The Hidden Sentry's body had just tensed before stiffening in place, bound tightly by an invisible Chakra shackle.
Without a moment's hesitation, Qi reversed his grip on the ninja sword, the blade sweeping past the opponent's neck. Warm blood splattered on the wall as the sentry collapsed limply to the ground, not even having time to let out half a cry. The entire process took less than three seconds, as clean and effortless as cutting through rotten wood.
The four Chunin guarding the dungeon entrance had just sensed the disturbance when Xiu and Yue materialized like ghosts.
"Genjutsu: Temple of Nirvana Technique!" Their Sharingan eyes lit up simultaneously as their Chakra transformed into an invisible soundwave that swept over them. The eyes of the two outermost Chunin instantly glazed over as they slumped to the ground.
The remaining two had just begun to form hand seals when Xiu's Kunai pierced the heart of the one on the left. Yue spun around, kicking the ninja sword out of the right Chunin's grasp, before pinning him against the stone wall with a backhand and drawing a blade across his throat. Their movements were synchronized like mirror images.
"Quick, inside!" Xiu barked a low command, and Genki immediately lunged towards the dungeon's iron door.
Under the insight of the Sharingan, the lock was useless. He injected Chakra into his fingertips and gave it a gentle twist. With a soft 'click', the iron door was silently pushed open.
A wave of putrid and bloody stench assailed them. A woman's startled cry came from deep within the dungeon—Genki's pupils contracted sharply. In the innermost cell, a Grass Ninja with a brutish face was pinning a red-haired woman to the ground, his mouth open as he was about to bite her neck. Beside the woman, a crying infant lay discarded on the floor. Nearby, a Red-haired Man, bound in chains, struggled and let out a hoarse roar.
"Looking for death!" Genki roared in anger, hurling his short flute backwards like a throwing knife aimed straight for the back of the Grass Ninja's head.
The Grass Ninja had just heard the sound of the wind, but before he could even turn around, Genki had already closed the distance. His ninja sword left its sheath at his waist, a flash of cold light—
"Thud!" The Grass Ninja's head rolled on the ground, blood spraying all over the red-haired girl.
Without pause, Genki's Sharingan blazed Crimson: "Genjutsu: Chirping of Crickets!"
A soundwave swept through the entire dungeon. All the prisoners instantly went vacant-eyed, even the red-haired mother's cries cut off abruptly.
Xiu and Yue rushed in right behind him. They were about to signal Genki to evacuate the Uzumaki mother and daughter when their gazes suddenly froze on the corner of the cell—there, curled up, was a Red-haired Man. Though his clothes were ragged and his body covered in wounds, he couldn't hide the steady Chakra fluctuations around him. His features bore a seventy percent resemblance to the red-haired infant.
"An unexpected gain." Xiu's eyes narrowed sharply. He made an immediate decision. "Take them all! Qi will cover our rear outside. Everyone else, follow! Break through while it's chaotic!"
At this moment, the Grass Ninja Village was still asleep. The four's assault was swift as lightning; even the dungeon's oil lamps were still flickering.
Genki bent down and hoisted the terrified red-haired infant (this was Uzumaki Karin) onto his shoulder. Yue grabbed the Red-haired Man and slung him over his shoulder.
Xiu severed the red-haired woman's chains and scooped her up in his arms.
The four turned and charged out of the dungeon. Qi was already guarding the entrance, his Sharingan vigilantly scanning the street's end.
Just as the four were about to burst through the Grass Ninja Village's east gate, a shrill roar tore through the night sky: "Enemy attack! The dungeon guards are all dead!"
It was the patrol arriving to change shifts who had discovered the bodies.
In an instant, alarm horns blared wildly throughout the village. Lights in every household lit up simultaneously. Hundreds of Grass Ninja, wearing sleepwear and carrying Ninja tools, rushed out of their doors, swarming towards the dungeon direction. Dense, countless figures spread out like an ant colony.
"Go!" Qi gave Yue a fierce shove, then turned to face the pursuers himself.
His hands flew through hand seals. Chakra erupted in his chest like a volcano. His Crimson Sharingan reflected the surging figures: "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
"Boom!" An overwhelming torrent of flames spewed from Qi's mouth, surging forward like lava, instantly igniting over a dozen thatched huts near the dungeon.
The raging fire devoured the wooden structures, emitting crackling and popping sounds. Thick, billowing smoke rose straight into the sky, completely blocking the pursuers' line of sight.
Seizing the chance, Qi created four Shadow Clones. The Clones simultaneously formed hand seals: "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Four massive fireballs slammed down towards the east, south, west, and north directions. The Grass Ninja Village was instantly plunged into a sea of fire.
"Put out the fires! Don't let them escape!" the Grass Ninja Village captain roared, but the flames had already connected into a single inferno. The soldiers were either fighting the fires or chasing the intruders, their formation instantly thrown into chaos.
Qi's Shadow Clones deliberately exposed themselves, weaving through the fire sea and setting more blazes, leading the pursuers in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Xiu and the other three had already broken through the east gate, rendezvoused with Crimson who was waiting outside for support, and were speeding away towards the Ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.
Seeing his companions' figures disappear into the night, Qi gave a cold laugh. He turned and used a Body Flicker Technique to escape the fire sea, withdrawing along the predetermined route.
Behind him, the Grass Ninja Village was ablaze, cries and roars rising and falling, but they could no longer catch up to those few dark-clad figures who had vanished deep into the dense forest.
Qi touched the ninja sword at his waist. Traces of the Grass Ninja's blood still stained the blade—this raid had not only rescued the target but also netted a mysterious Red-haired Man. An unexpected bonus.
At the same time, the mangrove forest in the Ruins of the Land of Whirlpools stretched its gnarled branches in the twilight.
The once-prosperous capital of the Uzumaki clan had long since turned into broken walls and ruins. Between the shattered bricks and tiles grew waist-deep wild grass. The wind howled through the collapsed palace pillars, making a mournful sound as if recounting the demise of this ancient clan.
Three dark-clad figures stepped over the moss-covered ground, stopping before a clearing deep in the mangrove forest—here, hidden beneath dense tree canopies where even moonlight barely penetrated, was the base location Uchiha Chen had chosen.
"This is the place." Chen knelt on one knee, pressing his palm against the damp soil. Chakra seeped into the ground like a fine spiderweb.
As a Ninja skilled in Earth Release defenses, he could clearly sense the natural cavern structure thirty meters underground. The rock layers were hard and offered excellent sealing properties, making it a naturally hidden location.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his temple and turned to the two beside him. "Hien, set up three layers of poison mist traps around the clearing. Use 'Heart-Rot Grass' mixed with poison, leaving only the clan crest mark as a safe passage."
"Jin, patrol a three-mile radius outside the area. Eliminate any wild Ninja or scouts that might be lurking to ensure we aren't disturbed during construction."
"Understood." Hien responded, pulling out over a dozen specially crafted clay jars from her medicine pouch. The jars were etched with intricate patterns and contained ground Heart-Rot Grass powder.
She moved with light steps along the edge of the clearing, burying a jar every three paces, injecting Chakra into her fingertips to activate the mechanism—
Once an outsider stepped inside, the jars would automatically shatter, releasing a colorless, odorless poison mist. Even a Jonin would have their nerves instantly paralyzed upon inhalation.
Her movements were precise and calm, her profile appearing especially sharp in the dappled forest light.
Jin, shouldering his short sword, shot into the woods like an arrow, leaving only an afterimage behind...
Advance chapter available on pãtrêon Got1808