Entering the valley, Yasuda Akikiku wasted no time and immediately divided the team into three groups.
He ordered two Kirigakure Jonin to lead separate squads through the forest on either side of the valley, while he personally led the main force down the center of the valley.
This arrangement ensured that even if there were ambushes from Konoha within the valley, the squads on both sides could provide enough buffer time and space for the main force. This demonstrated that Yasuda Akikiku was not a reckless person, and his strategy indeed proved effective.
As they reached the middle of the valley, Sano Nobuhisa gave the signal to attack.
At once, the Konoha ninja, who had been camouflaged on both sides, emerged from their hiding spots. Under the leadership of their Jonin, they launched an assault on the Kirigakure forces in the valley.
However, due to the obstruction of the Kirigakure squads on both sides, they couldn't directly reach the main force, diminishing the element of surprise in their attack.
Because of this, Yasuda Akikiku was able to calmly issue commands.
Surprisingly, his first order wasn't to have the Kirigakure ninjas in the valley support their allies on the flanks. Instead, he instructed someone to relay the situation to the sea-based reinforcements, urging them to advance at full speed and attack the Blackstone stronghold as quickly as possible.
Only after the message was sent did he direct his forces to split into two groups and support the allies in the forests on both sides of the valley.
With this reinforcement, the Kirigakure forces, who had been steadily retreating, immediately stabilized their positions and held the battle lines on the hillsides.
The battlefield quickly descended into chaos, with a cacophony of sounds filling the air: the clashing of kunai, the explosions of paper bombs, and the anguished screams of injured ninjas.
In short, the valley was alive with chaos!
When Aome arrived, this was the scene he encountered.
With a thought, Aome dispelled his Shadow Clone Technique.
Ahead, the approaching shadow clone vanished instantly.
At the same time, a flood of memories surged into Aome's mind.
In an instant, he understood the sequence of events and grasped the task Sano Nobuhisa had assigned to him.
"An enforcer, huh?"
Aome murmured softly, his expression unchanged.
After all, when Sano brought him along for this ambush mission, Aome had already guessed the man's intentions—merely to leverage his combat strength.
Now that he was tasked with eliminating the enemy's high-level combatants, it was entirely expected.
Aome had already accepted this, or else he wouldn't have come along.
With this in mind, Aome lowered his altitude. After scanning the battlefield, he locked onto two Kirigakure Jonin surrounding a Konoha Jonin.
Judging by their movements, one seemed to be a true Jonin, while the other had the skill level of a Special Jonin.
Without hesitation, Aome dove toward the Special Jonin.
All this took only an instant, but the enemy reacted nonetheless.
With a swift motion, the enemy hurled a kunai straight at Aome's chest.
"A sensor-type ninja, huh?"
Aome murmured, tilting slightly to evade the kunai.
Then, without hesitation, he threw several shuriken, either blocking the opponent's escape routes or targeting their vital points.
Faced with the attack, the Kirigakure ninja remained calm, quickly drawing a kunai to deflect one shuriken and narrowly dodging the rest.
By now, Aome was almost certain: this ninja was a skilled sensor-type Special Jonin.
But escaping from Aome was wishful thinking.
As the distance between them shrank to less than five meters, Aome unsheathed his blade and, using his downward momentum, slashed at his opponent.
Clang!
The crisp sound of clashing metal rang out, echoing in the valley.
Hase Ichiro felt his arm go numb. Even though he expertly used a deflection technique that left cracks in the ground beneath his feet, he couldn't fully withstand the force of Aome's strike.
Drip... drip...
Droplets of blood slid down Aome's blade.
Hase Ichiro glanced at the shallow cut on his shoulder, his expression turning grim.
Kicking the ground, he retreated explosively like a cannonball.
Aome immediately dispelled his Wind Release: Wings of Wind. A flash of green light enveloped him as he activated Flash Blade Technique to close the gap.
Clang!
Another metallic clash.
Aome's slash collided with Hase Ichiro's kunai, forcing him to stumble back several steps, barely maintaining his balance.
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.
Aome showed no hesitation. He immediately stepped forward and swung his blade for a third time, aiming directly for Hase Ichiro's neck.
Feeling the cold blade approach his throat, Hase Ichiro dared not hesitate. He quickly raised his kunai to block.
Clang!
Another crisp clash.
This time, however, the sound was brief. Almost instantly after their weapons met, Aome retracted his blade and slashed upward diagonally.
It was clear that the previous attack was merely a feint—the real killing blow came now.
Sensing the deadly intent from Aome's blade and seeing the sword edge rapidly closing in, Hase Ichiro found it difficult to breathe.
At the critical moment, his extraordinary sensory abilities saved him.
At the last second, he leaned back slightly, narrowly avoiding a fatal slash to the throat.
However, though his life was spared, injury was inevitable.
A sharp tear echoed as Aome's blade slashed his cheek, leaving a diagonal wound from his lower left jaw to his right eye.
The searing pain was excruciating, but Hase Ichiro had no time to check his wound, as Aome's next attack was already incoming.
Unable to confront Aome head-on, Hase Ichiro could only swing his kunai to block while retreating.
Thud!
Suddenly, Hase Ichiro felt a sharp pain in his back.
Glancing backward, he saw a crooked tree blocking his path.
As Aome's blade approached, Hase Ichiro ducked at the last second, taking cover beneath a thick branch.
Though the branch was sliced in two by Aome's blade in an instant, it bought Hase Ichiro precious time.
With the fastest hand seals of his life, he activated Substitution Technique just before Aome's blade reached him.
Splat!
A splash of water scattered.
Expressionless, Aome retracted his blade.
A flash of green light enveloped him again as he used Flash Blade Technique to pursue Hase Ichiro once more.
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