---
"Wind Release—Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release—Fireball Jutsu!"
The explosions echoed through the forest as overlapping ninjutsu collided. Wind pressure howled, flames surged, and chakra detonations tore through the trees.
With a thunderous boom, smoke and debris spread across the battlefield.
Deep within the Great Forest of the Bear Country, the sound did not reach the Celestial Shadow Village itself. The distance was too great. However, any ninja squad training nearby would have certainly noticed.
"How is it?" I asked calmly, ignoring the fallen enemy ninja on the ground.
"Still holding on…" the squad's sensor replied, clutching his injured shoulder, teeth clenched.
"These guys aren't normal," the ninja codenamed Mouse muttered, staring at the black-clad enemies with an ugly expression.
"They're probably from Sunagakure," I said quietly, recalling recent intelligence reports.
The Sand Village elite realized the same thing. These Celestial Shadow operatives were not ordinary ninja. If they had been, the fight would have ended already.
Without hesitation, the Sand ninja formed seals.
"Wind Release!"
A razor-sharp wind blade condensed in front of him and shot forward, tearing through the air.
I responded instantly.
"Water Release—Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Chakra surged as a massive water dragon coiled into existence, roaring forward. It crashed head-on into the incoming wind blades.
Boom!
Water exploded outward in a violent spray. The clash marked the true start of the battle. Each side chose an opponent, and the forest erupted into close combat.
---
At some point, I drew the large blade from the storage scroll on my back and swung it down with full force.
The Sand ninja raised his weapon just in time, barely blocking the strike—but the sheer strength behind the blow sent him flying backward.
"A massive blade… You're from Kirigakure?" he exclaimed in shock.
Even without being one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, anyone wielding such a weapon from the Hidden Mist was never a simple opponent.
"You realized too late," I said coldly.
I slammed the blade into the ground and formed hand seals.
"Water Release—Hidden Mist Jutsu."
Dense fog poured out, swallowing the battlefield in an instant. Visibility dropped to nothing. Within the mist, every Celestial Shadow ninja vanished like a ghost.
This was our domain.
Panic spread among the Sand ninja. Unable to see, they launched ninjutsu blindly.
"Fire Release—Fireball Jutsu!"
"Wind Release—Great Breakthrough!"
The fog thinned briefly, only to condense again immediately. Their efforts were useless.
Choosing to fight assassination specialists in the middle of the night—this was the worst possible decision Sunagakure could have made.
The Celestial Shadow operatives retreated and repositioned in perfect coordination. In this environment, outsiders had no chance to interfere.
I had to admit it—without the Hidden Mist Jutsu, we would have gradually been pushed back. These enemies were far stronger than the opponents we usually encountered on missions. Each of them was a veteran, tempered by countless battles.
---
Around 3 a.m.
Chen Xing was escorted into the medical room after receiving an urgent report.
The room was silent.
On one bed lay a ninja covered in blood, face pale, teeth clenched in pain. His bandages were soaked red, evidence of severe injuries.
Nearby, several other ninja were being treated. One was unconscious; the rest bore varying degrees of wounds.
This was no ordinary squad.
"Celestial Shadow Lord," the medical staff greeted respectfully.
Chen Xing nodded. "Report."
"One critically injured and unconscious. The others suffered light injuries. The team leader exhausted his chakra reserves completely—he'll need at least two months of recovery."
Chen Xing's expression darkened as he looked at the wounded ninja.
"What happened?"
A tall, thin, middle-aged man stepped forward. "During patrol in the deep forest of Bear Country, we encountered a Sunagakure elite squad—six members total. Every one of them was at least jōnin-level. Their leader was an elite."
He paused, then continued grimly.
"Fortunately, their elite squad was eliminated by our third team. Without that intervention, we would've been wiped out."
"Sunagakure elite squads…" Chen Xing murmured, brows knitting together.
He turned sharply. "Issue orders. Deploy the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth teams immediately. Support all units in the Bear Forest and search for any remaining Sunagakure elites."
"Activate the village's second-level alert."
"Yes!" The operative vanished instantly.
"So there were more squads after all…" Chen Xing said quietly, anger simmering beneath his calm.
---
That night, nearly every Celestial Shadow operative was mobilized.
By dawn, the bodies of the Fourth Team were found deep within the Bear Forest.
There was still no trace of the Sunagakure elite squad.
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