Land of Iron, Eastern Region
On one of the nation's less-traveled routes, crossing impassable forests and mountains, a group of eight ninjas makes their way swiftly, as if no obstacle matters.
Most of the ninjas have dark skin and wear white uniforms, indicating their affiliation with Kumogakure. At the head of the group is an elderly man, reflected in his white hair and long beard, although he has a fairly muscular build and an intimidating aura. Osuke Kanemura, elite jounin and captain of one of Kumogakure's few elite teams, specialized in completing A and S grade missions.
Along with Osuke's team travels a regular jounin team, led by Taiki Kaneki. Both groups have the important mission of delivering a precious shipment of chakra metal to the land of iron, a task personally entrusted to them by the Raikage. A mission that seems easy and perhaps routine to some, but one that everyone takes very seriously.
A journey that would normally take four days has taken the group almost seven, as they haven't used any of the usual routes and have spent most of the time traversing dense forests. But it all seems to end when their destination, Fujino City, is near.
Osuke is a man of great experience and has undertaken this type of mission more times than he can remember, so he knows all too well the dangers involved, especially when it comes to information leaks, which are almost always the fault of those outside the village.
"Taiki, you and your group go ahead. The city should be less than half an hour away. Make sure you don't see anyone suspicious around or at the entrance. If everything is okay, let the blacksmith know we're arriving. The transfer of the cargo should be as simple and quick as possible," Osuke orders Taiki, who nods and speeds off with his team toward the city.
The terrain gradually changes, shifting from forests to wide fields of crops, and the group finally connects with the main road, which after a few minutes brings them within sight of the city of Fujino. Along the way, they are met by one of the advance team members, who informs them that there seems to be no trouble.
Osuke, feeling more confident, leads his group to the city gate, where their identities are verified and they are immediately admitted.
The relief of the entire group can be felt, all tired of living for more than a week in the forests and inhospitable lands, eager to rest once their mission is accomplished.
As the group makes their way through the city, Osuke begins to feel something strange, a sort of premonition that something bad is going to happen. He immediately begins to observe his surroundings and orders his group's sensory specialist to do the same, but they both find nothing amiss, perhaps in part due to the chaotic nature of a vast city.
By the time they reach the blacksmith's workshop, Taiki and the rest of the advance party greet them at the main entrance, along with the blacksmith himself and his samurai guard. But the feeling inside Osuke doesn't go away, growing stronger as they approach the blacksmith.
Osuke stops a few feet from the blacksmith and looks at Taiki, who at first reacts strangely, but then realizes something is wrong, given Osuke's serious expression.
"Captain..." is all Taiki manages to say before the sound of breaking rocks puts everyone on alert and a cloud of dust rises in front of Osuke.
All the ninjas draw their weapons and begin to search for enemies, just as the samurai draw their swords and begin dragging the blacksmith into the workshop. But Taiki looks at his captain in horror, noticing a huge bloodstain beginning to form on his chest, and then at the ground, where a hole has appeared that has fractured several rocks along the path.
With reddened eyes and blood pouring from his lips, Osuke manages to cry out with difficulty, "Ambush!" before immediately collapsing face first onto the ground.
Then chaos erupts. Taiki and another ninja drag Osuke into the residence, while the others prepare to confront several individuals who begin to appear from the surrounding buildings.
Shurikens, kunais, and various ninjutsus are thrown at the enemies, but everything is repelled by strange force fields surrounding the attackers, who respond with invisible and very difficult-to-dodge sword attacks.
Suddenly, another ninja falls to the ground from an attack similar to the one that hit Osuke, this time in the ninja's stomach. The ninja does his best to retreat, but ends up decapitated by one of the invisible attacks.
Taiki prepares to enter combat alongside his companions, but is stopped by the dying Osuke, who hands him a scroll: "The mission is compromised... The enemy is superior... You are the fastest of all... Run away and inform the Raikage..."
Taiki looks around only once, realizing how catastrophic the situation is. He acts immediately, releasing a large amount of electricity from his body, then escapes at incredible speed through the back of the building, making his way across the rooftops.
It was at that moment that an individual dressed in a full-body black cloak appeared next to Osuke, who appeared to be on the verge of death. A flick of the sword and the ninja's head was severed from his body.
"I hate chases," the individual said in a feminine voice, clearly indicating that she was a woman.
The woman disappears toward Taiki, who can barely be seen in the distance.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the building, the ninjas' resistance is no match for the swordsmen's advance, who, despite wearing heavy armor, advance unstoppably, literally cutting through the walls to enter the workshop.
The remaining ninjas, only three, retreat to the heart of the workshop, where dozens of samurai have gathered to protect the blacksmith. Several flares are launched into the air, requesting help from the city authorities.
The enemies surround the last structure. One of the ninjas executes a powerful electric justu, launching a massive discharge of lightning toward the front of a gathering of enemies, but one of the warriors, wearing conspicuous white armor, stops it with a massive force field and counterattacks with a powerful blast of air, which is resisted by the ninjas.
The situation seems at a standstill, as the attackers pause for a moment, giving the ninjas time to breathe and wait for reinforcements from the city. But everything changes when an individual appears among the warriors, wearing heavy black armor and a red demon mask, walking fearlessly toward the ninjas.
The attacks rain down on the warrior, but he withstands them without difficulty, using the most powerful force field yet. The individual then begins to emit a yellow aura and brandishes two strange, staff-like instruments.
A flash of red, two almost illusory lines, moving as fast as the blink of an eye, and it's all over. The ninjas, samurai, and the unfortunate blacksmith all end up sliced in half.
The warriors behind the individual let out gasps of surprise. Some freeze in horror, and others vomit into their masks.
The scene is terrifying, as some samurai and ninjas remain alive despite being cut in half. Suddenly, the entire workshop begins to crumble, as the attack ended up severing the pillars.
"You took too long to deal with them," says the angry voice of the individual, a synthetic male voice. "Now deal with the mess and look for the valuables."
Then another individual appears on the scene, dressed in armor very similar to that of the man who just exterminated everyone, but this time it's clear she's a woman, wearing a flat mask with no visible holes.
"How's the perimeter?" the man asks.
"Apparently only one ninja managed to escape, and Shizuki is after him. The rest is under control, and we should have a few minutes before the authorities arrive, if they dare," the woman replies, her voice equally synthetic.
The man looks at the disaster around him and at his subordinates searching through the rubble, then sighs and says, "We have a lot to learn."