Chapter 11

"Damn it! We need to find a suitable place for the meeting! We won't have time to prepare a proper ambush, but we should set up a few traps."

"To the left of us, there's a large clearing where there'll be enough space for maneuvering to use strong techniques," replied Hyuga. "Quickly, let's head there. There are only seven opponents. Three of them are at the level of a middle jonin, the rest are experienced chunin. Judging by the behavior and movements of our opponents, three of them are used to acting as a team, while the others are loners."

"How many ninjutsu specialists?" asked Linli as our group jumped through the trees in the required direction, one of her students leaving behind disguised explosive tags, masking them with illusions.

Of course, it's just my assumption, but the fact that the explosive tags disappeared right before our eyes, blending in with the bark, only supported the assumption.

"Three! Plus, one medic or genjutsu specialist, and the rest are likely taijutsu users. They all have tantos with them."

"But Kirigakure shinobi don't use tantos!" exclaimed the jonin.

"We'll worry about that later," the commander cut in. "When you're fighting, be cautious - one of them just disappeared underground and is still moving in our direction!"

"Kirigakure knows Doton!?" Ma whispered in surprise. "There's something fishy here..."

Leaping into the open space, our squad ran a bit further and then stopped, forming a semicircle, placing obvious close-combat fighters in the center and positioning everyone else on the sides, except for Senju, who stayed a step away from us. Ma handed me over at the first sign of danger.

"Senju-san, we'll handle the main battle, and you cover the clients and support from a distance, acting as a reserve if needed."

"Understood! Team, stick together and demonstrate everything I've taught you!"

"Yes, sensei!"

"You know what to do," nodded their jonin, "attention, they'll appear any moment. If possible, let's try to avoid a fight, but at the first sign of threat, aim for incapacitation!"

Just as he finished speaking, I started feeling the approaching shinobi, both above in the trees and below in the ground. Inuzuka's dog quietly growled and tensed up.

Unexpectedly for me, there was a sudden burst of chakra, followed by an explosion, then another one, merging into a continuous barrage. After one of the explosions, the closest chakra source to it stopped and began to weaken.

"We got one! Blew off a leg with an explosive tag!" Yoshie punched his palm triumphantly.

Giving a stern look to Hyuga, Ma encouragingly squeezed my hand, then whispered, "Ryu-chan, can you hang on to me by yourself without support? I'll need my hands free just in case."

Nodding, I pulled myself up a bit on my arms and wrapped my legs around her waist at abdomen level, mentally praising the physical exercises that had started, including stretching, and the fact that Saya kept herself fit and wasn't too heavy - thanks to this, even a four-year-old like me could comfortably wrap my legs around her slender waist.

Locking my legs, I made sure I held securely as Ma withdrew her hands and lightly jumped to check. I held steady.

"Great! And don't forget the rules!"

"Yes, Ka-chan!"

While we exchanged a couple of phrases, our pursuers caught up with us and landed on the other side of the clearing. And judging by the slight hesitation, they expected fewer of us. So, their sensor can only distinguish the presence of chakra nearby, but not the number and strength of each shinobi.

"Who are you, and why are you chasing us?" Hyuga took advantage of the pause. "Kirigakure has no business in the Land of Fire's territory, so you'd better leave peacefully, or else your village will be held responsible for the consequences!"

It's strange that he started a conversation instead of immediately attacking. Or is he just afraid to initiate a conflict between villages? But his little speech didn't make an impression on our enemies. The one who felt the strongest pulled two pieces of paper out of his pocket, glanced quickly in our direction, and nodded.

"Senju and Uzumaki take alive, kill the rest," ordered the enemy leader, and this phrase signaled the start of the battle.

"Ryu, eyes!" Ma commanded, taking a kunai in each hand and crouching slightly, spreading her legs a bit wider, ready to jump in any direction.