Chapter 73 – A Smooth Infiltration
Late at night, in an unnamed valley along the eastern border of the Land of Hot Water.
Hooo—
A cool night wind swept intermittently through the valley entrance, carrying a low, mournful whistle.
At the mouth of the valley, Kumogakure had erected two watchtowers along the narrow mountain pass. Eight Kumo shinobi were divided into two squads, each guarding a tower, and each squad was equipped with one sensory-type ninja.
The two towers formed overlapping lines of sight, completely sealing off the entrance under surveillance.
Shh—
On the mountain path, two figures appeared under the moonlight—Kakashi and Shisui.
Beneath his Anbu mask, Shisui's eyes were already spinning with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
On the hill ahead, the two Kumo sensory-nin atop the towers suddenly jolted awake.
"Someone's there! At least two—both Jōnin level!"
They quickly warned their teammates.
The other six Kumo shinobi leaned out from the towers—
—and froze instantly.
In their vision appeared a pair of scarlet, three-tomoe eyes.
Their world began to spin. Their bodies refused to move.
Genjutsu!
The two sensory-nin were alarmed, unable to comprehend how their comrades had fallen under illusion so suddenly.
During the Third Great Ninja War, Shisui's battlefield had been primarily against Kirigakure. Though his fame as "Shisui of the Body Flicker" had spread throughout the shinobi world, few Kumogakure ninja had truly witnessed his Sharingan.
Those who had… were mostly dead.
Before the two sensory-nin could react—
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Under the moonlight, silver blade-light flashed across both towers.
In an instant, the two sensory-nin were beheaded.
With the watchtowers cleared, Kakashi and Shisui swiftly infiltrated deeper into the camp under the cover of darkness.
Shh—Shh—
Moments later, Ryuya and Guy appeared atop one of the watchtowers.
Gazing down at the Kumogakure camp below, Ryuya felt a faint sense of unease.
Inside the camp, Kakashi and Shisui moved smoothly toward the central area.
Slipping into a tent, Shisui quickly placed a Kumo shinobi under genjutsu and extracted the location of the stored provisions.
Northwest sector.
Arriving at the destination, they saw a vast stockpile of supplies covered in coarse cloth.
Shisui scanned the area carefully with his Sharingan.
"No guards," he whispered, frowning.
Kakashi stepped forward and lifted a corner of the cloth.
In the flickering torchlight, piles of grain and supplies lay beneath.
Their doubts faded.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Both formed hand seals, summoning two shadow clones each.
The four clones leapt to different positions.
Snake – Sheep – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!
Kakashi, Shisui, and their four clones inhaled and unleashed six enormous fireballs toward the supply yard.
Immediately after—
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Six more sets of hand seals.
Gales erupted from their mouths, feeding the blazing inferno.
BOOM!
The six fireballs exploded across the stockpile.
Fanned by the wind, the flames roared to life, instantly engulfing the supplies.
Within moments, the entire yard was ablaze.
A flicker of satisfaction passed through Kakashi and Shisui's eyes.
The operation had gone smoother than expected.
"Enemy infiltration!"
"They're at the supply yard—move!"
The massive explosion roused the entire camp. Dozens of tents burst open as Kumo shinobi poured out.
Two Kumo Jōnin arrived first, each leading a squad.
Ignoring the burning supplies, they rushed directly toward Kakashi and Shisui.
"Withdraw!" Kakashi called.
They had achieved their objective. The blazing inferno would destroy most of the provisions. There was no reason to remain and be entangled.
Shisui's Sharingan flared fully. Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, revealing his own Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
Both moved with blinding speed, evading before the squads could encircle them.
Several weaker Kumo shinobi collapsed midway under Shisui's genjutsu.
But—
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Water Release: Water Shockwave!
Wind Release: Wind Cutter!
A barrage of ninjutsu suddenly bombarded them from ahead.
Kakashi and Shisui's expressions changed as they split apart, dodging left and right.
BOOOOM—
Water and wind techniques devastated the ground where they had stood moments earlier.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steel rang through the camp as both engaged additional Kumo shinobi in close combat.
Both possessed elite Jōnin-level strength—exceptional in both taijutsu and ninjutsu.
In a one-on-one fight, few in this camp could match them.
But this was a battlefield.
More and more Kumo shinobi surged in.
There would be no fair duels.
Bang! Bang! Boom! Boom!
Under relentless assaults, the two were gradually forced back together.
Behind them roared the blazing supply yard.
Breathing slightly heavier now, both had expended considerable chakra and stamina.
In the firelight, Kakashi saw clearly the expressions of the encircling Kumo shinobi.
There was no panic. No anger.
Only killing intent.
His heart skipped.
Something was wrong.
From the moment they entered the camp, everything had felt… too smooth.
But there was no time to analyze.
The Kumo shinobi gave them no respite.
"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"
Dozens of Kumo ninja unleashed water techniques simultaneously. Torrents surged from all directions, accompanied by a storm of kunai laced with explosive tags.
Water and steel converged upon them like a tidal wave.
This time—
There was nowhere left to evade.
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