Border of the Land of Fire.
In the dense, hot jungle, more than a dozen figures darted through, their faces etched with urgency, as if something was chasing them from behind.
"Hurry up, everyone! We're almost out of the border!"
The leader, a fierce-looking man with one eye covered, turned and shouted to the group.
"Yes, Boss!"
The remaining people dared not delay, gritting their teeth and picking up their speed again, rushing forward.
As Scarface moved, he kept looking around, front, back, left, and right, as if afraid something would leap out of the surrounding dense forest.
This anxious feeling made him restless, and he turned his head again, cursing at everyone.
"Damn it, hurry up, all of you!"
"B-Boss, we're already v-very fast."
A Baldy beside him looked at him with a bitter face, stammering.
"Then go faster!"
The man shouted, then accelerated and rushed forward. The next moment, he burst out of the jungle, his eyes immediately lighting up, a look of joy on his face.
"Good, we've crossed the border. We're about to enter the Land of Earth. Brothers, speed up, we'll be safe soon…"
"Boom!"
Before he could finish speaking, an explosion from ahead abruptly cut him off.
Seeing the unexpected event, everyone quickly stopped. Scarface stared at the dissipating black smoke in front of him and roared.
"Who? Which bastard? Get out here!"
"Why are you running so fast?"
A calm voice came from the smoke. As the smoke cleared, two figures appeared.
Looking at the two masks, Scarface's expression changed instantly, and he gritted his teeth.
"Konoha's Anbu…"
"Kawasaburo, right?"
Ren, wearing a wolf mask, took a step forward, his low voice coming from the mask.
"Who gave you the guts to lay a hand on our KonohaNinja?"
"Hmph, what's a KonohaNinja? This old man kills whoever he wants. What are you?"
The man's face was ferocious as he raised his blade at the two, roaring, while secretly cursing each of his subordinates behind him.
He was a rogue Ninja within the Land of Fire. Because of his decent strength, he got the idea of becoming a mountain king. He gathered a group of rogue Ninja like himself, of Chunin and Genin strength, and settled down on a mountain in the northern Land of Fire, beginning to frequently raid nearby small towns.
The commoners in the surrounding towns were tormented beyond words. After a brief discussion, they sent two representatives to Konoha Village to issue a mission to exterminate the mountain bandits.
KonohaNinja, not taking it seriously, simply designated it as a C-rank mission, which was then accepted by two young Chunin.
As the two set out in the morning, rushing to their destination, they had just snuck in when they were surrounded by the people inside.
It was only then that they realized this was no ordinary bandit den; it was a den of rogue Ninja!
But by the time they reacted, it was too late. Everyone swarmed them, and in a few blinks of an eye, both were killed on the spot.
But Scarface was unaware of this. While he was still happily drinking in the house, his subordinates suddenly burst in, eagerly reporting that KonohaNinja had intruded and been killed by them.
The man was stunned upon hearing this. He knew his own group's capabilities; bullying ordinary people was fine, but Konoha Village? Even a Genin was someone they couldn't afford to provoke. A single Jonin sent by them could wipe them out.
Now, they had not only killed KonohaNinja, but two of them at once. The Land of Fire was no longer safe. Knowing the other party's terror, the man decisively took everyone and fled.
He had originally planned to take his group to the Land of Earth and occupy another mountain to start anew, but he didn't expect Konoha's pursuers to catch up before they even crossed the border.
But fortunately.
Scarface looked at the two lone figures in front of him, a sinister smile on his face.
If a group of people had come, he wouldn't have hesitated to turn and run, but if there were only two, his side could overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
"You two alone dare to stop us."
Seeing their boss so arrogant and brave, the group behind him instantly gained confidence. The Baldy from earlier stepped forward, pointing his blade at the two, saying arrogantly,
"Our boss is a Jonin. If you don't want to die, get lost!"
"Exactly!"
The others behind him quickly echoed.
"Our boss has killed your Konoha Village's Jonin! If you know what's good for you, get lost!"
"You two tiny Anbu, why aren't you getting out of the way!"
Hearing his subordinates' shouts from behind, cold sweat began to trickle down Scarface's head, but he still went along with them, laughing loudly.
"Did you hear that? If you don't want to die, get out of the way, ha, haha…"
But no matter how he listened, there was a feeling of guilt.
"Oh?"
Ren raised an eyebrow, then his lips parted slightly, his tongue pressed down.
A sharp whistle sounded out of nowhere. The next moment, more than a dozen figures rushed out of the jungles on both sides, all holding long blades, some squatting, some standing on tree trunks, surrounding the group.
Ren narrowed his eyes and said coldly to the other party.
"Now it's fair."
"This…"
The numerical advantage was instantly nullified. Everyone was dumbfounded, looking at the Anbu radiating intense killing intent around them. They instinctively turned their gaze to their boss, only to find him trembling uncontrollably, large beads of sweat visibly trickling down his exposed neck.
"Boss, we…"
The Baldy leaned in close, just about to say something, when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his face. Before he could react, he was knocked to the ground.
"Boss, my ass!"
Scarface roared, then pulled two smoke bombs from his body and threw them to the ground, instantly creating a cloud of smoke.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The surrounding Anbu were very fast, completing their hand signs in an instant. A fierce wind swept through, dispersing the newly appeared smoke before it could even spread, revealing the bewildered group inside.
"Trying to run?"
Ren turned to the white-haired Anbu standing beside him and nodded.
"Kakashi, that guy is yours."
"Mm."
The other party nodded, then disappeared from his spot with an Instantaneous Body Technique, diving into the jungle and soaring into the distance.
After watching Kakashi leave, Ren turned to the remaining group of panicked scoundrels and said coldly.
"Move out. Leave no one alive."
"Yes!"
All the Anbu leaped down from the tree trunks, brandishing their swords, and charged from all directions.
"No!"
The group, realizing what was happening, immediately fell into chaos. The Baldy quickly scrambled to his feet and shouted at the charging Anbu.
"I surrender, I…"
"Puff!"
Before he could finish speaking, two long blades, one from above and one from below, pierced his neck and chest, his words abruptly cut short.
The two Anbu cleanly pulled out their weapons and turned to charge into the crowd. Screams began to erupt continuously.
The Vice Captain said, leave no one alive.