The battle between Woodpecker and the Konoha Tokubetsu Jonin looked rather unpretentious.
Both of them were shinobi who heavily specialized in taijutsu.
Engaged in a high-speed melee, neither bothered with massive, flashy ninjutsu.
Instead, they strictly utilized supplementary techniques like the Clone Jutsu and Body Flicker to create openings.
In truth, this brutal, grounded exchange was the reality for the vast majority of ninja battles.
Seizing the perfect opening, Ayane flicked her wrist, her chakra blade humming as she seamlessly cut into their fight.
With her interference, the delicate balance of the skirmish shattered instantly.
The scales tipped violently in Amegakure’s favor, threatening a total collapse for the Leaf shinobi.
Nomura was seething with resentment.
To maximize his chances of surviving this suicidal vanguard mission, he had specifically hand-picked Chunin from renowned ninja clans to serve as his teammates.
Who could have known that these useless pieces of trash…
would die so fast!
If these brats weren’t dead beyond a shadow of a doubt, he would have seriously suspected that these elite clan kids had conspired to sabotage him!
“Wait!” During a brief gap between clashes, Nomura shouted frantically, waving for a truce.
However, the two Anbu operatives acted as if they were completely deaf.
They remained dead silent and relentlessly pressed the attack.
“Wait!” “I possess top-secret intelligence regarding this surprise attack!” Left with absolutely no choice, he dropped a massive bombshell, desperately trying to buy a sliver of hope for his survival.
The immediate cost of opening his mouth, however, was a deep, bloody gash carved into his forearm when Woodpecker ruthlessly exploited the momentary break in his guard.
“What do you have to say?” Ayane’s tone was as cold as ice.
“I highly doubt a mere Special Jonin has access to any significant military intelligence.” Even as she spoke, she viciously swung Arashikiri, launching a highly insidious strike while he was distracted.
The blade flashed like a crescent moon.
Nomura barely managed to contort his body out of the way.
As the freezing chill of the chakra blade grazed his throat, he felt like he was legitimately about to piss his pants…
The older a man got, the more he feared death.
This was especially true for shinobi who spent their lives licking blood off the edge of a kunai.
Over the decades, Nomura had bled so much and toiled so hard for Konoha.
He really, really, really didn’t want to die!
Hearing her skepticism, he hurriedly explained, “I am a contemporary of the Third Hokage!
And the village Elders…
they were my classmates!” Hearing him spout a claim like that…
Ayane couldn’t help but take a closer look at the man.
Judging by the wrinkles and stubble on his face, he definitely looked to be a geezer around forty.
Purely based on his age, it did line up with Hiruzen Sarutobi’s generation.
The chakra blade in the young girl’s hand slowed by a fraction.
She was still absolutely going to kill him.
Even if Hashirama Senju descended from heaven, he couldn’t stop her!
But for now, it wouldn’t hurt to hear what kind of secrets this guy was desperate enough to spill.
Woodpecker blurred into position, completely cutting off Nomura’s escape route, while questioning him sharply: “Isn’t the Third Hokage the direct disciple of the Second Hokage?
How could he possibly be your classmate?” “You’re right, but…” Nomura took advantage of the pause to desperately wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
“Although the Third was taken in as a personal disciple by Lord Tobirama before he formally enrolled, he initially attended the Ninja Academy with us for two years!” “As for Elder Homura Mitokado, Elder Koharu Utatane, and the Third’s wife, Biwako…” “They completed the full six-year curriculum at the Academy and participated in the standard graduation ceremony!” Nomura shouted defensively, “Back in our Academy days, I used to go fishing by the Naka River with Elder Homura!
I even shared my lunch bento with Biwako!
We were incredibly close friends back then!” Ayane clicked her tongue internally.
Disregarding whether he was massively exaggerating his childhood friendships to inflate his worth, she couldn’t help but focus on the underlying trivia.
‘So the Ninja Academy was already a six-year system during the Second Hokage’s era?’ She had originally assumed that the ‘six-year graduation’ rule prevalent in Naruto’s era was a reform implemented by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
She thought he had painfully revamped the system after witnessing the horrific child casualties of the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars.
