37 Not really happy with this chapter

After a week, we got bored of Liar's Dice, but I didn't bring anything but dice to pass the time with, so we just did our own things to pass the time, I for instance just continued to practice my sensing.

I really need to get a deck of cards. I could even use them as a weapon like a magician, that'd be pretty cool actually.

But the time has now come to head back home, which is unfortunately going to be delayed, because on our way back, we happened upon another caravan, this one a lot smaller, but that doesn't mean we should just let it pass.

It has 98 guards according to Fox, but I'll just assume there's at least 100, because who would send out 98 shinobi and not 100?

So, there are probably at least two that are good enough at stealth to bypass Fox.

Obviously, we can't really fight against one hundred shinobi and win, but we don't need to fight them, just gather what's left of our explosive tags, blow up the caravan, then run for the border.

We already know our own shinobi's border patrol routes so it wouldn't be too difficult finding reinforcements to help against any of them that can keep up with our speed, since it's unlikely that most of them can.

Plan decided, rather than splitting up, we're just going to go blitzkrieg style, just keep running for the border and throw some explosives as we pass them, without stopping.

Easy.

Of course, it goes up in flames almost instantly.

We manage to run past them and throw the bombs without being stopped, however a large number of the enemy nin didn't even bother with the caravan, and were chasing after us before the explosion even went off.

Glancing to Fox, he informs us that there are 28 nin chasing us.

And they're keeping up.

This isn't good.

For now, all we can do is run, they are clearly not fodder shinobi, and we're not too far from the border where patrols get doubled up, though instead of heading for a normal patrol as was my plan, instead we will need to head for an ANBU patrol.

After who knows how long of running, we do reach the border, Iwa-nin still hot on our tails, they've tried throwing kunai and thrice damned shuriken at us but gave up seeing as we aren't stopping.

Now that we're at the border we don't stop running, but I do spare the chakra to make a shadow clone to see if it can buy some time.

It didn't.

And all the memory showed me was a few shadows appearing and a flash of steel.

Well, that was a waste of chakra.

At least our speeds are somewhat even, so we do make it to a friendly patrol, I don't recognise any of them but that doesn't matter, their sensors likely already informed them of the situation so there is no need for words, especially since we have no time.

Ok, this could be better, twelve against twenty eight, we have four stealth specialists, three sensors, and five combat specialists, the enemy is unknown.

This isn't looking favourable, and I can feel my heart slamming into my chest as we turn around and with our newfound help, launch a combination Jutsu at the incoming enemies, wind and fire combining to make a veritable wall of flames as greeting.

Unfortunately, it's met with a massive wall of earth, but we are already running again, we need to do a fighting retreat.

Only for two Iwa-nin to blur before us.

𝘍𝘢𝘴𝘵.

Their attacks are dodged and countered, but they blur away from the counters and that was enough time for the rest to catch up.

While it would be best to disappear into the surrounding to get a sneak attack, thanks to the sudden assault none of us get the chance to, instead being forced to engage in two on one combat, with four of them watching and waiting, including the two blurs.

Two Iwa-nin charge me, and I meet the firsts kunai swing with a kunai of my own, being pushed back a good amount, I dodge the seconds kunai and bring my own to the inside of his elbow, hoping to disable it.

Only for my blade to rake across his skin with the sound of metal scratching on metal.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬?

Before I can ponder, I have to continue to block and dodge more strike, not getting the opportunity to strike back, though I do get the opportunity to see the second guys arm has turned a shiny black.

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦? 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺?

That must mean the other two guys probably have swift release then, fucks sake.

The rhythm of battle continues for a moment more, before I decide to try something, after all if this continues then we're fucked.

Splitting my attention between the enemy and my chakra is incredibly difficult, but it's worth it, I activate a wide are False Surroundings Jutsu, to make all of my ally's invisible, and I strike the first nin immediately after, managing to bury a chakra coated kunai into his stomach before jumping back to dodge the steel release guys blade.

A quick glance around shows that the illusion is already gone, and the distraction only killed two of our enemies, but it at least injured five, my own included.

Unfortunately, that seems to just piss them off as they attack with even more intensity, but they are down to 26, though functionally only 21, which still outnumbers us, but it's better.

Another nin joins steel guy to keep me in a two on one, and as I go to block his kunai, I suddenly jerk to the right, purely by instinct and slash out at where I was only to hit air.

Fuck, that must mean the swift release guys are joining now, I have a plan for them, but with two 'supply runs', I only have two explosion tags left, since they are both already attached to my senbon I only need to throw them, which is nice.

Jumping back from my two opponents I throw a slew of my senbon at them, including both of my explosive ones, one of which I lock my chakra onto.

Moving back into my fight, and distantly noting that the fighting is going rather poorly, both sides have lost another member, making it 11 against 25 even if five of them are injured.

