On the morning of the second day, Hozuki Muratsuki, Kushimaru Kuriarare, and Fuguki Suikazan appeared together on a certain stretch of beach.
There were two corpses on the sand. Each head had a hole in it; judging by the size of the punctures, they were exactly the result of being pierced by the Water Pistol Jutsu.
Kushimaru Kuriarare, holding the Longsword Nuibari, thrust the needle-like blade into the small hole in a Mist ninja's skull, pulling out a trace of brain matter.
"Mm, no mistake. These are fresh corpses from this morning."
Fuguki Suikazan considered himself a pure villain, but even he felt a sense of inferiority in the face of Kushimaru Kuriarare. How could a person be so cruelly twisted? Kushimaru didn't kill enemies instantly; he used Nuibari and its steel wires to sew corpses to trees and rocks, patiently watching as his victims slowly expired in agonizing convulsions.
In the Land of Water, the name Kushimaru Kuriarare was enough to make any noble's legs tremble. Whenever he appeared in a town, even the Daimyo of the Land of Water would have to send a formal inquiry to the Mist Hidden Village.
Fuguki Suikazan said, "Hozuki Muratsuki, do you still have something to say? If not, we move tonight to set the ambush on the hillside from the intel."
Muratsuki countered, "This is only one spot. We need to find at least three to rule out any accidents."
By noon, Muratsuki had discovered four more Mist corpses and finally went silent.
Fuguki Suikazan ordered, "Leave two brigades to play along with Copper Fox, making him think we've taken the bait. The rest of the brigades will force-march to the Leaf's ambush site and counter-ambush them."
...
Deep in the forest.
Ram reported, "Captain, a large group of enemies has stepped onto the beach!"
Yagami let out a long breath of relief. He was almost running out of Mist prisoners to use. The Mist had completely fallen for the scroll; they believed the five Leaf brigades would arrive at that hill tomorrow to set their trap. Therefore, they were moving today to counter-ambush a day early.
What they didn't know was that the intelligence in that scroll was entirely false. He and Brigade Commander Yellow Dog had agreed that Yellow Dog would unilaterally change the combat plan and set out early. Yellow Dog would strictly monitor everyone involved to prevent anyone from leaking the new schedule.
Yagami felt the difficulty was immense; he had to fight the Mist to the death while simultaneously guarding against enemies within the Hidden Leaf.
...
Midnight.
Five Mist brigades arrived at the foot of the designated hillside. Fuguki Suikazan produced the intelligence scroll and spoke while referencing the simple map on it:
"The Leaf ANBU brigade is ambushing us on the back of the slope. Kushimaru Kuriarare, take your brigade to the back and set your traps; you must eliminate the Leaf ANBU's effective strength in one strike. Two Leaf brigades are waiting on the northern side; two Mist brigades will head to the northern mountain terrain to plant explosive tags. Two Uchiha brigades are on the southern side. Hozuki Muratsuki, your abilities are suited for dealing with the Uchiha; we will lead our teams there to set the traps."
Fuguki Suikazan held the intelligence scroll firmly, refusing to let anyone else see it. Thus, as he distributed the tasks, he effectively became the commander of this recovery mission. Despite the resentment in his heart, Hozuki Muratsuki could only follow Fuguki's arrangements.
The Mist ninja dispersed to their positions.
On the back of the slope, the summit obscured their line of sight. Suddenly, the Hyuga ninja of the Hippo Squad raised a hand. Shadowy figures appeared at the crest of the hill—the Mist were coming!
Jonin Copper Fox's luring mission had been incredibly successful; the Mist had walked right into the Leaf's encirclement! Yellow Dog couldn't help but steal a glance at Fox behind him. Fox had just returned, and his breathing was still ragged. He had performed brilliantly; the baiting was perfect.
Yellow Dog slowly raised his hand, preparing his hand signs. A moment later...
"Burst!"
Over a hundred explosive tags detonated at once! These tags had been placed by Yellow Dog himself; this was the secret explosive trap technique that had killed Nawaki Senju. The Mist ninja hadn't detected them at all.
Yagami was the first to charge in. After the explosion, dust and smoke shrouded the summit. Suddenly, the Longsword Nuibari pierced through the haze, aiming straight for Yagami, who was leading the charge.
Clang!
Nuibari struck Yagami's chest, only to be repelled by the copper light. Both Yagami and Kushimaru Kuriarare were shocked. The thin blade of Nuibari had struck his copper light at such high speed yet didn't snap. Kushimaru, meanwhile, was stunned by Copper Fox's absolute defense; he had used his full strength, yet failed to pierce him.
Nuibari, having failed its mark, was pulled back by its steel wire. Kushimaru immediately adjusted his strategy, preparing to bind Copper Fox tightly with the wires.
Yagami tanked several stray kunai and unleashed Water Style: Water Severing Wave. Screams erupted from within the smoke. The haze was sliced apart, revealing Mist ninja who had been cut in half.
Then, Yellow Dog's Fire Style arrived. A massive elliptical fireball, fifty meters long and twenty meters wide, instantly engulfed the entire summit. Yellow Dog's Fire Style was of an immense scale. The Mist ninja hadn't had time to prepare the Hidden Mist Jutsu or coordinate a Water Style defense; they instantly fell into a massive disadvantage.
The flames blew away the smoke from the tags, exposing the carnage behind it. At a glance, there were at least forty corpses on the ground. Between the explosive tags, the Water Severing Wave, and the Fire Style, this Mist brigade was already shattered. The surviving Mist fled over the crest and down the hill.
Yellow Dog and Yagami stood at the summit, watching the Mist on the slope. They were covered in varying degrees of burn and blast injuries; they looked miserable, and in reality, they were.
Yellow Dog said, "Don't pursue a cornered foe; secure the victory first. I'll go south to support the two Uchiha brigades. Fox, head north to support Yamashiro Tera and Moonlight Sō."
Yagami thought, *Just as I intended.* Yamashiro Tera and Moonlight Sō were supporters of Sakumo Hatake; they couldn't be allowed to die here. He led his squad and headed north. In the distance, the two Mist brigades that had been tracking Yagami arrived late.
Yagami shouted, "Before the Hidden Mist Jutsu takes form, press the advantage as quickly as possible!"
In the northern terrain, Hayama Shiragumo was commanding a squad, charging toward the Mist alongside Brigade Commander Moonlight Sō. Their explosive tag traps had been discovered early by the Mist; the first wave of dozens of tags had only killed about ten enemies. The Yamashiro Tera brigade next to them was in no better shape. The advantage wasn't as great as imagined; they were two brigades facing three of the Mist.
Moonlight Sō shouted, "Kill those ten ninja coordinating the Hidden Mist Jutsu first!"
Once surrounded by the fog, the Leaf side would be effectively blind, with visibility under two meters. Just then, a distinct high-pressure water whistle echoed overhead. A beam of water swept across.
Six of the ten ninja coordinating the fog were sliced in half by the water beam. The remaining four were further away and barely managed to dodge. Hayama Shiragumo looked up to see the ANBU Copper Fox leaping past.
Upon landing, Yagami said to Moonlight Sō, "Jonin Moonlight Sō, leave this to my squad. Please go support the Yamashiro Tera brigade nearby."
Moonlight Sō nodded repeatedly; if ANBU Copper Fox was here, the pressure on this front was gone.
On the southern side of the slope, Fuguki Suikazan desperately dodged a massive fireball and screamed in fury:
"The Walking Miko! You bitch! How dare you lie to me!"to
***
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