When the squad finally broke through the death lane prepared by the Konoha ninja around the proposed camp, where every bush or tree branch was being shot and exploded, Wataru was one of the last jonins to move, having been too badly injured earlier to recover to a fighting condition and supporting the offensive with iron throwing.
He had joined the squad due to his talent for sensory awareness, not having much combat power even at the peak of his form, unlike most of his colleagues who had been through the last world war, and was very sober about his own chances of survival in the front row.
At that moment, when the first kumovets finally managed to get close to the leafmen and take out all the anger and hatred, the shinobi still had hope that they would be able to fulfill the Raikage's task, but after a minute of fighting, it became quite clear - the strike force of the first army of Kumogakure was too weakened to hope for anything more than trying to take as many enemies with them as possible.
After killing a few of the chunin with skillful throws and avoiding the enemy ninjutsu behind the trees that lit up the dark grove with flashes and roars of flame, Wataru was heartbroken to note the fading signatures of the well-studied members of the squad. They were being exterminated too quickly!
Even if the Konoha's losses had been more substantial, but to trade pathetic chunin with a rare jonin for experienced fighters!
No, if it weren't for the six identical signatures behind them, which had faded from the blazing pillars of their first appearance, but still exceeded the chakra of all those present on both sides of the battle, the border guards could have been crushed, but with each flash of chakra from the ninjutsu used, a new jonin fell, and it was only a matter of time before the Shinigami were followed by the rest.
But Sensor Kumo had no desire to be among the frozen corpses that would be piled in one heap and burned by fire, so, as soon as the opportunity arose, he ducked into the thick shade of the bushes and taking advantage of the fact that all the attention of the leafmen was focused on the strongest fighters, hurriedly retreated towards the water.
- It's not treachery if the mission is doomed," he muttered, trying not to listen to the sounds of battle and the furious shouts of his former comrades-in-arms as they inexorably subsided, "someone must report the failure of Raikage-dono and the presence of the S-rang on the border.
Empty excuses didn't ease the heavy feeling that settled in his chest, but moving as fast as his wounded and tired body would allow, the sensor was convinced of the correctness of his own decision when the last chakra pockets of the squad were extinguished a few minutes later, and the enemy forces had been reduced by barely a third.
All that remained was to curse Mizu no Seirei for messing up his plans and hope that the new bounty on his head would attract the strongest hunters, allowing Kumogakura to get rid of Nara's genius by other hands without wasting the lives of his men.
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