191-Formation Four
Renjiro's mind raced as he processed the situation.
'Once might have been normal, but twice? I refuse to believe this is just a coincidence. And from their chakra signatures, they are stronger than the ones we encountered on our way to Tanigakure. I can sense multiple chunins and a jounin. This is no ordinary force!'
His thoughts churned as he quickly considered their next move. There was no time to waste, the enemy's strength and numbers demanded a swift and decisive response.
The squad leader came to an abrupt stop atop a sturdy tree branch, causing the other five behind him to halt as well. Those unfamiliar with sensory techniques looked around in confusion, unsure of what had prompted the sudden pause. However, Kudo and Miki, who were also sensors, quickly understood the gravity of the situation.
In a low voice, Renjiro instructed, "Be ready. We have enemies approaching from the west. They have a jounin, so we will use Formation 4."
As soon as Renjiro finished speaking, the squad members nodded in unison. In an instant, they disappeared into the trees, flickering toward the west where their enemies lay in wait.
Meanwhile, Saseki, the leader of the approaching rogue shinobi, felt a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest.
'I just hope the intel was right. The fact that they cannot determine the power levels and identities of the team from Konoha is unnerving, but they can't have more than one jounin present,' he thought, trying to calm his nerves.
He had been informed that the Konoha squad had left Tanigakure a few hours earlier, and his task was to intercept them before they exited the Land of Rivers.
'I just hope they're using the same route,' he mused.
Saseki's frustration simmered just below the surface. The earlier mission to abduct the Daimyo's son had been a failure, largely due to the intervention from Konoha shinobis. Their intervention had not only thwarted the kidnapping but also resulted in significant losses for their forces.
'Now I am tasked with cleaning up Kata's mess,' he thought bitterly.
The plan was to attack the Konoha squad on their return journey, masking their true intentions under the guise of normal bandit activity in the area.
While this might complicate future plans to abduct Akihiko, it was a necessary risk to avoid alarming the Daimyo and potentially sparking a larger conflict. They could always find another opportunity or another target.
Turning to one of his subordinates, a sensory shinobi, Saseki asked, "Are they close?"
The sensor, a young woman, shook her head. "I still can't sense them," she replied. Saseki frowned, muttering under his breath,
"I wonder why they're so slow."
His words were barely out when a thunderous explosion shattered the relative quiet of the forest.
"Boom!"
The ground shook, and the air filled with the acrid scent of burning foliage and the metallic tang of blood. One of Saseki's men shouted,
"We're under attack!" Panic spread through the rogue group as they scrambled to understand what was happening.
Saseki's eyes widened in shock. 'What is this?"
Their sensor had assured him that the Konoha squad was still far off. Yet here they were, under sudden and violent assault. He turned to glare at the sensor, who looked equally bewildered.
'Did they conceal their presence?' He barely had time to process the thought before the masked figures of Renjiro's squad descended upon them.
The rogue shinobi were roughly the same number as the group that had attacked the convoy earlier, but these were clearly more powerful. Renjiro's squad wasted no time with pleasantries or negotiations.
They moved with lethal efficiency, each member taking on multiple opponents. Tora, wielding his twin swords with deadly precision, cut down enemies with swift, brutal strikes.
However, as he began to face chunin among the group, Tora started to tire.
'It seems I need to use that,' he thought grimly.
Without warning, Tora channelled his remaining chakra into a desperate, final attack. His body glowed with an intense light before exploding in a brilliant burst of energy.
The explosion was massive, sending shockwaves through the forest and obliterating the enemies surrounding him. Similar scenes unfolded where Miki and Akira fought. They, too, resorted to explosive techniques, causing significant damage and chaos among the rogue shinobi ranks.
Saseki's frustration boiled over into rage. He had just closed in on one of the masked figures when they exploded. Suddenly, he felt the cold steel of a blade coming near his shoulder. Instinctively, he leaned back, avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth.
He quickly put distance between himself and his assailant, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of a masked figure standing before him. The figure's stance was calm and composed, a stark contrast to the chaos around them.
The figure tilted their head slightly, as if assessing Saseki. "Who are you?" Saseki demanded, his voice edged with anger and fear. The masked figure remained silent, the only response a subtle shift in their posture.
'Damn it,' Saseki thought, tightening his grip on his kunai.
Saseki, feeling the weight of the situation bearing down on him, lunged at the masked figure before him. The two engaged in a fierce exchange, their movements a blur of speed and precision. Saseki's strikes were powerful and relentless, but the masked figure parried each one with ease.
'I need to find a way to get out of this situation,' Saseki thought desperately, his eyes darting around, searching for an opening. But Renjiro was relentless, his movements precise and efficient, leaving Saseki no room to escape.
Saseki barely managed to parry a slash aimed at his midsection, the force of the blow sending him stumbling back. He knew he was running out of options, and his mind raced with the possibility of defeat.
In a swift and decisive move, Renjiro made his move. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a series of seals from his pouch. Saseki's eyes widened in realization, but it was too late.
Renjiro darted forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. Saseki tried to defend himself, but Renjiro was too quick. With a series of fluid motions, Renjiro slapped nearly a dozen seals onto Saseki's body. The seals glowed momentarily before sinking into Saseki's skin, and he felt a sudden, overwhelming sensation of paralysis.
Saseki's body seized up, his muscles locking in place. He couldn't move, couldn't speak. Panic surged through him as he realized he was utterly incapacitated.
Renjiro had used advanced paralysis and chakra-draining seals, rendering Saseki completely helpless. The rogue shinobi fell to the ground with a thud, unable to move a muscle. His eyes darted around wildly, the only part of him that could still move, as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.
'How?' he wondered.
'We need to interrogate him,' Renjiro thought, knowing that Saseki could hold valuable information.
Without a word, Renjiro hoisted the paralyzed jounin over his shoulder and made his way back to where Kudo was waiting.
"I have dealt with their leader, you can deal with the rest, If anything happens, you can let me know,"
Renjiro said as he approached Kudo. He then set Saseki down and dispelled himself.
This was the formation four that Renjiro had talked about. He and the rest of the squad members who had engaged the rogue shinobi were nothing more than shadow clones.
This was a strategy devised to deal with dangerous situations like suicide bombers. It was a formation that relied on the use of shadow clones, each clone capable of performing a shadow clone explosion. This jutsu had been a mandatory skill for the squad, one that Renjiro had insisted everyone master, including himself.
The real Kudo had been with the clones, acting as a safeguard in case they needed to secure someone for questioning. The plan was simple, if nothing happened on the way back to Konoha, Renjiro and the rest would regroup with Kudo and swiftly return to the village.
However, if an attack occurred, they would stay back in Tanigakure, protecting Akihiko from potential threats.
As the clones dispelled themselves, the memories and information flooded into Renjiro's real body.
'Now we have another person to interrogate.' Renjiro said as he stood over a person who he incapacitated with his seals just as he did to Saseki. The only difference was that he needed fewer seals as this person was just a guard in the convoy that was escorting Akihiko.
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