First Battle

The four Anbu teams quickly followed the clues and started tracking. With a general direction, the difficulty of tracking the enemy naturally reduced significantly. Along the way, several Anbu ninjas glanced at Kazuya with newfound respect. Previously, the newly appointed sub-captain had been very low-key, but they hadn't expected him to be so perceptive, seeing through Cloud Shinobi Village's conspiracy at a glance. It was amazing! No wonder he could be the team leader despite being a common Anbu ninja. The gap was too big!

"Kazuya-kun is still excellent as always!" Kurenai smiled gently.

The marching team formed a triangular formation, moving rapidly through the woods. Kazuya and a Hyuga ninja were in the center, Sarutobi Shinnosuke and Jiraiya led the team at the front, ready to engage any encountered enemies.

Meanwhile, several elite ninjas were rapidly moving through the woods.

"Konoha's nose is so sharp. Did they catch our scent?" a dark-skinned, strong man said coldly.

"It's lucky we have our sensor ninja..." the Raikage remarked, his gaze falling on a Kirigakure ninja. The look was unsettling.

"Raikage-sama," the ninja named Ao said seriously, "Our common enemy now is Konoha. You don't want to fail this mission, do you?"

"Of course not," Raikage replied, his tone gruff. The burly ninja with dark skin was none other than the Fourth Raikage.

At this moment, Ao shouted in a low voice, "No, 1000 meters away! Konoha's ninjas are catching up!"

In an instant, the invading elite ninja squad changed their expressions, hid, and became vigilant.

"1000 meters! We can't escape. We must eliminate the pursuing Konoha Shinobi!" Raikage ordered.

On the other side, Jiraiya asked, frowning, "How many people are there?"

The Hyuga Jonin in the center of the team responded, "1000 meters away! There are ten people! Their chakra levels are extremely high. They should all be Jonin, and one of them... terrifying! That person's chakra strength exceeds Jonin's level. It's like a tailed beast!"

Sarutobi Shinnosuke's expression also changed. "Nine Jonin and one... Kage-level?"

Jiraiya groaned, his expression turning serious. All the Anbu ninjas waited silently for the next order.

"Yugao, Gai, hold back for a while. Don't engage directly," Kazuya ordered coldly.

"But..." Yugao Uzuki began, but Kazuya cut her off. "This is an order!"

"Yes!" Yugao lowered her head, but her expression was unwilling. She had entered Anbu at the age of 12, a genius ninja. Feeling like a burden in the face of elite Jonin made her prideful self uncomfortable.

"If I survive this, I will train desperately. I can't let Captain Kazuya look down on me!" Yugao Uzuki clenched her teeth.

"Something's not right!" the Hyuga ninja suddenly exclaimed. "That's Byakugan! The other side also has Hyuga ninjas. They're going to find us!"

"Do it!" Jiraiya commanded sharply. "Leave the Kage-level enemy to me. Contain the others. If they're too strong, prioritize completing the mission and obtaining information!"

With that, Jiraiya disappeared instantly.

"Captain Kazuya, we..." Sarutobi Shinnosuke turned to Kazuya for advice.

"I fully agree with Jiraiya-senpai's opinion," Kazuya said directly.

"Good," Sarutobi Shinnosuke agreed. The enemy had nine Jonin and a Kage-level ninja, but they had more than a dozen Jonin on their side, and Master Jiraiya. It was reasonable to operate steadily and reduce casualties.

In an instant, Konoha's Anbu ninjas also moved. Kazuya glanced in the direction Jiraiya had disappeared. Only the weak rely on tactics; real Kage-level ninjas crush their enemies head-on.

"Pity..." Kazuya sighed. "Later, I ran into a tougher Six Paths Pain and got reversed. Character determines destiny!"

Jiraiya lunged forward, soon reaching the position where the enemy was hiding. He stood on the top of a tree, glancing around. The surroundings were silent; no enemy was in sight.

"Nobody?" Jiraiya snorted coldly. "Want to hide? I'll blow you all out!"

He rapidly formed hand signs. "Fire Style: Flame Bomb!"

A fiery sea of flames spewed from his mouth, burning towards the enemies below. The flames roared, fueled by chakra-infused oil, their temperature frighteningly high. Anything caught in the blaze would be reduced to a scorched corpse instantly. This was Jiraiya's signature ninjutsu. During the Ninja World War, countless ninjas had fallen victim to this sea of fire.

"Enemy attack! It's Konoha's ninja! Beware of Fire Style!" the enemy Jonin exclaimed. They reacted quickly, scattering to avoid the attack.

"Water Style: Water Barrier!" a woman yelled. In an instant, a wall of water more than ten meters high rose into the sky, blocking the sea of flames.

Water and fire collided with a low roar. The Water Barrier was evaporated by the sea of fire, forming a sheet of high-temperature steam that swept away, burning through the surrounding trees. A few wild boars that couldn't dodge were cooked instantly.

"It's quite fragrant; no wonder wild pork is so expensive," Kazuya observed from the shadows. "Ah no, it's not a wild boar. This Water Style ninja is quite strong!"

Kurenai Yuhi gave Kazuya a disapproving look. She seemed to have heard something outrageous.

The battle began. Everyone was tense. Only Kazuya remained calm, watching the brilliant golden lights flying towards him.