Silent oath 2

The air was thick with tension as the Konoha reinforcements arrived at the clearing, their eyes scanning the site of devastation. The moment they laid eyes on the battered forms of the Anbu, they felt a deep, unsettling sense of dread wash over them. These were elite operatives—battle-hardened and skilled beyond measure—but the sight before them was anything but a victory.

Commander Saito, an Elite Jonin, with years of experience, felt his breath catch in his throat. He had seen many things in his time, but this... this was something else. The four injured operatives were barely clinging to life. Their bodies were covered in cuts and bruises, many of them showing signs of brutal torture. They were hollowed out, their chakra reserves completely drained.

Without hesitation, he barked orders to his men, his voice laced with a controlled urgency. "Move quickly, get them to the medical tent! We need to stabilize them immediately!" His tone brooked no argument as his subordinates swiftly moved to carry the Anbu operatives, handling them with care as if each one could slip away at any moment.

The remaining reinforcements, their eyes wide in shock, rushed to assist where they could. They had been expecting a challenging mission, but this was far beyond what they had anticipated. They could feel the weight of their comrades' suffering, and it ignited a rage deep within their hearts.

Once the operatives were transported to the medic tent, Commander Saito wasted no time. He turned to the captain of the squad that had survived, a tall figure whose demeanor was calm but whose eyes betrayed the weight of the loss. Silver—the captain who had returned from the mission with nothing but the remaining scraps of his team and a handful of questions.

"Silver," the commander called, gesturing toward a smaller tent. "I need to know everything. Brief me now."

Without waiting for an answer, he led Silver into the tent. The air inside was still, as if the whole camp was holding its breath, waiting for the truth. Silver looked weary, the weight of the mission heavy on his shoulders, but there was a fire in his eyes—a determination that had not yet been extinguished.

Once they were seated, the commander looked directly at Silver. The urgency in his eyes was clear. "Tell me exactly what happened. We've lost a lot of our best operatives. Who did this? Why?"

Silver hesitated for a moment, his gaze distant as if he were replaying the events in his mind. Finally, he spoke, his voice low but resolute.

"They were ambushed," Silver began, his tone laced with frustration and anger. "Iwa. Their Explosion Corps. We were outnumbered—trapped. It was a planned assault. Led by their S-rank Explosion Commander, Yukio Tetsu. We fought them off as best as we could, but we were overwhelmed."

The commander's fists clenched. The thought of Iwa, a neighboring village that had always been a rival, committing such an act of cruelty made his blood boil. But he knew this was only part of the story.

"They were tortured. I didn't make it in time to stop it. The wounds, the chakra drainage… it was Iwa's doing. They were looking for information, but from what I can gather, it wasn't just about intel. It was about sending a message."

Commander Saito stood silently for a moment, absorbing the gravity of Silver's words. The brutality of Iwa's actions was a declaration of war in itself. No more subtlety, no more diplomacy—this was a clear attack. The lives of Konoha's elite operatives were nothing but pawns to them, used to push their own agenda. He clenched his fists, feeling the heat of righteous fury building inside him.

"I don't need to tell you what this means, do I?" the commander asked, his voice cold as steel. "Iwa thinks they can get away with this? With torturing our men? They've crossed a line."

Silver nodded grimly. "They've made a dangerous mistake. This isn't just about the four I brought back—it's about the bigger picture. This was an operation, a calculated attack on Konoha. Iwa didn't just want intel. They wanted to break us."

The commander's eyes narrowed. "We'll need to report this to the Hokage immediately. This isn't something we can let slide. We need to be prepared for their next move."

There was a long pause as Silver stared at the commander, his gaze unwavering. "I'm not leaving here without answers. I'm going after Yukio. I'll make them pay for this."

The commander looked at him for a long moment. "I understand your anger, Silver. But right now, we need to get our operatives back to Konoha. We need to regroup. The Hokage will want to know everything that happened, and we need to be ready for the fallout."

Silver didn't argue. He knew that the road ahead was treacherous. The village would have to act quickly, but he couldn't shake the feeling that Iwa had made a miscalculation. They had pushed too far, and now they would pay the price.

As the commander gave orders to prepare for their return to Konoha, Silver couldn't help but feel a growing resolve. The pain of losing so many would stay with him, but it was this anger, this fire, that would drive him forward. Iwa had crossed a line, and he was going to make them regret it.

The reinforcements quickly fell into their roles, preparing to head back to Konoha with the rescued operatives. The camp was tense, the weight of their losses hanging in the air, but beneath it all, there was a collective determination. This wasn't over. Konoha would strike back.

As Silver prepared to leave, he looked back at the camp one last time. He knew the village would stand behind him, but this wasn't just about loyalty to Konoha. It was personal now. Iwa had taken something from him—something he wouldn't allow them to keep.

And the next time they crossed paths, Iwa would learn exactly who they were dealing with.

"They won't get away with this," he muttered under his breath, as the weight of his next mission settled in. The storm was just beginning.