Chapter 5 Battle

Chapter 5

Land of Fire.

The sharp cry of "Enemy attack!" rang through the forest as kunai and shuriken whistled through the air, their metallic gleam barely visible amidst the dappled shadows of the canopy.

*Clap! *

Torifu reacted instantly, his bulky frame moving with surprising agility as he stepped forward, clapping his hands together. "Expansion Jutsu!" His body swelled in an instant, his massive arms swinging out to deflect a wave of incoming projectiles. The kunai and shuriken bounced harmlessly off his thickened skin, embedding themselves into the bark of nearby trees.

Renzo, positioned near the rear, took a smooth step back, his sharp eyes scanning the tree line. Ten enemies, masked, moving fast. Their ambush was well-coordinated, but their chakra levels weren't overwhelming—mostly genin-level, with a few chunin.

Swish! Swish!!

As the enemies emerged from the trees, Reika was already in motion. Her single tomoe Sharingan spun to life, her eyes tracking the movements of the nearest opponent. With a flick of her wrist, she launched a handful of kunai, forcing the attacker to dodge. Seizing the opening, she inhaled deeply.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

A sphere of roaring flames erupted from her lips, blazing toward the masked shinobi. He barely managed to leap away, his cloak catching fire at the edges. Reika's expression remained unreadable as she pursued, her Sharingan locking onto his movements.

*Gah*

With a swift motion Reika appeared before the masked shinobi who was still busy extinguishing the fire on his cloak and before he could react a kunai whizzed past his throat, blood flying in the air but Reika's expression calm at this blood gurgling sight.

*Zzzzz*

Sakumo, meanwhile, had drawn his short blade in a blur of motion. Lightning flickered along the blade, crackling as it amplified his speed. He vanished from his previous position, reappearing behind one of the attackers with a sharp slash. The enemy barely managed to twist out of the way, but not before Sakumo's blade grazed his arm, leaving a smoking wound.

Renzo, still at the rear, didn't move immediately. He didn't need to. His hand flicked through a single seal—Wind Style: Gale Palm. He sent a sharp burst of wind forward, intercepting an incoming rain of kunai and sending them scattering in different directions.

The enemy shinobi regrouped, realizing they weren't facing helpless children. One of them, likely a chunin, barked an order.

"Focus on the big one first! He's their strongest—"

He never finished his sentence.

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!"

*BANG!!*

Torifu, who had been waiting for an opportunity, roared as his enlarged fist slammed into the nearest attacker. The impact sent the shinobi flying back, crashing through a tree trunk and landing in a heap.

"Wrong move." Torifu cracked his knuckles.

Two more enemies darted in, attempting to capitalize on the opening, but Sakumo was already there. His sword blurred, forcing them on the defensive as his lightning-enhanced speed kept them from gaining any ground. One managed to land a strike—only for his kunai to be caught mid-air by Renzo who had appeared near him at some point.

The masked shinobi froze for a split second. Renzo smiled slightly.

"Not bad," he mused before his fingers clenched, snapping the kunai's blade with raw grip strength. "But not good enough."

"Zzzzz!!"

He vanished from sight, reappearing an instant later with Lightning Style: Lightning Dash. Electricity surged beneath his feet, and he slammed his knee into the enemy's gut, sending him sprawling. The moment he landed, he exhaled lightly, dusting his hands off.

Meanwhile, Reika continued her battle, weaving between enemy strikes with practiced precision. Her Sharingan allowed her to read their movements, dodging just before their attacks could land. She twisted mid-air, bringing down a kunai with pinpoint accuracy, slicing across an enemy's shoulder. The shinobi hissed in pain but didn't get the chance to retaliate before she finished him with a kunai deep in his heart.

Torifu, now fully engaged, slammed his fists into the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Wall!" A thick slab of earth rose between them and the remaining attackers, cutting off their movements.

Sakumo didn't hesitate. He flashed forward, his blade arcing through the air. The blade caught one of the enemies at the waist, forcing him to retreat.

The remaining shinobi started to falter. They hadn't expected this level of resistance.

One of them, likely a squad leader, made a sharp hand sign.

"Fall back! Regroup—"

But before he could finish, he suddenly stiffened.

A single kunai buried itself deep into his throat.

The battlefield went silent for a fraction of a second as his body collapsed.

Renzo's fingers relaxed from a throwing position, his gaze sharp but expression unreadable. "Two left." He muttered

And that's when it happened.

From the trees, a final kunai shot toward Takeshi—the merchant had remained near the carriage, his expression wary but otherwise calm. The moment he saw the gleam of steel, however, he tensed.

"Shit!" he cursed, stumbling backward.

At the same moment, one of the masked shinobi took advantage of the distraction. He spun on his heel and bolted into the forest, vanishing into the trees.

"Pat"

Reika rushed to chase him but Torifu appeared behind her and patting her shoulders stopped her movement. "No need to chase him! He must have more accomplices so it's dangerous."

Reika didn't pursue the enemy anymore at his warning and flicking the blood off from her kunai put it away.

After the battle the squad didn't immediately sat together to discuss what just had happened and first dealt with corpses, putting them away in sealing scrolls.

After dealing with the corpses the squad along with the client moved to a new location in the forest to spend the night, setting the tents and finally gathering around the burning fire.