403. The Real Battlefield

"Is there still no news from the front line?"
In the middle of the night, Shimura Kabuto, who had gotten up to take over the guard duty, quietly asked Captain Ueda.

The latter silently shook his head, suppressing the urge to smoke.

He forced a smile and said:
"Don't worry, this is Konoha. Nothing unexpected will happen."

"Maybe this exercise is the higher-ups' idea, intentionally making it more intense?"

Hearing such comfort, the mature-beyond-his-years Kabuto could only nod.

"I hope so." Unfortunately, things rarely go as one wishes.

Just as he finished speaking, a pigeon circling in the sky delivered a message to him.

"Someone is approaching quickly!!"
His eyes widened as he whispered a warning.

In the next second, Uchiha Itachi, who had been resting, immediately got up from the grass.

Holding a kunai in his hand, it gleamed with a cold light in the darkness.

Chino also suddenly woke up, scrambling to be on alert.

At Captain Ueda's signal, they formed an ambush formation, ready for battle.

Soon, Kabuto, hidden in the grass, made a professional hand signal to the others—

Two allies.

Being pursued.

Three enemies.

After receiving this information, the three young ninjas' expressions turned serious.

Especially Kabuto.

Because through the pigeon's vision, he had clearly seen how badly injured the two allies were.

No, describing them as merely "badly injured" wasn't accurate—they were critically wounded.

The severity of their injuries was life-threatening.

This had completely surpassed the necessary measures for an exercise!

Generally, in exercises, to "end" a life, one only needed to pierce the opponent's vest, causing the stored dye to spill out.

There was no reason to deliberately cause such severe injuries.

In other words, what they were about to face was likely no longer an exercise.

But a real battle!!

Although the exact truth was still unclear, if they let their guard down, they could lose their lives. Kabuto keenly judged this.

Thus, under his grave gaze, two figures finally appeared.

They wore Konoha forehead protectors and the red vests specially made for the defending side.

However, the vests were now severely damaged, stained with blood, and their faces were filled with despair.

Seeing this, Captain Ueda immediately gave the order.

"Move!"

As soon as he spoke, a large flock of crows summoned by Uchiha Itachi quickly emerged from the woods, firmly blocking the path between the two allies and their pursuers.

Under the cover of the crows, the experienced Ueda swiftly threw four or five kunai connected to explosive tags towards the pursuers.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The kunai pierced through the crow flock, and the explosive tags attached to them were quickly ignited.

Bright flames erupted from the woods, forming a wall of fire in the middle of the battlefield.

"We're allies from the Red Team, don't be afraid!"

At the same time, Kabuto quickly identified themselves and prepared his Healing Jutsu, ready to provide treatment at any moment.

Chino also held a kunai, silently watching their surroundings, prepared to act at any time.

Hearing that they were allies from the Red Team, the two Konoha ninjas showed a hint of urgency.

They ignored their injuries and hurriedly said:
"Don't worry about us, go and inform the village, the enemy is coming!!"

Perhaps fearing that these children wouldn't understand, one of them urgently emphasized:
"This isn't an exercise, but real enemies!!!"

This statement confirmed one of Kabuto's worst fears, causing his expression to instantly darken.

At that moment, a cold light flashed from the woods nearby.

Several senbon needles suddenly flew out, aiming straight at the two who were loudly warning.

Seeing this, Kabuto, who had been in a state of high tension, quickly moved, using his kunai to block a few of the needles.

But the last one slipped past him, piercing through the temple of one of the allies.

As warm blood splattered from the ally's head onto Kabuto's cheek, he truly realized one thing—
This wasn't an exercise, but a real battlefield where a moment's hesitation could cost a comrade's life!!

Uchiha Itachi and Chino also realized this. At the same time, two figures slowly emerged from the smoke.

"Heh, I didn't expect to be greeted by a bunch of kids?"

The newcomers wore pale masks, making it impossible to tell which village they were from.

But judging from their overwhelming killing intent, they were likely strong.

Plus, there was still one hiding in the shadows, shooting cold arrows...

"Are they from an enemy village, mercenaries, or some force seeking revenge on Konoha?"

For a moment, Kabuto's brain worked at full capacity.

But there was too little information to analyze, making it hard to draw any useful conclusions.

Regardless, the other side clearly didn't seem to be here for an exercise.

"I'll hold them off, you quickly report the intel to the village."
As the captain and senior, Ueda quickly made a decision.

Before his teammates could react, the enemy laughed:
"Trying to play the hero? Let's see if you have the strength!"

With that, he immediately formed hand seals.

"Earth Style: Yellow Spring Swamp!"

As he pressed his hand to the ground, the surrounding terrain quickly turned into mud, trapping Ueda in an instant.

Things aren't looking good...

Kabuto assessed the situation.

Ueda was trapped, and the two enemies seemed strong, with another assassin hiding nearby.

With just the three of them, their chances of winning were slim.

They had to rescue Ueda first and lure out that "snake."

Kabuto quickly formulated a plan.

Without hesitation, he waved his hand!

"Ninja Art: White Day Fall Technique!"

Suddenly, a large number of pigeons previously created by Kabuto descended from the sky, once again obstructing the enemy's vision.

"Planning to disrupt our vision again with this trick?"
The enemy sneered.

Just as they were about to use a jutsu to clear away the annoying pigeons, the birds exploded!

To be precise, they turned into smoke.

Unlike typical summoning animals, the smoke from these pigeons was much denser.

The smoke from hundreds of pigeons nearly enveloped the entire battlefield.

"So it's a smoke bomb!"

Seeing the thick smoke covering the ground, the two enemies immediately understood Kabuto's plan, angrily exclaiming.

Having succeeded in his plan, Kabuto shot a meaningful glance at Uchiha Itachi.

Then he turned and ran, muttering to himself.

"We must quickly deliver this intel to the village!"