Crackling—
A faint stench permeated the air. A large fire had completely wiped out the Poison Fang Gang that had been operating in the Land of Rivers.
They were just a group of rogue ninjas, and even if their leader had some defensive awareness, he was still just someone who hadn't reached the level of a Special Jonin.
Hundreds of Konoha ninjas were sweeping through the ruins after the fire, ensuring no one was left alive.
Shinji finished wrapping the bandages on his hand and spoke to Choza, who was beside him, "Choza-senpai, we will temporarily split up from here on."
Choza asked with some concern, "Are you confident? After all, Smoke Release caused considerable damage to Konoha's forces during the Third Great Ninja War."
In the Ninja World, any Kekkei Genkai was inherently troublesome. Their fighting styles were bizarre, and their Ninjutsu was difficult for ordinary people to grasp.
"Don't worry, at least there's some information available about the Ibu clan." Shinji nodded.
Konoha naturally kept records of the Ibu clan's Kekkei Genkai.
"However, Choza-senpai, you might need to hurry. The Sea Serpent Gang has always operated on the sea."
"Their movements are hard to predict, and I'm worried we won't find them before the mission deadline."
Hearing Shinji's words, Choza nodded in agreement.
If their location was known, and they went directly, these hundred ninjas, plus himself and Shinji, could practically wipe them out with little effort. The difficulty lay in the fact that the Sea Serpent Gang was based at sea, making it almost impossible to pinpoint their location through clues.
However, Choza patted his chest and spoke to Shinji with great confidence, "The village has also sent Anbu to scout, but they haven't provided us with a confirmed location yet."
"But don't worry, I have a slight lead. It just depends on whether it works out as I expect."
Seeing Choza's demeanor, Shinji nodded thoughtfully.
For an elder like Choza, who had experienced the Second and Third Great Ninja Wars, he would always have his methods.
Thinking of this, Shinji nodded and said, "Alright then, I'll take my men to Wind Gorge first."
"Go ahead. Perhaps I'll be done by the time you've finished there." Choza nodded.
"Okay."
Shinji waved his hand, and twenty ninjas, who had finished clearing the battlefield, split off to follow him.
Watching Shinji gradually disappear, Choza couldn't help but sigh. "Shikaku, your intelligence report must arrive quickly."
—
Speed is paramount in war, and ninjas are almost always a highly mobile group. In just half a day, Shinji had already reached the vicinity of Wind Gorge.
Shinji and his men were all hidden in the giant tree canopy, looking at the gorge shrouded in mist in the distance. Although it was called Wind Gorge, there was no need to lock it down so tightly.
"Shinji-sama."
A figure appeared beside Shinji. It was Muta, with whom he had teamed up once in the Land of Hot Water.
"I've already explored the terrain of Wind Gorge. The Ibu clan all live in groups inside that gorge, surrounded by mountain walls, with only one exit."
"However, it's unlikely to go up the mountain walls. Due to geographical reasons, the dense fog formed there is almost impossible to disperse, making direction very difficult to discern."
"Moreover, the Ibu clan has set up some traps there, a slight carelessness will trigger them. Even the only entrance and exit are guarded."
Listening to Muta's description, Shinji's brows gradually furrowed.
No wonder the Ibu clan chose to establish themselves in this place. It was almost perfectly suited to their clan's Kekkei Genkai.
Shinji looked up at the sky, it was already approaching dusk. A long time had passed since they set out. There was no more time to delay, but this time of day was also when the day's guards were most relaxed.
Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated and began to give orders for the battle plan.
—
"Sakuto, how much longer until the next shift change?" A middle-aged man asked the young man beside him.
Sakuto, who was asked, paused, then calculated in his mind before responding, "It should be soon, after all, we've been on duty for almost eight hours."
After speaking, Sakuto remained vigilant, looking at the entrance shrouded in smoke.
The middle-aged man laughed heartily at the young man's cautious demeanor. "Don't be so nervous. After all, this is a barrier jutsu modified by our clan head using a Kekkei Genkai . If there's any unusual movement, the barrier will give a warning."
Hearing this, Sakuto scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed, and said, "Oh, it's just that the clan head and the elders keep reminding us to be strictly vigilant."
"I heard things aren't peaceful again recently. A few days ago, didn't an elder come back with a heavy expression after going out?"
At this point, Sakuto looked at the middle-aged man curiously and asked, "Kawajiro-san, do you know what happened?"
Feeling Sakuto's eager expression, Kawajiro cleared his throat.
Seeing this, Sakuto knew what he was implying, so he quickly pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and offered it.
Kawajiro took it, inhaled deeply with an expression of enjoyment, then took out a match and lit it.
"Phew... So good!"
Kawajiro exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, then spoke to Sakuto, "You don't know, do you? A war is about to start again outside."
"The last time the elder went out, it was actually because Sunagakure needed us to do something."
"Huh? Why?"
Hearing this, Sakuto couldn't help but frown.
Sunagakure and Konoha were sworn enemies of their clan. If their clansmen hadn't been massacred by the two great ninja villages back then, their Ibu clan wouldn't need to hide in this place. They would have unified the Land of Rivers and established a ninja village long ago. Perhaps he would even be a respected Ninja-sama whom commoners would bow to now.
Seeing Sakuto's expression, Kawajiro knew exactly what he was thinking. He remembered that back during the Third Great Ninja War, he was as arrogant as Sakuto.
However, only after experiencing and witnessing Konoha and Sunagakure's power did he truly understand how naive that idea was.
The clan now only had the former young master, now the clan head, who had a perfect Smoke Release.
Even the usually stern-looking elders were merely the strongest among the weak.
That purge was not just about the lives of the Ibu clan members. Even the scrolls and many important items passed down through generations of the Ibu clan were lost.
And these two gatekeepers could, at most, practice Chakra and learn some relatively low-level Smoke Release Ninjutsu.
The true Smoke Release is actually a Kekkei Genkai capable of freely generating and manipulating a 'quasi-active smoke' with special properties. It is not a mere product of ordinary combustion, but rather a combination of extremely fine, Chakra-infused Wind and Fire Nature Transformation.
It possesses high temperature, concealment, fluidity, and a certain ability to control physical entities. It's not just simply exhaling smoke as they do now.