Chapter 36: Masterful Ambush Techniques

With a swift body flicker, Kai appeared behind an Iwa ninja, taking advantage of the moment before the enemy could react. His blade pierced through the ninja's heart from behind. Without pausing, Kai immediately distanced himself and moved towards the remaining Iwa ninjas in the squad.

Thirty seconds later, deep within the forest, Kai had sent the last three Iwa ninjas to join their leader in death. These Iwa ninjas, as Minato had mentioned, had very average chakra levels. Without any special bloodline abilities, their combat prowess was unimpressive.

Kai took a deep breath. Along the way, he had already taken down at least four such squads. Against his Sharingan and expert body flicker technique, these Iwa ninjas stood no chance.

As for Kenta and Minato, Kai wasn't entirely sure about their status since they had split up for the fight. However, he had a general sense of their direction, so he wasn't worried about getting lost.

"But there are really quite a lot of Iwa ninjas here. Why are there so many in the rear?"

Kai didn't bother looking at the fallen ninja, whose eyes remained open in death, as he pondered while seeking his next target.

These Iwa ninjas seemed of very average quality, mostly Chunin, and some even looked like Genin. However, Kai quickly understood why: Iwa's forces in the Land of Grass were likely stretched thin.

The Land of Earth had provoked the Land of Lightning by killing the Third Raikage, resulting in the Cloud ninjas' ferocious counterattack. The Cloud ninjas were relentlessly attacking Iwa like rabid dogs, forcing Iwa to shift from offense to defense. Defending their homeland required their best forces, and Iwa underestimated Konoha's resilience.

Despite sending thousands of ninjas to battle, their reinforcements were insufficient. They might still intimidate Konoha on the front lines, but their rear was vulnerable to surprise attacks. Kai's earlier operations likely drew most of the stronger defenders away, leaving behind the weaker ones.

Realizing this, Kai felt a surge of optimism. If the majority of their current adversaries were of this level, the mission wasn't as perilous as he initially thought.

Indeed, following Minato was the right decision, even if it almost got him killed by Huang Tu. At least he avoided being cannon fodder, using others as shields instead. This mission also allowed him to build a good relationship with Minato and receive his protection behind enemy lines, leading to such favorable circumstances.

"But I still need to be cautious. The core defense of the bridge won't be left to these low-level guys."

Kai couldn't afford to be careless. Caution and a bit of luck were crucial to surviving on the battlefield.

Continuing to advance, Kai soon saw a large Earth Release technique erupting about a hundred meters away. It seemed Minato had encountered some challenging opponents. However, the technique didn't last long before crumbling.

These matters didn't concern Kai directly. His targets were the numerous but relatively easy-to-handle enemies. Using the dense forest to his advantage, Kai soon locked onto another group of Iwa ninjas.

This time, these Iwa ninjas were smarter, with eight of them seemingly combining forces from two squads. Noticing something amiss, they had grouped together. This made things easier for Kai, as he didn't have to hunt them down one by one.

Assessing his chakra levels, Kai wasn't in the best shape but could still fight. Taijutsu was the least chakra-consuming combat style, allowing him to focus his chakra on maintaining his Sharingan.

Using the cover of the dense forest, Kai stealthily approached his targets. He got within twenty meters without them noticing, indicating either trap-setting or poor experience.

Regardless of the reason, they were Kai's prey now. As an expert in ambushes, he didn't hesitate to use his chakra for a powerful attack.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

From Kai's mouth, fiery projectiles scattered in all directions, targeting the Iwa ninjas. Controlling the flames wasn't easy, but Kai didn't waste chakra on precise control. As soon as he unleashed the Fire Release, he charged forward, his crimson eyes reflecting his targets.

The sudden attack sent the Iwa ninjas scattering, but their directions were chaotic, revealing their lack of experience and coordination. Kai didn't care; his team had no experience either, yet they managed.

Drawing his blade, a flash of light sliced through the air. An Iwa ninja, unprepared, fell dead, unable to react in time. Despite being on guard, he was full of openings to Kai's eyes.

"Enemy attack!"

One ninja's shout, after dodging the Phoenix Fire, was met not by rescue but by Kai's blade. With the Sharingan's help, Kai flickered behind him. The ninja felt pressure from behind but couldn't evade fast enough, Kai's blade piercing his heart.

Retracting his blade, Kai dodged the remaining Iwa ninjas' attacks. However, he didn't plan to keep evading. Using multiple body flickers had already taxed him. Targeting the two strongest ninjas, he left the remaining six for a simpler approach.

With the Sharingan and taijutsu, the six would be no problem.

(Chapter End)