Two special jonin moved into the thick fog, their vision reduced to nothing past five steps. Both were masters of stealth and perception-without that, they'd have already been lost. As precaution, they handed each other the ends of one thin rope-if either was attacked, the tug would serve as the only warning in the mist.
They kept low, moving along the edge of the trap field already laid out with detonating tags. Once within enemy range, neither of them saw anything ahead, human or otherwise.
"How is that possible? If they're not attacking… then where did it come from?"
Shhhhhhh...
Shuriken cut through the fog with clean shrieks. The whisper of bowstrings followed close behind. The two jonin tensed immediately.
"They're trying to drain our tags," one of them said in a low breath.
"Feels that way. You head back and report this-I'll stay behind and watch in case anything changes."
"Got it!"
They nodded quickly and turned to separate-but both stopped at once. Their hands tightened on the rope as they sensed the same thing lurking nearby.
"Careful!"
They dropped the rope and drew their weapons in the same motion.
"Why so rushed? Shouldn't you say goodbye before leaving?"
"Jejeje…"
Laughter spilled between trees, warped from every direction at once. A man's low sneer drowned in madness echoed through the fog above their heads.
"They're avoiding detection..." one jonin whispered.
Tread...
Footsteps approached without hesitation. They couldn't see who it was-but whoever it was didn't care about being found anymore.
One formed hand signs without hesitation-
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique!"
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Spears!"
Fist-sized fireballs burst into flight, dancing around in tight curves, surrounding the enemy's chakra signatures with Uchiha precision. Spears of stone lunged upward from the ground without warning.
Each strike found targets-figures hidden in the fog went up in flames or staggered from impacts-but then-
"Shit!"
One of them gasped out as his target kept advancing. The enemy ran straight through fire, unflinching and silent.
Shhhhhhh...
More throwing stars flew into the fog-the Uchiha jonin aimed straight for the chest and skull. Metal clinked-no squelching sound of flesh, just steel scraping steel.
"What… puppets? No-how many?"
Boom-boom-boom!
Explosions burst across the fog-layer as detonating tags attached to projectiles ignited. A gust peeled open part of the mist-and they saw her.
Two buns tied tight. Two painted marks on her brow. Her eyes wide and crazed behind that smile stretched far too wide for any normal person.
"The Kaguya clan..."
Recognition came with horror, but he didn't flinch. The Senju jonin lunged forward and drove his long blade toward her wide-open eye socket-the only exposed weakness he could reach.
She didn't even move-just grinned wider before yanking open her shirt to reveal rows of burning tags strapped across her chest and gut.
"Fuck!"
Too close now to run-the two jonin barely had time to curse before-
BOOM-
White light cracked through trees and tore chunks out of earth. Where they stood was now nothing but splintered roots scorched black around a crater deep as a grave and twice as wide.
Tread...
Boots stepped into view at the crater rim. A middle-aged Kaguya ninja stared down blankly before signaling without turning his head.
Figures emerged silently behind him-row after row appearing through wet mist that crawled in behind them again.
"Hehehe… first kill's done." He licked his lips slowly. "Next one's Senju Akira's brat."
Jie... jie...
None mourned their sacrificed kin. They just turned toward Konoha's position and vanished back into the fog with the same wide grins on their faces.
…
BOOM-
Another explosion rocked the front line-not some scattered tag from panicked genin but heavier, deeper, farther away than before. One blast rolled so hard it shook branches high overhead. The moment it went off-
"The scouts!" The Uchiha clan head shouted. "Wind Style team-take down that fog!"
Dozens sprang forward together. Hands flurried through signs-
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Gales screamed toward the mist wall. The dense fog scattered but held stubbornly in places-still, pockets opened enough for shapes to flicker into sight again-along with that laughter...
Jie jie jie…
Thin outlines shifting behind tree trunks and torn smoke choked out any illusion of safety along their formation line anymore. Explosions continued up ahead-but amidst it-
Snap-snap-snap-
Traps triggered without pattern but the laughter persisted… undiminished…
"Two detonators ahead-trigger them!"
"Yes sir!"
Genin rushed forward to obey orders without hesitation. Two pairs of tags lit up then detonated-but the pressure wave only burned away fog for half-seconds at most.
"We'll just keep blowing them up-whatever monster they are, they'll fall eventually."
One genin grinned cocky beneath his mask-but then turned pale as heat tickled over skin.
"What?!"
Flames caught on charred leather armor-the burning figure had survived two explosions already and was sprinting toward him dead-on even as traps blasted against its side, doing nothing to slow it down.
It didn't scream-it didn't stop-it just burned and charged-
"Impossible..."
Shrieks rang out behind him-several genin bolted in panic while others froze mid-spell casting. Supervision kicked in manically from behind as Uchiha leadership snapped into action again.
"Take him down!"
"Yes!"
Ninjas threw themselves forward-kunai loaded with tags stabbed into burning flesh from every angle.
Ding! CRACK-BOOM!
Heat erupted full force-the entire line glowed red with firewash as another monster collapsed, cooked inside-out by explosive radius…
"Finally…"
Relief choked several out loud-a momentary cheer started to rise before-
CRASH!
Dozens burst through burning fog again-not one-but twenty-thirty-even forty figures trailing flame and talismans came hurtling toward their frontline in near-perfect synchrony.
In that moment-
"The ten-finger bone bullets technique..."
Shhhhhhh...
Tiny repeated pops echoed next-and then blood exploded in wide arcs as unseen projectiles ripped into flesh across the entire first row. Panic took over entirely at that point…
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