Chapter 142: The Source of the Disturbance
Developing the Fist of the North Star was just a small interlude in Sakura's Anbu career.
With the help of the ice clone, the Fist of the North Star project did not consume too much time.
However, by the time the project had progressed to the fifth fist, it was already more than a year later.
This was because it was difficult to find a time when Haruno Sakura, Hinata, and Neji were all free.
Therefore, the development progress of the experiment was repeatedly delayed.
The concept proposed by Hinata, starting from two tenketsu points on the head, passing through the five viscera, and finally ending at the heart, was confirmed by the ice clone to be effective, at least for the first five fists.
When the Fist of the North Star was opened to the fifth fist, it could amplify one's own strength by about ten times.
Compared to the Eight Gates, the power of the Fist of the North Star was weaker, and the amplified chakra was milder, causing less damage to the body and being more suitable for the caster to control. After all, the Fist of the North Star opened the tenketsu points with a pressure-point technique, while the Eight Gates, on the other hand, directly blasted open the points with violent chakra to obtain an astonishing power boost.
However, the story had not yet reached a year and a half later...
Konoha, Year 60.
In July of this year, while Konoha was holding the multi-national joint Chunin Exams, it suffered a surprise attack by Orochimaru and sustained relatively serious losses.
The Third Hokage was even seriously injured in the attack and could no longer serve as Hokage, so Senju Tsunade had to inherit the position of Hokage.
Konoha thus entered the era of the Fifth Hokage.
In August of that year, Haruno Sakura was promoted to Chunin.
At the end of September, Haruno Sakura entered the Anbu.
From then on, the name of the Ice Style girl gradually spread within the Anbu.
One or two months later, in the late autumn.
The leaves had gradually turned yellow and withered. Fallen leaves covered the ground. The autumn wind swept up a few, which swirled desolately before falling.
Somewhere in the Land of Fire, deep in a forest.
Two groups of people were running at high speed through the forest, engaged in a short chase.
After running for several kilometers, the few ninja, discovering that the distance between them and their pursuers had not been widened, but was on the contrary getting closer and closer, finally stopped and turned to face them.
The three pursuing ninja also stopped in front of them.
All three were wearing masks, sleeveless bodysuits, and white vests, the attire of the Anbu.
The Anbu member standing in the middle, who looked like the leader, was plain and unremarkable. Standing on his left and right were two female ninja. One was tall and slender with waist-length black hair, graceful and elegant. The other was much shorter, her figure more slender and youthful, looking more like a little girl.
These were the three members of Anbu Squad 14: Shino, Yūgao, and Sakura.
The mission they were currently carrying out was to capture rogue ninja.
—The reason for using "they" (feminine) was because this three-person Anbu squad was a rare two-female, one-male combination in Konoha. With a female majority, it was natural to use the feminine "they" to refer to them.
"Drop your weapons, surrender, and come back to Konoha with us to account for everything you've done in betraying the village. Then you might still have a sliver of a chance to live!"
Shino, standing in the middle, said coldly.
However, in response, the defectors just silently took out their ninja tools.
Surrender? They looked as if they had heard the funniest joke in their lives.
Since they had chosen to betray, it was impossible for them to hand themselves over to Konoha again. Even if there was a so-called "sliver of a chance to live," it would be a life more miserable than death. In that case, it was better to put up a fight, defeat the enemy. That was the real "sliver of a chance to live"!
Thinking this, the rogue ninja took a combat stance.
They were very confident in their own combat power. They believed that the three of them were all at the level of a Special Jonin, and with the ninjutsu obtained from selling out Konoha's intelligence, they even had a fighting chance against a Jonin.
As for the Anbu, Konoha's Anbu, wasn't it already a joke?
In the eyes of the three defectors, the Anbu, and even Konoha, was already thoroughly corrupt! They had rejected the applications of those with Special Jonin strength to join the Anbu, but had recruited a batch of weak Chunin. The capable were shut out on the grounds of failing the political review, while the mediocre crowded the Anbu, occupying positions without doing any work.
What was even more ridiculous was that there was even a ninja who had just been promoted to Chunin who could squeeze into the Anbu through high-level connections!
Such an act, how laughable!
It was said that that ninja with the extremely strong backing was even a very young woman. She was probably the kept woman of some high-ranking official with special tastes! The rogue ninja could even imagine how that girl had pleased the man in bed, and had asked to join the Anbu to gild her name by his pillow.
Konoha has fallen!
It was no longer the progressive Konoha of the time when the First and Second Hokage were around.
The Third Hokage had held the great position for many years, clinging to it and refusing to step down. In order to protect his own Hokage throne, he had openly massacred the Uchiha clan, and had even kowtowed before the Cloud ninja, harming the twin brother of the Hyuga clan's head and offering him to an enemy country in order to appease the Raikage's anger, begging for peace!
