Chapter 177: Ambush Turns Into Being Ambushed
Yoru walked dozens of kilometers, a sense of unease rising in his heart.
The pursuing Mist Ninja main force completely ignored whether the Mist Ninja corpses were traps, pursuing relentlessly at extreme speed.
Had he been a bit too overconfident? He should speed up and distance himself from the Sword Seizing Unit behind.
Yoru no longer controlled his speed, running headlong toward the preset battlefield without looking back.
Kiiroinu selected a mountain area as the ambush location.
The hillside was very long and very steep; Mist Ninja Water Style couldn’t climb very high.
Below the hillside.
Bushes were suddenly crashed through, scattering broken leaves and branches everywhere.
Yoru and Flower Deer Squad appeared.
Yoru raised his hand, signaling Flower Deer Squad to stop.
Unlike the plan, why were there no guiding ninjas on the mountaintop?
By rights, there should be ninjas on the mountaintop to reinforce them at this time.
Yoru and Flower Deer Squad suddenly all looked to the side, a dull rumbling sound rising.
This was… exploding tags detonating in the distance; from the sound, at least five hundred meters away.
Flower Deer asked uneasily: “Captain…”
Yoru said: “There should be ambushers on both sides of the hillside, but now it seems the ambushers are gone. While we were luring the enemy, something changed at the preset battlefield! Be careful, go up high and check!”
They rushed toward the mountain, their pace shifting from fast running to slow running, then from slow running to walking.
Finally, Yoru backed up the mountain, staring at the woods below.
Mist Ninja appeared in the woods!
The Mist Ninja Sword Seizing Unit had caught up.
The Mist Ninja didn’t rashly charge out of the bushes, hiding in the woods, revealing black silhouettes one after another.
All the silhouettes’ heads were turned toward Yoru, giving a chilling feeling.
Twin Blades Flounder, wrapped in bandages, quietly stayed on Yoru’s back.
Judging by the number of shadows, why had only two Mist Ninja battalions appeared below the mountain?
Yoru stood very high, originally able to see very far, but the fog in the nearby mountain area grew denser, turning into thick clumps of mist.
The thick fog rapidly spread, engulfing Yoru and Flower Deer Squad.
The world was a vast white blur.
Flower Deer asked from behind: “Captain, what happened?”
Mist Technique covered the mountains for several kilometers around; Yoru frowned and said:
“Originally, our five battalions were scheming an ambush here, but now it seems the intelligence leaked. The Mist Ninja surrounded us from farther away, and instead we’ve been ambushed.
The five battalions fought while retreating, leaving the preset battlefield, proving all five battalions are at a disadvantage.”
Flower Deer incredulously looked at the thick fog around; had the combat plan formulated by Kiiroinu Captain been spied on by a spy?
Dull explosions came successively from the surroundings, mixed with Fire Release sounds.
There seemed to be some screams, but they couldn’t be heard clearly.
Yoru said: “The ambush location leaking isn’t a big deal; what’s feared is the personnel intelligence of the five battalions leaking, the enemy deploying forces targetedly…”
Yoru turned to look toward the mountaintop.
Kiiroinu Captain still hadn’t appeared; before he and Flower Deer Squad entered the ambush location, Kiiroinu Captain had already been driven away.
The Mist Ninja battalions below the mountain saw the thick fog envelop the entire mountain, establishing home field advantage, and slowly advanced up the hillside.
They formed an arc-shaped semi-encirclement, slowly climbing the mountain.
Yoru was somewhat worried, not knowing how Antelope Squad and Aries Squad, and Purple Cat, were doing.
The situation was so severe.
Kiiroinu’s promotion to Vice Minister had a poor outlook.
Yoru’s promotion to Captain had a similarly poor outlook.
Suddenly, three kunai flew out from the thick fog.
Yoru casually deflected them; the kunai struck Yoru’s red copper-colored hand and bounced far away.
These three kunai proved the Mist Ninja knew Yoru’s position.
Mist Ninja could infuse chakra into the thick fog, using Water Release chakra to reconnoiter enemies.
Next came dense whooshing sounds like a flock of birds.
