The distance was too great for Shawn to hear what the Sky Ninja were saying.
But whatever they were discussing no longer mattered.
The fish were already in the net—there was no reason to show mercy.
A Shadow Clone stepped out from within the tree.
Its hand rose.
Boom!
A corpse detonated.
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Flames and smoke erupted violently.
That explosion became the signal.
Before the Sky Ninja could even react, the remaining bodies exploded one after another.
Fire.
Shockwaves.
Screams.
The Sky Ninja squad was instantly swallowed by chaos.
Shawn's traps were not trigger-based.
They were manual—and brutally simple.
Explosive tags had been hidden beneath the clothes of every corpse.
Careful inspection meant nothing.
When the smoke finally dispersed—
One Sky Ninja staggered out from behind an earth wall he had raised himself.
Only he remained standing.
The rest were either dead on the spot or gravely injured—
including both team leaders.
The survivor shook his head dazedly and staggered forward to help—
Then black swarms of insects burst out of the ground.
They engulfed him completely.
After a few futile struggles—
Thud.
He collapsed.
That was when Shawn and the others emerged.
"Flybug," Shawn ordered calmly,
"leave one alive. Ask whether there are more Sky Ninja—or other forces involved."
"Understood."
Aburame Feiyi released his insects, dividing them into several streams.
Every body—dead or alive—was bitten.
In the end, only the female squad leader was left.
Using the same interrogation method Shawn had once used on Tsuya Naoya,
she broke after losing just one ear.
She confessed everything.
Shawn listened quietly, a smile forming beneath his mask.
"Cloud Ninja… so I wasn't wrong."
"No wonder the Sky Ninja went insane—
they've got backing."
"Too bad… I wonder how reliable that backing really is."
With a cold chuckle, Shawn turned away.
The woman was executed.
Feiyi followed close behind.
Reunion
Soon, the four rejoined Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.
Shawn spoke bluntly:
"All Sky Ninja are eliminated. But there's a complication."
"The Sky Ninja were cooperating with the Cloud Village.
There are Cloud Ninja currently in the Land of Hot Water."
"They were originally supposed to intervene—but were refused by the Sky Ninja."
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
"So there is a stronger force pushing things from behind."
Tsunade frowned.
"You're planning to deal with the Cloud Ninja too?"
Shawn answered flatly:
"Your mission is complete.
Ours is not."
"Root exists to protect Konoha from the shadows."
"Anyone who threatens the village—Sky Ninja or Cloud Ninja—must be removed."
The three Sannin fell silent.
After a moment, Orochimaru spoke:
"We don't even know how many Cloud Ninja are present, do we?"
Feiyi replied:
"We only know one Sky–Cloud contact point.
One Cloud squad is confirmed."
"Hidden forces are unknown."
Tsunade immediately snapped:
"That's far too dangerous!"
"There will be more Cloud Ninja hiding nearby."
"You'll be surrounded."
Jiraiya nodded.
"We should report this to Konoha first."
Shawn didn't even pause.
"Then go back."
He turned and walked away.
Feiyi and the others followed immediately.
They didn't agree with Shawn's decision—
But by now, they no longer questioned his orders.
And… he wasn't wrong.
Tsunade stared at their retreating backs.
"Madman…"
Jiraiya sighed.
"They make me feel ashamed."
Orochimaru glanced sideways.
"So you've decided to follow them?"
Tsunade and Jiraiya nodded.
Jiraiya said:
"They helped us earlier."
"This is returning the favor."
Orochimaru didn't bother responding—
he simply started walking.
Plan in Motion
They soon caught up.
Tsunade called out:
"Hey! Do you even have a battle plan?"
Shawn replied without turning around:
"Call me 'Kou'."
"The plan is simple."
"We draw the Cloud Ninja out."
"When the hidden ones appear—
you move."
The three exchanged glances.
Tsunade nodded.
"Fine."
"But shouldn't we gather more intelligence first?"
Shawn answered calmly:
"They know the terrain better than we do."
"The longer we wait, the easier it is to be exposed."
"You're the Third Hokage's disciples.
Stronger than us."
"That should be enough."
Jiraiya laughed.
"Haha! Fair point."
"You guys aren't weak either."
Tsunade silently cursed him for being an idiot.
The Spark
At dusk, they arrived outside a small town.
The Sky–Cloud contact point was a single inn inside.
Shawn didn't rush in.
He ate a soldier pill, drank water, rested for half an hour—
Then used Transformation Technique, entering with Inuzuka Ling and the others disguised as merchants.
Friendly Commerce Inn.
Shawn glanced at the signboard and stepped inside.
The instant he entered the lobby—
His eyes met those of a middle-aged man reading a newspaper on the sofa.
Their gazes locked.
Both reacted instantly.
Enemy.
Shawn turned—canceling his transformation mid-motion.
His right hand dropped to his sword.
His left hand rose.
Crescent Moon Dance!
At the same moment—
The man kicked a table flying at Shawn and let out a sharp whistle.
Upstairs, two Cloud Ninja shot to their feet.
Across the street, three more burst through a window.
Outside the inn, Inuzuka Ling and the others were still at the entrance.
The battle erupted instantly.
Close-Quarters Slaughter
Inside the lobby—
Shawn cleaved the flying table in half.
Two shadow clones struck from both sides.
In the confined space—
Wood splinters flew.
Screams rang out.
The middle-aged man lost an arm—
his chest split open by a blade.
As the clone moved in to finish him—
A storm of shuriken roared in.
The clone vanished.
Shawn spun his sword into a blur—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Every shuriken was deflected.
Two Cloud Ninja charged in, blades drawn.
Lightning crackled along one of their swords.
Buzz—!
Wind chakra surged into Shawn's blade.
He lunged forward—
One against two.
Outside, Sarutobi Atsu fired a signal flare.
Feiyi and Inuzuka Ling intercepted three Cloud Ninja.
Reinforcements Arrive
Beyond the town—
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru saw the signal flare explode in the sky.
They leapt forward.
The second battle had begun.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/KidDude296