They quickly made the hand signs.
'Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique'
They both sank into the rocky floor without making a single sound. A few seconds later, they quietly emerged from the ground directly behind the two guards. In perfect sync, they clamped their hands over the guard's mouths so they couldn't scream and sliced their throats with their kunai.
They dragged the bodies to the side and opened the heavy door. Inside, the tunnel split into two different pathways.
Akari pulled a small paper seal from her pouch and handed it to Kazuki. "We should split into two groups to cover more ground," she said. "Ryuma and I will take the left tunnel. Kazuki and Yuki, you take the right."
She pointed at the seal in Kazuki's hand. "If you find something important, or if there is an emergency, flow your chakra into that seal. I will instantly get the signal and know your exact location. If I find the target first, I'll flare my chakra just enough so you can sense it easily."
"Understood," Kazuki said, putting the seal in his pocket.
Kazuki and Yuki headed down the right tunnel. They moved as stealthily as they could, sticking to the shadows, but as they turned a corner, they were noticed by three enemy shinobi on patrol.
"Intruders!" one of them yelled, immediately throwing a volley of shuriken at them.
Kazuki and Yuki easily dodged the projectiles.
Yuki didn't waste a second. She quickly made a string of hand signs.
'Water Release: Water Bullet Technique'
High-pressure bullets of water shot from her mouth toward the enemy shinobi. The guards raised their kunai to block the attack, but the force of the water bullets was too much. After successfully blocking one or two, the kunai were violently knocked out of their hands, and the remaining water bullets pierced straight through their chests. The shinobi collapsed to the ground, dead.
Kazuki looked at the scene in surprise. "Wow, deadly," he said. "When did your water release get this good?"
Yuki turned to him and gave a playful wink. "You aren't the only one who's been training."
Kazuki chuckled. "Let's go."
They continued deeper into the tunnel. After walking a little further, the narrow passageway opened up, and a large research lab came into view. The room was filled with strange medical equipment, operating tables, and large containment scrolls.
Yuki took a step forward, about to go closer to investigate the lab.
Kazuki suddenly grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
Yuki looked at him, confused, but then she noticed his face. Kazuki was sweating a little, his eyes wide with a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Kazuki? What's wrong?" she whispered.
"Yuki, don't move," Kazuki said, his voice trembling slightly. "I sense tremendous chakra from that room, it's probably the highest amount of chakra I've ever felt in my entire life."
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