บท 206: 206
The caravan creaked along the forest path, the sound of wheels grinding against the dirt in rhythm with the steady trot of horses. The trees whispered as the wind moved through their leaves, but something about the day felt… off. Haruto kept his senses sharp, his eyes sweeping the dense forest around them, every muscle in his body tensed with anticipation. He wasn't sure what exactly was wrong, but he could feel it in his gut.
Then, it hit him.
Eight chakra signatures, distant but approaching fast, flared into his awareness. His Tier 2 chakra sensitivity alerted him to their presence long before they were visible to the naked eye. The speed and force of the approaching chakras were too coordinated to be anything but enemy shinobi. Haruto's brow furrowed as he processed the direction of their movement — they weren't heading for the caravan itself, but for his team.
"They're after us," Haruto muttered to himself, his mind racing.
Without hesitation, he turned to his teammates. "Eight incoming. Fast. Ninja," Haruto called out, his voice low but urgent enough to catch their attention. "They're targeting us, not the caravan!"
Shisui Uchiha, standing at the front of the group, reacted immediately to the warning. His single tomoe Sharingan activated instantly, spinning with focus. He hadn't sensed the chakra signatures himself, but Haruto's word was enough to get him on alert.
"Form a defensive perimeter," Shisui ordered, taking control of the situation. "Do not let them split us up."
Daichi Uzumaki, who was keeping watch at the rear of the caravan, moved without hesitation. His hands flashed through a series of hand seals. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted, and in a cloud of smoke, five identical copies of himself appeared, ready to back up his teammates and protect the caravan from the rear.
Haruto nodded, his senses still attuned to the incoming enemies. The chakra signatures were getting closer now, weaving through the trees with purpose. His heart pounded, but he remained calm, tightening his grip on his blade as they prepared for the inevitable clash.
The Sand Shinobi
From the dense treeline, eight Sand Village shinobi came into view. They moved like shadows, each of them silently and efficiently taking up strategic positions around the caravan, not engaging immediately but rather studying the defenders. They clearly intended to isolate Haruto, Shisui, and Daichi from each other before striking.
The lead shinobi, a tall, scarred man, observed the genin with cold, calculating eyes. He whispered something to his comrades. "They're young… genin. This should be quick."
Another shinobi, a woman with short, cropped hair and a mask covering half her face, nodded in agreement. "Divide and conquer. Three of us will deal with the Uchiha. Two will take on that one," she said, pointing toward Haruto. "The rest will handle the Uzumaki and his clones."
A series of silent signals passed between the Sand shinobi before they launched their attack, their plan now in motion. The three who were assigned to face Shisui moved first, darting through the underbrush, while two others broke off and zeroed in on Haruto.
The remaining three, already anticipating Daichi's multi-shadow clone technique, fanned out, aiming to overwhelm him by brute force.
The Fight Begins
Haruto barely had time to react as two of the Sand shinobi shot toward him, moving faster than he'd expected. His chakra flared, and he quickly shifted his stance, readying himself for the fight. The first of the two attackers wielded twin kunai, throwing them in a quick barrage that whistled through the air toward him. Haruto deflected them with swift movements of his blade, sparks flying as steel met steel.
His focus split between his opponents, Haruto quickly read their intent. They were skilled, but his instincts told him they were trying to force him into a defensive position, leaving him vulnerable to a follow-up strike. The second shinobi, who held a short blade, closed in, aiming to exploit any opening.
Haruto dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a slash aimed at his midsection. "You'll have to do better than that," he muttered under his breath, his mind racing to come up with a counter. He quickly formed a series of hand signs, preparing for a counterattack.
But the two Sand shinobi didn't give him any time. They pressed forward, relentless in their assault, forcing Haruto to rely on his agility and reflexes to evade their strikes.
Shisui's Battle
On the other side of the battlefield, Shisui Uchiha faced three of the Sand shinobi head-on. His single tomoe Sharingan spun, effortlessly tracking their movements. The first shinobi, wielding a spear, lunged at him with a ferocious stab, aiming to take him down quickly. Shisui's body blurred, sidestepping the attack with almost supernatural speed.
Before the spear wielder could even register the miss, Shisui countered with a quick slash from his tanto, aiming for a lethal strike. The second shinobi intercepted the blade just in time with a kunai, but Shisui's eyes never left the third attacker, who had been attempting to flank him. His Sharingan saw through the ploy instantly.
With a graceful spin, Shisui disarmed the second attacker, pushing them back with the force of his strike, before turning his attention to the third, who had now lunged at him with a barrage of shuriken. Shisui deflected the shuriken mid-air with his tanto, his Sharingan allowing him to read and counter their every move with ease. But even as he fought off two of them, he knew he had to keep his guard up — the third shinobi was just waiting for an opening.
Daichi's Stand
Meanwhile, Daichi Uzumaki stood at the rear of the caravan, facing three of the Sand shinobi by himself. His five shadow clones stood in formation around him, each of them preparing for the coming onslaught. The Sand shinobi wasted no time, charging toward Daichi and his clones with reckless abandon.
Daichi smirked. "Let's see how you handle this." With a hand seal, he ordered his clones into action, each one moving in perfect synchronization. One clone leaped high into the air, throwing kunai down at the attackers, while the others spread out to flank their opponents.
The first Sand shinobi barely managed to dodge the rain of kunai before being met with a swift punch from one of Daichi's clones. He staggered back, caught off guard by the speed and ferocity of the attack. The other two shinobi engaged Daichi and his clones in a furious melee, but the Uzumaki's unpredictability and numbers gave him the upper hand.
Despite their best efforts, the Sand shinobi were quickly finding themselves on the defensive as Daichi and his clones pressed the advantage, coordinating their strikes with deadly precision.
The battle raged on, each of the young genin now locked in fierce combat with their respective opponents. The Sand shinobi had come prepared, but they had underestimated their targets. Haruto, Shisui, and Daichi, though outnumbered, fought with everything they had, determined not to let their enemies overwhelm them.
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