Chapter 176: Hunting Kill

A gentle breeze brushed past, blowing away the smoke here, revealing the Land of Grass, this land riddled with scars and holes.

On the grassy edge of a forest, a group of Rock Ninja sped past, breaking the silence here.

This place is one of the battlefields where Leaf Village and Rock Ninja are clashing; just a few kilometers away, booming explosion sounds can sometimes be heard.

Occasionally, a huge spirit beast's silhouette flashes by, accompanied by massive flames, mingled with screams and explosion noises.

That is precisely the main battlefield where Dong Shilang's elders are stationed; these people merely, under their protection, carry out tasks such as guarding the flanks or holding the main camp.

It's not that the elders of this clan are cruel, insisting on sending their own youngsters to the battlefield early; as members of the Uchiha clan, they truly find it hard to do such a thing.

But the Leaf Village headquarters has assigned them a defensive position that is simply too large; with the strength of just one Uchiha family, how could they possibly match the entire Rock Ninja Village?

Even though these adults each fight desperately, killing enemies with their lives, the number of Rock Ninja has not decreased; on the contrary, as the seeds of hatred gather more and more, the ninja seeking revenge for those Rock Ninja killed by them grow ever more numerous.

"Everyone, listen up—our ninja have reported back intel: this side is being held by a bunch of Uchiha brats!"

"With our strength, we should be able to easily crush them, even strangle them in the cradle—all of that is possible!"

As the Jonin leading this hunt mission, this rock ninja, though not tall, gives off a sturdy impression; seeing that they have nearly arrived at the location, he begins to cheer on his subordinates.

A normal ninja squad basically consists of three people working together on a mission; those with four members are labeled as reinforced squads.

Of course, such squads also always include a one-master-three-disciples setup, a typical master‑disciple combination. However, such squads generally do not appear on the front‑line battlefield.

Such a place is utterly unsuitable for those novices still playing at "ninja games"; even their squad‑leading Jonin are usually elites hand‑picked from the village.

But bringing three deadweights into this cruel hellhole usually ends badly—either the leader sacrifices himself to cover a few disciples' breakout, or all his disciples are wiped out, leaving only him alive.

In the second case, the village has no good recourse; at most it simply sends this derelict Jonin to the front lines to fend for himself.

His squad this time consists entirely of Rock Ninja elite teams; hunting down a bunch of brats poses no difficulty at all.

Even if the opponent is the renowned "Uchiha" clan, that doesn't change the fact that they are merely a bunch of battlefield newcomers.

Furthermore, being able to trample those renowned noble heirs underfoot and listen to their fearful, agon‑filled, regretful wails before death arrives would be an utterly delightful pleasure……

Although I can't treat my own village's powerful clans this way, I've already decided: in this place I will torture to death every target of my mission this time.

This will also let me vent the resentment I've suffered in the village!

As he indulged in these thoughts, the Jonin clad in a red undershirt and a sand‑yellow Rock Ninja vest, with a square face, revealed a cruel smile that did not match his appearance.

"Oh! Kill these brats and avenge our fallen comrades……"

A uniform, synchronized reply echoed through the forest's edge.

From time to time one can see individual Rock Ninja—either following their comrades with numb, mechanical expressions, or with eyes blood‑red from frenzied excitement, behaving more like a beast about to devour prey than a human.

"Captain Gangshan, there's a situation~"

As the squad's sensory ninja, serving as the team's eyes, at this moment he sensed an abnormality and issued his warning.

This Rock Ninja, who looks under sixteen, has a baby face; his oversized Rock Ninja uniform hangs loosely on him.

"What's wrong, Qingyan? Is there something off in the enemy's woods?"

Saying that, he halted his steps and simultaneously looked toward this junior he thought highly of, his eyes showing inquiry.

He had long noticed that grove; as a thirty‑year‑old veteran Jonin, his eyes never left it as he approached.

Nearby there is hardly any advantageous terrain; except for this grove, the area can easily conceal the brats' tracks, making it convenient for them to pull little tricks.

How could this "old oil‑tube" possibly overlook that?!

Before, the reason he motivated his companions before entering the woods was to build momentum, so as to scare any brats that might be present on the other side.

That would impose psychological pressure on the enemy; if they could reveal any weakness, that would be even better—for instance, now……

"It seems our target is quite cunning! Although they're just a bunch of brats, they also know to seize advantageous terrain beforehand and set up an ambush!"

"Ha! Ha! Ha! So‑called Uchiha bloodline is nothing more than this!"

While saying this, he gestured to Qingyan, indicating where the brats were, while also telling his companions to prepare for an attack.

"The opponent is really immature!"

Merely seeing their enemies arrive, plus a bit of verbal provocation from him, was enough to expose a flaw, allowing his side's sensory ninja to sense it in advance.

This kind of newcomer is his favorite.

Unfamiliar, nervous, unable to conceal their thoughts—this lets his experienced ninja easily see through them.

At the same time, they fail to realize how cruel the ninja profession can be; it often turns them angry, out of control, and full of mistakes for the sake of so‑called comrades, family, or bonds.

Watching them, because they face imminent death or witness the death of a comrade they care about, they become helpless, collapse, and burst into tears……

Such brats…… to kill them……

Only then can it make people even happier!

"The targets are fourteen people, all hidden at the edge of the woods, less than fifty meters from us; judging by chakra reactions, only two are at the level of special Jonin!"

With eyes closed and mind focused, Qingyan sensed the enemy's situation; meanwhile, he reported what he felt from his mouth, and without stopping his hand, he drew a large handful of shuriken and flung them toward the direction he had sensed.