Chapter 216 : Immediate attack
The temporary encampment of the Sunagakure main force, within the main tent of the field headquarters.
"What did you say—"
The patrol Ninja nearby heard a half-finished exclamation from inside the tent. Before he could make out the syllables, the latter half of the sound was abruptly cut off as if by a sharp blade, leaving only the rustling of the tent canvas in the wind. Even the previous sound seemed like an illusion.
It seemed as if nothing had happened.
The Ninja exchanged glances, then refocused their attention on guarding against any movement around them.
However, the atmosphere inside the tent was not as calm as outside. A turbulent mix of anxiety and anger surged among everyone, like a vast net cast over their heads.
The Sunagakure Ninja who had come to report knelt on one knee in the center of the room, not daring to raise his head.
"How could Pakura possibly be captured by Konoha?"
Rasa lowered his voice, his left hand tightly gripping the corner of the table, his face filled with disbelief: "Could our actions have been discovered, and Konoha has already set up an ambush at Mount Kikyo?"
"That's highly unlikely, Kazekage-sama."
Chiyo's wrinkles twitched as she spoke, but her tone was steady and unwavering: "Our movements were much faster than Konoha's; they wouldn't have had time to react. Although we missed one or two 'rats' during the previous sweep, it would still take time for the news to reach Konoha, not enough to disrupt the plan."
"Exactly. It's possible that Mount Kikyo was already guarded by a strong individual comparable to Pakura, which caused her to fall into a trap," Ebizo echoed, having full faith in his sister's strategy.
He looked at the disheveled advance team member and asked, "Did you see who did it?"
"My sincerest apologies, Ebizo-sama, it was a young Ninja we didn't recognize."
The Sunagakure Ninja buried his head even lower, replying loudly: "He appeared to be an Uchiha, skilled in Fire Release and Lightning Release, with an extremely vast amount of Chakra, and, and his swordsmanship was incredibly terrifying; we simply couldn't—"
"Swordsmanship?"
A white-haired man's shadow emerged in Chiyo's mind.
Ever since her son and daughter-in-law died by that man's blade in the last great war, hatred hadentanglement her soul day and night, provoking her fury and enticing her ruthlessness.
But before she could do anything, her intelligence network brought her good news that made her want to laugh for three days and three nights.
Perhaps because Konoha had too many geniuses, it completely disregarded an existence like Hatake Sakumo, leading him to fall into a coma after an internal conflict, and subsequently neglecting him.
The once famous white fang of konoha was now as good as dead.
This Uchiha youth might have some connection to the white fang of konoha, or perhaps none at all, but that didn't stop Chiyo from harboring deep malice towards him.
If she were to encounter him in battle, she would definitely eliminate him without delay!
Konoha must not be allowed to produce a second white fang of konoha!
Ebizo saw his sister sinking into a dark mood again and quickly changed the subject, bringing the focus back to Pakura: "As things stand, we need to find a foolproof way to rescue Pakura from Konoha, before Konoha's main army arrives..."
Scorch Release is one of the Village's rare Bloodline Limits, and he didn't want to give it up just like that. Sunagakure is very poor in resources and population, and every young strong individual is incredibly valuable.
"No need."
"What do you mean by 'no need'?"
"There's no need to split our forces for a rescue now."
Rasa had, at some point, regained his expressionless face, and a ruthless command escaped his lips: "Attack immediately."
"But Kazekage-sama..." Ebizo still wanted to argue, after all, Pakura's value was undeniable. If she died at Konoha's hands, it would be a significant loss for Sunagakure.
Rasa waved his hand, cutting him off, and looked down at the map, saying in a deep voice: "We've traveled a long distance to get here, and our logistics are on the verge of collapse. This battle absolutely cannot be delayed; we must take Mount Kikyo as quickly as possible. Otherwise, once Konoha's main force arrives, the outcome will be unpredictable."
After a few seconds of silence, he looked up at Chiyo and Ebizo, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "But once we pass Mount Kikyo, this final barrier, Konoha Village will be within reach. At that point, whether we fight or negotiate, we will hold absolute initiative, and rescuing Pakura will simply be an incidental matter."
