“Where’s the Iwagakure scroll?”
Once all the Konoha ANBU had regrouped, ShihōinNaraku looked toward the members who were still cleaning up the battlefield.
“My lord, this is the scroll!”
None of the ANBU present had permission to open it.
Only Naraku had the authority to inspect its contents.
“There’s quite a mess here.”
“What exactly was Sunagakure trying to buy from Iwagakure?
There’s so much gold dust…”
Naraku opened the scroll and carefully examined its contents.
The supplies listed inside were indeed a chaotic assortment of items.
“Ninja tools, seeds, food…”
The contents alone showed just how resource-starved Sunagakure really was.
Even basic supplies for everyday life were in short supply.
In fact, across the entire shinobi world, only the Land of Fire and Konoha had truly abundant resources.
They rarely lacked anything.
That was also why the other nations resented Konoha so much.
If they weren’t too weak to defeat it, the other countries would have carved up the Land of Fire long ago.
“So that’s what it is…”
Naraku finally found the most important item stored inside the scroll.
Chakra metal!
Chakra metal was an extremely unique material in the Naruto world.
Weapons forged from it were not only exceptionally sharp and durable, but could also have chakra infused into them with remarkable ease.
Compared with ordinary ninja tools, chakra metal weapons consumed considerably less chakra.
That was precisely why weapons made from chakra metal were incredibly expensive.
Take Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the Third Hokage, for example.
The chakra blades he used were forged from this special metal.
Considering that even someone of Asuma’s status only possessed a relatively small pair of chakra blades, it was easy to understand just how rare and expensive the material was.
“This is going to hurt both villages badly.
Just this chakra metal alone is enough to make them lose sleep.”
With that thought, Naraku immediately secured the scroll and handed it to one of his subordinates.
Then he issued an order.
“Proceed according to the original plan.
We’re withdrawing now.”
“Yes!”
As the commander of the mission, Naraku took responsibility for the rear guard.
He allowed the other members to withdraw toward Konoha first.
Naraku had complete confidence in his own strength.
And since they had obtained such valuable supplies, they needed to get them back to the village as quickly as possible.
Once they crossed the border into the Land of Fire, things would become much easier.
Normally, pursuing shinobi wouldn’t dare casually enter the Land of Fire.
Especially not in large numbers.
Doing so would essentially amount to declaring war.
Of course, after a battle, the sensible thing would have been to recover their stamina and chakra first, then withdraw once they were in better condition.
But because they had secured the supplies, Naraku ordered an immediate retreat.
As ANBU operatives, his subordinates naturally had to obey.
Watching his men withdraw with the supplies, Naraku glanced over the traces of the battle before following after them.
As the last man to retreat, he also continuously left traps behind to deal with any pursuers.
…
Swish!
ShihōinNaraku flashed onto the top of a large tree and looked back into the distance.
The sky was already bright.
As the rear guard, Naraku still hadn’t encountered any pursuers.
“If the reinforcements from those two villages don’t show up soon, the supplies will enter the Land of Fire.”
“Once that happens, they’ll never get them back.”
At their current speed, the Konoha ANBU who had departed earlier were already close to the Land of Fire’s border.
In another hour or two, they would be safely back in Konoha.
Just then—
“BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!”
A series of tremendous explosions suddenly erupted in the distance.
Fire and smoke soared into the sky as a shockwave spread outward in a massive circle.
“They’re here!”
“I wonder if it’s Iwagakure or Sunagakure.”
Naraku turned and jumped down from the treetop.
Then he immediately took off.
Because of the limited time available, Naraku hadn’t made much effort to conceal his trail.
Any shinobi skilled in tracking could easily follow the traces he had left behind.
His goal was simply to draw them toward himself.
…
Rustle…
Faint footsteps blended into the chirping of insects and birds.
Two squads of Iwagakure shinobi moved silently through the forest, carefully monitoring every movement around them.
The Iwagakure commander at the front made several simple hand signals.
The shinobi behind him immediately moved forward.
After encountering the traps earlier, they were being extremely cautious.
But time was equally important.
If they wasted too much of it, there would be no chance of recovering the supplies.
The supplies Iwagakure had originally intended to trade to Sunagakure were extremely valuable.
The chakra metal in particular was precious.
Now they hadn’t received the payment and had lost their own supplies.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
Suddenly, the earth beside the Iwagakure commander rippled.
The ground seemed to transform into water.
An Iwagakure shinobi emerged from beneath the earth and gave the commander a hand signal.
The commander then looked toward another shinobi beside him.
That man dropped to one knee and placed his palm against the ground.
Chakra surged through his body as he began sensing the surrounding terrain.
Suddenly, he froze.
Then he quietly reported,
“About one kilometer to the southeast.
There was movement just now.”
“Move out!”
“Yes!”
…
ShihōinNaraku stood atop a large tree, completely concealed by its dense foliage.
At this point, he had no idea how many shinobi were pursuing him.
It depended on which village reacted faster.
And which village cared more about recovering its own property.
What concerned Naraku most was whether the pursuing force contained a sensory ninja.
If there was one, then once the battle began again, the sensory ninja would be his first target.
“Hmm?”
Naraku suddenly frowned.
The forest, which had been filled with birdsong and insects moments ago, abruptly fell silent.
Killing intent permeated the surroundings.
It became so quiet that the sound of a needle dropping could probably be heard.
“They’re here!”
“Earth Release: Earth-Style Stone Spikes!”
Naraku immediately leaped into the air, leaving his position in an instant.
“Bang!
Bang!
Bang!”
Countless sharp rocks suddenly erupted from the ground.
They took the shape of spears and shot toward the spot where Naraku had been standing.
In an instant, numerous sturdy trees were pierced through by the razor-sharp stone spears.
Stone fragments and splinters flew through the air.
“Earth Release: Stone Pillar Spears!”
Naraku had barely landed after dodging the first Earth Release technique when countless spikes suddenly erupted from beneath his feet like flowers blooming.
The spikes rapidly grew larger and longer.
They suddenly pierced straight through Naraku, who had no time to dodge.
“Bang!”
Smoke billowed.
Naraku transformed into a wooden log and vanished.
“Substitution Jutsu?
When did he even form the hand seals?”
The Iwagakure shinobi appeared and immediately began searching for Naraku.
The sensory ninja found him almost instantly.
“Three hundred meters!
Southwest!”
“Fire Release: Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique!”
Under the stunned gazes of the Iwagakure shinobi, Naraku didn’t form a single hand seal.
He simply raised two fingers and suddenly spat out a massive fireball.
It slammed directly into the center of the Iwagakure formation.
The moment the fireball struck the ground, it expanded explosively.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion erupted.
Blazing flames spread rapidly, engulfing a huge area.
The flames moved so quickly that the Iwagakure shinobi didn’t even have time to escape.
Three of them were swallowed by the inferno.
Their screams lasted only a moment before their bodies were reduced to ash.
An entire section of the forest was instantly consumed by destruction.
The Fire Release had been too fast.
Too violent.
Its terrifying casting speed and explosive power had caught the Iwagakure shinobi completely off guard, and they paid a devastating price.