As it turned out…
After all that, Hiruzen was merely restoring his master’s original system!
“Cut the crap and hand over the intel!” Ayane pinched an explosive tag between her fingertips, her tone dripping with impatience.
“I don’t have the time or the mood to listen to your childhood anecdotes about the Hokage’s wife!” Hiding in the back, Eagle felt an immense wave of disappointment upon hearing this.
‘Curse you, Swan!
You might not want to hear it, but I want all the juicy gossip!’ she complained silently.
But a second later, the horrific image of the Rain kunoichi who had just died tragically before her flashed across Eagle’s mind.
She instantly understood exactly why Swan’s mood was so volatile.
‘Ayane Amamiya…’ ‘What the heck!
Who would’ve thought a violent, ruthless girl like Swan would have such a gentle, beautiful real name…’ Eagle was a sensory ninja!
Even if her direct combat power was a bit lackluster and completely out of sync with her two lethal teammates, her hearing and perception were absolutely top-tier!
She had heard every whispered word Ayane had said to the dying girl.
Faced with Ayane’s lethal threat, Nomura nodded submissively.
“Yes, yes, of course!
I’ll hand over the intel right now.” Under their intensely vigilant gazes, he dropped his remaining weapons to the ground and carefully reached into his vest, fumbling around.
A moment later, he pulled out a folded slip of paper.
“This is the direct tactical directive I received from Supreme Commander Orochimaru prior to deployment…” Nomura flashed a sycophantic, ingratiating smile, stepping forward to hand the note over.
But Ayane’s expression remained completely unreadable.
Without a word, she flicked her wrist, shooting a kunai directly at his hand.
Swish!
The sharp whistle of tearing air rang out.
Nomura yanks his hand back in a sheer panic.
The kunai grazed inches past his fingertips, snatching the paper from his grip and pinning it securely into the dirt.
Only then did Woodpecker step forward and carefully retrieve it.
The text on the slip was incredibly brief; he scanned it in a single glance.
He read the contents aloud: “To all units: Be advised, the primary operational doctrine of this blitzkrieg is guerrilla warfare.
Your objective is to systematically liquidate Amegakure’s peripheral reconnaissance forces and plunge the enemy’s defensive grid into chaos.
Upon receiving the retreat signal, do NOT fall back out of the Land of Rain.
Rally directly at Aodoro Town at the foot of Mount Hakuroku to regroup with me.” Hearing this, Eagle flared up in absolute fury.
Forgetting to maintain her concealed position, she jumped out and pointed an accusing finger.
“Hah!
You think we’re stupid?!
You’re just trying to lure us into a trap so you can wipe us out in one fell swoop, aren’t you?!” Nomura’s face turned incredibly awkward.
He frantically shook his head.
“I wouldn’t dare!
I swear on my life, I have absolutely no such intentions!” Ayane grabbed Eagle’s arm, gesturing for her to calm down.
In the heat of this frantic skirmish, there was no physical way Nomura had the time to forge a military document.
Therefore, the contents of the note were highly likely to be authentic.
She pondered the words carefully.
A sudden realization struck her like a bolt of lightning, a terrifying strategic implication forming in her mind.
The young girl lifted her head, staring piercingly at the Leaf shinobi.
“Are you telling me…
Konoha intends to launch a full-scale counter-invasion into the Land of Rain?!” The underlying logic wasn’t complex.
It was crucial to note that, prior to today, the military forces of both Amegakure and Konohagakure had been strictly entrenched along the border, using the Anyue River as their primary line of demarcation.
But now, Konoha wasn’t merely launching a preemptive disruption raid.
They had explicitly designated their post-operation rally point deep within the sovereign borders of the Land of Rain…
The sheer, unrestrained ambition embedded within that order was glaringly obvious!
‘Now that they’ve successfully engineered the antidote, do they honestly believe Amegakure poses zero threat?
Do they see our entire country as an item already resting in their pocket?’ Ayane mused internally, a complex, indescribable mix of emotions swelling within her chest.
‘The sheer, unbridled arrogance of the Great Ninja Villages…
it truly is on full display…’