"It's the Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
Every Sand ninja instantly went on high alert.
Among them, several men immediately pulled out prepared scrolls and infused them with chakra, summoning their puppets into the fray.
"As expected of ninjas from a Great Village, you truly are well-informed."
Simu's voice drifted through the hazy, white mist.
"Captain Taya, what do we do now?"
Facing an unknown enemy, the Sand ninjas quickly turned their gaze toward the Jonin in charge of the operation, Taya.
"Kawanishi, can you not perceive the enemy's location?"
Kawanishi was the sensory ninja responsible for reconnaissance in the squad. Furthermore, he was the one who had first detected the enemy's presence earlier.
Facing his captain's expectant gaze, Kawanishi shook his head with a look of shame.
"This mist is entirely made of chakra. I can't sense the enemy's direction at all. I'm sorry."
Taya drew his ninja sword, his expression extremely grim.
"It's fine. The enemy might just be bluffing. If they were truly confident in taking us down in a head-on fight, they wouldn't resort to such deceptive tricks."
These words immediately earned the agreement of all the Sand ninjas.
"Oh? Is that so?"
In the next second, Hidan's mocking voice rang out. A crimson scythe flew out from the mist, accurately hitting a Sand ninja positioned on the perimeter.
Although this Sand Chunin reacted in time and used his kunai to block, the immense force attached to the scythe still sent him flying backward.
"Over there!"
Taya was experienced in battle and knew that now was not the time to worry about his comrade. Instead, he flicked a kunai, firing it directly toward the direction from which the scythe had come.
As a muffled groan was heard, a Sand ninja shot out numerous chakra threads from his fingers, controlling his puppet to charge toward Hidan's position.
Halfway there, a massive swarm of Black Beetles surged out from the nearby woods. They instantly covered the entire puppet, and the chakra threads connected to it were completely devoured by the insects.
"I've lost connection with my puppet!"
Because the mist was too thick, the puppeteer had no idea what his creation had encountered before losing contact with it.
"This won't do. We can't stay on the defensive like this."
Taya calmly considered his options and finally made a decision: "Everyone, perform Wind Style ninjutsu with me to blow this mist away!"
"Yes!"
Following Taya's command, every ninja in the squad capable of using Wind Style began forming hand signs together.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Violent currents of air rapidly blew outward, instantly creating a vacuum zone free of mist.
For the first time in this game, the Sand ninjas regained their vision.
As their sight returned, they finally spotted the enemy.
Hidan was currently pulling a kunai out of his own chest. He then licked the blade, his face filled with an intoxicated, eerie expression.
As for the Sand ninja who had been knocked away by Hidan earlier, he was now covered by countless insects. His face was twisted in agony, yet he was unable to make a sound.
Seeing this, the medical ninja responsible for treating teammates immediately rushed over.
"Wait!"
Taya tried to stop her, but it was too late. When the female medical ninja reached her comrade's side, the insects covering him suddenly expanded violently.
Boom!
A terrifying explosion instantly consumed everything. The resulting air current further dispersed the mist, causing Simu's figure to emerge from the haze.
He pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose and said with a hint of annoyance, "Failing to see such a simple trap... it seems the ninja education in the Hidden Sand Village still needs improvement."
Simu's nonchalant, provocative words immediately caused the remaining Sand ninjas to boil with rage.
"You bastard, go to hell!"
Another ninja manipulated his puppet, charging recklessly toward Simu.
Simu simply raised his hand. A terrifying tide of insects, shaped like a massive spear, instantly pierced through the puppet, turning it into countless parts that scattered across the ground.
"Although I am quite interested in the Puppetry of the Hidden Sand Village, I will be very disappointed if this is the only level you can show me."
Hearing the rustling sound of the Black Beetles gnawing on the puppet parts, the two puppeteers looked as if they were about to die of frustration.
As the captain, Taya calmly analyzed the situation on the field. Noticing that Simu and Hidan wore identical uniforms, he spoke coldly, "You two shouldn't be from the Hidden Rain Village, right? Why are you attacking ninjas from our Hidden Sand Village?"
After all, the Hidden Sand Village was one of the five strongest villages in the world. Normally, no organization would choose to provoke them without reason.
Simu rubbed his nose. "While we aren't from the Hidden Rain Village, soon, the Hidden Rain Village should belong to us."
"What?!"
There was so much information packed into that sentence that even Taya was momentarily stunned.
However, Simu had no intention of explaining further. Once he finished speaking, Hidan charged forward, swinging his Three-bladed blood scythe.
Even though they had two Jonin, they were helpless against Hidan's immortal body without prior intelligence. Furthermore, they had to dedicate part of their energy to keep an eye on Simu, who stood nearby.
"Don't worry. I won't interfere."
Despite Simu's repeated assurances, Taya kept his eyes locked on him, not daring to relax for a second.
Simu sighed and pointed at Hidan, who was beginning his slaughter. "Mr. Captain, if you don't provide support soon, your team members are going to be wiped out."
Against these enemies, Hidan didn't even need to use his Cursed Jutsu: Death-Controlling Blood. Relying on his Three-bladed blood scythe and his own immortality was enough to handle them.
Even though the other Jonin's skills were quite comprehensive, every attack that landed on Hidan was like a stone sinking into the ocean, producing no effect. This drove the highly-trained Sand ninjas into deep despair.
Finally, Taya, the strongest member of the Sand team, gave up his standoff with Simu and joined the battle.
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
Taya immediately unleashed an A-rank ninjutsu. He used chakra to condense a mass of air, compressing it to the extreme before releasing it. It acted like the sharpest shuriken, easily severing Hidan's head!
Hidan was decapitated once again.
However, this time, the one who cut him wasn't Simu.
"As expected of Captain Taya!"
"Surely he can't remain unharmed after this, right?"
Countless eyes stared at Hidan. They refused to believe he could recover from an injury as severe as decapitation.
As Hidan's head hit the ground, Taya caught a glimpse of Simu's half-smiling expression out of the corner of his eye. His heart instantly tightened.
"Everyone, run now!"