The Hidden Leaf had brought seven battalions for this mission, and in a short span of time, they had decimated Shapo Port's trestles, nearly 20 large ships, and over half of the port's warehouses.
The value of the supplies now sinking to the bottom of the sea was astronomical.
If a single battalion could successfully cover the rear, this Leaf raid would go down as an absolute victory.
Hearing that they were the rearguard, Kurumi felt a growing terror as the Sand ninja closed in, yet she stubbornly held her kunai before her.
"Fujikita, don't be afraid. As your temporary captain, I won't let you die in front of me."
Yagami was momentarily stunned. Beneath Kurumi's petite frame lay such immense courage and energy.
This world was filthy and broken, but there were always those who tried to mend it.
There was much darkness in the village, yet there were also many pitiful souls providing warmth to one another.
Yagami weighed his options. Should he continue to lay low, or should he do something?
Perhaps... he could take this opportunity to reveal a portion of his strength and build up his credentials for a promotion within the Anbu.
A Unit Leader's authority was too limited. He needed higher clearance, greater autonomy, and more respect.
Only then could he face the increasing dangers ahead.
A small hermit hides in the wild; a great hermit hides in the court.
Wouldn't it be more comfortable to "hide" among the high-ranking officials?
Yagami scanned his surroundings for Hippo.
The Genin Hippo was disguised as belonged to another battalion. Hippo noticed Yagami's gaze and stopped mid-way.
Yagami pulled out a scroll and rapidly wrote his observation report on the battle.
He omitted Nara Mi's despicable behavior from this scroll; he would tell Hatake Sakumo about Nara Mi separately to explain the truth behind Shinmei's death.
In this report, he only recorded the performance of the various Leaf battalions during the combat.
Kurumi, waiting for a response from the "Fujikita" behind her, turned around to see him frantically writing on a scroll.
No matter how slow she was, she realized now that Fujikita was strange—not like an ordinary Genin at all.
Why write a scroll at a time like this?
Yagami finished the report and tossed the scroll toward Hippo.
Kurumi was shocked to see the scroll fly at a speed she couldn't even track with her eyes.
Was Fujikita's strength actually this great?
After catching the scroll, Hippo gave Fox a nod.
He understood Fox's intent. Completing the observation report was an Anbu mission, but right now, Yagami was also the Leaf Genin Fujikita, who had to secure an escape for the other six battalions.
Both tasks were Fox's responsibility.
Yagami pulled a mask from his ninja tool pouch and placed it over his face.
Kurumi noticed that the moment the mask covered his face, Fujikita's aura underwent a world-shaking transformation.
The previously timid Fujikita was gone, replaced by a cold, murderous intent.
Fujikita put on a mask... was he an Anbu of the village?
Yagami spoke to Kurumi.
"Chunin Kurumi, stand behind me.
I am Hidden Leaf Anbu Special Jonin Fox. I am now your temporary captain.
How did you put it just now?
Don't be afraid. As your temporary captain, I won't let you die in front of me."
Yagami flickered to the front, standing side-by-side with the Battalion Commander, and said:
"Anbu Unit Leader Fox, currently performing a mission within your battalion, reporting for duty."
The Battalion Commander's mouth twitched, and amidst this brutal battlefield, he smiled.
An Anbu Unit Leader—his strength wouldn't be much lower than his own.
With this, the rearguard battalion now effectively had two high-level combatants.
"Good!" the Commander said:
"I'll take two units to delay the enemy Commander Rasa, You take one unit and protect the paragliders while they take off!"
"Understood."
Yagami nodded to Kurumi's Unit Leader, signaling him to follow as he charged toward the Sand ninja pursuing the six retreating Leaf battalions.
The Unit Leader hurriedly signaled his squads to follow him—and to follow the Anbu Unit Leader.
Beyond the docks, the Leaf ninja were opening their paragliders and beginning to run, using the sea breeze to take flight.
Behind them, a swarm of Sand ninja pursued.
The Sand ninja shouted, determined to intercept the Leaf ninja before they could fly away.
Yagami's figure landed behind the retreating Leaf and in front of the advancing Sand.
Hand signs.
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Spear!"
Yagami had used Water Severing Wave in front of Rasa before. To protect Pakura for as long as possible, he decided to use only Earth Flow Spear.
A fan-shaped area in front of him, covering over two hundred square meters, erupted into a thicket of earthen spears like thorns blooming on the battlefield.
A dozen Sand ninja were skewered like grasshoppers, hanging from the earthen spears.
Kurumi, bringing up the rear of the unit, was struck with awe at the terrifying Earth Style jutsu.
Is this the strength of an Anbu? A single jutsu can kill over a dozen enemies?
Yagami continued his signs, preparing a second Earth Flow Spear.
Two Sand ninja suddenly burst from the ground at his feet, thrusting kunai toward his calves.
After two crisp snaps, the tips of the kunai shattered.
The two Sand ninja looked at their broken blades in disbelief.
What the...?
Did the Equipment Department take a goddamn kickback?
Is this a kunai or a piece of glass?
Ignoring the two ninja on the ground, Yagami unleashed his second Earth Flow Spear.
Another dozen Sand ninja were sent hanging into the sky.
Only after finishing the jutsu did Yagami lift his feet, kicking out left and right at the Sand ninja.
The two ninja pulled out fresh kunai, but before they died, they cursed the Equipment Department once more.
With an Equipment Department like this, the Hidden Sand was doomed sooner or later!
Their kunai were snapped again by the kicks, as easily as dry twigs.
As for their ribcages, they felt no sturdier than soft cloth bags.
Seeing the Anbu Fox's jutsu was so powerful, more and more Sand ninja tunneled through the earth to reach him.
Not just ninja, but numerous puppets also surged from underground, lunging at Yagami.
There were at least four Sand units in front of him—a massive number.
However, no matter how formidable the puppets were, they were as fragile as paper before Yagami.
His palms glowed with bronze light as he shattered the puppets with hand-blade strikes.
The poisoned blades of the puppets couldn't even scratch his skin.
Seeing that kunai and puppets were ineffective, some Sand ninja formed signs at a distance.
Gales of violent wind swept in, containing wind blades sharp enough to slice through great trees.
However, the blades only shredded Yagami's clothes, shattering into harmless gusts against his skin.
Yagami looked a mess—his clothes were riddled with holes and hanging in tatters—but he was actually completely unharmed.
More and more of his copper-bronze skin was exposed.
Yagami saw several Sand ninja flanking his rear and suddenly clenched his glutes.
Don't tell me another Sand ninja thinks the weakness of his Absolute Defense is his backside?
How do they even come to that conclusion? Are they sick?
The "brilliant ideas" of fools were truly a headache.
The Sand ninja behind him took advantage of the chaos to launch an attack.
The strike hit his back, only managing to shred more cloth.
Yagami tanked the kunai and Wind Style jutsu, forming signs once more to unleash another Earth Flow Spear.
The spears didn't just kill; they altered the terrain, hindering the Sand's pursuit.
In the brief exchange, he had already crippled half a battalion.
The other Sand ninja no longer dared to swarm the Anbu Fox, yet they refused to abandon the mission. They bypassed him, continuing their charge toward the other Leaf ninja.
As for their own backs, they didn't care anymore.
It was too terrifying. This Anbu could ignore all physical attacks—how were they supposed to fight that?
No physical attack worked; even the Sand's specialty Wind Style and puppetry were useless.
But trying to bypass Yagami was impossible.
Yagami continued to create thickets of earthen thorns with wave after wave of Earth Flow Spear.
Yagami shouted to the accompanying Unit Leader: "Buy me some time! Hold them back!"