The scene shifts back to Ryu and the secretary. They were running, leaping through the trees, putting distance between themselves and the sounds of the impending clash where Kohinata was making his stand. They had only been running for a short time when they realised that their enemies were still following them.
Kaori senses the perimeter again with a long-range sensing technique, feeling chakra signatures approaching rapidly.
Kaori's body tensed, her chakra sensing fully unleashed now that she was no longer concerned with maintaining a facade.
"Boss, There are still many left. Kohinata-san stopped three strong ones, all Jonin level." She relayed the updated count. "Now there are only four or five Jonin left on our tail. The rest are all Chunin and Genin."
Kaori turned to Ryu and presented a difficult proposition and said, "Boss, I will hold them back here. You must escape alone towards the River City."
It is not realistic for Kaori to take on multiple Jonin-level opponents by herself, as even one would be a formidable challenge for her.
Ryu replied, "That is not your expected role, Ms. Secretary. Your mission is espionage and information gathering, not direct combat engagement."
"I am still a ninja, Boss," she argued back, her resolve hardening. "And my duty is to ensure your safety, even if it means engaging in combat."
Kaori's gaze met Ryu's. The moment was heavy. "I... apologise," she said quietly. "For deceiving you."
Ryu scoffed lightly, a sound devoid of humour but not unkind. "Deceiving me is not easy, Ms. Secretary," he said. "I always knew." He added, his voice softer, "And there is no need to apologise. You were just doing your job."
"My job given by you was to assist you, not to spy on you," Kaori said.
Ryu responded, "It's fine. Really. I knew from the beginning. I was fine with it. I trust the Hokage and owe him."
Kaori smiled genuinely despite looming danger. "Still," she said softly, "it was difficult to lie to you. Not because I needed to suppress my chakra around you. But because I genuinely care about you, boss. And I grew fond of you over time.
Ryu looked at her, a subtle understanding in his eyes. He offered a small smile of his own, trying to ease the tension. "Despite your hidden talents, you've been an excellent secretary, Ms. Secretary. Truly top-notch."
Kaori chuckled softly. "Thank you, Boss."
Ryu then smirked. "Though, if I'm being honest," he said, a teasing note in his voice, "you might be just a little too old for me, Ms. Secretary."
Kaori's smile widened, a spark of genuine amusement in her eyes. "When I said I am fond of you," she retorted, a hint of warmth in her tone, "I meant as a boss," and with a low tone, she added, "and as a friend."
"We have to part ways now, Boss," Kaori said, her voice returning to professional seriousness. "The enemies were closing in rapidly."
"I should turn back. I should fight alongside her," Ryu thought about joining her in the fight, his instincts screaming against leaving her. But the cold, logical part of his mind knew the truth. "She would never agree. Her mission is clear to her, even if it means sacrifice." A different kind of resolve settled over him. "I guess... it's my time to deceive her."
Ryu nodded and said, "Understood, Ms. Secretary." He reached into a pocket and took out a scroll. "Take this," he said, giving it to Kaori. It was another scroll of the [ReflexGuard Seal].
Kaori accepted it, a look of deep gratitude crossing her face, but her real emotions were hidden. She was scared.
"Thank you, Boss," Kaori said, her voice steady, masking her internal turmoil.
There was no time for further goodbyes or lengthy exchanges. The moment was too tense, the sounds of the approaching enemies growing louder. They parted ways without saying much more.
Ryu just sped up his pace dramatically, leaving her behind, putting more distance between them and the approaching threats.
Behind him, the secretary slowed down, her movements becoming deliberate as she closed her eyes for a moment, focusing, preparing her body and chakra for the battle to come.
Kaori knew, as Ryu had said, that she was not a battle expert. She was a new ANBU, currently the youngest, mostly untrained in direct combat compared to the rest of the elite force. She was mostly trained in espionage, infiltration, and information gathering, and direct confrontation was not her strength. And she had realised that her mission would likely end today, one way or another, by facing this number of enemies alone.
But she had no regrets. She was prepared to die fighting to protect her target, the village's prodigy.
