Naruto: Forbidden Arts and an Immortal Agenda

Seeing the narrow gorge ahead, Aozora immediately became alert.

"Cease advance! Forward scouts form trios and sweep the area!"

Shin'ya stepped forward. "Deputy Captain, we've already swept the area twice!"

Aozora ordered sternly, "Sweep again!"

This one-sky-line terrain was a perfect ambush zone. If both ends were blocked, there would be absolutely no escape route at all.

"Yes sir!"

The convoy halted, waiting for Shin'ya and the other five scouts to return.

Autumn wind blew bleakly as everything withered, leaving Dasha Valley barren and seemingly normal.

Soon, Shin'ya's team returned from scouting.

"Report, Deputy Captain—nothing out of the ordinary detected!"

Shuichi said, "We're still deep in the Land of Fire. How dare Hidden Cloud (Kumo) ninja sneak this far?"

Frowning, Aozora carefully scanned Dasha Valley once more. "Move out!"

The wagons advanced slowly, though unease still lingered in Aozora's mind.

"Shuichi, return to the central unit and hold position."

After hearing this, Shuichi lightly shook his head with a sigh. "Aozora, you really are cautious!"

Nonetheless, he followed Aozora's suggestion and returned to the central unit.

Standing atop a wagon, Aozora narrowed his eyes while observing the surroundings.

He had a bad feeling—not only because of Itachi's ominous foreshadowing, but also because he felt like someone was watching him.

Chakra surged into his eyes as two spinning tomoe revolved within his crimson pupils.

He meticulously scanned every inch of the area, not overlooking even the slightest anomaly—not even a strangely shaped flower or oddly colored blade of grass.

Sparse shrubs dotted the bare cliff walls, where moss and wild grass were the only signs of greenery.

There wasn't even any wildlife.

Wait—no, there actually was some—like lizards crawling along cliffsides and moles chewing on roots.

Hmm?

A—mole?

What was a mole doing on such a steep cliff?

Something felt off to Aozora. He focused on that particular mole.

His tomoe spinning, Aozora activated long-range vision, instantly closing the gap until he could clearly see the mole's round head and outward-turned claws.

Though it looked like it was chewing on roots, the mole wasn't moving at all.

[Summoning Beast!]

A serious look flashed in Aozora's eyes as he shouted urgently, "Halt! Fall back!"

"Halt! Retreat!"

"Back up—"

"Retreat!"

Aozora's cry bounced off the cliffs, reaching the rear wagons in seconds.

Upon hearing the command, panic broke out among the convoy. The rearguard moved forward while the vanguard withdrew, attempting to flee the valley.

Even as wagons reversed direction, Aozora was scanning for enemies.

All four sides were open and barren—no cover anywhere. If enemies truly existed, where else could they possibly hide?

Suddenly, Aozora noticed the mole burrowing downward.

"Underground! The enemy is behind the cliff face!"

As he shouted, Aozora unleashed his chakra, stomping through the wagon roof beneath his feet and dashing toward the cliff summit.

His warning came just in time—but not quite in time.

The moment he raised the alarm, deafening explosions erupted all around them.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!

Instantly, a series of violent blasts detonated across the valley.

Both canyon walls of Dasha Valley collapsed in an instant, sealing the convoy's escape routes front and back.

Flying rocks and swirling dust instantly engulfed everyone.

Shuichi slashed through the debris in one stroke. His Sharingan pierced the smoke, catching a faint glimpse of the massive boulders sealing their path forward and behind. He looked up and shouted, "Up!"

Without waiting, he led the charge toward the mountain peak.

Aozora had already been sprinting along the cliff face when he suddenly felt a tremor beneath his feet.

He called out urgently, "Rock spikes ahead!"

Hardly had he spoken when countless sharp stone spears erupted from the rock wall.

At Aozora's warning, Shuichi, Shin'ya, and others reacted swiftly with their Sharingan, zigzagging between the jagged walls as they climbed to the summit.

But other ninja weren't so lucky — many were impaled and fell into the valley below.

Reaching the peak, Aozora turned back and saw a massive stone wall rising from both sides of the cliff, completely trapping those below.

He recognized the technique — the B-ranked [Earth Release: Great Stone Wall of Captivity].

Yet judging by its power and range, it was clearly beyond what an ordinary jonin could produce.

Soon after, Shuichi and the others also reached the summit.

However, due to the sudden assault of the rock spikes, the group had scattered.

Aozora glanced around. Only three others had made it out of the trap — Shuichi and Shin'ya, the two brothers, and Cangxi, who had been covering the rear.

Aozora sighed deeply. Escape wasn't an option this time.

If it was just about losing supplies, he would have left immediately.

But Fugaku had appointed him deputy squad leader precisely to ensure the safety of their clansmen, hadn't he?

Twenty-one set out on the mission, but only four made it back. Even if Fugaku forgave him, Aozora wouldn't forgive himself.

Aozora had no intention of fleeing, and neither did the other three.

Uchiha pride wouldn't allow them to abandon their comrades.

As Aozora and the others turned to save their trapped teammates, the enemy naturally had no intention of letting them proceed unchallenged.

From the ground in front of each of them slowly emerged figures cloaked in black.

Aozora eyed the sturdy ninja before him — shorter than himself — and said, "Still hiding your identity?"

The black-cloaked ninja replied, "Guess so. We Iwagakure ninjas do possess unmatched Earth Release techniques."

Aozora shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

As he spoke, he held a kunai in one hand and a throwing knife in the other.

The enemy ninja looked surprised. "Then how did you figure out who we are?"

Aozora scoffed. "With your vertically challenged height, how could you possibly hide?"

"What did you say?"

The dark-skinned Iwagakure jonin turned pale with rage, his eyes burning red.

Aozora had struck a nerve.

Despite his exceptional talent, smooth upbringing, and experience in the Third Great Ninja War that earned him the rank of jonin, his short stature had caused him to be rejected by a goddess, leaving him single until now.

Thus, his height had become a taboo — never to be mentioned in his presence.

"Leaf rookie, you've gone too far. You'll regret mouthing off!"

Aozora's eyes gleamed. He hadn't expected his casual remark to hit so hard.

Of course, he had no intention of stopping there — he was going to push even harder.

"Regret?" he asked innocently. "Is it because you'll never grow taller?"

"And guess what?" he added with a grin. "I'm taller than you now!"

"Die!"

Enraged beyond control, the Iwagakure jonin rapidly formed hand seals with both hands.

Aozora smiled.

He wore a particularly charming smile, completely at ease.

At such close range, someone actually dared to perform hand seals in front of him?

Was he questioning whether my blade isn't sharp enough?

The kunai flew first, followed closely by the throwing knife.

The Iwagakure jonin saw Aozora's smile and heard the whistling sound of the kunai cutting through the air.

Instantly, he altered his hand seal.

As the kunai passed overhead, an earthen wall was rising.

Without mishap, the kunai would have been blocked by the earthen wall.

He hadn't expected another throwing knife to be hidden behind the kunai.

Even more shocking was how much faster the throwing knife flew than the kunai.

Though just a flash of cyan light, it shone with the brilliance of a meteor blazing through the dark.

In a flash, the throwing knife had pierced straight through his heart.

The earthen wall rose up, blocking the kunai.

Behind the earthen wall, the man had already fallen.

Crimson blood blossomed across his black robe like a fatal bloom.

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