dmims Chapter 412 Under the Night
Chapter 412 Under the Night
Chapter 412 Under the Night
The Temple of Fire isn't far from the capital of the Land of Fire; even by carriage, it can be reached in about a day. However, the journey was far from peaceful. At least three groups of people were lying in wait within this thirty-mile stretch with malicious intent, but they were all caught by Naruto, who was leading the advance team, before they could make a move.
Of these three groups, only one caught Naruto's attention. They carried excellent weapons and wore expensive fabrics, but their backs were slightly hunched, their bodies were dark and thin, and they couldn't even speak Mandarin properly, speaking with a heavy local accent.
They were clearly a group of farmers, yet they were armed and dressed in disguises that revealed their true nature at a glance. They were then brazenly waiting in a luxurious restaurant that was completely out of place with their character, all to provide cover for a real assassin.
Of course, the assassin couldn't escape Naruto's senses either. When he was captured, he tried to escape, but the one chasing him was Naruto himself.
"A nobleman's lackey!" Since he couldn't escape, he could only vent his frustration verbally. That's what that guy called him when he was pinned to the roof.
However, Naruto remained unmoved and asked, "Did you hire those farmers?"
The assassin couldn't even turn his face, and could only desperately kiss the roof tile. "Yes! I hired them! I just invited them here for a meal... Just pay up, what's the problem?"
"Heh." Naruto knew it was a lie, but he was too lazy to argue further. Even a samurai wouldn't stand a chance against a ninja, and an ordinary person with negligible chakra couldn't possibly defeat a ninja in a one-on-one fight. He was more concerned about the approaching immortal duo, the rift under the Daimyo's rule.
"I'll come looking for you again later." Naruto left these ambiguous words and then tossed the assassin to Hirozumi's subordinate.
Nobles have many useless rules. For example, even though there is time to climb the mountain, the daimyo insists on spending the night at the foot of the mountain where the Fire Temple is located, saying it is to wash away the dust and go to see Buddha clean. It is said that before this, the daimyo also fasted for several days, and even the meals arranged for the guards along the way were all vegetarian.
Naruto couldn't understand this behavior. Guarding important figures was extremely energy-consuming and physically demanding. Even the most abundant vegetarian diet couldn't compare to the energy and nutrition provided by meat, eggs, and dairy. What kind of bizarre thing was it to make the army eat vegetarian food?
What's even more incredible is that Kanjuro seemed to have fasted with the daimyo, and he said that the boy looked unwell and his mind wasn't working very well.
Such problems didn't bother the ninjas who served as bodyguards; if they really wanted to hide, no one in the army could find them. So, Naruto, who always disregarded rules, sent a clone to buy some local delicacies. The seasoned veterans, understanding the situation perfectly, gathered on the rooftop and ate their lunchboxes with great relish.
"This still isn't quite right," Asuma said, still feeling a bit guilty, as he grabbed the chicken nuggets.
"Then why don't you put your chopsticks away?" Jiraiya quickly grabbed the chicken leg and then casually tossed it into Naruto's lunchbox.
"But this is beggar's chicken, a specialty dish from the southeast region, it's delicious," Asuma accurately named the dish. No wonder Asuma is the only one among a group of single guys who managed to win the heart of a beauty; he really knows how to live a good life.
Naruto immediately gave him a thumbs up and then gave him another chicken.
"This is for Teacher Hong, so you can't eat it without permission."
The meal was finished amidst much noise, and before the three seniors even had a chance to wipe their mouths, Naruto dropped a bombshell.
Two incredibly powerful chakra entities are approaching the Fire Temple. One is a near-Kage level chakra with an indescribable, strange aura, while the other is a Kage level chakra entity that seems to have more than one chakra source within its body.
"Could it be Akatsuki?" Kakashi guessed casually.
"This is a top-level mission assigned by the Daimyo Prefecture. It's impossible that it was leaked so quickly, right?" Asuma expressed his doubts.
"Don't underestimate Akatsuki's intelligence. They've been active in the ninja world for so long, they must have some very reliable intelligence sources." Jiraiya frowned, sensing that things were not simple.
"Does the Perverted Sage mean... that Akatsuki has spies in the Daimyo Prefecture?"
"That's not impossible, they're all a dangerous bunch." Jiraiya nodded first, then suddenly realized something and lightly punched Naruto on the head. "Didn't I tell you? Don't call me the Perverted Sage!"
Naruto scratched his head and hid behind Kakashi, pretending to have a sour face, and said, "Let's talk about it when you've overcome your lechery."
Kakashi was caught in the middle and helplessly acted as a mediator. "Shouldn't we be thinking about countermeasures now? Those are two ninjas we don't know at all."
"Should we get closer and observe? I can send a shadow clone to probe first." Naruto peeked out from behind Kakashi. When it came to serious matters, he was always reliable.
"Were those two people really heading to the Temple of Fire with a clear goal in mind?"
"Yes."
After a moment's thought, Jiraiya made a decision: "Naruto, you and I will each send a clone to test the waters, and we'll decide whether or not to report to the Daimyo based on the results."
Jiraiya knew that Naruto's sensory abilities were extraordinary and extremely wide-ranging, so he couldn't just reveal such an important matter to the politicians of the Land of Fire. However, the Daimyo couldn't die under the protection of the Konoha ninja. If the opponent's strength was so great that he had to use his true form, then he had to inform the Daimyo so that he could prepare himself.
A ninja's battle is no small matter.
With their initial plan finalized, they had no time to waste. They quickly cleaned up the mess on the roof, some resting, others standing guard, as if nothing had happened. However, two figures suddenly appeared in the woods dozens of miles away. They crouched on either side of the forest path, quietly waiting for their prey to come to them.
"Hey, hey, spare me! It's already dark, are you really going to keep going? I'm starving..."
"Aren't we still got some soldier rations?"
"How could you do this to me! Soldiers' rations are nothing compared to a proper meal! If we're lucky, we might even catch a wild boar in the woods."
"Don't make a fuss in the middle of the night. It's all your fault for slowing down the journey. If you don't make it to the Fire Temple before dawn, you'll be slaughtered by me."
The light in the wilderness at night was extremely poor; even a ninja could only barely make out the outlines of people. But the conversation, filled with the smell of gunpowder, was very unusual and didn't sound like that of an ordinary person. Although the newcomers said they were in a hurry, they weren't walking fast at all; their leisurely pace was no different from that of someone sightseeing.
Just as the two men passed the two trees where they were lying in ambush, a white shadow suddenly shot out from the canopy of one of the trees and grabbed one of them, while the other man managed to dodge thanks to his own vigilance!
It wouldn't matter if they only caught one person, but the white shadow extending down from the tree suddenly exploded into many sharp spikes, swallowing up the person who was bound.