After traveling over ten kilometers, Yōkō began to feel uneasy.
The pursuing Kiri-nin main force completely ignored whether the Kiri-nin corpses were traps, chasing relentlessly and with extreme speed.
Had he been somewhat overconfident? Should he increase his speed and put more distance between himself and the sword retrieval force behind him?
Yōkō stopped controlling his pace and ran headlong towards the predetermined battlefield without looking back.
Yellow Dog had chosen a mountainous area as the ambush site.
The mountain slope was long and steep; Kiri-nin water release wouldn't be able to climb very high.
At the foot of the mountain.
The shrubs were suddenly smashed open, sending fragments of leaves and branches flying everywhere.
Yōkō and the Flower Deer Squad appeared.
Yōkō raised his hand, signaling the Flower Deer Squad to stop.
Something was wrong. According to the plan, there should be a guide ninja on the mountain top.
Logically, there should be ninja there to receive them now.
Yōkō and the Flower Deer Squad suddenly looked sideways in unison as a dull, rumbling explosion sounded.
This was... Explosive tags detonating in the distance. Judging by the sound, it was at least five hundred meters away.
Flower Deer asked uneasily, "Captain..."
Yōkō said, "There should be ambush troops on both sides of the slope, but it seems they're gone now. While we were luring the enemy, something changed here at the predetermined battlefield! Be careful, let's go higher to get a look!"
They charged up the mountain, their pace shifting from a sprint to a jog, then from a jog to a walk.
Finally, Yōkō ascended backwards, keeping his eyes fixed on the forest below.
Kiri-nin appeared in the forest!
The Kiri-nin sword retrieval force had caught up.
The Kiri-nin didn't rashly charge out of the shrubs but hid within the trees, revealing dark silhouettes one by one.
All the silhouettes' heads were turned towards Yōkō, a sight that was deeply unsettling.
The Twin Swords Hiramekarei, wrapped in bandages, rested quietly on Yōkō's back.
Judging by the number of shadows, why were there only about two Kiri-nin battalions appearing below the mountain?
Yōkō was standing very high up, originally able to see quite far, but the mist in the nearby mountains was growing increasingly dense, turning into thick, lumpy fog.
The thick fog rapidly spread, engulfing Yōkō and the Flower Deer Squad.
The world turned a vast, featureless white.
Flower Deer asked from behind, "Captain, what's happening?"
The Hiding in Mist Technique covered the mountains for several kilometers around. Frowning, Yōkō said:
"Originally, our five battalions were planning an ambush here. Now it seems the intelligence was leaked. The Kiri-nin have surrounded us from further away. Instead, we are the ones ambushed.
The five battalions are fighting while retreating, having left the predetermined battlefield. This proves all five battalions are at a disadvantage."
Flower Deer looked at the surrounding thick fog in disbelief. Had Battalion Commander Yellow Dog's operation plan been spied on?
Dull explosions sounded intermittently from the surroundings, interspersed with the sounds of fire release.
There seemed to be some screams too, but they were hard to make out.
Yōkō said, "The ambush location being leaked isn't the main issue. What's feared is if the personnel intelligence of the five battalions was leaked, and the enemy deployed forces specifically targeting them..."
Yōkō turned to look towards the mountain top.
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog had not appeared. Before he and the Flower Deer Squad entered the ambush site, Battalion Commander Yellow Dog had already been driven away.
Seeing the thick fog envelop the entire mountain, the Kiri-nin battalions below, having established home-field advantage, began slowly advancing up the slope.
They formed an arc, a semi-encirclement, slowly ascending the mountain.
Yōkō felt some worry, wondering how the Antelope Squad, the White Ram Squad, and Purple Cat were faring.
The situation was this severe.
The prospects for Yellow Dog's promotion to Vice Minister looked unfavorable.
The prospects for Yōkō's own promotion to Battalion Commander also looked unfavorable.
From within the thick fog, three kunai suddenly flew out.
Yōkō casually deflected them. The kunai struck Yōkō's copper-red hands and bounced away into the distance.
These three kunai proved that the Kiri-nin knew Yōkō's position.
The Kiri-nin could infuse chakra into the thick mist, using water attribute chakra to detect enemies.
