From Konoha Village to Sunagakure, traveling at full speed required two days.
Using the journey to reorganize his thoughts, because he was thinking while doing parkour, his speed was not particularly fast. He fell to the middle of the formation.
At this moment, Itachi fell beside him, lowering his voice.
"Senpai."
Shuji glanced at him and discovered a trace of unease between Itachi's brows.
"What happened?"
"After father returned last night, he said the Third questioned him about the Police Force's night patrol situation and the Uchiha clan's internal status."
"Mm?" Seemed like no problem.
Wait.
Saying this means.
"The village suspects the Uchiha?"
Itachi's lips pressed into a line.
Why suspect the Uchiha again? This isn't...
Shuji suddenly became alert. It really might be the Uchiha. Not one inside the village, but the one outside it.
If he originally had no clue how the Cloud envoy moved mysteriously through Konoha, now he truly understood.
Then, during mission execution, the one spying on them might have been Uchiha Obito.
Coming for Itachi?
Forget it. Considering this now was meaningless.
"I understand."
After Shuji replied, Itachi again suppressed his emotions, focusing on the mission. Senpai already knew. He would naturally pay attention to subsequent problems.
One day's time, leaving Fire Country, reaching River Country. This time because the target was Sunagakure, they did not pass through Koizumi Town but went via FunFun Street instead.
Subsequently they still had to cross River Canyon, exit River Country, pass through Narrow Sky, before reaching their destination.
When the canyon's jagged stone walls cast massive shadows, Namiashi Raidō at the formation's forefront suddenly stopped, raising one hand in a silent warning signal.
Shiranui Genma fell beside Shuji, the senbon in his mouth motionless. "Something's wrong ahead. Ground and rock wall dust settlement shows deliberate covering traces. There are traps, more than one, very professional setup."
Traps?
In River Canyon, this kind of area that ordinary people and merchant caravans avoided besides shinobi, with relatively complex environment, someone preset traps? For whom?
The Cloud envoy incident just passed yesterday. News dissemination needed time. Enemy reaction, mobilizing personnel, presetting ambush... there simply wasn't enough time...
Shuji said, "Please watch my position shortly."
Boar-Dog-Rooster-Snake-Ram.
Wind Release: Cicada Shell Resonance Breaking Technique!
High-frequency oscillating wind waves burst from his mouth. Visible pale cyan ripples spread rapidly like water ripples, sweeping across the seemingly ordinary ground and rock walls ahead.
The air emitted a subtle yet piercing buzz. Where ripples passed, originally empty ground and tree trunks suddenly revealed large patches of ink-colored incantation marks, as if instantly sketched by an invisible brush.
Almost at the same instant!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Dense kunai and shuriken shot from jagged rock shadows on both sides. The targets were not the Konoha people but those just-exposed ink-colored incantation zones.
More invisible binding seals suddenly condensed in the air, attempting to entangle and lock those marked nodes—a typical combination of triggered traps and binding seals.
Shuji raised another breath in his chest. The oscillating wind wave range suddenly expanded!
However, just as the ripples expanded, over a dozen kunai carrying dozens of shuriken shot toward Shuji mid-technique!
"Tch!" Genma spat and flashed.
Namiashi Raidō and Tatami Iwashi followed closely. The three like three intersecting black shadows precisely blocked and deflected the dense projectiles shooting toward Shuji. The crisp sound of metal collisions merged into one in the canyon.
Seeing the carefully arranged trap failed to work, from behind jagged boulders on both canyon sides, eight earth-yellow figures peeled from the rocks like shedding skin, pouncing down with fierce killing intent.
Movements swift, coordination tacit. Forehead protectors glinted especially bright in sunlight—Iwagakure!
The target was extremely clear. At least five people charged straight at Shuji!
The leading Iwa shinobi formed hand seals. Ground instantly softened, becoming muddy quicksand coiling toward Shuji and others' ankles.
Simultaneously, several explosive kunai shot through the air.
"Scatter!"
As Shuji issued orders, his hands had already heavily struck the not-yet-fully-softened ground!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosive kunai slammed into earth walls, exploding into clusters of fire and dust. Stone fragments flew!
Before smoke cleared, Namiashi Raidō shot from the pervasive dust. He gripped a black blade, locking onto an Iwa chūnin attempting to flank with slightly sluggish movements.
The black blade cut into gaps in the other's hasty kunai defense, stabbing viciously into the ribs!
That Iwa shinobi's eyes bulged. His face instantly covered with a terrifying layer of blue-black. His body convulsed violently as he fell, the kunai in his hand clattering to the ground.
Anko blocked two Iwa shinobi trying to bypass the earth wall and rush Shuji. She threw her kunai forcing one back while her sleeves suddenly swelled!
Several bowl-thick dark brown vipers suddenly bit at the Iwa shinobi.
One viper had its head severed by the opponent's kunai, but two others coiled around an Iwa shinobi's arm and neck, fangs deeply embedded in flesh.
That Iwa shinobi released a piercing scream, desperately tearing at them. Yet he was coiled tighter and tighter. His face rapidly purpled. Struggling strength visibly weakened until he went limp.
Just as she killed one, sharp stone spikes suddenly thrust from beneath Anko's feet. The kunoichi agilely stepped back to avoid them.
Shiranui Genma moved flexibly, spitting senbon from his mouth at one person, forcing an Iwa shinobi to dodge awkwardly. His kunai firmly suppressed another Iwa shinobi. Fighting one against two, he actually steadily held the advantage with ease.
Tatami Iwashi faced a short-statured Iwa shinobi with tricky movements. The two confronted each other, momentarily stalemated.
Itachi soundlessly appeared at the side-rear of an Iwa shinobi about to throw explosive tags down at the melee zone from above. The Iwa shinobi sensing wrong turned his head, only meeting those Sharingan eyes.
The kunai in his hand drew a cold arc across the opponent's throat. Uchiha Itachi immediately turned to support Tatami Iwashi.
Combat instant, eight ambushers became five.
The leading Iwa jōnin witnessed the battle situation sharply reverse. Fierce light blazed in his eyes. His hands formed seals again, slamming a fist into the ground!
Earth Release: Earth Flow River!
Genma, Raidō, and Iwashi reacted extremely fast, simultaneously exerting force to leap, attempting to open distance. Anko and Itachi also swiftly retreated behind Shuji.
Facing the surging earth-stone flood, chakra around Shuji erupted like substance.
"Earth Release: Quicksand Coffin Seal Technique."
He was not defending but using even more powerful chakra to take control of that sand-turned earth!
The rushing earth-stone flow, upon approaching Shuji, seemed controlled by an invisible giant hand, suddenly changing flow direction. Instead it lunged toward three Iwa shinobi whose forms slightly stalled from technique backlash, unable to dodge in time!
Sand and stone, under chakra control, coiled up like living creatures, instantly swallowing and tightening around the three!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Three crude stone coffins formed from instantly condensed sand and stone rose from the ground!
Shuji's palms slammed together!
From inside the coffins came muffled, brief crushing and shattering sounds, along with piercing screams that stopped abruptly.
Battle status: six to zero.
Chapters in advance there: patreon.com/Thaniel_a_goodchild