A Sage's Pursuit of Power

Aoba was almost certain that if Cloud Village knew he was in the team, they would come at them without hesitation. In fact, destroying the logistics mission might be considered secondary to killing him.

He also had no doubt that Danzo might have disclosed his whereabouts to the enemy.

So from the moment they left Konoha, he was on high alert, which puzzled Anko.

"Aoba, you're being overly dramatic. We've only been away from Konoha for a day. No matter how powerful Cloud Village is, they can't ambush us in the heart of the Land of Fire. Relax."

However, Anko didn't notice that his expression had become unusually serious.

He turned to face Anko and took out a small metal cylinder the size of a syringe.

"This is a recovery potion I made. It can rapidly heal external wounds and restore some stamina, with no side effects. If you get seriously injured, drink it immediately."

"That's impressive. I didn't know you had this skill. Wait, what do you mean if you get injured?"

"Just as it sounds. They're already here."

As Aoba spoke, he drew his Kusanagi sword. Anko's eyes widened slightly. She was very familiar with this sword because it belonged to her teacher, Orochimaru.

But there was no time to discuss this now. Anko soon noticed that something was off about their surroundings.

"Be on guard. We're being attacked!"

She shouted, and in the next moment, countless kunai and shuriken flew from all directions.

Thanks to Anko's warning, most of Konoha's ninjas were able to defend themselves. Several Earth Style techniques blocked most of the attacks.

But then, hundreds of figures from Cloud Village appeared.

The leading Cloud Village ninjas were flashing with distinct lightning. They were all ninjas who practiced Cloud Village's secret technique, the Lightning Release Body Technique.

Cloud Village's body technique was different from Aoba's Wind Release Body Technique. They used lightning to enhance their speed, strength, and resilience.

This transformed a group of highly agile assassins into heavily armored warriors, making it difficult for most ninjas to find a way to counter them.

Facing the overwhelming attacks, Aoba stood still, surrounded by a swirling vortex of wind. All the kunai and shuriken, as they approached within a meter, were deflected by the vortex.

The scene appeared as if all the attacks were avoiding him, giving off a silent, eerie feeling.

The attackers formed an assault formation, targeting the logistics team.

Three of the most visibly lightning-imbued ninjas immediately focused on Aoba.

His suspicions were confirmed. They weren't just bait; he was the most important bait among them.

The only question now was when Konoha's reinforcements would arrive. Since they were bait, there should be reinforcements. Hopefully, they wouldn't show up only after everyone was dead.

Aoba swung his sword in a horizontal arc. The attack was intercepted by one of the leading ninjas, who used a special metal bracer to block the strike.

He noticed that the bracer was specifically designed to counter his technique.

As the attack was blocked, the three lightning-enhanced ninjas charged at him.

Aoba could even see the smug expression on the foremost ninja's face. In such close quarters, facing Cloud Village ninjas enhanced by Lightning Release was extremely disadvantageous. The opponent was confident they had him cornered.

The three attacking ninjas were at least Special Jōnin level. Even Konoha's elite Jōnin might struggle against them in close combat.

Aoba advanced instead of retreating, thrusting his Kusanagi sword directly at the opponent's throat.

With a clang, the ninja used his metal bracer to catch Aoba's blade, preventing it from advancing.

"Die!" the Cloud Village ninja shouted. With his other hand glowing with lightning, he aimed a strike at Aoba's chest. The other two ninjas also approached from different angles, sealing off his escape routes.

At that moment, Aoba smirked slightly. The blade of the Kusanagi sword suddenly extended, piercing through the ninja's throat.

Then, he twisted the sword, shredding the ninja's throat, and pushed forward, colliding into him.

He killed one ninja instantly while avoiding the blockade from the other two. The two remaining ninjas, despite their speed, had no intention of retreating and pressed the attack, eager to gain the upper hand. The threat of Aoba's Kusanagi sword was too great.

But Aoba was quick as well. The extending sword blade once again swung. The ninja on his right raised his bracer to block, but to his surprise, he didn't feel the usual clash of metal.

He saw Aoba's Kusanagi sword retract and evade the bracer, then extend again, piercing his throat.

Aoba then turned and sliced through the last Cloud Village ninja's throat. The opponent had no chance to react as he was enveloped by a swarm of snakes.

Aoba had caught a glimpse of Anko providing support from the side, which is why he dared to deal with the enemies on his right first.

The entire battle lasted only about ten seconds, during which Aoba had killed all three Special Jōnin level Cloud ninjas.

In regular ninja fights, life and death often hang in the balance for just a moment.

After killing the three ninjas, Anko collapsed in front of him and immediately drank the potion he had given her.

At this point, Aoba noticed a massive wound on her abdomen. It looked like her belly had been punched open, with her intestines almost spilling out.

Under the effect of the life potion, the wound healed rapidly. In less than ten seconds, the wound disappeared without a trace.

Anko herself was astonished. She touched her abdomen, unable to believe what had just happened.

"Aoba, this potion of yours is simply..."

Before she could finish, they were once again engulfed in a fierce battle. The number of Cloud ninjas was far greater than expected, with at least a hundred participating in the attack.

Their weakest members were Chūnin, making it an elite team.

Anko, struggling in the battle, looked grim.

"How is this possible? In this position, facing so many enemies. Aoba, our mission might fail."

"No, in fact, we have accomplished the mission exceptionally well. I even feel we've succeeded a bit too well."