Next came the dense, bird-swarm-like sounds of projectiles cutting through the air.
After using Water Release: Water Formation Wall to block the kunai, Yōkō quickly shouted, "Retreat! Find the main force!"
Following the ambush plan, Yōkō prepared to head to the mountain top to check.
That was where Yellow Dog's Battalion was supposed to be ambushed.
All around were dense jumping sounds, as many ninja bypassed Yōkō on his left and right, moving towards his front.
The incessant barrage of kunai and explosive tags slowed Yōkō's progress.
While Yōkō himself could block these attacks by expending some chakra, the situation was not good for the Flower Deer Squad.
At least two Kiri-nin battalions were continuously harassing them with kunai and explosive tags.
After using one Water Formation Wall to block half of the enemy's attacks, Yōkō heard a grunt from his side. Turning his head, he saw that one of his subordinates had been hit by four or five kunai.
Unable to see the enemies, Yōkō formed hand signs and used Water Release: Water Cutting Wave deep into the thick fog.
A line of water shot out, sweeping through the thick fog.
Several screams came from within the fog.
Half a person crawled out of the mist.
Yōkō was about to use a kunai to finish off the half-person when his hand suddenly clenched, grabbing the kunai that had almost flown out.
On the head of that half-figure was a Konoha forehead protector.
If it were just the Konoha forehead protector, Yōkō might have thought it was a Kiri-nin in disguise.
But in his eyes were Two Tomoe Sharingan!
Had his Water Cutting Wave just severed the legs of an Uchiha ninja within the thick fog?
What was going on?
Had the Kiri-nin actually driven an Uchiha ninja near Yōkō's location?
The Uchiha ninja saw the Fox Anbu and cried out miserably, "Jōnin Copper Fox! We're being targeted! The enemy knows all our intelligence! They are precisely striking our weaknesses!"
After blocking an explosive tag kunai for the Uchiha ninja, Yōkō said to Flower Deer, "Use long-range attacks cautiously! The Kiri-nin have split and are driving an Uchiha battalion in different directions. The personnel around us are mixed."
Flower Deer quickly acknowledged and went to stop the Uchiha ninja's bleeding, bringing him along as they continued their journey.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Yōkō used Wind Release, clearing the path uphill.
Within an area over ten meters wide and several dozen meters long in front of them, the thick fog dissipated, revealing the ground.
Evading the enemy's long-range harassment while using Wind Release to clear the way, Yōkō finally brought the Flower Deer Squad to the mountain top.
Looking up at the sky above, the thick fog hung heavily, reaching a depth of over a hundred meters, obscuring the sky.
In theory, Yellow Dog's Battalion should be hiding on the reverse slope behind the mountain top.
Yōkō used another Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
On the reverse slope behind the mountain top, kunai and ninja swords were scattered about, along with the corpses of Anbu and Kiri-nin.
Many of the Anbu ninja had died face down, as if they had been ambushed.
The Kiri-nin had actually managed to sneak up close to Yellow Dog's Battalion while they were in ambush positions and ambushed them.
How did they manage that?
Flower Deer, sharp-eyed, immediately said, "Captain! It's Black Gorilla! Horned Ox!"
Not far from them, on an Anbu corpse, was Black Gorilla's mask.
After briefly examining the bodies, Flower Deer discovered that the limbs of all the corpses had been severed by sharp wires.
"Captain, these wounds are from Kuriarare Kushimaru's Longsword Nuibari!"
One could imagine that the ambush location chosen by Yellow Dog was completely known to the Kiri-nin.
Kuriarare Kushimaru had set up wire traps in advance. Once Yellow Dog's Battalion was in position, he used the wire traps to successfully ambush them.
Yōkō looked at the fog gathering around them again and said to Flower Deer:
"With the fog making it hard to distinguish friend from foe, and visibility less than two meters, we cannot use long-range ninjutsu in the upcoming battle. I will operate alone. Flower Deer, take your squad to rescue the wounded and go into hiding."
Flower Deer hurriedly nodded; their squad couldn't assist the captain under these circumstances.
"Please rest assured, Captain, I will ensure our squad fulfills its proper role!"
Yōkō nodded, turned, and disappeared into the thick fog.
***
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