radicalducati Chapter 168 Target: Naruto and Sasuke, the Unlucky Ones
Chapter 168 Target: Naruto and Sasuke, the Unlucky Ones
Two days later, in Iceland, the land of water.
"Achoo! What kind of weather is this damn island... It's still late summer outside, but here it's freezing cold?!" Jiro crossed his arms indignantly, looking at the perpetually snowy landscape with snot running down his face.
Jiro, who was standing next to him, was also sobbing, while Karin was trembling as she tightly wrapped her white robe around herself.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Let's go back! There's no need to come out and investigate anymore; there's nothing of value here." Ishikawa, his eyes red, surveyed the area, then stretched his stiff limbs and beckoned the three of them to head back.
Karin and the other two, who couldn't wait any longer, immediately nodded in agreement and followed Ishikawa back to the accommodations arranged by Kirigakure to warm up.
"Did they go back? It seems they've given up on gathering intelligence in Iceland. Now, surveillance will be the focus!" At the same time, a kilometer away, Wu Yinqing rolled his eyes and sneered disdainfully.
Today, Ishikawa's team returned even faster than yesterday, and they had also largely scouted Iceland. If the enemy wants to continue gathering intelligence, they will have no choice but to risk leaving the island.
As long as the Ishikawa squad sneaks off the island, Kirigakure will be able to rightfully capture them!
"Follow them, and make sure they don't escape my sight." With that order, Wu Yinqing led two ANBU squads to lie in wait, following them like shadows.
On the surface, the four Ishikawas, who had used the excuse of visiting Iceland, returned to their residence under the watchful eyes of two Kirigakure ninja guards.
"Captain, at eight o'clock, it's the same group of people." As soon as they entered, Karin quietly reminded them with an unchanged expression.
At the same time, Tarojiro also changed his expression of dissatisfaction and looked at Ishikawa with a serious look in his eyes.
"Rest first, then proceed according to plan!" Ishikawa mumbled, trying to avoid being guessed by lip-syncing, while his left eye flashed crimson as he secretly looked in the direction of Kirigakure Ao.
This guy thinks he can do whatever he wants and spy on their every move just because he has eye rolls? How naive!!
Although his red eyes were exposed in Kirigakure, his opponents only knew that they could see through things like the Byakugan, but they weren't sure if they could also see over long distances. They certainly couldn't know that he could create chakra illusions to confuse them!
Based on Wuyinqing's unbridled spying and covert testing over the past two days, Ishikawa was quite certain that the other party had not discovered this.
And this is his chance!
After inviting the three to the canteen prepared by the Hidden Mist Village for a hearty meal, the four of them chatted and joked as usual before washing up and going to bed after nightfall.
Almost at the same time that the group lay down, Ao, who had witnessed everything from a kilometer away, also closed his Byakugan. The long period of surveillance required him to rest and recover his chakra.
And after the target falls asleep, it is undoubtedly the best time for recovery.
Unbeknownst to him, the instant he closed his Byakugan, Ishikawa, hiding under the covers, flashed his red eyes and rapidly formed hand seals. 'Shadow Clone Technique…'
With a bang, a shadow clone appeared instantly, breaking the silence and attracting the attention of Karin and the other two.
Karin immediately formed hand seals and created a shadow clone to stand beside her.
"The operation begins! Karin and I will use our clones to gather intelligence. You two stay behind to provide cover in case anything happens."
"Yes, Captain." Karin and the other two nodded in unison, without raising any objections.
Without further ado, Ishikawa activated his Red Eyes and, along with Karin's clone—a human radar—quietly evaded the Mist Ninja and left.
[Sigh! It's a pity I have to stay behind to replenish Ishikawa's clone's chakra just in case. Otherwise, how wonderful it would be to travel with him.] Watching Ishikawa leave with his clone, Karin bit her lip and sighed with regret.
Although it was a pity, she wasn't blindly in love and naturally knew that Ishikawa's arrangement was more suitable. With the shadow clones, they could respond promptly to any unexpected events, whether on the other side or here.
Since the shadow clone is not the main body, directly dispelling it will not become a burden or hindrance for Ishikawa.
Yes, she can also understand the experience of shadow clones, so it can be said that she and Ishikawa-kun went through life and death together!
Leaving aside Karin's anxieties, let's talk about Ishikawa taking Karin's clone and then secretly sneaking into Kirigakure, bypassing everyone else.
“The Mizukage will reply to us tomorrow, allowing us to leave, so we only have to gather intelligence tonight. Karin, there’s no need or time for routine intelligence gathering. Find the Mizukage’s bodyguard, Juro; I’ll hack into his brain and read his information directly.” Ishikawa, his eyes red, observed and warned Karin’s clone as they re-entered Kirigakure.
His Spirit Transformation Technique, combined with his right eye, can currently only overwhelm Jonin. If he gets any stronger, he might risk being discovered!
And this Chojuro, with both his identity and strength, just happened to be his target. No matter how much Kirigakure information the other knew, Ishikawa could use that as an excuse to fabricate true information. Most importantly, his chakra Karin had already recorded that finding him was as easy as taking candy from a baby.
"The guy who took us to Iceland the day before yesterday? I'll give it a try." The phosphorus clone immediately understood and nodded, activating Kagura's Mind's Eye to search for Chojuro's chakra reaction.
While Ishikawa and his group were on their side, in the small grove of the Land of Waves...
"Huff...huff...Damn it, mastering Wind Release is too difficult! Sasuke, tell me, why is there a hand seal step when activating a ninjutsu??"
"Idiot, how can you use ninjutsu without hand seals? If you can't learn it, is it because you're too stupid!"
"What are you talking about, Sasuke? How could I possibly not be able to learn a C-rank Wind Release? On the other hand, that so-called genius top student is just as useless as me. He still hasn't learned that C-rank Lightning Release."
"Hehe, sorry to disappoint you! I've already mastered that ninjutsu!!"
"What?! Sasuke, you actually... Damn it, I will never lose to you..."
In the woods, Naruto, drenched in sweat, suddenly changed his expression and cried out in alarm. Then, he immediately gritted his teeth and, as if injected with adrenaline, began to form hand seals and train again.
Across from him, Sasuke, pale-faced and aching all over, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. Just how much chakra did this guy have? He was already exhausted, yet the other guy still had the strength to train??
"Idiot, don't come back too late and you won't be able to get up tomorrow morning. I don't want to go to the bridge for you tomorrow." Sasuke forced himself to get up, said this, and turned to go back to rest.
He consulted Kakashi at the bridge during the day and then worked overtime tonight to finally master the Lightning Release technique.
This is Ishikawa's first ninjutsu, Lightning Release: Swift Lightning Arrow.
"Sorry, you can't leave now." Just as Naruto was about to retort, an unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out in the forest.
The next instant, before Sasuke and Naruto could react, several senbon needles burst forth from the bushes beneath the night sky...
Sasuke's pupils contracted as he tried to dodge, but his exhausted body couldn't keep up with his will.
Puff puff puff puff...
Sasuke felt several senbon needles pierce his body, then his eyes rolled back and he fainted with a face full of resentment.
While Naruto managed to withstand the first wave of attacks thanks to his strong physique, he was still pierced in the neck by a subsequent senbon needle, causing him to lose consciousness and fall to the ground.
"I apologize for taking advantage of your vulnerability this time! But in exchange for Lord Zabuza, I will stop at nothing, no matter how despicable." From the bushes, the masked boy from Kirigakure slowly emerged, his voice resounding.