In a cave in the Land of Birds.
The four members of Team Eleven sat around a campfire, chatting as they ate.
It had been three days since they were ambushed in the forest of the Land of Bears. Aside from Shisui, everyone was injured, so Kakashi decided to rest temporarily in the Land of Birds.
The final battle in the forest ended with Shisui and Guy arriving just in time to help Hyuga Kyo eliminate all the enemies.
After the battle, the four regrouped and discovered that the ambush involved not only the Iwagakure Execution Squad but also twenty-four rogue ninjas from the Land of Bears.
Iwamado, the leader of the Iwagakure Execution Squad, specifically targeted Hyuga Kyo, while the remaining three members of the Execution Squad led groups of eight rogue ninjas each to attack the other three members of Team Eleven.
Iwamado was undoubtedly an elite Jonin, and the other three members of the Execution Squad were also at the Jonin level. Adding the twenty-four rogue ninjas who were close to the chunin level, this group was a considerable force.
Considering the ambush, it was quite a feat for Team Eleven to eliminate all enemies without losing any members.
The one who had it the easiest was Shisui. With the power of his Mangekyou Sharingan, even his ordinary genjutsu had immense power. The member of the Execution Squad sent to deal with him was caught in his genjutsu before even using any jutsu and was killed in confusion. The remaining rogue ninjas, without their leader’s guidance, were quickly cut down by Shisui, making the process seem almost effortless and leaving the rest of Team Eleven somewhat envious.
Kakashi’s performance was slightly inferior to Shisui’s. Due to bearing a Sharingan that wasn’t originally his, the chakra consumption was significant. Despite his great talent, Kakashi’s chakra reserves weren’t much higher than his peers, and using the A-rank jutsu Chidori consumed a lot of chakra. After a fierce battle, it was inevitable that he would be exhausted.
The guy’s performance was consistent with expectations. Not yet fully developed, he couldn’t reach the true Jonin level without using the Eight Gates. Surrounded by one Jonin and eight rogue ninjas close to chunin level, it was already commendable that he managed to survive.
As for Hyuga Kyo, he considered his performance to be neither good nor bad. He was completely deceived by Iwamado in the final clash, putting himself in a dangerous situation. Iwamado’s self-destruction at the end was particularly frightening.
Kakashi, however, shook his head and said, “There are very few in the village who could achieve what you did!”
Hyuga Kyo curiously asked, “Is this Iwamado very famous?”
“Of course!” Kakashi nodded, “As far as I know, Iwagakure has only seven Execution Squads. One of them was besieged by over a hundred of our village’s ninjas in the Land of Grass. Both sides almost wiped each other out!”
Guy was shocked, “Over a hundred of our ninjas surrounded them, and it was still nearly mutual destruction!?”
Kakashi nodded seriously, “Yes, that battle was very brutal. Although we eliminated the enemy, only six or seven of our people survived.”
Shisui added gloomily, “Several elite jonin from our Uchiha clan were killed by the Iwagakure Execution Squad.”
Guy was stunned, “Does that mean we did something remarkable? With the squad we took down, Iwagakure only has five Execution Squads left, right?”
Kakashi shook his head, “No, only three left. Two were destroyed by the Fourth Hokage!”
Hyuga Kyo murmured, “No wonder Iwamado resented the Fourth Hokage so much.”
During their confrontation, Iwamado repeatedly mentioned the Fourth Hokage. It wasn’t until now that Hyuga Kyo understood the depth of Iwamado’s hatred.
Of the three Execution Squads Iwagakure lost, apart from the one besieged in the Land of Grass, the other two were wiped out by the Fourth Hokage alone. Anyone would harbor deep resentment under such circumstances.
Kakashi then said worriedly, “I’m afraid Iwagakure will exploit this incident.”
Having eaten his fill, Hyuga Kyo leaned back and said, “What’s there to worry about? We acted in self-defense. We couldn’t just stand there and let them kill us.”
Guy scratched his head, “But why did they attack us in the first place?”
Kakashi and Shisui both looked at Hyuga Kyo.
Hyuga Kyo shrugged, “Don’t look at me. I’m not entirely sure either.”
Iwamado might have had some special ability that vaguely detected something about Hyuga Kyo, driving him to eliminate Hyuga Kyo and prevent him from becoming Konoha’s second “Yellow Flash.”
But such matters couldn’t be broadcasted. If word got out, it would not only attract Iwagakure’s scrutiny and hostility but also arouse unnecessary suspicion from the village’s upper echelons.
After all, Hyuga Kyo had only been promoted to special jonin from wartime chunin just over a month ago. His rapid rise in strength had already drawn much attention. If rumors spread that even the Iwagakure Execution Squad’s leader was wary of him, eager to kill him at all costs, the secret of his Tenseigan would be hard to conceal.
Even now, knowing the significance of the Execution Squads in Iwagakure, Hyuga Kyo felt a headache coming on.
He didn’t know how to explain to the village how he managed to take down Iwamado. Normally, a newly promoted special jonin could never stand against an elite jonin, the leader of an Execution Squad.
After they finished eating, Shisui volunteered to keep watch for the night.
Hyuga Kyo, being the most injured, naturally had no objections.
Guy smiled, “You keep watch for the first half, and I’ll take the second half.”
After a few more days of rest in the Land of Birds, Team Eleven resumed their journey back to the village. This time, their return was smooth, without any trouble, and they safely arrived at the village.
As they were part of the Hokage’s direct Anbu unit, they went straight to the Hokage’s office to report the details of the mission in the Land of Demons to the Third Hokage.
The Third Hokage was quite surprised to learn that the demon Moryo had power comparable to a tailed beast. Upon hearing that Team Eleven was ambushed by an Iwagakure Execution Squad in the Land of Bears, he fell into silence.
After a long pause, the Third Hokage classified the mission as confidential, storing the details in a secret archive only accessible by the Hokage.
At the same time, he issued a gag order to all members of Team Eleven.
All information regarding the demon Moryo and the ambush in the Land of Bears was to be kept secret, and not to be disclosed to anyone…
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