What was most contemptible was that the Third Hokage had promoted his teammate from his youth, now the Hokage's attack dog, Danzo, to a high-ranking position in the Anbu, allowing him to secretly brainwash ninja with inhumane methods and form Root, secretly persecuting ninja with different political views to maintain his rule.
The despicable face of Sarutobi Hiruzen was evident from this!
Those ninja who had been brainwashed by the Will of Fire could no longer think. They couldn't even see something so simple. Fortunately, the comrades who had not been brainwashed and still possessed the ability to think freely could gather together, and everyone's strength was not bad...
They were all at the Special Jonin level. Against the Anbu ninja, who were already a shadow of their former selves, it should naturally be a piece of cake.
The opponent was just a little faster...
Look at these three Anbu ninja. There was even a shorty who was clearly a dead weight mixed into the Anbu team!
Looking at her thin arms and legs and short stature, what combat power could she have? The Anbu had fallen to this extent. Did they still need to be wary of them?
What's more, they also had the secret jutsu they had obtained from Orochimaru.
Thinking this, the rogue ninja prepared to attack.
A small-scale battle erupted the moment the defectors drew their kunai.
—And at the same time, it ended in that same instant.
Yūgao, who was at the very front, suddenly accelerated. Her beautiful figure instantly disappeared from the defectors' retinas.
Then, a flash of sword light.
A silver crescent moon cut through the air.
Swish— When Yūgao's figure reappeared, she was already behind the rogue ninja.
She slowly sheathed her sword. Behind her, the head of a rogue ninja slid silently from his neck. A stunned expression was forever frozen on his face.
A clean and neat instant kill.
Yūgao's stunning blow made the remaining rogue ninja realize the huge gap in their strengths.
"She's a Jonin..."
"H-how can there be a Jonin coming after us!"
The two rogue ninja shouted in alarm. The battle intent and courage that had just surged up, in the face of such a strong enemy, quickly disappeared without a trace, like snow in the bright sun!
One of the rogue ninja, without even thinking, threw out a smoke bomb and then quickly used a Body Flicker to leave in the cover of the smoke.
As he moved quickly, he looked back—
For some reason, the two Anbu standing at the front had not moved to follow. Instead, they had both turned to look at the shortest Anbu ninja at the back of the team.
They're not coming after me...? His heart immediately relaxed, but at the same time, he felt a faint sense of unease.
Then a clear female voice came from a distance:
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"
This was the last sentence he heard in his life.
Swish—! The water line of the Wind Blade Raging Stream cut through the air, and also pierced his heart.
The effect was outstanding, a one-hit kill.
I still have a secret jutsu I haven't used yet... Then the rogue ninja's vision went black, and he fell to the ground forever.
"Shoot to kill, Shinsō?"
Yūgao turned her head back and asked curiously. The enemies had been killed in one move one after another. Squad 14 seemed to have become a little careless, and even started chatting on the battlefield, completely ignoring the fact that there was still an enemy who had hidden himself after the smoke bomb.
An opportunity!
In the instant the Anbu ninja who had used the powerful water jutsu turned her head, distracted by the long-haired woman's question, the last remaining rogue ninja's eyes lit up.
This was his one chance to escape!
She's a ninjutsu-type ninja. Her taijutsu must not be very good...
So the rogue ninja charged out, Body Flicker, and appeared behind the girl, the dagger in his hand pressed against her neck—
"If you want her to live, then let me go obediently!"
He held Haruno Sakura hostage, roared, and retreated again and again.
The other two ninja actually did not make any attempt to rescue their teammate.
The plan to take the girl hostage had gone so smoothly it surprised him. The girl had no sense of crisis at all and had been easily captured by him as a hostage. And the other two ninja had not made any attempt to rescue their teammate, but had even actively retreated to a distance!
Are they abandoning their teammate? His heart was filled with surprise mixed with joy. The kunai in his hand was gripped even tighter, its sharp edge pressing a bloody line on the girl's fair neck.
"Back off, back off! Get further back!"
The weakness of the Anbu surprised and delighted him. Even that female Jonin who had instantly killed his comrade was retreating again and again under his shouts. As for the girl he held in his arms, she was being obedient and showed no sign of wanting to resist.
Perhaps this girl is the type with strong ninjutsu but trash taijutsu!
Although the rogue ninja was a little suspicious, he was more surprised and delighted: it seemed that he could really escape from these Anbu, and even take this cute girl with him without any problem!
At that time, hehehehe...
The last rogue ninja began to daydream.
And then he heard a voice.
"Ice Style - Clone Explosion Technique!"
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!