Chapter 48: Visual Displacement
"To run amok on the borders of the Land of Fire... are you looking down on Konoha a bit too much?"
Just as the Kumogakure ninja was about to execute the caravan members with his Lightning Style, a voice rang out from above, startling them. They looked up to see a massive toad descending from the sky.
"Scatter!"
The Cloud leader cut his Lightning Style and dispersed with the others.
Boom!
A massive cloud of dust erupted. A giant toad, three meters tall, landed in front of the caravan. Tonbo Tobitake stood atop it, a smirk on his face.
"Tactical step one: Disperse the enemy. Success."
The Cloud ninjas retreated while maintaining a highly vigilant posture. They watched not only the enemy who fell from the sky but also monitored the surrounding movements. Clearly, they were battle-hardened veterans.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
As the Cloud leader retreated, a figure behind him—Hayama Shirakumo—suddenly exploded into countless falling leaves. When he reappeared, his katana was already swinging toward the enemy's neck.
Clang!
At the critical moment, the enemy proved he was no pushover, drawing his own blade to parry the strike.
"Wind Style: Breakthrough!"
Hayama wove a one-handed sign, and a blast of gale-force wind slammed into the enemy's body.
Sizzle!
The Cloud leader felt a stinging pain and looked at the thin trails of blood on his skin. His expression turned solemn as he caught sight of the opponent's forehead protector. "Konoha...?"
Borrowing the momentum from the Wind Style blast, he retreated rapidly into the forest, intending to lead them into a guerrilla skirmish under the canopy.
"Tree Binding Death."
One of the Cloud ninjas retreated, but hearing a sound, he turned back to see a pair of crimson eyes. His entire body went rigid as a giant tree sprouted behind him, its branches coiling around him like snakes.
"Genjutsu!"
Slash!
Just as he tried to dispel the illusion, a giant serpent appeared and bit down on his head.
Spurt!
Decapitated, his blood geysered into the air under the pressure of his heart.
"Not a bad assist, Uchiha kid!" Anko Mitarashi tossed the head to the ground as the giant snake transformed back into her arm. She offered Itachi a word of praise.
"Dammit! Enemies everywhere!"
The remaining Cloud ninjas grew furious upon seeing their comrade die. They didn't give Anko and Itachi another chance to gang up on them; instead, they swarmed the two of them.
Clang! Thud! Bzzzt!
Boom!
"Your opponent is me."
Tonbo manipulated the toad beneath him to leap, blocking a scarred, dark-skinned man—presumably a Jonin—who was trying to support his subordinates. The man wore twin blades on his back and no forehead protector.
He stared at Tonbo with extreme caution, his eyes flickering between the ten-foot-tall toad summon and the two other battlefields in the distance.
"Hmph. You're seeking death."
The man, Kawasuke, wove signs and gathered chakra in his mouth, spitting a lightning spear toward Tonbo.
Whoosh!
"A bit impatient, aren't we?"
Tonbo's hands were a blur of afterimages, completing his signs before the attack landed.
"Wind Style: Breakthrough!"
Wind trumps lightning. The spear was instantly dissipated by the gale, which continued its path toward Kawasuke.
Swoosh!
The lightning spear was merely a feint. Kawasuke had already vacated his position before the Wind Style arrived, rushing toward Tonbo at high speed. He drew his twin blades, electricity dancing along the steel.
This guy is a Wind Style specialist; I have to stay focused. Also, watch out for that summon, Kawasuke analyzed. The moment Tonbo used Wind Style, Kawasuke knew he was at a disadvantage in a long-range fight due to the elemental weakness. He decided to close the distance immediately.
Bzzzt!
With lightning-activated cells, his speed was immense. As he approached Tonbo, his eyes remained locked on his target. Suddenly, Tonbo wove a sign.
Another Wind Style? Kawasuke thought. Too bad, you're dead!
He braced himself for the impact, but the expected attack never came—even as he reached the toad summon. He swung his blade...
Whiff.
He swung again.
Whiff.
And again...
"What is this?"
Kawasuke realized that no matter how he swung, his blade consistently stopped exactly one inch short of the toad. Even with lightning surging through the blades, that one-inch gap remained. His combat experience immediately suggested a possibility.
"Lightning Body Surge!"
He flared his internal chakra into electricity to disrupt his own chakra flow. Instantly, the scene before him shifted.
His pupils shrank. "As I thought... Genjutsu."
There was no close-quarters combat; he had only moved two steps and was still ten meters away from Tonbo. A visual displacement illusion?
"Yo, not bad. My Visual Displacement illusion... it's the first time I've used it in live combat, and you broke it so quickly. Impressive!" Tonbo laughed from atop the toad.
This illusion didn't require much chakra, and he wanted to test its viability on the battlefield. It performed better than he expected. As for the toad beneath him, it was merely an imitation of Jiraiya's summons created through the memories he had collected.
"Again!"
Boom!
Bzzzt!
Lightning clashed with steel as taijutsu and giant beast summons collided.
Slash!
Itachi leaned his head back as a blade grazed his hair. His hands flicked shuriken; at the moment the enemy went to block, they collided with each other mid-air, curving at impossible angles to strike the enemy's blind spots.
Clang! Clang!
This level of taijutsu and swordsmanship... they really are from Kumo, Itachi thought, his brow furrowing as his strikes were parried. Even with the Sharingan, taking on this many enemies was a struggle. He needed another way.
He glanced at Anko. She was looking quite disheveled, covered in minor wounds. If it weren't for her unique snake secret techniques, her body would have likely been paralyzed by the enemy's lightning.
The number of enemies had increased from six to eleven. Aside from the original group, the five spies from the caravan had joined the fray. If it weren't for that, he and Anko wouldn't be in such a tight spot.
In the distance, Anko's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands forced the enemies back. She caught Itachi's eye, and they began a tactical retreat into the forest, following the rhythm of the battle.
Whoosh!
Lightning, shuriken, kunai... the battle grew more intense by the second.
"Lord, should we go help?"
The guards of the bearded noble watched as the ninjas wearing Konoha protectors lured the enemies away. One subordinate spoke up; if the Konoha ninjas failed, they would be next.
The others frowned. The bearded noble was relieved to be saved but still in a foul mood. "No. We wait here. We cannot afford more losses."
Looking at the ravaged ground, the broken wagons, and the dead servants, his heart bled. It's all Konoha's fault for being so slow.
The other guards quickly agreed. "Right, right! Let them fight it out, we'll wait for a chance."
We only get paid a few coins a month; why risk our lives? They glared at the guard who had suggested helping, their eyes full of annoyance.
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