Shlck!
A white blade pierced the Konoha ANBU's heart before he could react, his sneer frozen as life fled his body. Ye Liangnai, unscathed, had used a Water Clone to bait the attack, his real self striking from the shadows.
"Eagle, White Wolf, we're on rescue duty!" he shouted, his eyes scanning the battlefield. The other Mist ANBU were locked in fierce combat, entangled with Konoha's forces. Ye Liangnai's team, dismissed as mere youths, had been overlooked—a mistake he intended to exploit.
"Got it!" Yuya and Natsuka replied, their voices tight. They bristled at taking orders from Ye Liangnai, their pride still smarting from his dominance, but the mission trumped ego. They moved in sync, darting toward the wounded spies.
"Stop them!" Kakashi barked, his voice cutting through the chaos. "The leader's no ordinary shinobi!" His gaze fixed on Ye Liangnai, recognizing the threat in the boy's calculated movements.
"Understood!" Three Konoha ANBU broke off to intercept: one Special Jonin and two Chunin. Ye Liangnai's eyes narrowed as he recognized the Special Jonin—Morino Ibiki, Konoha's interrogation master, a formidable foe.
"I'll hold them off," Ye Liangnai said, turning to face the trio. "You two, save the spies!"
"Looking for death, kid?" one of the Chunin ANBU sneered, his hands weaving seals. "Fire Style: Dragon Fire—"
He didn't finish. "Multi-Hawk Flash!" Ye Liangnai's shout rang out, his katana a blur of icy light. Three slashes streaked through the air, their speed deafening. Ibiki, with his seasoned reflexes, barely parried, earning a shallow gash. The two Chunin weren't so lucky—their hands clutched their throats, blood spurting as they collapsed, eyes wide with terror.
A collective gasp rose from the Konoha ranks. Ibiki's face twitched, a flicker of fear lingering. That was too close. One misstep, and he'd have joined his comrades in death.
"Chill, targets secured!" Yuya's voice called from behind, Natsuka echoing him.
"Nice work!" Ye Liangnai grinned, retreating to join them, the spies slung over their shoulders. "I'll cover you—let's move!"
The trio backed away, their formation tight, but the Konoha ANBU surged forward, furious. "Damn brats, you're not escaping!" one roared.
"Ibiki, go!" another shouted, urging the Special Jonin to pursue.
The Mist ANBU rallied, throwing themselves into the fray to block Konoha's advance. "You're not touching them!" they bellowed, their blades and jutsu a wall of defiance.
Kakashi's eye glinted as he watched Ye Liangnai, a spark of recognition in his gaze. "Mist has birthed a prodigy," he murmured, seeing shades of his younger self in the boy's skill. "But your plan ends here."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A sudden clash of steel halted Ye Liangnai's retreat. A new Konoha ANBU squad materialized, cutting off their escape. The leader's aura was suffocating, his presence radiating Jonin-level power, flanked by two Special Jonin. Ye Liangnai's heart sank. This is bad.
His eyes locked on the leader, noting the spinning Sharingan with three tomoe, the youthful frame, and the faint lines etched beside his mouth. Ye Liangnai's blood ran cold, his expression graver than ever. Uchiha Itachi. Konoha's prodigy, the Uchiha clan's pride, a genius whose name alone was a warning.
"Eagle, White Wolf, transfer the intel now," Ye Liangnai said, his voice low and urgent. "We can't let this mission fail."
The two nodded, their faces taut with determination. "Got it!"
"I'll buy you time, but hurry," Ye Liangnai warned. "This enemy's on another level. I won't hold him long." Without pausing, he shouted, "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A dense fog erupted, blanketing the area in a thick, disorienting haze, swallowing everything within dozens of meters. The speed of his casting was staggering—no visible seals, just raw execution.
Itachi's eyes widened, a rare flicker of surprise crossing his face. "Such speed," he muttered. Even his three-tomoe Sharingan struggled to track the seals. He's faster than me.
"Hmph, think a little mist will stop us?" one of the Special Jonin scoffed. "If you know we're formidable, why bother resisting?"
"Yeah, what are you, Zabuza reincarnated?" the other mocked. "Your mist's nothing—watch me tear it apart!"
They assumed Ye Liangnai's warning referred to them, oblivious that Itachi was the true threat. Itachi's voice cut through, calm but firm. "Don't underestimate him. He's dangerous."
But the Uchiha's words carried little weight—his clan's standing in Konoha was shaky, and the Special Jonin ignored him. "Yamashiro, back me up!" one called.
"On it!" the other replied.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
"Wind Style: Hurricane Jutsu!"
Boom!
The combined jutsu roared, fire amplified by wind, turning the mist a searing red. The heat surged, the ground charring beneath the onslaught. But Ye Liangnai was ready. "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!" A dense curtain of water rose, its enhanced density—three times stronger—smothering the flames. Steam billowed, thickening the fog, turning the battlefield into Ye Liangnai's domain.
"Damn it, he blocked it that easily?" The Special Jonin gaped, fury mixing with disbelief. Their combined jutsu, a devastating force, had been neutralized in an instant.
They didn't see the danger closing in. "Multi-Hawk Flash," Ye Liangnai's voice rang out, cold and lethal. Two slashes of light streaked through the fog, too fast to counter. Blood sprayed as their carotid arteries were severed, their bodies crumpling before they could scream.
Against anyone below Jonin, Ye Liangnai's mist was a death sentence, his enhanced techniques a guillotine. But Itachi was no ordinary foe. "Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire!" A barrage of fireballs pursued Ye Liangnai, disrupting his rhythm as he retreated. Shuriken followed, their trajectory uncanny, guided by Itachi's pinpoint accuracy.
He's good, Ye Liangnai thought, dodging the shuriken with a twist, diving deeper into the mist. "As expected of Uchiha Itachi, the Uchiha clan's genius," he called out, his voice laced with admiration. "You live up to your name."
Itachi froze, his composure cracking. "You know who I am?" His voice was sharp, disbelief coloring his tone. "How? Just from the Sharingan?"
They'd barely clashed, yet Ye Liangnai had unmasked him. Is he some kind of seer? Itachi knew nothing of his opponent, a disadvantage that unnerved him.