Standing on the top of the gate Yuichi looked over as far as he could, watching ninja fighting with other rogue ninja's which seemed to be the ones hired by the Chakage. Alongside him stood Sakumo similarly observing the battlefield.
"Aren't they all above Genin ranked ninjas?" Sakumo asked the question carrying a look of confusion on his face, "why are they fighting like that?".
The people Sakumo was pointing towards were the daimyo's guard squads and ninjas from the tea village who joined daimyo's side.
"It looked like the threshold to be a chunin varies in every country." Yuichi gave a reply which could be the genuine reason behind sakumo's question. "So should we go help them?"
"Let's quickly finish our work. There are few enemies here, it won't take much" Sakumo replied with brimming confidence.
Yuichi nodded and they both leaped from the gate, landing with the precision of seasoned warriors.
As the moment their feet touched the blood-soaked ground, time seemed to slow. The rogue shinobi and the daimyo's personal guards turned their heads in alarm.
Ting! A sword scraped against a kunai as one enemy instinctively blocked, but before he could react further—
Schlick!
Sakumo's wakizashi cleaved through the man's throat, silencing him with a wet gurgle. Blood splattered onto the dirt as the body collapsed.
"Too slow," Sakumo muttered, already moving towards the next target.
bzzt
Yuichi's lightning-enhanced katana crackled with a sharp sound as he swung it in a perfect arc. A rogue shinobi tried to parry with his own blade—
Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed, but Yuichi's enhanced strength was overwhelming. His katana pushed through, slicing the enemy's chest wide open with a sizzling sound as lightning burned his flesh.
"Arghhh—!" The man barely got his scream out before collapsing, his body twitching violently from the residual electricity.
A pair of enemies rushed toward Sakumo from opposite sides, their weapons glinting under the moonlight.
"Not bad," Sakumo remarked, his grip tightening on his wakizashi.
The first one lunged with a short spear—
Shff!
Sakumo sidestepped, his body a blur. His blade flashed, severing the spearman's wrist.
"GAHHH!" The man stumbled back, clutching his bleeding stump.
The second attacker saw an opening and swung down with an axe—
Clang!
Sakumo raised his wakizashi, meeting the strike head-on. His chakra-infused blade didn't even waver. Instead, with a sharp twist, he redirected the axe's force, sending the attacker stumbling forward.
Thwip!
In one swift motion, Sakumo spun behind him, his wakizashi slicing through the man's spine.
There was a sickening crack as the body went limp and fell face-first into the dirt.
Yuichi, meanwhile, faced three opponents.
One rushed at him, the katana raised high. Yuichi narrowed his eyes.
Bzzt!
He vanished in a burst of speed, appearing behind them.
The enemies barely had time to react before—
Schlick! Schlick! Schlick!
Three clean slashes.
The first one's torso was cleaved open from shoulder to waist. The second had his legs cut clean off at the knees. The third felt a sharp sting across his throat—he touched his neck and felt warm blood gush out.
"…H-How…?" he stammered before collapsing.
Yuichi flicked his katana to the side, scattering excess blood off the blade.
Within 50 minutes, the battlefield at the eastern gate was silent. Only the sound of the wind remained, whistling through the night.
***
Sakumo wiped his blade clean with a torn piece of cloth. His breathing was steady, unfazed by the carnage.
Yuichi sat on the stone wall, his mind replaying every movement he had made during the battle. Every swing which could have been more efficient and Every step where he could have been faster.
Sakumo, however, was something else entirely. He didn't hesitate—not even for a second.
Yuichi watched him for a moment before speaking. "Was this your first time killing?"
He had this question on his mind from the moment he saw Sakumo killing a person without even flinching a muscle.
Sakumo glanced up, his face unreadable. "…No."
Yuichi frowned slightly but didn't press. Instead, he pointed at Sakumo's wakizashi. "You infused lightning chakra into your blade?"
A nod. "It keeps the edge sharp. Not as flashy as your lightning, but it works."
Yuichi exhaled through his nose. He had been struggling to fully integrate lightning into his katana, yet Sakumo had already mastered chakra infusion.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
Sakumo was good with swords and he accepted it.
Sakumo suddenly tensed, his eyes narrowing. "Mio should've been back by now," he said, gripping his wakizashi.
Yuichi's gaze darkened. "Yeah. And we haven't encountered anyone strong that Sensei spoke of."
Which meant the real threats were elsewhere.
"Let's go." Yuichi cleaned his katana with a single stroke before sheathing it.
A cold feeling crept into his gut.
****
(One Hour Earlier)
Tap Tap Tap
Mio's footsteps echoed as she sprinted through the ruined streets, the old woman clinging to her back.
Her heartbeat quickened—not from exhaustion, but from unease.
Something felt off.
By the time she reached the evacuation center, her suspicions were confirmed.
The entrance doors were ajar. The torches inside flickered unnaturally.
And the smell—
Iron. Blood.
Mio's grip on her kunai tightened.
She carefully lowered the old woman. "Stay here. Hide if anything happens. Don't make a sound," she whispered.
The woman now awake nodded weakly, fear in her eyes.
Mio stepped forward.
The moment she pushed open the underground door—
Drip… drip…
Her stomach twisted.
The first thing she saw was blood. A trail leading down the steps.
Then the body of two guards with their throats slit open.
Mio inhaled sharply, forcing down the nausea creeping up her throat.
'Breathe. Stay sharp.' she spoke to herself trying to calm her nerves down.
Step by step, she descended.
The deeper she went, the worse it got.
More bodies. Women. Children. Elders. Their expressions frozen in terror, limbs twisted unnaturally.
Mio felt her stomach churn.
This wasn't just an attack. This was a slaughter.
Clatter!
Her ears snapped to the farthest corridor. A faint, muffled cry.
'Survivors.' Mio's grip tightened on her kunai.
Someone was still here and they weren't done yet.
A sharp whisper cut through the silence."…Kill the rest. We don't need them anymore."
Mio's eyes went cold .She had to move forward. She took a deep breath, steeled herself-
Then moved forward, silent as a shadow, weaving her hand sign and using her sharingan to her maximum potency.
The butchers were still at work. Unaware of the curtains of genjutsu covering them.