Three months later, on a rainy night along the border of the Land of Grass, four figures dashed rapidly through the forest beneath the heavy rain. There were no torches and no unnecessary sounds. At the very front was Akimichi Choza. Compared to three months earlier, there were no obvious changes in him. Behind him followed Ebisu and Shiranui Genma. The childishness on their faces had faded considerably, replaced by much calmer expressions, though traces of tension could still be seen hidden beneath them. Might Guy still guarded the rear position. Aside from growing slightly taller, there were no major changes in his appearance either.
Three entire months had already passed since Team 9 arrived at Mount Kikyo. During those months, they had escorted supplies so many times that they could no longer keep count. They had also experienced countless ambushes. Sometimes the enemy consisted of only three or five Genin. Sometimes it was sudden long-range sneak attacks with Kunai and shuriken flying from hidden positions within the forest. Sometimes explosive tags had been buried beneath the roads themselves, detonating the instant someone stepped on them. They had long since become accustomed to all of it.
But tonight was different. Tonight was not another supply escort mission. Tonight was an active strike operation. It was Team 9's very first proactive assault mission since arriving at Mount Kikyo.
War had never been one-sided. It was always retaliation and counterattack. Tonight, Team 9's mission was to infiltrate and destroy an Iwagakure supply outpost.
"Stop."
Choza suddenly raised one hand, causing all four of them to halt immediately before crouching behind a massive tree trunk. Choza pulled out a map wrapped carefully in oil paper from inside his vest and examined it beneath the occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the sky.
"Three miles ahead," he said quietly. "There is an Iwagakure supply outpost there. According to intelligence reports, three Chunin are stationed inside leading a squad of Genin."
He folded the map again before looking directly toward the three children.
"Our mission is to wipe out the outpost, place explosive tags, destroy the supplies, and retreat immediately."
After a brief pause, he asked calmly, "Can you do it?"
"Yes."
The three answered simultaneously.
Choza looked at them silently before nodding once.
"Move out."
The four continued advancing through the rain while the rainfall gradually became heavier and heavier. They covered the remaining three miles in less than half an hour. When the outpost finally appeared within sight, Might Guy paused slightly.
The place was not large at all. Several wooden buildings stood clustered together behind a fenced perimeter while two sentries guarded the entrance. Dim yellow light shone weakly from inside the wooden structures while figures occasionally entered and exited through the rain. Everything appeared completely ordinary.
Yet something felt wrong.
"It feels too ordinary," Might Guy thought instinctively.
During wartime, especially on a rainy night like this, enemy vigilance should have been extremely high. Yet although the outpost appeared guarded, there was no genuine tension in their behavior. Could this simply be Iwagakure's normal state of alert? This was Might Guy's first time personally seeing an Iwagakure military outpost, so he could not determine whether something was wrong or not.
He turned his head slightly toward Choza. Choza also stared silently toward the outpost with tightly furrowed brows, but he said nothing. Instead, he gave a hand signal ordering them to move in.
Might Guy narrowed his eyes slightly before silently obeying.
The four crouched low while circling toward the flank of the outpost. The rain completely concealed the sound of their footsteps. Meanwhile, the guards at the entrance remained huddled beneath the eaves trying to avoid the rain and failed to notice anyone approaching.
Might Guy quickly slipped behind the nearest wooden structure before pulling two explosive tags from inside his clothing and attaching them firmly against the wall. Ebisu moved toward the second building while Genma handled the third. Choza remained farther away while keeping watch.
In less than five minutes, all twelve explosive tags had been planted successfully.
Might Guy immediately gestured toward the others to retreat.
The four began withdrawing silently, but after retreating barely thirty meters, a bolt of lightning suddenly split across the sky, illuminating the entire forest in blinding white light.
In that instant, Might Guy's pupils contracted sharply.
Through the rain curtain, more than a dozen figures emerged silently from the woods ahead, directly blocking their retreat route.
