In the stillness of the night, Hozuki Tao, a seasoned and battle-hardened shinobi, found himself restless. His usual calm demeanour was replaced by an undercurrent of unease that twisted through his thoughts like a shadowy serpent.

The moon's silvery glow bathed his bed, yet its serene light failed to dispel the haunting premonitions that lingered in the air.

Tao's mind, which was usually sharp and focused, was now clouded with a foreboding sense of the unknown. The recent raids they had, successful as they were, failed to soothe the disquiet within him.

The surrounding villages and towns, victims of their calculated strikes, offered little solace. It was as if a subtle discord resonated beneath the surface of their victories.

The weight of his thoughts pressed upon him like an unseen burden and His instincts, finely tuned from years of experience, whispered warnings that transcended the tangible realm of battle.

In the silent moments between each twist of his body on the bed, Tao's mind raced through the myriad possibilities. Was it a prelude to a greater threat? A harbinger of unforeseen challenges? The abstract nature of his disquiet left him grappling with uncertainties that defied rational explanation.

Together with his elder brothers, Yagi and Kojima, they were once proud members of the esteemed Hozuki clan, renowned for their distinct water-based techniques. Unfortunately for the trio, they faced a turning point that shattered the very foundations of their lives.

The pivotal moment arrived when they undertook an ill-fated mission, the assassination of the formidable White Fang of Konoha. The mission proved to be a formidable challenge, and the brothers found themselves on the losing end. Sakumo thwarted their attempts, turning their actions into a haunting failure.

The repercussions of this failure were great, staining their once-illustrious name with shame. The brothers were expelled from their clan and cast out.

Even their familial ties to Gengetsu Hozuki, the Second Mizukage and their great uncle, failed to shield them from the harsh judgment of the clan elders.

Faced with the irreparable damage to their honour, the trio chose the path of rogue ninjas, abandoning the village that had once been their home.

The decision to become rogue ninjas marked the beginning of their journey as Bandits, away from the structured life they had previously known.

The Land of Mountains, with its rocky cliffs and dense forests, provided ample cover for their base of operations as they were seeking to remain hidden from the prying eyes of the shinobi world. Or at least they tried to.

As Tao was reminiscing about the past, his heightened senses picked up on a subtle disturbance within his activated chakra field.

Years of living on the edge as a rogue ninja had honed his instincts, and the ever-present threat of being hunted had become a constant companion.

Paranoia and a survival instinct dictated his actions, and he rarely let his guard down, even in the supposed safety of their hidden sanctuary.

'Someone is coming!'

Tao sat up in his makeshift bed, He used chakra on his eyes making them glow as they darted around the dimly lit cave, searching for any signs of intrusion.

His brothers, Yagi and Kojima, were roused from their slumber by Tao's sudden alertness.

'What is wrong Tao?' Yagi inquired.

Tao's hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his Kunai, a reflex honed by the constant awareness of imminent danger.

'I have sensed someone c-'

Tao's attempt to inform his brothers was drowned out by sudden tremors and the deafening roar of the collapsing cave. Rocks and debris began to rain down, obscuring the already dimly lit space with dust and disarray.

With a final, thunderous groan, the cave succumbed to the relentless assault, sealing the trio, alongside other ninjas under them, within its stony embrace.

=====

[17 Hours Earlier]

Aoi Miwato gestured towards the tactical maps, indicating various points of interest. "The rogue ninjas have been operating in the border regions, avoiding confrontation with our forces. Villages on the outskirts have reported attacks, thefts, murder, rape, and disruptions in their daily lives. We believe they are using guerrilla tactics, making them elusive."

Renjiro, Aiko, and Hiro listened attentively, absorbing the details of the situation. Aoi Miwato continued, "Our scouts have identified three potential locations where the rogue ninja might be hiding. However, we lack the manpower to launch simultaneous attacks. This is where your team comes in. We need to launch coordinated attacks simultaneously and eliminate the threat swiftly and decisively."

Riku nodded in understanding. "Understood, Aoi Miwato-sama. We will work with your forces to ensure a coordinated effort. If you can provide any specific details about the rogue ninjas' abilities as well as their number and composition, that would help."

Aoi Miwato shared his knowledge, the rogue group consisted of one or two jounins, twenty chunins and numerous Genins. All these figures were a rough estimate as the knowledge was derived from speculations.

'With that number, do they expect this to be a D-ranked mission? This is a complete force and we only arrived a jounin and three genins.'

Renjiro was surprised when he heard the approximate figure of the enemy forces. He hoped that the forces from Osaka had countless chunins otherwise, there would be no need to undertake this mission.

"They seem to favour elemental ninjutsu, particularly water-based techniques. Together with me, we have twelve Chunins, twenty Genins and one Jounin. I am sure with your help we will be more than enough to eliminate those scums."

They decided to split their forces into three groups. Two groups would be led by a jounin while the last one with an Elite Chunin. Elite Chunins were at the cusp of the chunin ranks but their expertise in one of their abilities propelled them to a pseudo-jounin rank.

Since one of the three presumed locations was a significant distance from the two, Aoi would attack it and Riku would attack the remaining two.

Renjiro was confident he could take the two Jounis or in the worst-case scenario, hold them off till Aoi returned. They agreed to attack the next day since Team 15 was still fatigued from their long journey. They spent the whole day resting and preparing for the ambush.

At night, the teams dispersed each heading towards their designated target zones. As they approached the targetted area, Riku signalled for the team to halt.

"We need to proceed with caution. The rogue ninja might be aware of our presence. Try your best to erase your Chakra signatures."

The last statement was mainly directed to his genins as he was sure were not yet qualified to perform it flawlessly, all apart from Renjiro. This was a technique they learnt recently, and they were still getting the ropes of it.

They quietly reached their targets when Riku stopped them and went further ahead.

Riku's hands moved swiftly through a series of hand seals. As his palms slammed onto the ground, a powerful jutsu was unleashed.

The earth beneath the team's feet responded violently, sending shockwaves through the ground.

The peaks surrounding their location quivered as the earth itself seemed to groan in response to the jutsu's activation.

Massive rocks and boulders tumbled down the slopes, creating a cascade of obstacles for the rouge shinobi.

"Great Tremor Jutsu!" Riku muttered.

'Damn! He is a walking calamity. Actually most jounin and above shinobi are.' Renjiro surmised as he watched the situation unfold. He had made a habit of activating his Sharingan whenever a ninjutsu was used.

It was informative as it gave Renjiro a whole different perspective on how Ninjutsu worked. Renjiro was definitely not trying to copy the jutsus he saw.

"This should limit their mobility and confine them. Let's move in and secure the targets."

Hearing that, the shinobi behind him adjusted their positions, ready to engage any rogue ninjas attempting to escape the cascading rocks.

The dust settled, revealing the altered terrain and the remnants of the once towering peaks.

A chunin sensor yelled, ''They are some who are still alive, brace yourselves!!' he urged his team members to stay alert.

Soon enough, a group of rogue ninjas limped out of the collapsed terrain. Their bodies bore the marks of the cascading rocks. Despite the damage, the surviving rogue shinobihinobi showed a determination to resist capture.

Renjiro activated his Sharingan and chakra field, focusing on the chakra signatures of the emerging adversaries. His eyes widened as something hit him.

''They've got three jounins!'' He couldn't help but blurt out loud.

=====

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