The enemies closed in rapidly, their chakra signatures surrounding her. Kaminari arrived with his remaining force, spotting Kaori standing alone, a lone figure facing down over a dozen hostile shinobi. "Well now,"
Kaminari commented, a touch of cruel amusement in his voice as he looked at the young woman, seemingly insignificant against his numbers. "Such courage. A little girl like yourself should have escaped with the boy." He said, acknowledging his own nature, a chilling honesty in his words. "I may be somewhat civilised, but my squad are all criminals. Don't expect mercy."
Kaminari arrogantly surveyed the scene, underestimating Kaori due to her youthful appearance, unaware that this mistake would soon backfire.
He dismissed her as a significant threat in the face of his remaining forces; he had seen Ryu run away from afar and knew he was near.
"You three and you!" Kaminari ordered four low-ranked ninjas. "Follow and capture the boy; he has not gone far. Break his legs if you have to. But careful, he is top of his class even if he is still in the academy."
The four contorted their faces at the mention of being careful of an academy brat. However, they still obeyed the orders of the squad leader.
Kaminari looked back at Kaori, a smirk on his face. "Four low-ranked ninjas should be enough for an academy brat like him. I will just take it easy now and wait for them to capture him."
"Just perfect," the secretary thought, and a grim satisfaction settled over her. "Underestimate my boss. And allow him to escape."
The four low-ranked ninjas were nowhere near enough to stop Ryu, but like someone great said, 'Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.'
Kaori prepared to fight, drawing her kunai, her hand tightly gripping the blade. She knew she was outnumbered and against elite ninjas like Kaminari and the remaining Jonin; she would go down soon, very fast. But she was an ANBU; she wouldn't go down without a fight.
As the enemy ninjas closed in, a blur of movement and hostile intent, Kaori threw a few explosive tags towards Kaminari and some of the stronger-looking Jonin, forcing them to evade or defend. Simultaneously, she mixed in a few smoke bombs around the battlefield, creating thick clouds that billowed outwards. Her goal was to disrupt their formation and numbers, preventing them from firing long-range jutsu blindly into the smoke and hitting their allies.
The weaker ones, the Genin and Chunin who were less concerned with friendly fire or less disciplined, responded by throwing shuriken blindly into the haze.
Kaori swiftly dodged the scattered projectiles, her movements silent within the smoke. Now that the strong ones were momentarily stalled or distracted, she targeted the weak ones. Using her stealth skills, honed by years of espionage, she moved unseen through the smoke, her chakra signature suppressed. She appeared behind one enemy, stabbing him with her kunai like an assassin, aiming for a vital point of weaker ninjas.
"Careful!" Kaminari's voice cut through the smoke, sharp with warning. "She is a sensor! She will target you from behind in the smoke!"
"What's in front and what's behind when you are surrounded in smoke?" Kaori thought, a grim acknowledgement of the tactic. "Smoke is a perfect cover for a sensor. It blinds the enemy and gives the perfect opportunity to kill."
Kaori didn't require sight to locate her targets. Using her chakra sensing skills, she struck enemies from behind even in zero visibility. She used her shuriken and kunai with deadly precision in the swirling haze, relying on chakra sensing to guide her attacks and movements.
Kaori had stabbed two ninjas very quickly, moving like a ghost from one target to the next.
As soon as life left the bodies of the two ninjas she had killed, their Jisatsu Seals activated, causing them to explode with violent force. The explosions ripped through the air, causing the smoke to disperse rapidly and revealing her location to the remaining enemies.
Many enemy ninjas jumped at her with lightning bolts from all sides. Kaori now had to use the barrier seal. Kaori found herself in a tight spot. She activated the barrier seal in time as many papermobs and mid-range ninjutsu were about to hit her. The explosion occurred where Kaori was.
As the assault ceased, Kaminari's gaze captured fleeting glimpses of hexagonal energy shimmering around Kaori.
"Wait," Kaminari said, his amusement replaced by intrigue. "That seal... those barriers... are those the rumoured new barrier seals of the Leaf Village made by that brat's grandfather?"
The [ReflexGuard Seal] rescued her. She could only defeat two ninjas before having to use it.
##PoWeR StOnEs##
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