Chapter 30: Hunter Squad's Mine-Clearing Mission
"Lord Toki!"
A shinobi wearing a vest appeared before Toki.
"Traces of barrier traps have been found ahead."
In his previous life, Toki thought Leaf Village's shinobi vests and clothing were truly ugly. The Twelve Guardian Ninja, on the other hand, were each more stylish than the last, highlighting their protagonist aura. It was only after transmigrating that Toki realized the Twelve Guardian Ninja didn't wear vests because they were all heirs to prominent clans, confident in their own abilities, hence the casual attire. But on the real battlefield, whether it was shinobi vests or forehead protectors, they could increase your chances of survival at critical moments. Even those who never wore forehead protectors would tie them securely to their foreheads to prevent headshots and could mimic Tanjiro Kamado at crucial moments.
Therefore, even though Toki found shinobi vests truly ugly, he made sure his clansmen wore them properly. However, Toki was already prepared to accumulate some clan reputation to see if the Ninja Tool Research Center had any new bulletproof clothing or similar items.
At this time, they had not yet crossed the borders of Leaf Village, but his subordinate reported signs of traps set by enemies ahead, indicating that the frontline had already collapsed, and Cloud Village had invaded Leaf Village's territory. Generally, among the Five Great Nations, several smaller nations served as buffer zones for warfare between major nations. Wars between major nations were often fought in these smaller countries. Situated between Lightning and Fire Country were Waterfall and Frost Countries. Now, the enemy's shinobi had already appeared within Fire Country's borders. Hiruzen Sarutobi had probably withdrawn most of the main forces stationed previously, intentionally allowing Cloud Village to invade, just like what happened in the Kannabi Bridge battle.
...
Border areas of Leaf were usually forests, making it convenient for Fire Country's shinobi to set traps to repel enemy forces. Now that the protective barrier was gone, they were at a disadvantage. Uchiha Shisui obviously understood this, looking at Toki solemnly.
"Clan leader, let's withdraw from the base. Sending us to break through will surely result in huge losses. Many in the team have no experience in actual combat. Just the traps alone will probably cost us half our forces."
Ninjas didn't fight like those pirates next door, relying on brute force. They were assassins who, if they could win, didn't care about the means. Therefore, rushing into a trap set by the enemy wasn't a good plan.
However, Toki confidently waved his hand.
"Summon the Hunter Squad!"
"The Hunter Squad?"
Not long after, two teams led by special Jonin appeared before Toki.
"Toki-sama."
The leaders of the two teams knelt before Toki fervently.
The members behind them quickly followed suit.
Toki nodded in satisfaction and calmly said,
"Hunter One, Hunter Two, Eagle Team detected roadblocks ahead. Do you have the confidence to clear them?"
The two special Jonin looked at each other excitedly.
"We promise to complete the mission!"
After speaking, the two waved their hands and led their teams straight ahead.
Uchiha Shisui's expression changed.
"Toki-sama, are you joking? Are they rookies?"
Unless they were geniuses like Shisui or Itachi, missions like disarming traps were usually done by seasoned veterans who had withdrawn from the battlefield, relying on experience to quickly dismantle enemy traps. Sending a group of Genin was no different from sending them to their deaths. Wasn't that how Hashirama Senju died?
But before Toki could explain, the forest ahead was already filled with the sound of explosions.
Shisui's face turned pale.
"Not good! Let me check it out first!"
With that, he used Body Flicker Technique and quickly rushed ahead.
Toki watched Shisui's anxious figure and nodded silently to himself. At least this guy still considered himself part of the Uchiha clan and worried about his clansmen. But Toki had no worries at all because the Hunter Squad had undergone specialized training.
Similar to how Hiruzen Sarutobi disbanded Tsunade's "Two Medic, One Offense" team and reformed it into a group focusing on Taijutsu enhancement, search and recovery, jutsu strengthening, and Jinchuriki reinforcement, Toki didn't have his ninjas solely focus on individual training.
Depending on their specialty, he arranged specialized training for them. For example, the Hunter Squad ahead was a special team selected by Toki for setting and disarming traps, barriers, and obstacles.
They had been training exclusively in the past two months, immersed in training to dismantle traps and barriers. Now, with the system's blessing, each of them had gained insights equivalent to twenty months of intense training in trap and barrier dismantling, just like Uchiha Itachi.
By the time Uchiha Shisui reached the frontline, the forest was already a mess. The ninjas of the Hunter Squad hardly stopped, throwing shurikens and kunais to quickly cut off the placement of traps.
At this point, they were like the legendary Hashirama Senju, gracefully weaving through various traps and barriers, effortlessly destroying them. While the Hunter Squad's combat strength was barely at the level of normal Chunin, their expertise in concealment and traps had already reached the pinnacle! Uchiha Shisui stared in shock at the Hunter Squad and was speechless.
"How is this possible!"
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