Veigar gave a silent nod. He fully understood Shikuro's decision, if he were in the same position, he believed he would've done the same.
"Chakra Sensory Technique."
Forming the Ram hand seal, Veigar uttered the technique's name softly. Immediately, Shikuro sensed the unique frequency of Veigar's mental energy.
After confirming that Veigar did indeed possess sensory capabilities, Shikuro dispelled the Aburame clan's specialized sensory jutsu he had been sustaining.
They had traveled a long way without rest. Shikuro, while outwardly calm, was reaching his physical limit; he'd simply been pushing through by sheer will.
Within Veigar's sensory field, all was calm, no immediate threats in sight.
Twenty minutes passed.
Resting against a tree with his eyes closed, Shikuro had recovered much of his strength. He opened his eyes and looked over at Veigar.
Veigar returned the glance with a nod just as Shikuro said:
"Time's up. Move out."
Ssh-ssh-ssh—
More than fifty shinobi once again formed into a seamless, black tide surging through the forest toward their objective.
Throughout the march, Veigar maintained his chakra sensory technique without pause. To keep his strength up, he swallowed a soldier's ration pill.
But the closer they got, the more unsettled he felt. Suddenly, his senses flared.
Veigar's expression sharpened. He turned his head slightly and whispered to the nearby Shikuro:
"Shikuro-senpai, something's wrong."
"One hundred meters to the right, chakra signatures underground."
Without a change in expression, Shikuro raised a clenched fist, a signal. In the blink of an eye, he vanished into the treetops.
Veigar, Yamashi, and the rest of the Konoha squad quickly followed suit, hiding themselves.
Now fully concealed, Shikuro activated his clan's secret technique.
Secret Technique: Insect Resonance.
A small, black insect crawled from his sleeve to his fingertip. It emitted a barely audible sonic pulse, dispersing across the terrain.
Two seconds later, his face changed.
"Ambush! Prepare for combat!" he shouted. "They're underground, be alert!"
In an instant, the entire squad went into battle mode.
Compared to Veigar's sensory range, Shikuro's insect-based jutsu had clearly detected more subtle chakra fluctuations.
Beneath them, deep in the soil, lay a hidden battalion of Suna shinobi.
The insect's sonic feedback painted a clear picture: the Sand Village had set up a trap. There could be only one reason for such numbers lying in wait.
The real battle would not be up front. Tonight's bloodbath would start here.
Veigar's nerves went taut. Pouring chakra into his perception, he immediately confirmed a multitude of chakra signatures beneath the earth.
This ambush unit had clearly been tasked with sneaking behind enemy lines. Their original mission? Wait for nightfall and then strike the Konoha forces from the rear during the main engagement.
But they had miscalculated, and exposed themselves.
Having heard Shikuro's cry, the enemy reacted.
One Suna ninja burst from the ground and roared:
"Attack! Kill them all!"
In response, over a hundred Sand shinobi leapt from their hiding spots, surrounding Veigar's squad of fifty-plus Konoha ninjas.
Their number? Exactly 101.
Despite being ambushed, the Leaf shinobi remained unfazed, they had been forewarned and were ready for a fight.
Most of them had only recently returned from medical camps; their wounds not fully healed. But every one of them was a battle-hardened veteran. Their spirit was unbroken.
"Kill!"
And so, war erupted.
"Wind Release: Great Sandstorm Breakthrough!"
Several Suna ninja combined their wind techniques into a devastating jutsu. A hurricane of wind and sand tore through the forest, choking vision and battering everything in its path.
Konoha's sightlines were shattered. Amid the blinding storm, shinobi strained to keep their eyes open.
"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Return!"
The Sand shinobi moved in synchronized waves, while the Konoha side responded in smaller, scattered groups.
"Earth Release: Flowing Sand!"
"Wind Release: Thousand-Faced Gale!"
"Fire Release: Majestic Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Jutsu, kunai, shuriken, all clashed in a symphony of violence. Bright, deadly techniques lit up the forest.
The moment the two forces collided, it became clear, the Konoha squad was outmatched.
Within moments, ten Konoha shinobi had fallen to the Sand's organized strike team. The rest began pulling back, gradually regrouping under pressure.
The Sand ninja's morale surged, they pressed their advantage with ruthless confidence.
In the midst of the chaos, Veigar moved.
He didn't hesitate. Instantly, he formed the hand seals.
Shadow Clone Jutsu.
In large-scale combat, Veigar's mastery of wind-style shadow clone techniques made him a living meat grinder.
As the Konoha forces began consolidating, Veigar stepped in.
"Wind Release: Multi Shadow Clone Shuriken Jutsu!"
Dozens of razor-sharp shuriken, infused with slicing wind chakra, spun out in all directions.
"Gah!"
"ARGH!"
"AAAHHH!"
More than twenty Sand shinobi didn't even have time to react, sliced cleanly in half, their screams of agony piercing the battlefield.
His attack instantly reduced the enemy's strength by over a quarter, disrupting their momentum and giving the Konoha ninjas a crucial breather.
As Veigar unleashed his onslaught, his teammates, Shikuro and Yamashi, the only two jonin in this Konoha reinforcement unit, charged toward the Sand's elite shinobi.
"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"
"Ninjutsu: Crescent Moon Slash!"
Within the Suna encirclement, four chūnin and one special jonin zeroed in on Veigar, alarmed by the destruction he had caused.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Dragon Jutsu!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Wind Release: Thousand-Faced Gale!"
"Puppet Secret Technique: Mechanical Light Senbon!"
"Ittō-ryū: Wind Slice!"
Their coordination was tight, long-range and close-quarters attacks targeting Veigar and his four shadow clones simultaneously.
Teleportation Jutsu.
Rasengan: Revolving Heaven.
Rasengan.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough.
Each of Veigar's clones responded with a powerful jutsu, shielding the real Veigar and disrupting the enemy's formation.
Meanwhile, Veigar himself drew the short ninjatō from his waist.
Ittō-ryū: Iai Slash.
Clang!
His blade clashed with that of a Sand special jonin named Sahuto.
A moment later, Sahuto's expression shifted. He had felt it, raw power surged through Veigar's strike.
Clang.
Clang. Clang.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
And then, the two were locked in a fierce duel, steel ringing through the night as their blades danced with lethal intent.
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