Chiyo thought in silence for half a breath, understanding that Rasa's plan was the optimal solution.
In order to crush Konoha in this battle, Sunagakure had already given up too much and sacrificed too much; now, it was merely the addition of Pakura.
No matter what, Sunagakure could not fail.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama." Chiyo turned to her adjutant at the door, "Give the order: attack immediately!"
...To ensure Pakura wouldn't escape midway, Naraku added another layer of sealing jutsu on top of the genjutsu, and then Hyuga Hizashi sealed her major acupuncture points and meridians. This way, even if she woke up, she would be completely powerless to resist.
Kuro-Maru looked back at the half-dead Ebisu and the unconscious Pakura on his back, really wanting to complain that he was a wolf, not a mule. Just as he opened his massive maw, Inuzuka Tsume slapped his front leg, cutting him off.
"Please, Kuro-Maru, make sure to safely escort these two back to the base! If you encounter enemies, you absolutely must protect Ebisu, but if you can't take the captive, just bite her to death!"
Ebisu didn't know whether to be touched by his teacher's profound care or to be speechless that she would say such an extraordinary thing with a hearty smile.
His pale face twisted in an expression, and he subconsciously tightened his grip on Kuro-Maru's long neck fur.
Kuro-Maru's remaining left eye twitched twice, revealing a helpless expression: "I understand."
Watching Kuro-Maru's agile figure disappear into the gaps between the trees, the two reconnaissance squads continued their mission, approaching the foothills to the south.
Naraku followed at the very back of the team, his breathing heavier than before, his face pale, and his legs feeling soft as if he were treading on cotton.
These were all signs of his bloodline limit sickness worsening. After all, a daily popularity points of 300 could only stabilize his condition if he rested well. The previous battle had clearly exceeded his limit.
To avoid being noticed by the animator, Naraku could only allow his body to collapse a little more, just for show.
If he wanted to add dozens of popularity points to continue locking his health bar, he would have to find an opportunity to "treat" himself openly, to give the animator an explanation, and to make his continued participation in battle seem less abrupt.
The opportunity quickly arrived.
Through his super-large-range Sensing Ninjutsu, he saw many subtle specks of light appearing ahead.
The team continued to advance, and soon encountered a small stream, winding like a silver serpent crawling, washing over the rocks and moss on the bank, splashing up white water.
After Inuzuka Tsume confirmed the stream water was non-toxic, the two Jonin allowed their team members to refill their canteens.
Might Guy seemed to notice Naraku was a bit tired and offered to fetch water for him. Then, with a canteen in each hand, he leaped onto the slippery rounded stones, standing very steadily even without Chakra under his feet.
Naraku stepped on tree trunks to reach the treetop to stand guard. Glancing far along the clear stream, he saw that the downstream forest on a certain gentle slope suddenly became sparse, as if a large section had been artificially cut down, and faint wisps of gray-black smoke drifted from within.
He jumped down from the tree to the ground. After Hizashi learned of this, he activated his Byakugan to examine it carefully. He quickly relaxed the bulging veins at the corners of his eyes and said, "It's not the enemy; it should just be a small Village inhabited by civilians."
Another leading Jonin sighed, "Sunagakure will probably launch an attack soon; they will die if they stay here."
Naraku took the canteen Might Guy handed back to him, looked up slightly at Inuzuka Tsume, and asked, "Can I go warn them to escape?"
"With so little time, where could they possibly escape to?"
Inuzuka Tsume crossed her arms, accustomed to such matters: "Besides, they might not even listen to you, it would just be a waste of effort."
Those obsidian-like eyes were hidden beneath her lashes, seemingly with a hint of disappointment.
She couldn't help but soften a little, scratching her hair, thinking that dispersing civilians was indeed a task that should be done now, so she let him go.
"Hurry back. The rest of us will start setting up traps in this area. If they refuse to leave, just ignore them."
"Yes."
Naraku agreed, then turned and disappeared into the jungle.