Yagami wasn't worried about White Sheep Squad or Spotted Deer Squad; they could kill Nara ninja without the slightest psychological burden.
But Yagami was still uneasy about Purple Cat.
Purple Cat was a Yamanaka, and when it came to striking the Nara clan, she might hesitate at the critical moment. Hesitation leads to defeat; if such a covert execution mission failed, Purple Cat's future would be over.
Yagami moved swiftly across the border plateau and soon located Purple Cat's squad. As expected, the battle for her team was not going smoothly.
Amidst the jagged rocks, a "Rain" squad was currently facing off against three Leaf ninja. These three Leaf ninja were a classic Ino-Shika-Cho formation. The Akimichi and Yamanaka ninja were shielding the Nara ninja behind them.
Yagami's eyes flickered. 'It's her?'
The Yamanaka ninja was Yamanaka Ryu, the biological younger sister of Purple Cat—Yamanaka Rika.
When Danzo had visited the Yamanaka clan to recruit for the Anbu, Yamanaka Rika, as the eldest sister among her peers, had volunteered. Her sacrifice had solved a major headache for Clan Head Yamanaka Inoichi.
Yagami had assumed Purple Cat might be soft-hearted because of the Nara ninja; now it seemed she was soft-hearted because of her own sister.
Yamanaka Ryu shouted:
"Nara Jun! We've only just formed our Ino-Shika-Cho trio. We won't be defeated in our very first mission. We will protect you!"
The "Rain" squad was specifically targeting Nara Jun, and Ryu was standing her ground. Beside her, the chubby Akimichi Tamaki added, "We'll protect you!"
Nara Jun's eyelids drooped.
'What wonderful teammates.' They weren't like the civilian ninja from before—those idiots who were as useless as maggots, whom he had to control with Shadow Possession just to get a mission done. It was a pity he hadn't met a suitable Ino-Shika-Cho team since graduation. Now, encountering these two underclassmen who were two years younger than him had finally solved his biggest problem.
Nara Jun said, "I don't need your protection. I'm years older than you; of course I'll be the one to handle the Rain ninja."
He brushed past Ryu's shoulder, shielding her behind him. This time, he would absolutely not let his teammates die. This time, he would be the most reliable "Deer" in Ino-Shika-Cho.
Purple Cat didn't notice Yagami's arrival. Gripping her kunai, she stole one more glance at Ryu before charging at the trio.
Akimichi Tamaki let out a roar, transforming into a Human Bullet Tank and barreling toward the four "Rain" ninja. Purple Cat adjusted her direction slightly, maintaining her speed as she ran toward the front-side; the tank turned slowly, and she brushed past it with ease.
Nara Jun was stunned. Dodging a Human Bullet Tank wasn't surprising, but dodging it with such perfect timing and composure could only be done by someone who understood the technique intimately.
Jun crouched on the ground, activating his shadow technique. His shadow elongated, snaking rapidly across the ground toward Purple Cat. She pivoted again, avoiding all the rocks and moving to the most open area on the flank. Without the shadows of the rocks to act as relays, the threat of Jun's shadow diminished.
He felt a second surge of shock. 'Why is this Rain ninja so familiar with Shadow Possession? Why does she know exactly how to avoid a sudden shadow extension?'
While Purple Cat was dodging, Yamanaka Ryu completed her clan's secret technique.
"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"
Ryu raised her hands, framing a rectangle with her thumbs and index fingers, aiming at the Rain squad leader. Purple Cat threw a kunai with perfect timing, aiming right for the center of Ryu's hand seal. If nothing changed, the kunai would pass through the seal and strike Ryu between the eyes.
Nara Jun raised his hand, parrying the Rain ninja's kunai with his own. 'Too slow.' The flying speed of that kunai clearly didn't match the skill of the Rain captain. Jun's mind raced, trying to analyze the intel.
His pupils suddenly constricted.
'Could it be... that these Rain ninja are Leaf ninja in disguise?'
Perhaps they were even ninja from the Ino-Shika-Cho clans themselves; that would explain why they were so familiar with their secret techniques. If it was a Leaf disguise... Jun felt a chill. 'Had his actions during those previous missions been exposed?'
Was the village trying to kill him? Or was the Nara clan cleaning house? The Rain squad was clearly targeting him while showing far less killing intent toward Ryu and Tamaki.
Jun's mind had never been clearer. He looked at Yamanaka Ryu. Since the Rain captain had the least killing intent toward her, he could find a way to use Ryu to kill the captain first and then gather information from the body.
As the Rain ninja rushed him, he performed two quick turns while dodging, slipping behind Ryu.
Purple Cat's kunai almost flew toward Ryu. In that instant, she finally understood why the Anbu had ordered Nara Jun's execution. This man was too clever—a absolute, refined egoist.
Ryu and Tamaki shielded Jun once again. Jun was older and a full head taller than the two in front of him, yet he stood behind them like a man protected by children.
Just then, an umbrella-shaped ninja tool shot rapidly between the trio. The large umbrella burst open, the surface slamming Ryu and Tamaki forward. Nara Jun, however, was struck by the umbrella and knocked backward.
Purple Cat turned her head and saw another "Rain" ninja.
It was the Unit Leader!
Purple Cat felt a pang of guilt. She had seen her sister, and her hand had faltered several times out of soft-heartedness. Before they set out, the Unit Leader had specifically warned her not to let her Yamanaka identity make her hesitate, yet she had still been hamstrung during the mission.
She gritted her teeth and lunged at Nara Jun, throwing every projectile she had. The three other squad members, seeing the opening, also launched their attacks at him.
Tamaki, the little fatty, rolled on the ground trying to get up, but a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Intense pain flared; Tamaki felt that if he struggled even a little more, his shoulder blade would be crushed.
However, Tamaki was stubborn. He braced against the massive hand on his shoulder and tried to stand. Even if his bone snapped, he would not watch his teammate die before his eyes.
Yagami, seeing the boy's ferocity, had no choice but to deliver a hand-chop to the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious.
Next, Yagami looked at Yamanaka Ryu, who had already raised her hands. He flickered to her side. Ryu's rectangular hand seal was pressed right against Yagami's chest. She looked up in terror, seeing a pair of terrifying eyes through the gas mask.
He delivered a swift strike to her neck, and Ryu collapsed as well.
When Yagami turned around, he saw Nara Jun already riddled with projectiles like a pincushion. Purple Cat delivered the final blow, thrusting her ninja blade fiercely through Jun's throat. Two-thirds of the blade emerged from the back of his neck.
A Leaf squad happened to be approaching in the distance. Purple Cat signaled everyone to retreat immediately.
Once they were safely away, Purple Cat said to Yagami, "I'm sorry, Captain. I..."
"Be more careful next time," Yagami said. "I'm also at fault for not having the latest intel. I didn't know Nara Jun had formed a trio with your sister. Having a man like that around her was far too dangerous."
***
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