Chapter 67

Then the three of them rushed out in different directions.

Among them, Shimajima—known as the island's finest in close-quarters combat—led the charge. As a direct descendant of the Hyuga clan, he relied on the Byakugan and Gentle Fist as his primary combat style. His taijutsu was the strongest among the three. Even a Chunin-level ninja could barely withstand more than ten exchanges against him, while even a Jonin could barely survive past a hundred moves.

So as soon as he closed the distance with the enemy, he struck with surgical precision, killing three to four enemy ninjas in quick succession!

"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

The piercing chakra pulses from the Gentle Fist techniques echoed in the air.

One enemy after another was flung back, their chakra points sealed, their bodies flying through the air like broken kites.

At that moment, Haru of the Aburame clan joined the fray.

As a shinobi of the Aburame lineage, although their strength lay primarily in sensory and surveillance tactics, Haru's combat power was anything but weak. He did not charge in recklessly like Shimajima. Instead, understanding that close-quarters was not his forte, he kept his distance.

Raising both arms,

From beneath his sleeves, hundreds of kikaichū—parasitic chakra-absorbing insects—

Swarmed out like a cloud of living darkness, floating in the air with eerie fluidity.

"Secret Technique: Destruction Bug Cloud!"

"Secret Technique: Bug Tornado!"

Screams echoed.

Anyone caught within the bug swarm was quickly reduced to white bones, their chakra devoured in seconds. The scene became gruesome and chilling.

While the Hyuga's Byakugan and soft fist neutralized chakra from the inside,

The Aburame's kikaichū consumed chakra from the outside.

Their tactics perfectly complemented one another.

One excelled in taijutsu, the other in long-range ninjutsu—an ideal cooperative pairing.

In less than a minute, more than twenty Chunin-level enemy shinobi had fallen.

Meanwhile, Sunflower, despite being the youngest and a girl, demonstrated lethal prowess. Inheriting a bloodline that enhanced both perception and assassination skills, she unsheathed the long sword strapped to her back and vanished into thin air with flickering footwork.

Silently appearing behind an enemy, she unleashed her clan's assassination techniques.

"Secret Sword: Moon Shadow!"

"Konaha-ryu Sword Technique: Dance of the Three Suns and Moons!"

The heads of multiple enemy ninja flew off cleanly, as if they were mere vegetables on a chopping block.

Despite her usual fear of mice and childish demeanor, Sunflower didn't even blink when taking lives.

"This… Is this the power of the Anbu?!"

"Incredible…"

Behind Tian Yu, the Konoha spy he had rescued from the casino swallowed hard, eyes wide with awe and disbelief.

Tian Yu remained silent.

In Anbu, killing is a routine part of life.

What matters most is the capacity to execute missions efficiently and survive.

Unlike spies, who rely on deception and evasion for survival, Anbu ninjas confront death head-on. The difference in training and ability was crystal clear.

"They're good," said Shizune softly, holding her little pink pig, Tonton, in her arms.

Though Shizune herself was of Jonin caliber, she had specialized in medical ninjutsu. In terms of raw combat ability, she couldn't compare to front-line Anbu like Shimajima or Sunflower.

"That's expected," Tsunade said with a casual shrug.

As one of Konoha's Legendary Sannin, Tsunade could see through their abilities at a glance. These three were promising, but still green. Newly promoted into Anbu, their raw power was evident, but their lack of battlefield experience showed.

Their first instinct was to rely on flashy ninjutsu and clan techniques,

Which, while effective, also consumed an immense amount of chakra.

Facing hundreds of enemies, such haphazard use of chakra was unsustainable in prolonged combat.

Had they been pitted against seasoned Anbu veterans,

The fight would be over with a single kunai in the right place—no wasted movement, no excess chakra usage.

That was true Anbu efficiency.

These three, Tsunade thought, still had a long way to go.

Her gaze shifted to Tian Yu.

She studied him with genuine curiosity. From the moment she had met this boy, she had never seen him fight seriously.

Yet he had joined Anbu at such a young age,

And even more impressively—he was now leading a team of Anbu.

He had to be exceptional.

"Hey kid, why are you just standing there?" Tsunade asked, eyes narrowing slightly. "You're letting your three teammates fight alone against that crowd? With that kind of reckless fighting, they won't last long."

Tian Yu gave a faint smile. "You noticed it too? Their style is unsustainable."

'You noticed it too?'

Tsunade blinked.

So he already knew?

She was momentarily stunned by the realization.

Then her voice sharpened,

"Then why aren't you jumping in? What if one of them dies? Are you just going to stand there like a bystander?! Aren't Konoha ninjas supposed to value comradeship above all?!"

Her voice cracked with emotion. The final words were tinged with a deep pain—perhaps a memory she didn't wish to revisit.

Tian Yu's expression remained calm.

"For an Anbu, if they haven't been baptized in blood, they won't learn anything."

"It's only when they suffer losses that they will remember—viscerally—what not to do the next time. There's no place for naïve recklessness in a real battle."

His tone was quiet, matter-of-fact.

"And besides, they won't die."

Tsunade scowled. "There are three Jonin among the enemy!"

"If they move now, there's no way you'll reach your team in time to stop them from being killed. How can you say with certainty that they'll survive?!"

Tian Yu's smile deepened, eyes meeting hers coolly.

"Because…"

"If they die—"

"Then I, as captain, would look incompetent."

"You—!"

Tsunade was about to retort again when—

A shrill scream from below suddenly pierced the air.

Tsunade's heart dropped.

A chilling dread welled up inside her,

Something had gone wrong.

Very wrong.