71: Chapter 71 The Authenticity of Wood Release and the Infiltration PlanThe night was like a piece of silk soaked in ink, pressing heavily on the forest canopy.
After a day's journey, Naruto was still full of energy, but even Yamato, an elite member of the Anbu, felt a trace of fatigue from depleted chakra.
"We'll spend the night here."
Yamato stopped in his tracks, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, and he frantically poured chakra into the ground.
"Wood Release: Four Pillars Family Technique!"
Rumble.
The earth trembled, and several thick logs broke through the soil, as if being kneaded and shaped by an invisible hand.In the blink of an eye, a two-story wooden pavilion rose from the ground.
The structure is complete, with doors and windows, and even the upturned corners of the eaves are made to look quite professional.
"Wow, that's amazing." Sakura looked up, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration."Is this the legendary Wood Release ninjutsu that only the First Hokage knew?It's so convenient!"
"It is indeed a very practical ability." Sai put away the scroll, his face bearing that impeccable fake smile."Especially in infiltration missions, it can save the trouble of setting up a camp and also provide decent defensive capabilities.As expected of Captain Yamato."
Yamato wiped the sweat from his forehead, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The sense of defeat that had been suppressed by Naruto's terrifying killing intent was finally regained at this moment.
No matter how strong that nine-tailed brat is, this kind of bloodline limit that can change the terrain and create miracles is his unique skill.
"Go inside and get some rest tonight.We'll be entering the Kusagakure area tomorrow," Yamato said.
Naruto, with his hands in his pockets, slowly walked to the main pillar supporting the porch.
He stretched out his hand and placed his palm on the rough bark.
There was no heartbeat.
He is not breathing.
This wood is dead.
This is just a building material forcibly fused together using Earth Release and Water Release techniques.Although it has the appearance of wood, it has none of the vitality that plants should have.
Compared to the greedy, bloodthirsty, and even self-preserving primeval forest he summoned in Sunagakure, it was like the difference between a plastic flower and a real flower.
"What's wrong?" Yamato noticed Naruto's actions and frowned slightly."Is there a problem?"
Naruto withdrew his hand, twirled the wood shavings between his fingertips, and casually blew them away.
"Nothing much." He stepped into the house, leaving behind a casual comment, "It just feels like this house.is lifeless, like a coffin."
Yamato's smile froze on his face.
[Ding!You have received 2800 "Frustration" from Yamato!]
Inside the room, the dim light of an oil lamp dispelled the darkness.
A simple wooden table was covered with a map of the area surrounding Kusagakure.Yamato pointed to the location of the Tenchi Bridge with his finger, his expression serious.
"According to the intelligence provided by Scorpion, his spy will meet with him here at noon tomorrow."
Yamato glanced at the three of them, his gaze lingering on Naruto for a moment before quickly shifting away.
"The battle plan is as follows: I will use my transformation technique to disguise myself as Sasori in his Hiruko form and make contact with the spies to extract information about Sasuke and Orochimaru.The three of you will act as backup, lying in ambush around the perimeter.Once a battle breaks out, or if I give the signal, provide immediate support."
"Understood." Sakura clenched her fists, her expression a mixture of nervousness and anticipation.
Sai nodded, his smile unchanged: "Understood."
Naruto leaned back in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, his fingers rhythmically tapping the table.
Da, da, da.
In the quiet room, the sound seemed particularly jarring.
Yamato's temple throbbed: "Naruto, do you have a problem with that?"
"No objection." Naruto lazily propped his chin up."I just think this plan is pretty boring.If the goal is to catch mice, why not just fill the mouse holes with water?Why bother pretending to be a cat and chatting with the mice?"
"This is for intelligence!" Yamato emphasized."We need to know Sasuke's exact location!"
Naruto shrugged and said nothing more.
On the retina, the pale blue system panel is flickering slightly.
Current target: Orochimaru's stronghold
[Location: North of Kusakabe Village, underground cave complex, entrance camouflage level 95%.]
[Status of Key Figure: Uchiha Sasuke (Alive/High Chakra Activity/Currently Training)]
intelligence?
He knows better than anyone else.
He just wanted to see just how entertaining this "long-awaited reunion" drama would be.
The meeting ended abruptly.
"I'll be in charge of the first half of the night's watch," Sai volunteered, carrying the scroll out of the wooden house.
The night breeze was slightly cool.
Sai leaped onto a giant tree with a wide view, and using the dense foliage as cover, quickly unfurled the scroll.
He bit his finger, and his fingertips flew across the blank space.This wasn't drawing; it was writing a letter.
To the leader of that "root" buried deep underground, Danzo Shimura.
"The mission is progressing normally.Captain Yamato's abilities are mediocre, and he is easily swayed by his emotions."
The pen paused for a moment.
The scene from earlier that day resurfaced in Sai's mind.
Those blue eyes devoid of any human emotion, that terrifying killing intent that seemed capable of freezing the soul.
He took a deep breath, and his pen became sharp.
