Renye stood on a treetop, his scarlet Three-Tomoe Sharingan scanning ahead.
Behind him, Danzo and Koharu were each guarding different directions.
Kumogakure Ninja could appear from the shadows at any moment, so they had to act cautiously.
"There's movement ahead," Renye quietly warned.
His Sharingan clearly observed traces of activity in the forest.
Just then, the sound of Exploding Tags and fighting echoed from a distance.
Danzo narrowed his eyes, gripping the kunai in his hand, "It seems the enemy is indeed hidden among them."
"A battle has broken out ahead," Utatane Koharu said, "It must be an encounter between the Village's Ninja and Kumogakure Ninja."
Both looked at Renye in unison, awaiting his command.
"Move," Before Renye finished speaking, the three of them moved swiftly through the treetops, heading towards the forest.
Before they could get close, the sounds of battle ceased.
Renye's expression darkened, "This situation isn't good. The opponents might be Kumogakure's Elite Jonin."
To end a battle in such a short time, the enemy's strength must be at the Jonin level.
And there was definitely more than one!
Danzo Shimura and Utatane Koharu's expressions were grim, having already prepared for battle.
They had just arrived at the battlefield and already encountered Kumogakure's elites.
Was this good luck or bad luck?
As the distance shortened, the scene in the forest appeared before the three of them.
Five Konoha Ninja lay dead in a pool of blood.
"Three Jonin, four Chunin."
Renye stood on a treetop, looking down at the several Kumogakure Ninja below, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotating.
Several Shuriken slid from Danzo Shimura's sleeve, "Kumogakure Ninja are skilled in combined Ninjutsu; don't let them form a formation."
Utatane Koharu's gaze fell on the four Chunin, "Deal with the weakest first."
Renye did not respond, drawing the Tachi from his waist.
The seven Kumogakure Ninja naturally noticed Renye and the two accompanying him.
"Heh heh, more Konoha Ninja have come to their deaths," the leading Jonin sneered.
They were the recently formed "Lightning Flash" squad from Hidden Cloud Village, using their powerful lineup to roam the rear and assassinate Konoha Ninja.
A combination of three Jonin and four Chunin could almost act wantonly on the battlefield.
They had just arrived on the battlefield and easily killed five Konoha Ninja.
Now, three more had delivered themselves to their doorstep.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh--"
The Shuriken in Danzo Shimura's hand flew at incredible speed towards several Kumogakure Ninja.
The battle instantly erupted!
A Chunin charged first, Lightning Release Chakra wrapped around his kunai, aiming straight for Renye's throat.
However, his movements appeared in slow motion before the Sharingan.
Renye dodged, precisely blocking the kunai with the back of his blade, then twisted the blade's edge.
"Swish--!"
With a flash of the blade, a head fell to the ground.
There was no fancy swordsmanship, no unnecessary movements.
It was merely the most basic Iaijutsu, so fast that not even blood had time to splatter.
Having done all this, Renye did not hesitate, his figure flickered, appearing before a Chunin not far away.
That Chunin had not yet recovered from the shock of his comrade being instantly killed when he saw a pair of scarlet eyes.
And then, there was no then.
His head flew high, landing on the ground with the sound of a watermelon hitting the ground.
When the two bodies fell, the other Kumogakure Ninja had not even reacted.
"Wh-what?!" A Chunin's pupils constricted, instinctively taking half a step back.
Danzo appeared behind him at some point, his kunai precisely piercing his back.
"Dazing on the battlefield can cost you your life."
Utatane Koharu arrived before the last Chunin and engaged him in battle.
Having witnessed the death of his comrades, this Chunin was filled with fear and was quickly slit in the throat by Koharu's kunai.
In just a moment, four Chunin had died.
"Bastards, how dare you?!" The leading Hidden Cloud Jonin roared.
These four Chunin were all his disciples, and they had just been killed by Renye and the others.
As their teacher, watching his disciples die before his eyes made him extremely furious.
"Calm down, it's just a few Chunin who died."
Upon hearing his comrade's words, he quickly calmed down.
Anger in battle is a terrifying thing; it reduces one's rationality, leading to wrong decisions.
"Don't spread out, their strength is very high," the leading Jonin instructed.
The other two Jonin nodded, vigilantly watching Renye and the two accompanying him.
Renye's Three-Tomoe Sharingan rotated slightly, a cold smirk playing on his lips.
"Danzo."
"Understood."
Danzo quickly performed hand seals: "Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
Seeing this, the three Jonin quickly left their positions, dodging the Wind Release attack.
"No! That guy disappeared!" Someone noticed the problem.
The spot where Renye had been was now empty.
They vigilantly looked around, then a Jonin suddenly shouted, "Above!"
Immediately after, he performed hand seals: "Lightning Release: XXXX!"
Purple lightning transformed into a fierce beast, pouncing into the air, but only striking Renye's afterimage.
"How can his Body Flicker Technique be so fast?!"
Just as he was shocked by this, Renye appeared close by, Tachi in hand.
That Jonin's pupils suddenly constricted, unleashing his potential in the face of a life-or-death crisis, narrowly dodging the fatal attack.
"Pfft--" The sound of a blade entering flesh came.
The Tachi only grazed his abdomen, bringing out a string of blood droplets.
"Heh heh, it's just a flesh wound!" The Jonin sneered, "You think this level of..."
Before he could finish, his expression suddenly froze.
Purple-black poison was spreading through his blood vessels at a visible rate; within three short seconds, his abdomen had turned bluish-purple.
"Th-this...this is...!" He looked at Renye in horror, "You actually poisoned your blade?!"
Renye's eyes held no emotion, his voice cold: "To deal with Jonin, one naturally has to use other means."
"You're despicable, you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, black blood overflowed from the Jonin's mouth, and he fell to the ground, losing his life.
The expressions of the other two Jonin changed drastically; another comrade had died in such a short time.
"His weapon is poisoned; don't give him a chance to get close! Switch to long-range Lightning Release Ninjutsu!"
They were the "Lightning Flash" squad personally chosen and formed by Raikage-sama!
Yet, on their first mission, only two of them remained alive.
To survive, they could only kill the three Konoha Ninja in front of them.
Looking at the young man standing with his Tachi not far away, the two of them simultaneously performed hand seals to use Lightning Release Ninjutsu, lightning pouring down on Renye like a torrential rain.
Facing this overwhelming Lightning Release Ninjutsu, Danzo and Koharu unhesitatingly left the Ninjutsu's attack range.
"Is it really okay for us to leave like this?" Utatane Koharu couldn't help but ask.
Danzo Shimura glanced at her, stating calmly, "You must trust Renye."
With Renye's strength, he should be able to dodge the Lightning Release Ninjutsu.
Hmm, he should be able to, right?
P.S.: What should I say today?
