Off to the side, Inuzuka Hana suddenly had the strange feeling that she, a sensory-type ninja, might be a fake one.
For the first time in a squad mission, her spotlight had been completely stolen by someone else.
Normally, whenever ANBU carried out missions, Inuzuka Hana's presence greatly increased the team's safety margin. She had even been praised by several squad leaders before.
For this infiltration into the Hidden Rain Village, she had planned to truly show her worth—yet who could have expected that, in terms of perception, she would be surpassed by a little fellow who had only just joined ANBU?
Of course, Ning Feng wasn't about to say that it was because he was a player and could simply read the names floating above people's heads.
He merely gave a mysterious smile and said nothing.
Seeing this, Kakashi and Inuzuka Hana didn't press the matter further. They both understood very well that many ninja who mastered secret techniques were like this—after all, the principle of "a man with a treasure invites trouble" was something they deeply understood.
"Number 9," Kakashi suddenly said, "since you're able to sense enemy positions from such a long distance, then for this infiltration into the Hidden Rain Village, command will temporarily be handed over to you."
Whether earlier or back in Konoha, Number 9—Ning Feng—had consistently displayed astonishing combat talent. Having him command the squad was, frankly, the most suitable choice.
In truth, Kakashi was also curious to see just how much untapped potential this kid still had.
At the side, Uchiha Itachi looked at Ning Feng with indulgent eyes and gave a firm nod.
As for Inuzuka Hana, her expression was filled with curiosity.
"I'm… in charge?"
Ning Feng hadn't expected Kakashi to hand him command of the squad.
But then again, Kakashi was probably doing this to temper him more quickly.
Thinking this through, Ning Feng didn't refuse. "Then the ANBU squad's actions will temporarily be under my command."
"Just now, I sensed members of the Salamander clan appearing about five thousand meters away. Judging from the flow of chakra in their bodies, one of them should be at jōnin level—the strongest among them."
"Like the Hidden Rain Village's so-called 'Demi-god,' Hanzō the Salamander, he's wearing thick armor on his head. I suspect he possesses the same kind of ninjutsu as Hanzō—techniques that release salamander poison."
"As for the others, there are four sensory-type ninja distributed about two thousand meters away. The remaining eight are around three thousand meters out. Their chakra is concentrated beneath their feet, so they're likely speed-oriented assassination-type ninja!"
The moment Ning Feng opened his mouth, Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and Inuzuka Hana were all stunned—especially Kakashi, who was utterly shaken.
Just what kind of secret technique did this kid possess, to be able to see through the enemy's chakra flow so clearly?
But that wasn't even the key point.
The most terrifying part was that Ning Feng could actually infer the enemy's abilities based on the flow of chakra alone.
Under normal circumstances, this kind of intelligence gathering was done by fast-moving sensory ninja—and it was extremely dangerous.
Yet Ning Feng hadn't even left his position and had already analyzed so much…
This was simply… unbelievable.
"I suddenly have a feeling…"
Kakashi shrugged, exchanging glances with Uchiha Itachi and Inuzuka Hana.
"The next generation really does surpass the previous one."
Clearing his throat lightly, Kakashi continued, "The intelligence Number 9 provided is incredibly valuable. Coincidentally, Konoha has past combat records involving the Hidden Rain Village's demi-god, Hanzō the Salamander."
"From a young age, Hanzō refined salamander poison and stored it in air sacs within his body."
"Because of this, every breath he took released poisonous gas. During the Second Shinobi World War, this caused enormous trouble for Konoha ninja."
"Even Orochimaru and Jiraiya were helpless against Hanzō's poison and nearly lost their lives. It was precisely because of that battle that Hanzō acknowledged them as the Legendary Sannin."
"Since this leading ninja is also a member of the Salamander clan, he likely possesses similar techniques. We must be extremely careful!"
As Kakashi finished speaking, he took a deep breath, keenly aware that this ANBU mission had run into a truly formidable opponent.
"I've heard of the Salamander clan," Ning Feng said calmly. "Their weakness lies in their poison sac. Once it's destroyed, they lose their greatest advantage. Also, after releasing poison gas, they need five minutes to replenish it."
"Now, I'll arrange the tactics."
His words were decisive.
And upon hearing them, Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and the others—already shocked—were now utterly dumbfounded.
This kid even knew the Salamander clan's weakness?!
Originally, Inuzuka Hana had been somewhat unhappy that Kakashi handed command over to Ning Feng. But after hearing this, she completely fell silent, her eyes now filled with admiration.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that a once-in-a-generation prodigy was about to rise onto the stage of the shinobi world.
Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and the others all nodded solemnly.
If before they had merely wanted to see what Ning Feng was capable of, now they were completely reassured.
An ANBU squad armed with full intelligence on the enemy would be unstoppable—invincible!
Shua shua shua!
Once the tactics were finalized, Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, Inuzuka Hana, and the others instantly transformed into streaks of light and vanished, heading off to carry out the tasks Ning Feng had assigned them.
Watching their departing figures, the smile at the corner of Ning Feng's mouth grew wider and wider.
This battle of Uchiha Feng was destined to be recorded in the history of the shinobi world!
And just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed that the world chat channel had once again exploded—because of him.
[World Announcement]: The mysterious player, through outstanding performance, has gained unanimous recognition from Konoha's ANBU operatives and has successfully become the captain of an ANBU sub-squad! Everyone, please congratulate them!
[World Announcement]: The mysterious player, through outstanding performance, has gained unanimous recognition from Konoha's ANBU operatives…
[World Announcement]: The mysterious player, through outstanding performance, has gained unanimous recognition from Konoha's ANBU operatives…
This time, the world announcement still displayed "Mysterious Player," but precisely because of that, it caused an even greater shock among all players.
"Holy crap! I haven't even enrolled in the Ninja Academy yet, and this guy's already an ANBU sub-squad captain?!"
"I specifically asked the local NPCs—they said ANBU is the village's most elite force, and becoming a sub-squad captain is insanely difficult…"
"But that's not even the key point! The key is that basically every Hokage in history has had experience as an ANBU sub-squad captain, commanding countless operations…"
"Damn—does that mean the next Hokage of Konoha might actually be a player?!"
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.
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