Chapter 26 - The invasion begins

Akina furrowed her brow as she stared at Ryu, her hands on her hips. "Okay, but what exactly can you do with this secret technique of yours?"

Ryu stood tall, a confident grin on his face. "I can instantly repair the hill to its prime state. That means you can collapse it as many times as you want without worrying about the structural integrity."

Arakan raised an eyebrow in doubt. "Hold on a second, Ryu. The hill has intricate mechanisms that were incredibly difficult to create. It took us months to design and build them. How will you be able to repair the hill in an instant if the mechanisms are destroyed? Simply creating one with Earth Ninjutsu won't do the trick."

Ryu smiled teasingly. "As I said, it's a secret Kajiya technique. I can't just go around explaining it to everyone."

Akina, still not fully satisfied, persisted. "Alright, we understand. But can you at least give us an idea of what this ability can be used for?"

Ryu hesitated briefly before responding, "Not really. Just know that you can leave any repair job to me."

Arakan conceded, nodding his head. "Fair enough. We'll count on you, Ryu. Now, let's focus on fortifying the clinic. Daisuke, I want you to gather our best trap experts and have them set up traps along the perimeter outside the clinic. We need to be prepared for any potential attack. An ambush at the entrance won't be effective, as they can easily enter through the windows of the higher floors. We should also fortify the rooms where our security personnel will use Ninjutsu, so they can concentrate better. Speaking of which, how many security personnel do we currently have in the perimeter?"

Daisuke pondered for a moment, mentally reviewing their forces. "Ever since I received the report about the investigation targeting us, I've recalled most of our high-level personnel. We currently have 20 former Anbu and 15 Jonins stationed here. There are still some on their way, but our main force is already here. If they don't launch a full-scale attack, we'll be able to take them down."

Daisuke furrowed his brow as he considered their options. "The first attack will likely involve a handful of Anbu scouts, maybe five Shinobi or so. That's not the real problem, though. The issue is what comes after them. If one of them escapes and reports back, we'll be in deep trouble. On the other hand, if we kill them all, we'll be announcing our presence loud and clear.

If a Shinobi escapes, we should expect the Mist to attack with full force. If we kill them all, we should brace for several more scout units with increasingly skilled Shinobi. If it were up to me, I'd say we should eliminate them all. We'll have to deal with waves of Shinobi for a while, but it'll buy us time to prepare. We can set traps, fortify the building, and maybe even find a place to evacuate to. Overall, it's the better choice."

Akina nodded in agreement. "In that case, we should station a couple of Shinobi outside the hidden hill to ambush any escapees."

Arakan was about to speak when a Shinobi suddenly appeared in front of them, cutting him off. The woman, wearing a cat mask, urgently reported, "The scout unit is here. They have ten Anbu. What should we do?"

Daisuke's eyes widened, and he quickly barked out a command. "Already?! Engage them, and make sure to eliminate every last one!" He flickered away, ready to confront the unexpected threat.

Ryu looked worried. "Is he going to be okay?"

Akina reassured him, "He'll be fine. If anything, Daisuke will do whatever it takes to keep things on track, even if that means annihilating all the enemies himself. He might not seem like it, but he was the former Captain of the Mist's Anbu. His skills surpass even the current captain's, but his moral compass didn't align with the job. That's why he's with us now. Go outside and watch him fight if you want."

"Is it safe?" Ryu asked cautiously.

"Probably not," Akina shrugged.

"...Is it worth it?" Ryu inquired.

"Absolutely, but you should hurry before he takes down all the Anbu," Akina smirked.

"It hasn't even been a minute yet!" Ryu exclaimed as he began running outside.

"That's my point!" Akina called after him.

Ryu emerged from the hidden hill just in time to see a decapitated Anbu fall in front of him. The trees bent and swayed in various directions, caught in the extreme winds generated by the high-speed combat. Ryu quickly activated his hidden Sharingan, as without it, all he could see were blurred figures. 'Now that I think about it, how do we know which Anbu are ours and which are theirs? They all wear animal masks and black robes...' Ryu wondered.

With his Sharingan activated, Ryu could finally make sense of the chaos around him. He watched, awestruck, as Daisuke moved from tree to tree at such incredible speeds that it appeared as if he were teleporting. Ryu could only imagine what the enemy Anbu saw—likely, nothing. Daisuke had honed his stealth, speed, and infiltration skills as an Anbu, making them his primary focus. While this meant his hand-to-hand combat abilities were somewhat weaker, it hardly mattered for a spy.

But Akina was right. Daisuke was so skilled, that by the time Ryu began watching only five Anbu remained.

As Daisuke approached the first Anbu, he launched himself into the air, twisting his body gracefully into a somersault. In a blink of an eye, he unsheathed a kunai, slashing the Anbu's throat with a deadly, fluid motion. Blood spurted from the wound, painting the nearby foliage a deep crimson.

Without missing a beat, Daisuke landed on a branch and sprang toward another unsuspecting Anbu. The enemy barely had time to register the threat before Daisuke's foot connected with their chest, crushing their ribs and sending them flying into a tree trunk with a sickening crunch.

Next, Daisuke moved like a shadow, silently creeping up behind a third Anbu. With lightning speed, he gripped the Anbu's head and snapped their neck in one swift, merciless motion. The body crumpled to the ground, lifeless and limp.

Two Anbu remained, desperately trying to anticipate Daisuke's next move. They stood back-to-back, hoping to cover each other's blind spots. But Daisuke was already two steps ahead. He leaped into the air once more, his body spinning like a whirlwind as he hurled a barrage of shuriken. The projectiles found their marks, piercing the two Anbu's vital points with pinpoint accuracy. They collapsed, gasping for breath as their life force ebbed away.

"Daisuke, that was incredible!" Ryu couldn't help but exclaim, still in awe of the display he had just witnessed.

Daisuke gave a humble grin, responding, "Thanks, Ryu."

"So, what's next?" Ryu asked, his tone shifting to a more serious one. "How much time do you think we have until the next squad arrives?"

Daisuke furrowed his brow in thought. "I'd say about three days, maybe a week at most. Right now, they're focusing their efforts on searching for you. In the meantime, we should start fortifying our base before something like this happens again."

"You're right," Ryu agreed, nodding. "We should also consider creating a hidden space to evacuate patients if needed. An underground bunker could work. We can build it using Earth Ninjutsu and station some Shinobi there to ensure the patients' safety, just in case things go south for us."

Daisuke nodded, appreciating Ryu's strategic thinking. "That's a solid plan. Let's get to it."

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Sorry about the long delay, I was busy with end-of-the-year seminars and other stuff. But now for some good news, I'm completely free now! I'll try to upload daily till the end of July when I go on a vacation with my family, I hope you'll enjoy the steady stream of chapters!