"Eighty... eighty... eighty!"
Night Namikaze had turned into a full-blown battlefield janitor, using the Mind's Eye of the Kagura to stay one step ahead of everyone.
Watching his point total tick upward, he felt a strange sense of Zen—like he had entered Sage Mode.
> [The Multiverse Rare Pawn Shop]
> [Host: Night Namikaze]
> [Current Pawn Points: 2120]
> [Redeemable Items: ...]
He sensed that over ten kilometers away, most combatants were converging on the center of Uzushiogakure. It looked like the Whirlpool Village wouldn't hold out much longer.
Just as Night was planning to cash out and leave, he sensed two familiar chakra signatures heading straight for the hut where he had been hiding.
"Genin Kato and Genin Shimizu? Why are they coming into the combat zone?"
Konoha ninjas left specific markers along their infiltration routes so reinforcements could track them. These two had followed the trail left by Captain Ito.
Night, of course, had been too busy happily looting corpses to remember that.
Seeing them disobey Ito's orders to stay put, Night didn't for a second believe they were here out of the kindness of their hearts to provide backup.
He cranked up his sensory perception. Sure enough, there was a strange chakra signature lurking not far from them.
This stranger's stealth was impressive; if Night hadn't been specifically looking for it, he might have missed it.
But in ninja warfare, intel is king. With his omniscient radar, Night decided to bail immediately.
He was about to slip away in the opposite direction when he sensed another familiar chakra. Captain Ito was also heading for the hut.
---
"This is it."
Ken Shimizu and Taka Kato looked uneasy as they followed the coded markers through the ruins.
They arrived at the hut and saw the pool of blood and the headless Mist ninja corpse outside. A fierce battle had definitely taken place here.
Before they could even call out, the door opened.
Night Namikaze stepped out, his face cold. He barked at them, "I told you two to hold your position! Why did you disobey direct orders?"
The two were stunned to see Night, but being scolded by a peer—someone they saw as beneath them—made them bristle.
"Watch your tone, kid," Ken snapped, looking ugly. "We're here to provide support. Where's Captain Ito?"
Night ignored the question. His sharp gaze swept over their trembling hands and then down to their ankles, where he spotted ultra-thin, almost invisible steel wires.
"Disobeying orders to enter the battlefield... and how do you explain the 'tail' attached to you?"
Before they could come up with an excuse, a voice as cold as a venomous snake hissed from the shadows behind them:
"Oh? Spotted already. I guess not all Konoha ninjas are trash."
Kushimaru Kuriarare, wearing his pale mask, materialized like a ghost. He twitched the long needle-sword Nuibari in his hand. The invisible wires suddenly glinted in the light and tightened violently, binding Ken Shimizu and Taka Kato. Blood immediately began to seep from where the wires dug into their flesh.
"Looks like we found the last team member," Kushimaru said, his tone amused as he sized up Night. "Tell me where your Jonin leader is, and I might consider letting you go."
Night feigned outrage, glaring at his two teammates. "You traitors! You sold out the village!"
Taka Kato went pale and hung his head in shame.
Ken Shimizu, however, broke down screaming, "What choice did we have?! We didn't even have a chance to fight back! We just wanted to live!"
"You talk too much."
Kushimaru seemed to lose patience. He twitched his sword again, and the wires constricted further, threatening to slice the two Genin to pieces.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Just in time, Captain Ito arrived. A volley of fireballs shot from his mouth, aiming straight for Kushimaru.
Kushimaru reacted instantly. Seeing the Jonin, he didn't dare get careless. He released his control over the two hostages and leaped back, light as a feather.
He swung Nuibari, slashing the incoming fireballs that had lost momentum over the distance.
"Are you all right?"
Ito flashed in front of Night, shielding him from the enemy while keeping his eyes locked on Kushimaru.
A quick glance at the now-freed Ken and Taka told him everything he needed to know about the situation.
"Focus on the enemy. Night, adapt and survive."
As he spoke, he made a subtle hand signal to Night: Retreat immediately. Ito was planning to hold Kushimaru off alone.
"Finally, a big fish. Catching minnows on the perimeter was getting boring," Kushimaru said. His voice was still cold, but the playful tone was gone.
The battle erupted instantly!
Ito was an experienced Jonin. He mixed Fire and Earth Style jutsus seamlessly, constantly moving to keep his distance. Against the wielder of Nuibari, standing still meant getting trapped in a web of steel.
Meanwhile, Night grabbed the injured Ken and Taka and dragged them toward the forest.
The fight was intense, but Ito was outmatched. Kushimaru found an opening and slashed Ito's arm, disrupting his hand signs.
"Now! Longsword Ninja Art: Earth Spider Sewing!"
Kushimaru seized the moment. Countless wires erupted from the ground around Ito like a massive trawling net, snapping shut in an instant.
Ito tried to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough. The wires sliced through his legs, severing them, while others dug deep into his flesh. Blood sprayed everywhere.
The situation went from bad to hopeless. Night, burdened by the two deadweights, hadn't gotten far. Kushimaru swung Nuibari, sending a dense web of wires flying toward the three of them.
Ito wanted to help, but legless and bound, he could only watch in horror as his students were ensnared.
"It's over," Kushimaru declared coldly. He turned back to finish Ito, aiming Nuibari at the Jonin's throat.
Splash.
Inside the wire trap, "Night" suddenly collapsed into a puddle of water.
At the same moment, from the nearby forest, the real Night Namikaze seized the opening he had been waiting for. His hands slammed together, completing the long sequence of seals he had prepared.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" (The 44-seal Honest Man Edition)
A massive water dragon roared into existence, charging at Kushimaru, who had let his guard down. After all, his interrogation of the two Genin had confirmed this was just a standard four-man squad with no water users.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Kushimaru spun around in panic, throwing up a water wall while simultaneously channeling chakra into Nuibari to weave a defensive wire net.
The Water Dragon smashed through the hastily erected Water Wall with ease, but its momentum was finally checked as it was sliced apart by the dense wire net.
But Ito, forgotten for a moment, hadn't given up. Despite his injuries, he forced his chakra to flare.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
Even from a distance, the intense flames roared toward the enemy. Caught in a pincer attack between fire and water, Kushimaru was finally backed into a corner.