These were not ordinary Genin. Their formations were disciplined, their equipment was refined, and every single one of them radiated intense killing intent.
The figure standing at the very front slowly stepped forward. He appeared around thirty years old, with a long scar stretching diagonally from the corner of his eye all the way to his chin. His gaze was cold and venomous like a snake's. A black combat uniform covered his body with the Iwagakure insignia embroidered clearly across his chest.
Rainwater flowed continuously down his face, yet he did not even blink. He simply stared directly at Choza before revealing a cold sneer.
"An Akimichi Clan member. I didn't expect to catch such a large fish tonight."
The instant Choza saw the man's face, his own expression changed immediately.
"Iwami Jūzō."
His voice was extremely low, yet Might Guy still heard it clearly. Inside that voice was shock, anger, and unmistakable caution.
Iwami Jūzō was a veteran Jonin from Iwagakure. Logically speaking, a Ninja of his level should have remained at the main Iwagakure frontline camp. No one had expected him to appear here.
Iwami Jūzō laughed harshly, the sound ugly and unpleasant.
"You know me? Then you should also understand that none of you are leaving tonight."
Choza completely ignored his words. Instead, he turned toward the three children behind him.
"Retreat."
His voice sounded calm, but Might Guy immediately understood the meaning behind that expression. It was the look of someone saying, "I'll hold them off. You all run."
Might Guy instinctively opened his mouth as though preparing to say something.
"Don't waste time talking."
Choza interrupted him immediately.
He had already stepped forward and positioned himself directly between the enemies and the three children.
"I said retreat. That is an order."
Rain continued pouring heavily while lightning flashed once more across the dark sky, briefly illuminating Choza's broad face.
For the very first time in three months, Might Guy clearly saw Choza's true expression.
Gone was the usual relaxed and easygoing look he always carried.
What remained now was absolute seriousness.
The seriousness of someone determined not to let his teammates die behind him.
Might Guy's heart sank slightly.
He did not know whether this situation had originally happened in the true course of history, nor did he know whether his own existence had already altered events.
But one thing was certain.
He did not want to retreat.
And he could not retreat.
Three entire months had already passed. Although his strength had continued improving during that time, it had not improved enough.
The Precept Breaking Blade remained stuck at its bottleneck.
The Muscle Tendon Change Classic remained stuck at its bottleneck.
Only the Golden Bell Shield had steadily continued improving little by little.
But that was nowhere near enough.
At this rate of growth, becoming strong enough to defeat the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist within three years would be impossible.
He needed life and death battles.
Real battles.
Unfortunately, during these past three months, every enemy they encountered had merely been insignificant opponents incapable of threatening him. He had not even needed to remove the Men's Weight.
And tonight was exactly the kind of battle he had been waiting for.
Might Guy's gaze swept rapidly across the enemy forces.
One Jonin.
Three Chunin.
Nine Genin.
The Jonin would naturally be held back by Choza.
Which meant the enemies he personally needed to face were only three Chunin and nine Genin.
"If I cannot even defeat opponents at this level now, then how will I ever face the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in the future?"
Might Guy's eyes gradually sharpened with determination.
Deep inside, he understood one thing clearly. If it were the original Might Guy standing here today, he absolutely would not choose to abandon his captain and flee. He would choose to fight alongside his comrades.
Besides, the enemy clearly had no intention of letting any of them escape anyway.
In only a few brief moments, the thirteen enemy Ninja had already spread outward into a fan-shaped formation. Their retreat route back toward Mount Kikyo had been completely sealed off.
If they wanted to retreat now, the only remaining direction was deeper into enemy territory, and that direction was even more dangerous.
Might Guy silently drew the massive machete from his back while simultaneously releasing the five hundred jin weights attached to each of his legs.
"Captain."
His voice sounded calm and steady as it reached Choza's ears through the rain.
"You hold off the Jonin. As for the remaining enemies, I'll handle them."
Choza's entire body shook violently.
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