Chapter 92: Indiscriminate Bombardment
Half a Month Later
Liumu and Team 7 reached the border of the Land of Grass in just half a month. Standing atop a mountain peak, they looked down upon a village engulfed in the flames of war, thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
The buildings lay in ruins, deserted. Collapsed structures were everywhere, resembling the aftermath of a natural disaster.
"We start here. Maintain constant vigilance!" Minato gave the order and was the first to leap down, disappearing into the forest.
Kakashi, Obito, and Rin exchanged glances, gave slight nods, and followed.
A short while later, they entered a dense woodland. A gentle breeze carried with it a faint, metallic scent of blood. An eerie silence prevailed—no chirping insects, no bird calls.
Crouching low, they remained alert to any possible ambush. Kakashi quietly drew the short sword from his back, subtly positioning himself closer to Rin.
"Move out," Minato commanded softly.
The five advanced cautiously.
Suddenly, several shrill whistling sounds came from their right. Kakashi's reaction was lightning-fast. His hands flew through seals. With a low thrum, the ground beneath their feet cracked as an earthen wall erupted, blocking the incoming volley of shuriken.
Minato jumped onto the wall, examining the embedded kunai before scanning the direction they'd come from. But the forest was utterly silent; the attackers had already fled.
"Stay sharp."
No further attacks came. After rotating watch duties and a quick meal, they pressed deeper into the Land of Grass.
Suddenly…
"Help! Somebody help!"
In the distance, a blurred figure staggered through the trees, crying for aid. The running form shuddered abruptly, then went limp, collapsing to the ground.
Minato instantly moved to assist, but just as he was about to reach the figure, an irresistible force grabbed his shoulder from behind. He turned to see Liumu standing there, shaking his head with an expressionless face.
Liumu drew a kunai from his pouch and hurled it toward the distant figure.
"Liumu!" Obito protested, seeing him attack an unknown person.
But before Liumu could explain, a violent explosion erupted from the figure's location.
"Explosive Tag Water Clone!"
The blast sent water spraying dozens of meters into the air before raining back down.
Liumu turned to Kakashi and the others, his tone grave. "This is war. Remember, unless you are absolutely certain, your first priority is to protect yourselves."
"But… what if they were civilians from the Land of Grass?" Rin questioned, troubled. If that person had been an ordinary civilian, should they have tested them with a kunai like Liumu did?
Hearing this, Liumu let out a deep sigh.
Minato offered a wry smile and explained, "This is the border of the Land of Grass. Even in peacetime, it's a place of unknown dangers. Ordinary civilians wouldn't come here. I was careless."
His explanation made Rin and Obito blush with chagrin. But Liumu didn't criticize them further. For those who hadn't experienced life and death, textbook knowledge was all they had. War was the ultimate crucible for a ninja's potential.
Rain began to fall, soaking their hair. Seeing a dense fog surging toward them from afar, the five instinctively moved closer together.
"Kakashi, counter with Fire!" Liumu ordered coldly.
Kakashi stepped forward, hands flashing through seals. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A blazing fireball shot forth. Upon contact with the mist, thick white steam billowed up.
Seeing this, Liumu instantly switched the active template within him. He leaped to the top of a towering tree, stretched out his arms, and shouted:
"Yasakani no Magatama!" (Eight Span Mirror)
Boom!
Boom-boom!
Countless points of brilliant light, like miniature suns, rained down into the mist like a hail of bombs, covering nearly half the forest ahead.
Trees shattered. Fires erupted. Moments later, agonized screams pierced the air—chilling, blood-curdling cries.
The bombardment continued. Kakashi, Obito, and Rin looked up at Liumu with unfamiliar eyes. When had he become so… ruthless? No, this was war. 'Ruthless' wasn't quite right. If they had to describe him, Liumu in this moment was like a god of slaughter, crushing everything within the mist with absolute, indiscriminate power.
The bombardment lasted a full ten minutes before Liumu finally stopped and jumped down.
Seeing this, Rin took a soldier pill from her pouch, offering it to Liumu to help recover his chakra.
But to her surprise, Liumu merely glanced at the pill, shook his head, and declined her kindness. The Kizaru template's abilities didn't rely on chakra, so Rin's concern was misplaced.
"Use another Fire Release to evaporate the remaining mist," Liumu ordered.
Kakashi acted immediately. As a new fireball met the lingering fog, visibility in the forest finally returned to normal.
Team 7 looked around. The once-dense woodland ahead was now a shattered, smoldering ruin. Fallen trees, scattered corpses—countless black-clad ninja with veiled faces lay on the ground. Severed limbs even hung from broken branches.
The breeze carried a powerful, nauseating stench of blood.
Obito and Rin, who had never witnessed such a scene, immediately felt their stomachs churn violently.
Urgh!
Kakashi: "..."
"I'll check their identities. You three stay here. Don't move." Liumu, the instigator of the carnage, glanced at the two with a hint of pity, then said to Kakashi, "Watch them."
Kakashi's own complexion was far from ideal, his face pale beneath the mask, but he managed a nod. "Understood." He handed his canteen to Rin, gently patting her back.
Liumu moved into the field of corpses, covering his mouth and nose lightly. He crouched before a relatively intact body and began searching it. A moment later, he returned with a bloodstained forehead protector bearing the symbol of Kirigakure. He handed it to Minato.
Minato's expression turned cold. "It seems the situation in the Land of Grass is more severe than our intelligence indicated." The reports had mentioned Iwagakure ninja attempting to flank Konoha's rear and strike their supply lines, but there was no mention of Kirigakure forces here.
Yet now…
(End of Chapter)
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