Although we're at the tail end of the Second Great Ninja War, Yubi thought as he watched Endo pace near the cave entrance, it's still wartime. That doesn't just go away.
The environmental pressure on ninja during war was completely different from peacetime. Every sound, every shadow, every moment of silence could mean the difference between life and death.
Patrol missions like this one typically lasted several months at a stretch. And since they weren't even on the front lines—just second-line defense—the mission was officially classified as a low-risk C-rank assignment.
But "low-risk" was a relative term.
In wartime, even a C-rank mission could be a death sentence for fresh academy graduates who'd never seen real combat.
Endo stood at the cave entrance, his body tense as he constantly scanned the darkness outside. His movements were small, controlled, professional. This was a man who'd survived multiple tours on the border.
The two genin beside Yubi—Kenta and Akira—were practically vibrating with nervous energy. Their hands kept drifting to their weapon pouches, then pulling away, then drifting back. Classic signs of pre-combat anxiety.
Time seemed to stretch. Every second felt like a minute. Every minute felt like an hour.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Endo's frown deepened. He picked up a loose stone and scratched a special mark onto the cave wall—some kind of code for other Hidden Sand patrols who might pass through later.
Then he turned to face the three genin, his voice clipped and urgent. "Pack up your gear. We're changing positions. Now."
Yubi didn't hesitate. He immediately moved to help the injured chunin to his feet, supporting the man's weight as he struggled to stand.
"Hurry up!" Endo barked at Kenta and Akira, who were still frozen in shock.
Too much time had passed. The chunin who'd gone to search for Shimada should have been back by now.
Something had definitely happened.
Although they couldn't be certain, Endo was preparing for the worst-case scenario. That was how you stayed alive on the border.
The sharp tone in Endo's voice finally jolted the other two genin into action. They scrambled to gather their belongings, stuffing supplies into pouches with trembling hands.
Endo quickly and efficiently destroyed all evidence of their presence in the cave—scattering the ashes from their small fire, obscuring footprints, removing any signs that ninja had been stationed there.
Then he led them out into the canyon.
The injured chunin could still move, fortunately, though his body was weak and his breathing labored. Every step clearly caused him pain.
"To survive on the battlefield," Endo said as they moved through the darkness, his voice barely above a whisper, "you must remain vigilant. Always."
No kidding, Yubi thought, but he kept his mouth shut and his eyes sharp.
He stared at Endo's back as they moved, his mind racing through tactical considerations.
If the chunin who went to find Shimada encountered enemies, he might have been captured or killed. If captured, they could torture the location of our hideout out of him. If that happens, enemy forces could hit the cave and wipe us out before we even knew they were coming.
But that wasn't the real problem.
If enemies have penetrated this deep into our territory, Yubi's analytical mind continued, it means the front-line alert and patrol teams have already been breached. The fact that we didn't receive any advance warning suggests the enemy numbers aren't large... but their strength must be considerable. They're skilled enough to slip past multiple defensive lines without triggering an alarm.
His thoughts turned darker.
Based on the timeline, Nomura might have also encountered enemies on his way to coordinate with the other outposts. If the opponents are an elite infiltration squad, and if intelligence hasn't been relayed to other teams, then all the squads in this second-line zone are currently operating blind. None of them know the enemy is already here.
That was the most terrifying part. They were being hunted, and they didn't even know the hunters were in the valley.
By now, night had fallen completely. The light in the canyon was almost nonexistent, made worse by the constant wind kicking up clouds of obscuring dust and sand.
But Endo knew this terrain like the back of his hand. Even in near-total darkness, he led them forward at a steady pace, occasionally signaling with hand gestures for them to adjust their path or freeze in place.
Whoosh.
Yubi's ears twitched.
For just a split second, he heard something—a faint whistling sound cutting through the wind.
The sound of something small and fast moving through the air.
"WATCH OUT!" Yubi shouted.
A kunai shot out of the darkness, aimed directly at Kenta and Akira, who were bringing up the rear. The two genin had fallen slightly behind, their inexperience showing in their slower pace.
Attached to the kunai was a burning explosive tag, its fuse already lit and sparking.
Boom!
Although Yubi's warning was timely, his companions' reactions weren't. Their movements were stiff, sluggish—the result of adrenaline and fear locking up their muscles. They'd been running on high alert for so long that their bodies were starting to betray them.
The explosion tore through the canyon with a deafening roar. Fire and smoke erupted from where the two genin had been standing.
Yubi covered his nose and mouth with one hand as he landed in a crouch on a large boulder, putting distance between himself and the blast zone. Through the smoke, he heard screaming.
Someone was injured. Maybe both of them.
Yubi's hand flicked to his medical pouch with practiced speed, but instead of bandages or medicine, he pulled out a weapon.
A scalpel.
Not a standard kunai like most ninja carried. A surgical scalpel—small, razor-sharp, and perfectly weighted for his grip.
He held it in a reverse grip, blade pointing down, and dropped into a combat stance. His free hand covered his nose and mouth against the smoke, while his eyes swept the surrounding rocks and cliffs, searching for movement.
"Ahhh... help... someone..."
About thirty feet away, one of the boys—Kenta, based on the voice—had collapsed to the ground. He was still screaming, which meant he was conscious.
Still screaming means he's alive, Yubi thought with cold medical detachment. If he can scream that loud, his lungs and airways are intact. Probably shrapnel wounds, maybe burns. Painful but not immediately fatal.
It was a doctor's instinct—triaging injuries even in the middle of combat.
But Yubi didn't take his eyes off the surrounding terrain to check on his companion. Looking away would be suicide.
"Oh? Pretty quick reactions for a bunch of kids."
A voice drifted down from above, mocking and casual.
Yubi's gaze snapped upward.
