Shen's plan was actually very straightforward – provoke these Kumogakure's envoys until their anger causes them to reveal their true intentions.
Why else would they send such highly skilled envoys? It definitely wasn't just an apology visit.
At that point, even if the Third Hokage wanted to maintain the bigger picture most desperately, he would probably have to investigate these people thoroughly.
However, unexpectedly, they had incredible patience. They kept testing the bottom line, retreating repeatedly before finally throwing such a punch.
But Shen had prepared numerous contingency plans for this operation.
[A Feigned Defeat] would push these Kumogakure's envoys right to the cliff's edge, plunging them into irreversible catastrophe.
In a quiet corner at the incident scene, Ji secretly observed everything unfolding.
Shen hadn't even been lying on the ground for a few seconds before he suddenly shot up, dramatically wailing about the pain — that tearful pitiful look made him feel genuinely "heartbroken."
"Hokage Uncle, I swear on my honor, his punch just now was stronger than yours!"
"Honor? What's your honor worth anyway?"
Although the Third Hokage wanted to say exactly this, with the balloon already popped, he could only carry on resolutely: "This old man has long suspected your motives from Kumogakure weren't pure! Who'd expect you'd dare strike down a mere child like this!"
That tough-as-nails act made it hard to imagine he was actually the one pulling all the strings behind this whole show.
The Strongest Black Hand immediately looked alarmed, quickly analyzing the situation while casting a meaningful glance toward a particular corner.
"If Captain's okay, then we'll create the chaos."
He made his decision without hesitation, a cruel smirk slowly spreading across his face: "Hahaha! Never expected Leaf ninja to be so sharp! You actually saw through our plan!"
When the other fifteen shinobi heard these words, they instantly understood his intention.
The ultimate objective of Kumogakure's plot was to capture Uzumaki clan females; capturing Hyuga clan members as well would be even more advantageous.
Right now though, Konoha had clearly seen through their plan in advance. They had no choice but to fight like true shinobi facing certain death.
"Nayou, let's get to work!" Immediately jumping back up from the ground, Shen gripped the Chakra Channeling Blade in his left hand while swiftly forming hand seals with his right.
A Great Fireball plummeted from above, crashing directly onto the direction where disguised Cloud ninjas had revealed themselves.
Following right after exiting Indra's Ship, Nayou jumped down.
"Attack! Capture all of them!" The Third Hokage issued battle orders to Anbu squadrons.
Witnessing all this unfold, Ji realized at once — his teammates were setting the stage for him to carry out the mission.
"But kidnapping someone directly inside the Uzumaki family estate wouldn't make sense. Earlier that little girl had gone outside —"
That famous Konoha Central Market he'd passed by before reaching the Uzumaki estate had intrigued him too —
"I will definitely accomplish this mission!" Ji vanished instantly upon making his decision.
Both Shen and Nayou had already selected their opponents, engaging targets fiercely in close combat.
Wind chakra surging around him, Shen lunged at the Strongest Black Hand with his blade, moving like a living weapon.
"This feels wrong. Why are they behaving so unusually?" Even during battle, he continued analyzing Kumogakure's abnormal behavior.
The Strongest Black Hand's involvement in this plan naturally meant his skills were among the top-tier jonin.
Under the Second Raikage's policies, every ninja from Kumogakure trained in swordsmanship and taijutsu from childhood, so close-range combat suited him perfectly.
He yanked the hidden ninja blade from his back, stepped aside, and drove it into his opponent's chest with a sharp angled strike.
Shen smirked slightly. The invisible Wind Blades attached to the Chakra Channeling Blade instantly stretched and extended, rushing toward the incoming attacker with incredible speed.
The Strongest Black Hand, with rich battle instincts, immediately released his blade, slid his left foot sideways into a split stance to dodge the slicing Wind Blade, then quickly jumped into the air.
[Lightning Release: Scattered Thunder God Fist!]
The indiscriminate lightning raining down from above caused Shen, who raised his sword to block the ninja blade, to emit multiple Wind Blades from his body.
Wind counters lightning. That was common knowledge in the shinobi world.
"Oh right, that person I knocked away earlier!" Realizing a crucial point, he immediately activated his Sharingan and locked eyes with the figure midair.
With a thud, the Strongest Black Hand landed on the ground.
"I ask, you answer."
"Okay."
Two minutes later, Shen kicked the now-dazed Strongest Black Hand in the face and sent a message to his Shadow Clone.
"So the target is Kushina, huh? That person is actually part of the Yagami Clan too."
He exhaled deeply before instantly appearing before the Third Hokage. "Third, something huge has happened!"
"Xiang and Qing, each of you lead a team of three and prepare Hagoromo's Ship for flight. Remember, no matter what happens, you must capture him." After grasping the situation, the Third Hokage quickly made a decision.
As for opponents who could activate cellular abilities, currently in Konoha only Shen could keep up. With Nayou included, they barely counted as one and a half people combined.
This method of injecting chakra directly into the cells was simply too dangerous, which was why very few people dared to cultivate it within Konoha.
As the Third Hokage watched the figures vanish into the distance—one black and two white—he suddenly had an idea: "Looks like Konoha will need a rapid assault unit."
Outside the Ninja Academy, Kushina, having just enjoyed a hotpot meal with Mito, said goodbye and headed back to school.
"Guess I was right. Auntie Mito really loves hotpot!" With these thoughts in mind, Kushina skipped happily toward the academy's entrance.
"I found you." Just as she was about to step out of the alleyway, a voice suddenly called out behind her.
Kushina turned around and saw Ji—the man from Kumogakure whom she'd met earlier that morning—and smiled as she greeted him. "You're that guy from Kumo, right? What brings you here?"
Before she could finish speaking, everything went black as she collapsed into Ji's arms.
"Hmm?" Sensing sudden danger, Ji immediately released Kushina and dodged aside, narrowly avoiding a pitch-black blade that swung straight at him.
"Howdy, scum from Kumogakure." Haku's Shadow Clone caught Kushina mid-fall and quickly sent a message to the original.
Ji's expression briefly showed surprise. This person had been at Uzumaki compound moments ago—how did he appear here so suddenly?
"A Shadow Clone?" Since the enemy didn't immediately activate his Sharingan, Ji realized his mission objective had always been under protection.
"You haven't even gotten here yet, and I'm already done with you!" After Ji finished speaking, his entire body was covered in pale blue lightning.
Shen had just arrived at the Commercial Street when he received a message through the Shadow Clone Technique.
"The enemy has already succeeded."
Upon hearing this news, Shen immediately gave an order beside him: "Kushina's already been taken—toward the Ninja Academy."
"Two kilometers east, he's carrying Kushina and moving at high speed."
After pinpointing the opponent's location with the Byakugan, they both spun around at the same time, accelerating to their maximum speed.
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