"Regarding the target, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Extremely dangerous.Its control over the Nine-Tails' chakra far exceeds the intelligence reports, its personality is unpredictable, and it possesses extremely strong counter-surveillance awareness and a sense of oppression.It is recommended to reassess the feasibility of the 'capture' plan, as conventional methods are ineffective against it."
After writing the last character, Sai formed a hand seal.
"Ninja Technique·Super Beast Fake Painting."
The ink transformed into a small black bird, which grabbed the letter, flapped its wings, and soared into the dark night sky.
Sai looked in the direction where the black bird had disappeared, feeling somewhat relieved.
However.
What he didn't know was.
Just three meters above his head, a seemingly ordinary tree branch silently twitched.
The bark peeled away, revealing a bright blue eye.
That was Naruto's wood clone.
As early as when we entered this forestIn an instant, Naruto's surveillance network had spread across a radius of five kilometers.
[Ding!Messenger from "Root" detected.Intercept?]
The system notification sounded in Naruto's mind.
Inside the room, Naruto, who was lying on the bed, turned over and a playful smile appeared on his lips.
"Intercept?Why intercept?"
"If Danzo knows more, he'll be scared, he'll lose sleep, and he'll.make more foolish decisions."
Fear is the best catalyst.
The next morning.
To maintain their best condition, Yamato suggested a quick wash and rest by a nearby stream.
Although it was in the wild, Yamato still used Wood Release to create a huge wooden barrel, brought in stream water, and even used Fire Release to heat it up, creating a simple "open-air hot spring".
Steam rises.
Naruto, shirtless, leaned against the edge of the wooden tub, his wet golden hair swept back to reveal his smooth, full forehead.
Water droplets slid down his strong chest muscles, flowed over the sharply defined muscles of his abdomen, and finally merged into the water.
Yamato sat opposite him, but his eyes were fixed on Naruto's abdomen.
There, a black spiral-shaped sealing technique was clearly visible.
The Eight Trigrams Seal.
That cage that imprisoned the strongest tailed beast.
"Um." Yamato hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but ask, "Naruto, regarding the Nine-Tails' power.to what extent can you control it right now?"
This is one of the core tasks given to him by the Hokage.
Assess the stability of the human column force.
Naruto opened his eyes and looked at Yamato through the misty steam.
He knew perfectly well what Yamato was worried about.
This man, who possesses the cells of the First Generation, was sent to act as a "fire extinguisher" when the Nine-Tails went berserk.
"control?"
Naruto raised his hand and looked at the lines on his palm.
Actually, he had already subdued that fox long ago.
Now, Kurama is as docile as a husky inside him.Let alone a few tails, even complete tailed beast transformation is just a thought away.
But he couldn't say.
If it's too invincible, it's not fun.
Moreover, if the higher-ups in Konoha knew that he had perfectly controlled the Nine-Tails, those old guys would probably be so scared that they would wet their pants and then try every means to "check and balance" him.
"Probably.four tails."
Naruto said this half-jokingly, a hint of seriousness appearing on his face at the opportune moment.
"After the four tails, my consciousness becomes blurred.The hatred is so immense, it's like my brain has been stuffed into a meat grinder."
Upon hearing this, Yamato secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Four tails.
Although it was also dangerous, it was within the suppression range of his "Wood Release: Kouan Enters the Palace with a Dropped Hand".
"Don't worry," Yamato patted his chest confidently."If things really get out of control, I'll stop you.That's why I'm here."
Naruto looked at Yamato's "I'll take care of this" attitude and a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.
Stop me?
With your watered-down, pirated Wood Release?
"Then I'll leave it to Captain Yamato." Naruto smiled, a bright but insincere smile.
Noon is approaching.
The bridge between heaven and earth.
This is a stone bridge spanning a deep abyss, with a rushing river below and steep cliffs on both sides.
The wind howled as it swept through the canyon.
Yamato had transformed into Sasori in his Hiruko form, hunched over, hidden in a wide black robe, standing in the middle of the bridge waiting.
Sakura and Sai hid behind the rocks on both sides of the river.
Naruto stood atop a towering, withered tree further away.
He made no attempt to conceal his presence.
Because at this distance, no one except top-tier experts with exceptional perception abilities can detect him.
The wind blew his orange-black coat, making it flutter loudly.
On the system panel, a red countdown timer is ticking down to zero.
[High-value targets are about to be reached.]
Naruto was playing with a specially made Flying Thunder God kunai in his hand, his fingertips gently rubbing the sharp edge.
He gazed at the other end of the bridge.
There, a chilling aura was rapidly approaching.
That nauseating, sticky feeling, like snakes crawling across your skin.
They've arrived.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, and a faint, vertical pupil-like shadow flashed past deep within his azure pupils.
He licked his dry lips, his voice low and deep, dissipating in the gale.
"Orochimaru."
"I hope your little snake has gotten a bit fatter these past few years."
"Otherwise, there won't be enough for me to eat."
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