"I've lost sight of the target, captain!"
A Hyuga exclaimed, his eyes strained from all the chakra that flowed into them. He was shocked at the sudden disappearance of his target's chakra signature.
A nearby Yamanaka shinobi cursed as well.
"I also can't sense his location. He just..."
"...Vanished into thin air?" Their squad captain asked in reply.
The two sensory-nins nodded carefully. It was rare for such a thing to occur, especially in a battle as chaotic as this.
Sano Sayuri did not find this surprising. As the captain of her squad, specialized in hunting specific targets, she was made aware of this particular target's abilities.
'Some kind of phantom, huh...'
Adjusting her mask, she promptly made a decision. Given that she had worked for Root, Danzo had entrusted her with a lot of subtle responsibilities.
Although she was not as high-profile as someone like Yamanaka Fuu or Aburame Torune, who usually stood by Danzo's side, she was a capable hunter in the shadows.
"This is expected of the target. Hokage-sama has informed me beforehand of his abilities."
Informing her squad, she signaled them to follow her. As her body blurred in high-speed movement, so did her companions.
"The target must be dealt with in close range. Avoid creating distance and maintain your line of sight as much as possible."
"...Captain, just who are we facing?"
The Hyuga shinobi had noticed their target's characteristics from a distance. That child-like stature was nothing he was familiar with in the Bingo Book.
"...He's the Ghost of the Land of Rivers."
Sayuri made her reply and continued rushing forward, in hopes of finally catching this thorn in Danzo's side.
***
As the sudden ambush settled into separate battlefields, Hiruzen sought to break through his current encirclement.
Still donning his Akuta identity, calculations aplenty sifted through his mind. What was Danzo's goal in this attack?
Why was he and his students included as targets?
Had Konohagakure been corrupted this much? Targetting their own shinobi and sacrificing them for some greater scheme?
Hiruzen's eyes had grown cold.
The betrayal he once felt when Danzo forced him to step down had resurfaced. The illusion of balance that the current Hokage had brought was a hidden blade pointed at his back.
Luckily, he already made prior preparations.
Although he could not control the sense of betrayal he now felt, his identity as Akuta was an important centerpiece for his own plans.
"Sasuke, deal with those on the left. Mitsuko, find a way out of this!"
He coldly sent out his commands, relying on the teachings he had engraved into his students' bones.
"Sakura, cast a Genjutsu on us. Change our clothes and headbands. Furthermore, everyone should use the Transformation Jutsu before we meet anyone in person!"
All this time, Hiruzen's clones had formed a barrier of golden flames, creating a dividing line that the Konohagakure shinobi could not cross due to the sheer temperatures. Even when they poured in the Water Release, Hiruzen easily fed his flames with more fuel.
Each of his clones had enforced a fiery domain upon the forest, burning like sentient bonfires.
"I found a hole in their formation!" Mitsuko said, while panic tinged her voice. "It's due North-West!"
Akuta placed his hand on the ground and confirmed his student's discovery. Upon realizing that several squads had branched off from the main army, seemingly in pursuit of someone else, both Hiruzen and Mitsuko's curiosities were piqued.
"Let's go!" Hiruzen said.
Unfortunately, they did not have the time to consider such curiosities. The Tailed Beast Bomb had sent a tremor through the genins' skeletons.
Sakura was already pale with fright.
Sasuke's expression was grim.
And Mitsuko... was witnessing the brutality of war.
The burning smell of blood was faint but ever-present. Wafting from the Valley of the End like the beckoning of wraiths.
Luckily, their sensei was present. Driving away their enemies with just a few clones — something that none of them had expected.
***
'How can a jounin be so strong?'
Chasing after Akuta's back, Sasuke bit his lip. His eyes, already dyed red, were filled with a longing for such power.
"..."
The wall of golden flames behind him was surreal. With the way the heat danced against his skin, threatening to melt his body right then and there, Sasuke was at a loss.
If a mere jounin was like this...
'Then how strong is Itachi?'
To have slaughtered his entire clan, he must have faced several jounin of Akuta's caliber, if not higher. That was what Sasuke believed, fueling his helpless rage.
"Focus on what's ahead of you," Akuta suddenly spoke, feeling Sasuke's gaze. "This is not the time to be lost in thought..!"
Just as Akuta completed his sentence, he frowned.
'Kai!'
Disrupting his chakra, he forced the invasion of foreign chakra away. Hinata, Sasuke, and Mitsuko did the same, given their familiarity with Genjutsu.
"What was that?" Sakura was the first to ask.
It was a very subtle technique, layering upon her own illusions and seemingly building upon it. Whoever used such a Genjutsu was a step above her. Although she realized that the Genjutsu's potency was low, it was a very invasive kind.
One that seeped into her body without ever making her aware.
Meanwhile, Akuta frowned. The way the Genjutsu attacked his chakra network reminded him of a certain Real Mirage Formation from Sunagakure.
Although Akuta could've chalked this up to one of the Hokage's schemes, he intuitively felt that this Genjutsu wasn't created by them. It was too...
'How do I call this...'
Searching for an appropriate comparison, Akuta felt a shift in his environment.
"Hm?"
Akuta's eyes narrowed, signaling for his students to stop.
"Halt. Something's wrong."
It was as if they had walked into an entirely different region. With his senses honed by more than one Shinobi World War, Akuta faintly discerned what was causing this change.
His eyes narrowed in silent focus. He took in his surroundings, no longer wary of his pursuers. Surely, they would've been lost in the earlier Genjutsu.
However, there was something layered further on top of it.
That was when he saw it.
"...Red dust?"
His mutter reached his students' ears.
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I'm back! I had to take a break due to life's difficulties all piling up on top of each other. Sorry about that.
I appreciate your support on P@treon! Hehe~
Link: pa treon.com/ubemantou
(No space.)
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