Grass-nin? Iwa-nin?
Ishiki Kujo couldn't tell—but judging by the number of kites, there were probably eight enemies, likely two full squads.
He turned to Inuzuka Zawa, waiting for the call—fight or retreat?
Zawa's gaze instead landed on Hyūga Tokuma.
"No insignias," Tokuma reported quickly, veins bulging at his temples as the Byakugan activated. "Can't confirm affiliation. Nine in total—one still airborne operating the kite, the other eight landing in a pincer pattern."
"We've been made," Zawa growled. "We break through—toward Kusagakure."
"If they went for an aerial assault, they probably already know who we are, not just where we are," Ishiki added.
They didn't dwell on that. The "how" didn't matter now.
All that mattered was getting clear.
The terrain wasn't in their favor: tall grass on open plains—excellent for stealth, unless someone was watching from the sky. With that aerial scout, it didn't matter which direction they fled.
Their best shot? Take out the spotter.
But striking down a target that high wasn't simple. Most thrown ninja tools, even enhanced with chakra, lost effectiveness at that range—and the flyer wasn't just hovering dumbly in place.
"Too high for direct contact," said Aburame Mutaguchi, adjusting the massive jar on his back. "But not out of range for my bugs… barely."
"Still, if they knew to fly in, they probably came prepped with anti-insect gear," he added. "Best I can do is take down the kite."
Flight depended on two things: wind-style chakra and the kite itself.
Break the kite, and no amount of Wind Release would keep someone airborne.
—
The squad bolted toward Kusagakure.
Zawa raised a hand in a coded signal—one they'd all agreed on beforehand.
"Stay safe," he said, "but don't go soft."
Everyone nodded. If it really was just two enemy squads, they might even be able to wipe them out.
Ishiki held position in the center—the standard role for a medical-nin, and also the most obvious target.
With Tokuma tracking their every move through Byakugan, the enemy didn't bother hiding.
Once Ishiki's squad committed to escape, the enemy formation split—two to block, six to chase.
They weren't far apart, so it wasn't long before jutsu began to erupt in front of them.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough
The massive fireball, fanned by wind, swelled into a roaring inferno barreling toward them. Grass ignited in its wake.
But the attack was crude—slow and easily seen. Its main threat was the explosion and scattering flames—not direct hits.
Ishiki understood.
They weren't trying to kill—they were clearing the battlefield.
High grass gave cover—not just for people, but for bugs. It favored Ishiki's team. So the enemies scorched the terrain first.
Zawa was already reacting.
The Inuzuka-style Beast Mimicry Jutsu activated—Zawa dropped to all fours, limbs bulging with chakra, then spun into a brutal, spiraling Fang Rotating Fang toward the enemy fireball caster.
At the same time, Mutaguchi's jar opened.
Bugs poured out—not toward the attackers on the ground, but toward the kite circling overhead.
They'd abandoned the kite after dropping their ninja, which told Mutaguchi everything.
"They're using it as a comms relay!" he shouted.
Taking it out wouldn't be easy.
He'd either have to target the flyer directly—or destroy all eight kites that had been used to transport the squad.
Neither option would be quick.
"This is gonna be a pain…" Mutaguchi muttered.
But he didn't let up.
Hyūga Tokuma stayed close to Ishiki, guarding his flank—when suddenly, a whistling wind sounded from behind them.
They turned in sync—a volley of fine senbon needles hurtled through the night.
A wide-area ninja tool barrage.
They couldn't be sure if any of the needles were laced with genjutsu triggers or transformed kunai.
The smart move? Earth-style barriers.
Ishiki wasn't proficient in Earth Release.
But he had backup.
Mid-sprint, Ishiki formed a hand seal, flipped mid-air, and slammed his palm into the ground—summoning his massive tortoise companion: Leo.
But before Leo's massive shell could fully deploy, a wall of earth surged up to block the senbon volley.
"Leave it to me," Leo's rumbling voice called from behind.
At once, water surged—Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique erupted from Leo's mouth, roaring toward the pursuing enemies like a tidal beast.
But they weren't ordinary chuunin.
One opponent whipped a scroll from his back and unfurled it—a giant iron shield exploded from its seals, intercepting the water dragon mid-charge.
Another enemy's hands blurred through seals.
Mud balls materialized in mid-air, then dropped like meteors.
From a different angle, two more enemy ninja raised their hands and exhaled—chakra-infused fire arced forward in a wide cone.
Mud + Fire—Combining Jutsu: Clay Burn!
Their teamwork was tight, their element combinations smooth.
A perfect multi-element ambush, mid-pursuit.
And now, the battlefield was lit in searing flame.