In the Land of Fire, amidst the lush forest, a black shadow flashed by, feet stepping on tree trunks, leaping several meters at a time, moving at high speed. His entire body was shrouded in a black cloak, a blood-stained white dog-head mask on his face, blood constantly seeping from the mask’s cracks—his injuries were severe.

A whistling sound cut through the air. The dog-head masked man twisted his body to dodge, a kunai grazing his clothes and leaving a spark in the air.

There was an explosive tag on the kunai!!

The dog-head masked man’s body froze for a moment and he hurriedly changed direction, but unfortunately, his heavy injuries slowed him down. Attacks he could have easily dodged before were now impossible to avoid. The violent explosion sent him flying, slamming him hard against a large tree, and finally he fell helplessly into the grass.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—

Before he could get up, a barrage of shuriken rained down on him, turning him into a pincushion and splattering blood and dust everywhere.

Three members of the Shadow Corps, wearing gray-white standard vests, leapt out from not far away. They wore identical faceless masks and carried tachi swords on their backs. Their bodies were stained with blood and scorched black, clearly having just gone through a fierce battle.

“Pathetic trick!” The leading Shadow Corps looked disdainfully at the corpse on the ground, flicked his hand, and shot a kunai, nailing it to a tree ahead.

The corpse on the ground turned into a pile of sludge, while the bark of the tree ahead peeled away, revealing the dog-head masked man gripping a tachi with one hand, a kunai embedded in his shoulder.

“The smell of blood is too strong! Oakleaf Anbu, surrender—you can’t escape. Surrender now, and at least you’ll die quickly. Unlike your companions, who I had to hack into pieces before they died… what a painful way to go!” The leading Shadow Corps spoke in a deep voice, constantly increasing the psychological pressure, intending to break his opponent’s will to fight.

As a border patrol squad, the three-man team had discovered traces of Oakleaf ninja activity in the Land of Water during a routine patrol. After a brutal pursuit, they managed to kill two Oakleaf Corps who stayed behind to buy time. Three against two, with a numerical advantage, they suffered no casualties, but were already at their limit. Moreover, the ruthless tactics of the Oakleaf Corps had truly shocked them—utterly ruthless, fearless of death, even the Shadow Corps of the Bloody Mist Village felt inferior in comparison.

The dog-head masked man said nothing, tore off his black cloak, revealing a fitted combat outfit, and threw the sack he was carrying to the ground, taking up a defensive stance. In the moonlight, it could be vaguely seen that there was a child inside the sack, but blood was seeping out, clearly indicating little hope for survival. The explosive tag hadn’t killed the dog-head masked man, but had killed the child in the sack.

The three Shadow Corps only glanced at it and paid no further attention. They surrounded him, preparing to finish the fight quickly. Although they knew the child in the sack was most likely kidnapped from the Land of Water by the Oakleaf Corps, the cold-blooded Shadow Ninja never cared about such things. Even if it was a child, they had witnessed too much death in their ninja careers to feel anything anymore.

“Finish it quickly—cut off his head and bring it back!”

The three Shadow Corps wasted no words, drew their swords, and engaged the dog-head masked man in close combat. Three Shadow Village inside the Land of Fire—if discovered, it would mean certain annihilation.

Ninja battles are always swift. Outnumbered three to one, the dog-head masked man stood no chance. In just a few exchanges, he was stabbed to death, though his reckless, all-offense swordsmanship still managed to leave a few wounds on the three Shadow Corps.

“When did Oakleaf ninja get this strong?” One Anbu cut off the dog-head masked man’s head, hastily treated his own wounds, and complained. He’d dealt with Oakleaf ninja before, but this time, the Oakleaf ninja were so ruthless to themselves it was like self-mutilation.

Even in the ninja world, those who don’t care about their own lives are the most terrifying.

“Maybe he wasn’t an ordinary Oakleaf Corps…” The leading Shadow Corps was uncertain. He’d never seen a Oakleaf ninja like this before. Rather than a ninja, he was more like a death-seeker, every move aimed at mutual destruction.

Just as the three were distracted for a moment, a gale swept in, scattering their formation.

“Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!”

The scattered Shadow Corps were shocked. After a long trek and several battles, their chakra was depleted and they no longer had the stamina to fight.

“Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!”

“Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!”

The high-temperature Phoenix Fire, mixed with shuriken and the powerful Earth Dragon Bullet, engulfed the three Shadow Corps scattered by the wind. The precise coordination and perfect timing took their lives in an instant. That’s how ninja battles are—fast, accurate, and deadly!

Another three Oakleaf Corps arrived, quickly checking the battlefield and gathering intelligence.

“There’s a survivor—there’s a child here.” One female Anbu, skilled in basic medical ninjutsu, treated the child in the sack, who was barely alive, and pulled him back from the brink of death.

“Take him back. He might know something.”

“Identities confirmed—all three are Shadow Corps. But…” another Anbu said, “there should be one more, supposedly our Oakleaf Anbu, but I can’t find any of the unique Anbu identification marks on him!”