After using Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu to block the kunai, Yoru hurriedly shouted: “Withdraw! Find the main force!”
According to the ambush plan, Yoru prepared to head to the mountaintop to check.
That was the position where Kiiroinu Battalion was ambushing.
Dense leaping sounds came from all around, with many ninjas bypassing to his front from Yoru’s left and right sides.
The nonstop kunai and exploding tag shots slowed Yoru’s speed.
Yoru could block these attacks by consuming some chakra himself, but Flower Deer Squad was in trouble.
At least two Mist Ninja battalions continuously harassed with kunai and exploding tags.
After one Water Wall Jutsu blocked half the enemy’s attacks, Yoru heard a muffled grunt from his side, turning to see a subordinate hit by four or five kunai on his body.
Yoru couldn’t see the enemies; he formed hand seals with both hands, using Water Style: Water Severing Wave toward the depths of the thick fog.
A water line shot out, sweeping toward the thick fog.
Several screams came from the thick fog.
Half a person crawled out from the thick fog.
Yoru was just about to stab that half-person to death with a kunai when his palm suddenly clenched, grabbing a kunai that nearly flew away.
On that half-person’s head was a Konoha headband.
If it were just a Konoha headband, Yoru might have thought it was a Mist Ninja disguise.
But in his eyes was a two-tomoe Sharingan!
Had his Water Severing Wave just now cut off a Uchiha Ninja’s legs in the thick fog?
What was going on?
Had the Mist Ninja driven a Uchiha Ninja near Yoru?
The Uchiha Ninja saw the Fox Anbu and shouted miserably: “Copper Fox Jonin! We’ve been targeted! The enemy knows all our intelligence! They’ve precisely struck our weaknesses!”
After blocking an exploding tag kunai for the Uchiha Ninja, Yoru said to Flower Deer: “Use ranged attacks cautiously! The Mist Ninja have split and driven a Uchiha Battalion in different directions; personnel from all sides are mixed around us.”
Flower Deer hurriedly acknowledged, then went to stop the bleeding for the Uchiha Ninja, bringing him to continue onward.
“Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!”
Yoru used Wind Release, clearing the path up the mountain.
In the area ahead, dozens of meters wide and dozens of meters long, the thick fog dissipated, revealing the ground.
While dodging the enemy’s ranged harassment and using Wind Release to clear the way, Yoru finally brought Flower Deer Squad to the mountaintop.
He looked up at the sky overhead; the thick fog hung heavy, over a hundred meters thick, no sky visible.
By rights, Kiiroinu Battalion should be hiding on the reverse slope behind the mountaintop.
Yoru used another Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
On the reverse slope behind the mountaintop, kunai and ninja swords were scattered, along with Anbu and Mist Ninja corpses.
Many Anbu Ninjas had died face-down, as if sneak-attacked.
The Mist Ninja had somehow gotten close and sneak-attacked Kiiroinu Battalion while it was in ambush position.
How had they done it?
Flower Deer had sharp eyes and immediately said: “Captain! It’s Kurozaru! Horned Ox!”
Not far from them, an Anbu corpse wore Kurozaru’s mask.
After slightly inspecting the corpse, Flower Deer discovered all the corpses’ limbs had been severed by sharp steel wire.
“Captain, this kind of wound is from Kusarinotsurumaru’s Needle-Blade Sewing Needle long sword!”
It could be imagined that the ambush location selected by Kiiroinu was crystal clear to the Mist Ninja.
Kusarinotsurumaru had set up a steel wire trap in advance, then succeeded in a sneak attack with the steel wire trap after Kiiroinu Battalion was in position.
Yoru looked at the fog gathering again around and said to Flower Deer:
“With fog surrounding and unable to distinguish friend from foe, visibility under two meters, we can’t use ranged ninjutsu in the upcoming battle. I’ll act alone. Flower Deer, take the squad to rescue the wounded and go into hiding.”
Flower Deer hurriedly nodded; their squad couldn’t help the captain in this situation.
“Rest assured, Captain, I’ll make our squad play its due role!”
Yoru nodded and turned, disappearing into the thick fog.
