Yamanaka San Tian flicked his still-burning cigarette butt onto Nara Shiomi's body, making the latter panic and frantically pat himself down.
"Now I wonder who it was that sent so many letters back home, dragging things out endlessly."
Shiki Uzumaki suddenly recalled that Nara Shiomi had been one of the last two people to arrive at this gathering.
The other was Yamanaka San Tian. They seemed pretty close.
Nara Shiomi curled his lip, "You gotta be prepared for anything, right? I even thought about writing something early—just in case I kick the bucket one day outta nowhere! Picking this war to start writing was just a coincidence! Yeah! A total coincidence!"
"A coincidence," Shiki Uzumaki replied flatly, never expecting there'd be such a funny character in the Nara clan besides someone like Shikamaru.
Yamanaka San Tian shook his head, "Alright, after being teammates for so many years, I've already figured you out completely. No need to hide anymore! Under my piercing gaze, I've seen through everything long ago!"
Yamanaka clan!
Ino–Shika–Cho combo?
Shiki Uzumaki glanced around in surprise, hoping to spot a third chubby figure to complete the legendary Ino–Shika–Cho trio—famous across the entire Ninja World.
But unfortunately, not only were there no chubby figures nearby, but there wasn't a third close companion next to Yamanaka San Tian and Nara Shiomi either.
"These kids sure are full of energy," Kusei said, smiling at the chatting group as he approached.
The sky gradually grew slightly brighter though it remained dim. At least now they could see the thick layer of clouds above.
Under these weather conditions, [Water Release jutsu] might gain an enhanced effect.
After chatting a bit with Kusei and the two representatives of the Yamanaka and Nara clans,
Kusei—the old man who'd been a genin for fifty years—set up his iron pot and began cooking.
Most of the ten ninja present were already familiar with this situation since Kusei was quite well known after all.
But only Kusei would prepare a meal during a mission.
Nevertheless, nearly every ninja displayed expressions filled with happiness.
"Awesome! Once again we can taste Mr. Kusei's delicious soup!"
"I'm really looking forward to it. Seems like ages since we last enjoyed ourselves like this during a mission."
"Getting a little break before the war kicks off really feels like a rare breath of fresh air."
Kusei quietly cooked away with a smiling face.
Smiling, Shiki leaned against a tree, slightly closing his eyes and enjoying the calm before the storm.
However—
Whoosh!
A kunai slashed through the air carrying sharp killing intent, making everyone tense up.
The ladle in Kusei's hand suddenly stopped as he looked up.
Just as everyone was about to react, the sky was already filled with incoming kunai!
[To Be Continued]
Chapter 211: Counterattack
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Multiple kunai sliced through the air, rushing towards the resting main group!
"Enemy attack! Prepare for combat!"
Before anyone could make sense of what was going on, the swordsman commander had already roared an order!
Almost no one had expected that in such a desolate place, Sunagakure ninja had set up an ambush!
[Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!]
[Earth Style: Mud Wall!]
The two most commonly used defensive ninjutsu techniques were quickly deployed by the shinobi within this group.
Boom!!
The kunai were blocked by the water or earth barriers, but immediately after came a massive explosion.
As everyone anticipated, explosive tags had been attached to those kunai!
Clang!
Shiki Uzumaki's Seiquan sword left its sheath, slicing through wave after wave of incoming kunai with the flat of the blade!
The rapid *clangs* echoed continuously; even Hayate Gekko himself would have been impressed by such lightning-fast swordsmanship.
But no one noticed at all—because the hail of kunai raining down hadn't stopped yet!
"What's going on? Weren't there regular patrols ahead of us, serving as our first line of defense?"
Shiki Uzumaki kept slashing with his sword nonstop, but anyone could tell how bad his current mood was.
Yamanaka San Tian furrowed his brows deeply. "That's right; logically speaking, we shouldn't be encountering any enemies at all right now!"
As a Yamanaka, the Mind Transfer Technique was useless for now—with no enemies in sight.
Still, he swung his kunai to block the aerial projectiles raining down.
Though it was somewhat difficult for him, using the water walls others had conjured, he expertly dodged the relentless attacks.
Members of the Yamanaka clan usually aren't well-suited for battles where enemies remain unseen.
The true power of the Yamanaka lies in turning enemies against one another.
"That's exactly why you must always stay cautious and alert on the battlefield!"
Saying this, Kusei—who also wielded sharp sword techniques to fend off airborne kunai—gradually approached Shiki Uzumaki.
Their swift swords became almost indistinguishable blurs; every swing carried strong gusts of wind.
Fortunately, both of them had considerable experience, using the flats of their blades to knock away incoming kunai.
If they had sliced straight through those kunai, handling the attached explosive tags would have been far more dangerous!
"Shiki Uzumaki, looks like your Leaf Stream swordsmanship isn't too shabby either!"
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