Chapter 140: Battle, Intensity
Genjutsu: Self-Healing.
Tonbo Tobitake fed Hagoromo Ken some medicine and then used a genjutsu to deceive his body, forcing it to begin self-repair. He tossed away the blood-stained senbon he had extracted.
"Mr. Hagoromo Ken, it seems something has happened to your clan!"
Hagoromo Ken felt the injury in his leg beginning to improve. Hearing Tonbo's words, his expression became extremely grim.
"It was our clan's miscalculation... for not asking you to help deal with the enemies sooner." His voice was thick with regret.
But now was not the time for talk. Ken continued, "Sir, I am changing the mission parameters on the spot. Please lead your team and take our ten juniors away, otherwise, they will likely be hunted down."
He knew the top priority was to safeguard the remaining heirs of the bloodline.
"Mr. Hagoromo Ken, you realize that if we do this, the mission is no longer A-rank."
Any mission involving enemy Jonin is at least A-rank, if not S-rank. And this time, the enemy clearly had more than one or two Jonin. This was a definite S-rank situation.
Hagoromo Ken choked for a moment but displayed a merchant's decisiveness. "No problem. Upgrade the mission to S-rank and double the reward. Please, sir, you must protect us. Rest assured, our clan has contingency plans for emergencies; we will not lack the funds to pay you."
"Deal. I just hope you won't be in a position where you're unable to pay," Tonbo Tobitake replied with a smile.
Since someone was watching, he couldn't continue his ninjutsu research anyway. He might as well make some money on the side. Besides, if the Hagoromo clan was wiped out except for these few, the territory of the Valley of the Resting Wind would become lawless. He could return whenever he pleased.
Ken breathed a sigh of relief. He had been terrified that Tonbo would refuse or leave because he didn't believe the clan had hidden resources.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Tonbo Tobitake took the lead. The four-man team moved in a Manji formation, placing the ten Hagoromo kids and Hagoromo Ken in the center. They advanced rapidly along the main road.
Avoid combat if possible. That was Tonbo's thought. After all, the mission was to escort, not to brawl. If the Hagoromo clan had asked for an extermination mission, it would be a different story. This was easier.
In less than half an hour, they reached a road flanked by dense forest. Tonbo's pace slowed. Hyuga Ren and the other two immediately caught the signal.
In hidden spots along the path, tiny insects from Aburame Shenra's feet burrowed into the ground and vanished. Inuzuka Kairo's dog-like nose twitched incessantly. Hyuga Ren stayed close to the Hagoromo clients.
Tonbo Tobitake formed hand seals. "Careful. They're here."
Earth Style: Earth Crust Roll.
The forests on both sides emitted a thunderous roar as sections of the ground—trees and all—flipped over for dozens of meters. Over a dozen figures hidden in the shadows were forced out instantly.
Bang! Bang!
Not a single person was hit.
"We've been spotted! Attack!"
The leader was a man of dense muscle. While leaping to avoid the terrain shift, he formed seals. He spat out a massive waterfall, surging toward the Konoha team.
Crash!
The others unleashed their own arsenals: Fire Style, Wind Style, shuriken, poison...
"Don't resist," Tonbo said to Hagoromo Ken and the ten children.
Before they could react, a giant Fish Head (Eye of the Creator) burst from the ground, swallowed them whole, and vanished back into the earth.
"Alright, it's time for you guys to stretch your limbs. I'll provide support," Tonbo said to his teammates.
"Yes, sir!"
Boom!
Tonbo raised an Earth Style Wall to block the incoming elemental barrage.
"Fang Over Fang!"
Kairo and his dog transformed, turning into twin tornadoes that tore toward the enemies. Hyuga Ren threw several feint shuriken before lunging forward at high speed.
"So what if you're Konoha ninjas? I've studied your techniques thoroughly!" A rogue ninja with a Grass Village headband sneered. He exhaled a massive fireball to keep them at a distance.
The guy with the dog and the guy with the white eyes were too easy to identify. As long as they blocked the two close-quarters specialists, they felt the battle would be easy. Sixteen against four was child's play.
Zip, zip, zip!
One ninja in a gas mask launched an umbrella into the air, raining down metallic spheres. Upon nearing the targets, they exploded into thick purple mist.
"So few of them? This is likely just one ambush point; there must be others," Tonbo mused. Based on their gear and jutsu, he had already analyzed their origins and most of their intel.
Visual Displacement.
Morphic Manipulation.
Performing one-handed seals with both hands, Tonbo released two different techniques. Before the enemies could react to Kairo's assault, the genjutsu took hold.
Rumble!
The Great Fireball meant for Kairo blasted the empty ground beside him. The poison spheres from the Rain ninja suffered the same fate, landing harmlessly away from the target.
"How is this possible?"
One ninja stared in horror as the twin tornadoes suddenly appeared as large as three-story buildings, his hand seals faltering in fear. Kairo and his dog streaked through, instantly shredding the man's body. Kairo realized this was the Captain's support and grinned.
Hyuga Ren lunged at a Rain ninja. In the victim's eyes, a colossal, sky-blotting palm descended. He tried to raise his blade to block, only for the blade to pass through the giant palm as if it were a phantom. Then, Ren's actual hand struck his chest.
The Rain ninja's internal organs shattered. He coughed up blood and collapsed.
Swoosh!
"Damn it! Everyone, be careful! This is the enemy Captain's genjutsu! Don't look at him!" the leader shouted at his dazed subordinates.
But his warning was too late. By the time some broke the illusion, only eight remained. They huddled around their leader, looking at Tonbo's team with dread.
"Captain, what do we do? These Konoha ninjas are too strong!"
"No... it's their Captain who is too strong..." The leader looked at Tonbo, wanting to retreat. He had assassinated several Konoha Jonin, but this was the most formidable one he had ever encountered. A genjutsu master? How troublesome.
They had prepared for the Hagoromo clan, not a high-level genjutsu specialist.
"Damn it!"
Zip!
He fired a signal flare into the sky. Bang! A massive firework bloomed.
At that moment, a rogue Earth ninja suddenly clutched his own throat, his face turning purple. He slumped to the ground.
"What?" The leader was horrified. He had already warned them about the genjutsu; had someone fallen for it again?
Rustle!
Black insects crawled out of the fallen ninja's purple pupils and mouth, swarming toward the remaining survivors.
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!