A Sage's Pursuit of Power

In Karin's enhanced sensory perception through her Mind Eye's of Kagura, two additional teams were approaching rapidly.

Sasuke immediately signaled everyone to go back into hiding.

Not long after, the approaching figures came into view.

"Those people are... Iwagakure ninja!"

The Iwa-nin entered the rogue ninja camp directly, and surprisingly, they weren't attacked.

"This camp is too close to Konoha; you'll be discovered any moment now."

"Relax. We're disguised as bandits during our raids. Even if Konoha sends people, it'll just be a few ordinary genin squads, nothing that could threaten us."

"Heh, suit yourselves. We only care about results. But your results have been far from satisfactory."

"Of course they're unsatisfactory because your payment has been equally so. We're just a bunch of rogue ninja. Getting involved in your big village's affairs is already a risk for us. If things go south, you can deflect blame onto each other, but for us? We lose our heads. So, unless you pay more, don't expect top-notch work. That's the law we live by."

The Iwa-nin scoffed and tossed a pouch of coins to them.

"Here's your payment. But remember, if you take the money you better deliver results. Otherwise..."

"Don't worry. As long as we're paid in full, we'll wipe out three villages near Konoha in one night and clear out all the refugees trying to move there."

Iwagakure, known for its underhanded tactics, was the master of employing rogue ninja. In the original timeline, the bounty system often targeting talented shinobi and high-value figures was essentially their doing.

This time, they reused their old tricks. While Iwa didn't dare confront Konoha head-on, they couldn't stand seeing Konoha expanding unchecked.

Thus, they employed large groups of rogue ninja to cause chaos around Konoha, hunting down civilians and deterring refugees from moving to the village as an attempt to slow Konoha's population growth and expansion policies.

While the strategy didn't yield massive results, it did force Konoha to divert significant resources. Emboldened, Iwa escalated its tactics. This time, they hired the largest rogue ninja group in the area, intending to deal a heavy blow to Konoha and halt its expansion plans.

As the Iwa-nin and rogue ninja leader concluded their transaction, Sasuke was still strategizing when Naruto's patience finally ran out.

"These guys are all enemies of Konoha, we can't let them get away!"

Without waiting, Naruto charged in.

This impulsive move made Minato, observing from a distance, smack his forehead in exasperation. If Naruto weren't his son and part of Konoha's high-ranking Kage division, this kind of behavior in wartime could have led to his immediate execution by his commanding officer.

Naruto's reckless charge exposed the entire squad to both the rogue ninja group and two full Iwagakure jōnin teams.

In theory, Sasuke and his team could now abandon Naruto per emergency protocols, but that was clearly not an option here.

Though frustrated, Sasuke and Karin followed Naruto, flanking him from either side.

"That idiot! I swear, when we get back, I'll beat him so badly he won't get out of bed for a week!" Sasuke muttered through gritted teeth as he coordinated with Karin.

Naruto's sudden charge startled the opposing ninja, but they soon realized it was just four young Konoha ninja. Their initial alarm gave way to confidence.

The leading Iwa-nin frowned as he recognized Naruto's face. Though Naruto wasn't widely known as a jinchūriki, his association with Aoba Kamikawa, Konoha's living legend, made him somewhat famous.

"Konoha's Team 7... Could Aoba Kamikawa himself be here?"

Despite their confidence, the Iwa-nin didn't want to risk encountering the man hailed as the strongest shinobi in the world.

"No... That can't be right. Aoba Kamikawa wouldn't personally lead a squad like this. This must just be an ordinary Konoha team."

Naruto, having charged in, quickly realized his mistake. Originally, the rogue ninja group only had one jōnin-level opponent. But now, with the arrival of two full Iwa jōnin teams, they were up against three jōnin and over ten chūnin, it was a force well beyond what Team 7 could handle alone.

Naruto still couldn't access the full power of the Nine-Tails, and Yugito couldn't use the Two-Tails' chakra either. Relying solely on their conventional strength, the odds were heavily stacked against them.

In Konoha, Aoba received live updates on the unfolding situation through his surveillance.

Rather than feeling alarmed, he was intrigued. He immediately relayed orders to Minato, who was shadowing the team, to refrain from intervening.

Aoba had been monitoring Sasuke's condition closely. He knew Sasuke's ocular potential had long reached its peak. Even when attempting to synthesize reserves, Sasuke's sharingan refused to progress further, it was evidence that his eyes had reached their limit.

The delay in Sasuke awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan perplexed Aoba. While he initially theorized it was due to the body's self-protection mechanisms, he eventually realized the explanation wasn't entirely sufficient.

As the reincarnation of Indra's spirit over countless generations, Sasuke's genetic and chakra makeup couldn't be perfectly identical to the original Indra.

Subtle deficiencies likely persisted, preventing him from crossing the threshold to Mangekyō.

What Sasuke needed was pressure. A high-stakes battle could provide the perfect catalyst.

Originally, Aoba had planned to engineer such an encounter, but with Iwagakure conveniently delivering the opportunity, he decided to seize the moment and use this incident to push Sasuke toward his awakening.

On the other side, after receiving Aoba's notification, Minato hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to intervene.

With him present, there was no way anyone from Team 7 would actually die. However, if he refrained from stepping in, injuries were inevitable.

As a father, it pained him to watch his son get hurt. But as a shinobi, he chose to follow orders. Besides, battles with pressure like this were critical for Naruto and his team's growth.

"Go!"

At Sasuke's command, Naruto and Karin took the initiative. Naruto unleashed a Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, surrounding the battlefield and cutting off escape routes.

Karin followed up with a wide-range Earth Style: Earth-Style Rampart, erecting four earthen walls that encased all the enemy shinobi in a confined space.

Simultaneously, Sasuke and Yugito launched their attacks.

"Fire Style: Great Fire Annihilation!"

"Fire Style: Flame Mouse Orb!"

The massive fire techniques erupted in tandem, blanketing the enclosed battlefield in intense flames. The rogue and Iwagakure ninja within were thrown into chaos as they scrambled to defend against the overwhelming firepower...

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Currently on Chapter 288 - Aoba's "Kotoamatsukami"