Standing on the canyon wall above him, at a ninety-degree angle to the ground as if gravity didn't apply, was an enemy ninja. The man wore a distinctive white bodysuit that looked almost like a rubberized raincoat—standard gear for Amegakure forces operating in hostile territory. His forehead protector bore four vertical lines.
The Rain ninja looked down at Yubi with an expression of amused contempt, like a cat that had just cornered a mouse.
"The worst-case scenario," Yubi muttered under his breath, his stomach sinking.
He recognized that uniform. That forehead protector design.
This wasn't just some random Rain ninja. This was one of Hanzo's elites—a member of the personal guard trained directly by the man they called the "Demigod of the Ninja World."
We're so screwed.
The Rain ninja launched himself off the wall before Yubi had even finished the thought.
The man moved like lightning, transforming into a blur of white and steel as he descended.
Clang!
Kunai met scalpel in a shower of sparks. The force of the impact rattled Yubi's arm, but he held firm, redirecting the blow as their bodies passed each other in midair.
Yubi landed in a roll and came up in a defensive crouch.
"Eh?" The Rain ninja's voice carried a note of genuine surprise. "You actually blocked that?"
He landed gracefully on a rock outcropping, his expression shifting from mockery to mild interest. "Not bad, kid. You've got some skill. But..." His grin widened. "You're still way too green."
The Rain ninja appeared to rush forward again, coming straight at Yubi from the front.
But Yubi's eyes narrowed.
No. Something's wrong.
His instincts screamed at him, and he spun around just in time to see the Rain ninja's hideous grinning face emerging from the shadows directly behind him.
The figure charging from the front had been a clone—a distraction. The real body had circled around using the terrain and was now lunging at Yubi's exposed back, kunai aimed directly at his throat.
Clone Technique. Classic ambush tactic. Use the clone to draw attention, then strike from behind with the real body.
Most academy graduates would have fallen for it. Their eyes would have been locked on the obvious threat, and they'd never have seen the killing blow coming.
But Yubi wasn't most academy graduates.
His scalpel flashed in the darkness as he turned, the blade moving with surgical precision toward the Rain ninja's exposed throat.
The attacker's eyes widened in shock. He aborted his attack mid-lunge and threw himself backward, narrowly avoiding having his carotid artery opened.
Even so, the tip of Yubi's scalpel caught him across the cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
The Rain ninja landed hard about thirty feet away, breathing heavily. He touched his cheek with one hand, his fingers coming away red.
"..." The man stared at the blood on his fingers, then at Yubi, his expression a mixture of shock and anger.
If I hadn't pulled back, the Rain ninja thought, his heart still pounding, that little bastard would have slit my throat wide open.
In the split second after repelling the attack, Yubi had already moved, his scalpel flashing again as he took down the clone that had been approaching from the front. The clone burst into smoke with a soft poof.
Elsewhere in the canyon, Yubi could hear the sounds of other battles—Endo engaging enemies, the injured chunin probably trying to stay out of sight, Kenta and Akira hopefully still alive.
There should only be three or four enemies total, Yubi analyzed, processing the sounds of combat echoing through the stone corridors. Based on the attack pattern and the number of engagement points, this is a small elite unit, not a full squad. I should be able to hold this one off for a while. Maybe long enough for backup to arrive.
"Not bad at all," the Rain ninja said, his voice dripping with false admiration. He even clapped his hands slowly, mockingly. "You've got actual combat experience. Your taijutsu is excellent for your age. Truly worthy of a ninja trained by one of the great villages."
But the killing intent in his eyes was unmistakable. This wasn't a compliment—it was a threat assessment.
"Water Clone," Yubi said calmly, his voice flat and analytical. "So you're a Water Release specialist."
Good to know. That limits his effective range and jutsu types.
"You even recognized the technique?" The Rain ninja's grin faded slightly. "Smart kid. Shame you won't live long enough to put that brain to use."
He formed hand seals in rapid succession, his fingers blurring through the sequence.
"Water Release: Iron Water Bullet!"
The ninja's cheeks bulged, and then he spat—rapid-fire, like a machine gun—launching several fist-sized spheres of compressed water directly at Yubi.
Not a technique I recognize from my knowledge of the series, Yubi thought as he moved. But the chakra nature feels familiar. Similar to the Hōzuki clan's Water Gun technique, but weaker. Less refined. Lower velocity and impact force.
That gave him an edge.
At this range, with the projectiles moving at that speed, Yubi could react.
He pushed off the rock beneath his feet, shattering the stone with the force of his chakra-enhanced jump, and his body became a blur as he weaved between the water bullets. Left, right, ducking, jumping—constant motion, never staying in one place long enough to become an easy target.
But just as he thought he'd successfully evaded the barrage, something changed.
While his body was still in mid-motion, several thin senbon needles shot out from his blind spot—hidden in the shadows between rocks, their trajectory calculated to intersect with his path.
Damn it—
Bang!
The senbon struck home, hitting Yubi's body with multiple impacts.
But instead of blood, there was only a puff of white smoke.
The "Yubi" that had been struck vanished, revealing itself as a clone.
"What?!" The Rain ninja's head whipped around.
There, emerging from the shadows beside him—using the exact same ambush tactics the Rain ninja had employed earlier—was the real Yubi.
Turning the enemy's own strategy against him.
"Clone?" The Rain ninja's heart skipped a beat. "When did he—?"
"Data capture complete," Yubi muttered, his voice barely audible, emotionless and mechanical. "Combat model established. Commencing counterattack."
His scalpel flashed toward the Rain ninja's exposed side, aimed at the gap between his ribs.
[Combat Analysis System: Activated]
[Enemy Pattern Recognition: Complete]
[Optimal Strike Path: Calculated]
The counterattack had begun.
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