"H-How can this be?!"
Staring at the scene before her, Anko was completely stunned. "So many... White Specters?"
"Retreat! Now!" Kurenai didn't hesitate for a second, issuing the most perfect response possible.
Run away!
Absolutely! Given the current situation, fleeing was clearly the optimal solution!
Earlier, it had taken all four of them just to take down one of those monsters. Facing this many now? That was a straight-up suicide mission!
Swish, swish, swish.
The other three didn't argue either, immediately turning and sprinting down the mountain like their lives depended on it.
Yūgao Uzuki never imagined she could push her speed to such limits; the scenery on either side became a blur.
Behind them, bestial roars echoed, sending goosebumps across her skin.
'What are these things?'
'Just what kind of monsters are they? This was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance mission!How did it go so sideways? If only Captain Yuto were here…'
Thud.
A frog-like monster suddenly leaped from the bushes, blocking her path.
Yūgao gripped her sword tightly, ready to lunge. But as the blade bit into the frog monster's skin, she knew something was wrong!
Corrosion! The creature's skin had corrosive properties!
Her sword was melting right in her hand, consumed by the monster's hide, leaving only the hilt behind.
This is bad...
Yūgao's pupils contracted in fear. Suddenly, a giant snake appeared out of nowhere, swallowing the frog monster whole.
Gulp.
Yūgao swallowed hard, looking over at Anko, who was controlling the snake. "Thanks."
"Save the thanks. Buy me dinner if we make it back," Anko managed a weak smile, taking a sharp breath. "What a shame. I was actually thinking of introducing our dear Kurenai to Yuto-kun."
"Our captain is still a kid!" Yūgao couldn't help but retort.
"Seems... quiet," Kurenai interjected, changing the subject as she scanned their surroundings. "Did they leave?"
"If so, that's great! We cheated death, right?" Hayate Gekkō let out a sigh of relief.
Thump.
But the moment he spoke, a heavy, dull sound erupted.
The ground trembled. In the distance, towering trees began to fall one after another.
Gradually, a leg, encased in white bone-like material, came into view.
Just the leg was over five meters tall. Then the thigh, the torso, the neck, and the head... A terrifying colossal being, dozens of meters high, revealed itself. One glance was enough to fill their hearts with utter despair.
An ape. This monster resembled a giant ape, but its shoulders and forearms were covered in sharp, spike-like protrusions.
Just like the previous monsters, its entire body was sheathed in white, bony armor. Its blood-red eyes radiated pure brutality and bloodlust.
"How... How can this be? An upgraded version?!" Anko's voice trembled.
"Fallin' Cherry Blossom View Technique!"
Kurenai's hands flew through hand seals. Cherry blossom petals began to drift down from the sky.
The giant ape monster's body stiffened, its eyes becoming half-lidded, as if falling into a deep slumber.
"Go! Now! I'll hold it off!"
"Kurenai—"
"Stop arguing! Just go!"
Anko, Yūgao, and Hayate gritted their teeth, ready to turn and run. But at that moment, the giant ape let out a deafening, sky-shaking roar.
"How... My genjutsu was broken that easily?" Kurenai's eyes widened in disbelief.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
Streaks of white flickered around them once more, surrounding the group completely.
"Welp. That's it. Nobody's getting out now," Anko slumped to the ground, her face a mask of despair.
Hayate Gekkō, clenching his jaw, unleashed several Fire Release ninjutsu. But they hit the giant ape like raindrops falling into the ocean.
Useless! They couldn't even leave a mark!
"Captain Yuto..." Yūgao Uzuki murmured, her eyes fixed on the distant giant ape.
Huummm.
Just then, a sliver of blade light descended.
Schlick.
A large swath of White Specters was instantly cleaved apart, dissolving into wisps of white mist that vanished into the air.
"My apologies for the wait," said Yuto, a long sword at his hip and black-framed glasses on his face, appearing before the group.
Behind him stood a masked ANBU operative with fiery red hair.
"Captain Yuto!" Hayate's face lit up with excitement.
"Whoa, whoa! A hero arrives in the nick of time!" Anko whooped.
Shhh-click.
The red-haired ANBU flashed into the center of the White Specters, her blade dancing. The specters fell like wheat before a scythe, not even having time to scream.
"Who... Who is that?" Anko gasped, utterly shocked. "Since when did the ANBU have someone this ridiculously strong?!"
She knew full well these White Specters weren't pushovers! Each one possessed strength at least on par with a Special Jōnin.Yet, this person was cutting them down without breaking a sweat!
"That should be Lady Grey Feather, right?" Yūgao frowned, answering uncertainly. "I heard she was formerly a Root member, later reassigned to Ambu by the Hokage."
ROAR!
The successive deaths of its comrades seemed to enrage the giant ape. It let out another roar and raised a fist the size of a small hill, preparing to crush them.
"Scorch Style: Candle Flame."
Yuto extended a single index finger, murmuring softly.
Fwoosh.
A small, flickering flame ignited on his fingertip, wavering unsteadily as it floated towards the ape's massive fist.
WHOOMF.
To the stunned, disbelieving eyes of everyone present, that tiny flame instantly set the entire giant ape ablaze.
The air around them grew scorching hot, a wave of blistering heat washing over the group.
CRRRUMP.
The ape's mountain-like body collapsed with a earth-shaking crash, kicking up a gust of violent wind.
Yuto's bangs fluttered in the resulting wind, A confident smile gracing his lips.
Yūgao stared, utterly mesmerized, certain she would never forget this scene for the rest of her life.
"Truly... incredible," Kurenai breathed in awe.
"So?" Anko clapped her on the shoulder, a knowing smile forming. "A few hiccups aside, this trip wasn't a total loss, I'd say?"
"Captain Yuto, was that... Scorch Release kekkei genkai just now?" Hayate Gekkō, his focus distinctly different from the women's, was the only one to ask.
"Indeed. It's my secret weapon for the Chunin Exams," Yuto replied with a gentle, warm smile. "Can I ask you all to keep it confidential?"
"Keeping it secret is no problem," Anko said with a careless laugh, shaking her head. "But with power like that, entering the Chunin Exams is kinda... Well, I'm starting to feel sorry for the candidates from the other villages."
*Konoha, Hokage's Office.*
"That bastard Danzō! What has he done?!" Looking at the report in his hand, Hiruzen Sarutobi's anger boiled over.
"Perhaps it wasn't Lord Danzō..." Yuto's voice was gentle, attempting to soothe.
"Who else could it be?!" Hiruzen snorted coldly. "I know you still feel some loyalty, Yuto! But Danzō has become a plague upon Konoha, no, the entire shinobi world! He deserves death!"
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