I parry another few strikes before that feeling of danger appears again, making me immediately kawarimi with my explosive senbon, hopefully killing or at least hurting one of the swift release users.

But I'm not given the time to think about that as I have to quickly duck under a blade, as I just appeared in the midst of another fight, using the distraction my appearance caused the Konoha-nin manages to score a deep cut on the Iwa-nin who wasn't trying to bereft me of my head.

11 against 24 hopefully 23.

The two that were fighting me show up, making this a three against two, which is better.

I duck and weave around a flurry of slashes and have to jump in the air to dodge the ground that suddenly decided to try and swallow me, making use of my brief vantage in the air, I spin while horizontal and throw a rain of senbon down at all the Iwa-nin I can.

Before I can land, a boulder around my height slams into my airborne body, sending me tumbling out of the sky, probably with a few broken ribs too.

I land in a crouch, having oriented my fall, and am immediately beset upon by another Iwa nin who I quickly learn also has steel release, as he lets me get a stab in on him, that did nothing, so he can use the opportunity to drive a Kunai into my face, only for me to barely tilt out of the way, giving him the opportunity to kick me in my ribs, 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥, the kunai cutting my face as I'm launched away.

Well, if they weren't broken before, they definitely are now, thank fuck for chakra otherwise I'd probably be dead right about now, moulding some of my chakra into the medical kind, I set to making sure my organs don't suddenly fail, I can't set my ribs in a fight so I guess that will just have to suck for me.

We are relatively alone now, I can still see and hear the fighting, but it's distant enough that this is basically a one on one.

The guy I'm gonna call Garg in my head, short for Gargamel, cuz fuck him.

Garg approaches me with a swagger in his steps, not really slowly, by nowhere near as fast as is appropriate for a ninja fight.

I get to my feet, only staggering a little, and ready my kunai, since I need the speed of a kunai more than the reach of my tanto strapped to my back.

Before he gets too close, I unleash a Vaporblade at him, the Blade of water clearly catching him by surprise due to the lack of hand seals, not that it stops him from simply leaning to the side and letting it fly past him.

He then activates his steel release all over his body to counter the senbon I threw following the Jutsu, my throwing knife like senbon just bounce off of his skin, even though they were coated in wind chakra.

Well, fuck.

How do you defeat someone with skin you cannot even penetrate?

Well, you escalate of course.

Moulding my chakra, I prepare a Jutsu to be used in my left hand, even as I use both of them to defend against my enemy's sudden assault.

When he's got me on the ropes was when I wanted to attack, but that happened pretty much instantly, so I wait.

Wait for him to really think I've got nothing left.

He strikes.

I parry.

He redirects and strikes again.

I dodge and parry the next.

He strikes.

Only this time, his victim is a fully naked, sexy lady, which causes him to freeze for just a moment, and a moment is all I need.

I surge forward, my henge dissipating with my movement, as I return all of my chakra focus to my left hand, which I shove right into Garg's face, activating the Vacuum Ball Jutsu.

Garg convulses as all the air in his lungs is suddenly and forcefully ripped away from him, making his hands instinctively clutch to his throat, which, since I was still on him, meant he was locking my body onto his.

Garg comes enough out of his panic that he drops to the ground front first, crushing me under his own weight, and just really making sure my ribs are fucked, I guess.

I can't help but exclaim from the pain, but I don't let that stop me, using the water in all the blood I'm spilling makes my next jutsu faster as I mix water and earth and make mud, which, unable of really aiming, I quickly launch at the two of us, moving my left hand away as I did so, the Jutsu fizzling out as mud takes its place.

The mud covers us both like a wave, but where my mouth was closed, Garg was greedily sucking in air, which led to a large amount of mud sloshing its way into his mouth and down his throat, the jutsu keeps going until all that's left is a mound of mud, surrounded by small marks of battle.

The mound moves, slowly, ever so slowly it peels away and half of the mound flips over, onto the ground, showing the front of a grown man as he shakes and shivers, slowly dying of suffocation, where the mound still lies is a boy in a mask, he rolls onto his side and starts coughing his lungs out, small flecks of blood striking the ground as he had raised his mouth enough to do so.

With that done, the boy collapses, at the same time, the man behind him stops shaking, as his eyes become glassy. Leaving a boy and a man, covered in dirt and smattered with blood lying still within reach of each other.

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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!

Is this a cliffhanger? well it is the first of two chapters for the day so probably not >.<

Also I am moving house on friday, i will try to keep my schedule but who knows

EVERYONE!! I want to give thanks to 44Kane for being my first ever monetary supporter!!! wooo! can I get a fuck yeah in the chat boys!!! I'm so happy!!

https://ko-fi.com/bored_works