An ambush is called an ambush because it's completely unexpected. But if you sensed something was off from the start, could it still be called an ambush?
It was a little past eight, close to nine. April nights still carried a noticeable chill that crept into the skin. The night wind blew through the forest, wailing like an eerie tune, masking the faint, unnatural sounds of trembling branches.
But—
"You didn't hide your killing intent."
Rēn stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on the pitch-black forest to his front-left.
"Rēn-nii?"
Even Rēn didn't notice when Naruto had changed the way he addressed him. At some point, he'd gone from "Fujika's brother" to "Rēn-nii." The change was smooth and natural, so seamless that Rēn didn't even pick up on it, let alone feel any discomfort.
Naruto blinked his blue eyes in confusion as he looked up at Rēn, who had come to a sudden stop.
"Naruto, you're now a student at the Ninja Academy, which means you're technically a reserve shinobi. From here on… stay silent. No matter what you see, don't be afraid. If you really get scared, just close your eyes."
"Huh?"
Without another word, Rēn grabbed the confused Naruto and leapt into motion, rushing toward the village center.
The next instant—
A storm of shuriken rained down from the forest beside them!
"They're aiming at Naruto too? Is this Root or…"
Rēn snorted and drew the long blade from his waist. The hazy, illusion-like arc of steel formed a defensive wall like solid iron. Sparks burst through the air as every shuriken was deflected without fail. His pace slowed slightly, and the unrestrained footsteps rustling through the forest signaled that the attacker's encirclement was almost complete.
"Tch. Looks like there's no getting out of this without a fight."
"Wow…"
Naruto almost exclaimed in awe, but quickly covered his mouth, remembering Rēn's warning.
He was surprisingly fearless, eyes glowing with excitement.
Maybe he wasn't old enough yet to feel fear. In any case, he was staring wide-eyed at Rēn's long blade. If this weren't such a serious situation, he probably would've reached out to touch it.
"Naruto, no shouting. And don't move."
Rēn warned him again before leaping onto a sturdy branch nearby. With Naruto tucked under his left arm and the long sword in his right hand, his crimson eyes scanned the surroundings. The three black tomoe spun slowly in his Sharingan, capturing every subtle movement in the wind and leaves.
He didn't act right away.
If he were alone, he could've fought freely. But carrying someone like Naruto—a burden who couldn't be scratched or bruised—meant he had to take a more cautious approach.
Naruto remained still and quiet, like a block of wood. Only his darting eyes betrayed just how excited he was. So far, the lack of blood hadn't scared him; if anything, it had thrilled him.
But once he saw blood, that might change.
Rēn suddenly stabbed his long blade into a tree trunk beside him. With his right hand, he reached into the ninja tool pouch at his waist and pulled out three shuriken. Chakra silently flowed into them. The power known as "The Knight Does Not Die Barehanded" activated, and in that instant, the three ordinary shuriken gained properties equal to D-rank tools.
"Go."
He flicked his wrist and threw them.
In the dark forest, faint rustling sounds echoed. The attackers were shifting positions.
"A bunch of fools. Underestimating the Uchiha is asking for trouble."
A cruel smile spread across Rēn's face.
The three shuriken collided mid-air after entering the forest. The sharp clang of metal rang out, and sparks burst in the dark. They veered onto completely different paths. A moment later, three distinct sounds came from the darkness.
The whine of splitting wood.
A dull thud of slicing flesh.
The splash of something falling into water.
"Hm. They are not bad. Only one taken out."
Rēn narrowed his eyes.
These attackers were stronger than he'd expected. Probably elite Anbu or Root agents. Uchiha shuriken-jutsu wasn't something just anyone could perform. It was a secret technique that only worked in tandem with the Sharingan.
Dodging that move meant they weren't weak.
"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets."
From the darkness, one of them activated ninjutsu first.
Wind bullets fired like high-speed rounds, forming a barrage so dense it resembled a human machine gun.
Thankfully, Shinobi were mobile weapons too. Rēn noticed the sudden surge in chakra within the shadows. Still holding Naruto, he grabbed the blade stuck in the tree and began leaping from branch to branch with cat-like swiftness and lightness. The ferocious attacks only tore through a few ancient trees. They didn't leave any marks on their real targets.
"Secret Technique: Mind Body Switch."
One of the attackers was from the Yamanaka clan.
"Idiot."
Rēn immediately twisted his body and used Naruto as a shield to absorb the spiritual attack.
Ordinary people couldn't see the mental energy when the Yamanaka used their techniques. But the Uchiha, masters of genjutsu and mental power, could sense the disturbance through the Sharingan. The three-tomoe Sharingan in Rēn's eyes picked up on the faint ripple of mental energy.
For someone of Rēn's level, even the smallest trace was enough to grasp the full picture.
Before the "Naruto" under his arm could react, Rēn lowered his gaze and made eye contact.
"Demonic Illusion: Shiranui."
A genjutsu of the Uchiha clan's ocular arts.
In the illusion, the enemy's body was engulfed in blazing fire. The soul-piercing pain shattered the Mind Body Switch instantly. Perched on a distant tree branch, the masked attacker let out a piercing shriek. The burning agony wasn't something an ordinary person could endure.
To be exact, pain on a spiritual level was even harder to withstand than pain in reality.
Clang.
A sharp impact from behind made Rēn stagger slightly.
Behind him, An attacker with a tachi wrapped in razor-sharp wind chakra cursed under his breath. His blade could cut through steel, and during past missions, he had sliced through hardened Earth Style users from Iwagakure with both armor and weapon in one stroke.
But this time, he failed.
The massive object on Rēn's back, wrapped in layers of bandages and shaped like a door panel, was even tougher than steel.
"Uchiha Style: Sword Flame Leap."
Rēn turned quickly. Flames ignited along his blade.
Innate skill: Mana Infusion (Flame). As chakra poured into the blade, roaring fire surged. Swinging the blazing sword, Rēn slashed down hard. The attacker, proficient in Wind Style, had clearly trained his taijutsu and kenjutsu to complement his chakra nature. He matched Rēn's movement and blocked the burning blade.
But Fire beats Wind.
The Wind Style chakra wrapped around the attacker's blade didn't cut through Rēn's fire. Instead, it fueled it. The growing flames engulfed his body. In just two breaths, the extreme heat ended his life.
Though it felt long, less than a minute had passed.
In under one minute, while carrying the burden of Naruto, Rēn had killed two enemies and seriously injured another.
His enemies were all elite among elites—clan shinobi with secret techniques, and Wind Style specialists trained in blade combat.