We didn't move fast.
That alone told me something was wrong.
Supply routes are predictable. That's why they get targeted. People who run them settle into habits because habits keep things efficient. When a route feels too clean, it usually means someone else is watching it just as carefully.
Ryōma slowed us with a raised fist.
We crouched among the trees, rain soaking into the ground until the forest smelled like rot and wet bark. Visibility was poor. Not because of darkness, but because everything looked the same—trunks, shadow, mud, leaves.
Daichi shifted his weight, restless. Hana stayed still, eyes scanning, breathing controlled but shallow.
I focused on the ground.
Tracks. Too many boots, too evenly spaced. Not sloppy. Not rushed. They weren't moving supplies yet. They were waiting.
I opened my mouth to say something—
The ground exploded.
Earth surged upward in a wide arc, not sharp or precise but violent and overwhelming. Trees cracked. Mud and stone sprayed everywhere. I was thrown sideways as the terrain itself folded and rose, sight disappearing behind dust and debris.
"Scatter!" Ryōma shouted, but the order came too late.
The forest wasn't the same anymore. What had been level ground was now ridges and sudden drops. Lines of sight were gone. Sound was distorted.
I landed hard, rolled, came up on one knee.
Chakra flared instinctively to stabilize my footing. The pressure behind my eyes spiked, but I kept it controlled.
I saw movement through the dust.
Figures splitting.
The enemy who used the jutsu has done exactly what he intended, break us apart.
I counted quickly.
Ryōma was gone, swallowed by the upheaval toward the center where the jutsu originated.
Two figures broke left, one after Hana and one after Daichi.
Three came after me.
I turned and ran deeper in the forest, allowing them to follow me is the perfect thing for me right now. I'm gonna use them as target practice and baptise myself with their blood for the first time in this world.
Iwa Chūnin – Kenta's POV
The Uchiha ran deeper than I expected.
Kenta adjusted his grip on the kunai and pushed harder, boots slipping on wet ground as branches lashed at his face. The others stayed close, too close, and to be quite honest it felt safer that way.
"He's fast," one of them muttered.
Kenta didn't answer. He didn't like admitting things out loud.
They had the numbers. Three against one. And the Uchiha was young. Most likely Chūnin, same as them. He had panicked when the jōnin split the field—that was how it looked.
Kenta kept his eyes forward, watching for traps. Uchiha were known for tricks.
The forest thickened.
The Uchiha vanished.
Not in a puff of smoke. He was just… gone.
Kenta skidded to a stop, heart pounding harder than it should have.
"Spread out," he said. "Slow."
They did, reluctantly.
No sound except rain and breath and they merged with the shadows like demons.
Then someone behind him made a choking noise.
Kenta turned just in time to see his teammate collapse forward, face hitting the mud. No blood. No visible wound.
"Hey—!" the other chūnin started.
The body didn't move.
Kenta's stomach dropped.
That didn't make sense.
He crouched instinctively, eyes darting to the trees, the ground, the shadows. His breathing went shallow.
"Stay together," he said, quieter now.
They took three steps.
The second chūnin stumbled, then fell sideways like his legs had been cut out from under him. His body hit the ground and didn't get back up.
Kenta froze.
There was no sound of impact beyond wet earth. No blade. No flash.
Just two bodies on the ground.
His pulse roared in his ears.
"What… what is going on?" he whispered.
He turned slowly, back to a tree, kunai raised, eyes burning as he scanned every angle.
This wasn't a fight.
This was wrong.
Zen
I stayed still, chakra suppressed until it was barely moving.
They were close enough now that I could hear his breathing change. *These bastards bring shame on all those who specialise in this field, they don't understand what it means to be an assassin, a ninja. Their arrogance cost them their lives.*
I stepped back once, careful not to disturb the wire.
Replay
When I broke line of sight, I didn't keep running.
I circled.
The forest floor was uneven, but predictable. Roots. Mud. Shallow depressions filled with rainwater.
I set the first trap where they wouldn't expect it—too obvious to be obvious.
A length of wire anchored low, just enough to catch a leg at speed. Chakra threaded through it, not to shock, but to delay sensation.
The first chūnin hit it running.
