Konoha Notes

Chapter 73 Interception
It would take two days to travel from Konoha to Sunagakure at full speed.

During the time he was traveling, he went over his thoughts again. Because he was thinking and doing parkour at the same time, his speed wasn't particularly fast, and he fell to the middle of the group.

At that moment, Itachi landed beside him and lowered his voice.

"senior."

Shuji glanced at him and noticed a hint of unease between Itachi's brows.

"what happened?"

“My father said when he returned last night that the Third Hokage inquired about the police force’s night patrols and the situation within the Uchiha clan.”

"Hmm?" It seems there's nothing wrong.

and many more.

This means that...

"Is the village suspicious of the Uchiha clan?"

Itachi's lips curled into a thin line.

Why are you suspecting the Uchiha again? This isn't...

Shuji suddenly realized that it really might be the Uchiha, not one from the village, but one from outside the village.

If there was no clue as to why the envoys from Kumogakure were appearing and disappearing mysteriously in Konoha, now it's truly clear.

Therefore, it was likely Obito Uchiha who was spying on them during their mission.

Are they here for Itachi?
Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it now.

"I see."

After Shuji replied, Itachi composed himself again and focused on the mission. His senior already knew, and he would naturally take care of the follow-up issues.

In one day, we left the Land of Fire and arrived at the Land of Rivers. This time, since our destination was Sunagakure, we didn't pass through Koizumi Town, but instead went through FUNFUN Street.

Afterwards, we must cross the River Gorge, exit the River Kingdom, and pass through the Narrow Gorge before we can reach our destination.

As the jagged cliffs of the canyon cast a huge shadow, Ritsuko, at the front of the group, suddenly stopped, raised one hand, and gave a silent warning signal.

Genma Shiranui landed beside Shuji, the senbon in his mouth remaining motionless: "Something's not right ahead. The dust on the ground and rock walls shows signs of deliberate covering. There are traps, and more than one. The way they're set up is very sophisticated."

trap?

Why set up traps in the River Gorge, an area that ordinary people and caravans avoid and which has a relatively complex environment, except for ninjas? Who are they targeting?
Only one day has passed since the incident involving the Cloud Hidden Messenger. News needs time to spread, and the enemy needs time to react, mobilize their forces, and set up ambushes... There simply isn't enough time...

Shuji said, "Please keep an eye on my position in a moment."

Hai-Xu-You-Si-Wei

Wind Release: Void Cicada Cry Technique!

A high-frequency oscillation burst forth from his mouth, and visible pale blue ripples spread rapidly like water ripples, sweeping across the seemingly ordinary ground and rock walls in front of him.

A faint yet piercing buzzing sound emanated from the air. Where the ripples swept across, large patches of dark incantations suddenly appeared on the previously empty ground and tree trunks, as if they had been instantly drawn by an invisible brush.

Almost at the same instant!

Boo hoo hoo-!
A dense barrage of kunai and shuriken shot out from the shadows of the jagged rocks on both sides, their target not the Konoha members, but the newly exposed areas of dark incantations.

Furthermore, an invisible binding seal suddenly condensed in the air, intending to entangle and lock the marked nodes—a typical combination of a trigger trap and a binding seal.

Shuji took another deep breath, and the shockwave expanded dramatically! However, at the very moment the ripples expanded, more than a dozen kunai, each carrying dozens of shuriken, shot towards Shuji as he was casting the spell!

"Tsk!" Genma spat and flashed away.

Nami and Deivashi followed closely behind, the three of them like three intersecting black shadows, accurately deflecting and knocking away the dense barrage of projectiles aimed at Shuuji, the crisp sound of metal clashing echoing through the canyon.

Seeing that the carefully laid trap had failed, eight earthen-yellow figures emerged from behind the jagged boulders on both sides of the canyon, pouncing down with chilling killing intent.

Their movements were swift and their teamwork seamless; their headbands were dazzlingly bright in the sunlight—Iwagakure!
Their objective was extremely clear: at least five people were heading straight for Shuuji!

The leader, an Iwagakure ninja, formed hand seals, instantly softening the ground and turning it into muddy quicksand that wrapped around Shuji and the others' ankles.

At the same time, several detonated kunai flew through the air.

"spread!"

As Shuji gave the order, he slammed both hands heavily onto the ground, which was not yet fully softened!

boom! boom! boom!
The detonating kunai slammed into the earthen wall, exploding into bursts of fire and smoke, sending shards of rock flying!

Before the dust had settled, Raido Namiya burst forth from the billowing dust, gripping a black blade tightly, locking onto an Iwagakure ninja who was attempting to flank him, his movements slightly hesitant.

The black blade sliced ​​through the gap in the opponent's hasty parry and stabbed fiercely into his ribs!
The Iwagakure's eyes bulged out, his face instantly turned a terrifying bluish-black, and his body convulsed violently as he collapsed, the kunai in his hand clattering to the ground.

Red Bean stood in front of two Iwagakure members who were trying to bypass the earthen wall and rush straight at Shuuji. She raised her hand and threw the kunai in her hand, forcing one of them back, while her sleeves suddenly bulged!

Several thick, dark brown venomous snakes suddenly lunged at Yan Yin.

One venomous snake had its head severed by the opponent's kunai, but the other two coiled around the arm and neck of an Iwagakure member, their sharp fangs deeply embedded in the flesh.

The Hidden Rock Man let out a shrill scream, desperately tearing at the rope, but it was only tightened around him. His face quickly turned purple, and his strength visibly weakened until he collapsed.

Just as she was about to kill one of them, a sharp stalagmite suddenly pierced out from under Red Bean's feet, and the female ninja nimbly stepped back to avoid it.

Genma Shiranui moved nimbly, spitting out a thousand kimonos from his mouth at one person, forcing an Iwagakure to dodge in a sorry state. He used his kunai to suppress another Iwagakure, fighting two against one and steadily gaining the upper hand with ease.

Deivashi then faced off against a short, cunning Iwagakure, and the two were locked in a stalemate for a time.

Itachi silently appeared behind an Iwagakure ninja who was about to throw an explosive tag down into the chaotic battle zone. Sensing something was wrong, the Iwagakure ninja turned around abruptly and was met with a pair of Sharingan eyes.

The kunai in his hand drew a cold arc across the opponent's neck, and Uchiha Itachi immediately turned to support Deivashi.

In the blink of an eye, three out of the eight ninjas lying in ambush were killed.

The leader of the Iwagakure Jonin witnessed the battle situation take a sharp turn for the worse, his eyes flashed with ferocity, and he formed hand seals again before slamming his fist into the ground!
Earth Release: Earth Flow River!
Genma, Raido, and Deivashi reacted extremely quickly, leaping up simultaneously to try and create distance. Anko and Itachi also quickly retreated behind Shuuji.

Faced with the surging torrent of earth and rocks, Shuji's chakra erupted as if it were a tangible force.

"Earth Escape Technique: Quicksand Coffin Formation Technique".

He wasn't defending; instead, he used even more powerful chakra to take over the sand-turned soil!
The surging torrent of earth and rocks seemed to be controlled by an invisible giant hand the moment it approached Shuji, abruptly changing its course and rushing towards the three Iwagakure members who were slightly swayed by the backlash of the spell and had no time to dodge!
Under the control of chakra, the sand and stones coiled up like living things, instantly engulfing and tightly wrapping around the three of them!
Click! Click! Click!

Three rough stone coffins, formed from sand and gravel in an instant, rose from the ground!

Shuuji slammed his palms together!

From inside the stone coffin came a dull, short, squeezing and cracking sound, followed by a sudden, piercing scream.

The score is 6-0.

(End of this chapter)