Uchiha Shun's shurikenjutsu was truly impressive—every throw struck its mark without fail. In just three volleys, he had taken down 24 summoned falcons.
Realizing they couldn't keep this up, the falcons quickly shifted tactics, tightening their formation to concentrate their strength for a coordinated assault.
Seizing the opportunity, Umino Yoru flicked a kunai from his fingertips and swiftly formed hand seals.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
In an instant, nearly a hundred shuriken expanded into a deadly net, crashing into the densely packed falcons. Where the blades passed, blood mist filled the air, clearing a massive swath of the sky.
Compared to Uchiha Shun's precise kunai throws, this was far more brutal.
"Screech—!"
The giant white falcon, Daihaku, unleashed a whirlwind from its beak, sweeping through the remaining stragglers.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Uchiha Shun's hands blurred as he hurled another barrage of kunai at the scattering falcons. Whether out of obsession or sheer showmanship, every kunai found its mark—piercing straight through the eyes of each bird.
Between the two shinobi and Daihaku's relentless assault, the Sand's summoned falcons were decimated within minutes, losing nearly half their numbers.
The Sand shinobi controlling the falcons knew they couldn't afford total annihilation and immediately ordered a retreat.
"Screeeech—!"
Daihaku, victorious for the first time in aerial combat, let out a triumphant cry and gave chase. But Uchiha Shun didn't even need its help—his kunai picked off the fleeing falcons one by one. Umino Yoru, content to conserve his energy, simply observed while recovering his chakra and stamina.
They pursued the enemy for dozens of miles until the remaining falcons scattered and hid in the dense forest below. But Daihaku wasn't done yet—it began systematically clearing the area.
These falcons weren't high-level summons; their intelligence was limited, and most relied on remote control from Sand shinobi hiding in the forest.
But concealment meant nothing against Umino Yoru's infrasonic radar, which detected everything within a six-kilometer radius.
This time, instead of a direct assault, Yoru had Daihaku fly low, even weaving through the trees, as they silently closed in on the hidden Sand shinobi.
---
"Wind Breathing · First Form · Severing Slash!"
With a explosive burst of speed, Yoru cleaved through a massive tree—and the Sand shinobi hiding behind it—in a single stroke.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Shun wasn't to be outdone. Using a genjutsu-enhanced sword style reminiscent of the Konoha Style: Willow, he slit the throat of another Sand shinobi lurking in the underbrush.
Though his technique lacked the raw power of the original, its low chakra cost and Three-Tomoe Sharingan-enhanced illusions made it deadly in its own right.
They methodically cleared the area, eliminating over a dozen Sand shinobi and their falcons—until they finally encountered a real challenge.
Judging by the chakra, this one was an elite jonin, his energy sharp and unmistakably wind-natured.
Likely the commander of this falcon unit.
Yoru didn't rush in blindly. Instead, he created six shadow clones and transformed them into Sand shinobi disguises.
"Lord Yoru, your Transformation Technique is exceptional. If not for my Sharingan, I wouldn't have noticed a thing," Uchiha Shun remarked, his three tomoe spinning as he studied the flawless illusions.
Yoru adjusted his expression to one of panic, clutching a dead falcon as he "fled" toward the elite jonin—with Uchiha Shun "chasing" him, sword dripping with blood.
---
"Is that… the Hayabusa Squad?"
The Sand jonin narrowed his eyes, suspicion flickering across his face.
Then—
"SCREECH—!"
Daihaku's cry echoed above. Yoru's disguised clones flinched, "accidentally" dropping the falcon corpse as they stumbled toward the jonin.
Just as they reached him—
BOOM!
A blast from above as Daihaku's shadow clone hurled an explosive-tagged kunai.
The Sand jonin, unwilling to abandon his "comrades," formed hand seals and blocked the attack with a wind barrier.
As Daihaku attempted to retreat, the jonin prepared a counterattack—
"Pulse!"
A hidden shadow clone disrupted his chakra flow with an infrasonic shockwave, interrupting his technique.
"Genjutsu: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
Uchiha Shun struck at the perfect moment, trapping the jonin in an illusion where invisible stakes pinned his limbs, freezing him in place.
By the time he broke free—
"Rasengan!"
Yoru's spiraling sphere slammed into his gut, while two shadow clones ensnared him with Starch Syrup Capture.
CRACK!
The impact shattered the syrup ropes and sent the jonin flying, his spine bending unnaturally before he crashed into a tree with a sickening thud.
---