He didn't fall immediately. The wire cut deep into muscle. By the time his body registered pain, he'd already taken another step. His leg gave out, he went down hard and another wire slightly forward and higher caught him in it's embrace, sending him off to soul society.
The wire tightened.
I didn't stay to watch.
The second was easier.
He slowed. Looking around with obvious paranoia.
I altered the ground just enough to shift his footing. A small thing. A minor adjustment.
He fell awkwardly, neck snapping against a root.
No blade needed.
Iwa Chūnin – Kenta
Something moved.
Kenta spun around, his eyes frantic and panicking. Cold sweats visible on his forehead.
He immediately noticed the Uchiha stepping out of the trees and walking towards him like this was a meeting he'd planned.
Red eyes. Fully active. Three tomoe spinning calmly.
*who is this fucking kid??! When did he set traps damn it*
Kenta lashed out due to frustration and fear.
The Uchiha wasn't where the blade went.
He was already inside Kenta's guard.
Hands struck with precision, throat, wrist, elbow. Pain flared everywhere at once. Kenta tried to backpedal, but his footing failed him.
The world tilted.
He saw the Uchiha's face clearly now. Young, maybe about 13 years old, no emotions visible.
Image:
*This wasn't a fight for him, he was toying with us from the beginning. It's God DAMN Konoha again, breeding yet another monster.* Kenta thought.
Zen Uchiha
He was slower than I thought he was. Then again, the Sharingan made that obvious. Every movement came a fraction of a second before he committed to it. Enough time to be elsewhere.
I broke his stance, took his balance and drove his own Kunai in his throat. *What a beautiful world, man I knew another guy who would've killed to be here. All these supernatural abilities, chakra, powerful energy beasts and most importantly, unlimited strength explorations*
When he hit the ground, I was already moving.
Hana
Her hands were shaking.
She tried to form the sign again, but her chakra slipped, uneven and weak. The Iwa chūnin didn't give her time to recover. His blade clipped her shoulder, slicing through cloth and skin.
She stumbled back, breath hitching.
"Move", she told herself. "Just move!"
She released a burst of chakra that wasn't refined but just enough to force him back a step. Her heart hammered painfully in her chest.
She wasn't a fighter. She knew that. She kept people alive after fights, not during them.
The chūnin advanced again.
She tripped on a root and fell hard.
He raised his weapon—
Something slammed into him from the side.
Daichi hit like a wrecking ball, all momentum and raw strength. The impact sent the enemy tumbling across the mud.
Daichi didn't give him time to recover, He dove after him in desperation and managed to pierce his heart with a short sword. After finishing it quickly, he was breathing hard, shoulders sagging and his hands on his knees.
Hana stared at him, chest heaving.
"You—" Her voice cracked. She swallowed. "You came back."
Daichi wiped blood from his face, not looking at her. "Course I did."
He glanced at her shoulder, then away again. "You okay?"
She nodded, then shook her head. "No. But… thank you."
Their eyes met for a second longer than necessary.
Then they both looked away.
Ryōma
The enemy jōnin was skilled, but tired.
Ryōma exploited that.
When Zen arrived, the fight was already decided. Ryōma finished it with a clean strike and stepped back, breathing evenly.
He looked at Zen once with surprise visible on his face.
"What happened with the 3 that chased you?" he asked with some interest.
"Well, they are no longer with us, if that is what you are asking. I do wonder though, how long did they know about us and our location, they seemed like they were expecting us..." Zen replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Their Jonin team leader was a sensor so I assume he sensed us before hand and that's why they laid the ambush, doesn't matter though. We are alive and they are dead" Ryōma stated.
The forest went quiet again.
Bodies lay scattered, rain washing blood into the mud.
No one spoke for a moment.
Hana sat heavily against a tree, Daichi nearby, both of them shaking now that the danger had passed.
Ryōma surveyed the area, already thinking about reports and movement.
I stood apart, scanning the terrain, replaying everything in my head.
Some things worked and some things will need to be changed. However the result was clear, I need to get stronger quicker, because it is the only way I can truly enjoy doing what I do best. Whatever it takes, I will introduce to this world what it means to be an assassin.
We moved out shortly after, leaving nothing behind but empty ground and unanswered questions.