“Where is the Iwagakure scroll?”
After all the Konoha Anbu Ninja gathered, Naraku Shihouin looked up at the members who had been cleaning up the battlefield.
“Sir, it’s this scroll!”
None of the Anbu Ninja present had the authority to open and view the scroll; this was something only Naraku was qualified to do.
“It’s a bit messy.”
“What exactly does Hidden Sand Village want to buy from Iwagakure? So much gold sand…”
Naraku opened the scroll and examined it carefully. The materials displayed on the scroll indeed looked very messy, containing all sorts of things.
“Ninja tools, seeds, food… is it…”
From these materials, it was evident that Hidden Sand Village was indeed resource-poor, with very few daily necessities.
In fact, throughout the Ninja World, only the Land of Fire and Hidden Leaf Village were rich in resources, lacking very few materials. This was also why everyone disliked Hidden Leaf Village so much; if they couldn't defeat them, other countries would have long since divided up the Land of Fire.
“So that’s how it is…”
Naraku saw the most important material stored within the scroll: chakra metal!
chakra metal is a very unique metal in the Hokage world. Weapons forged from chakra metal are not only extremely sharp and tough, but also allow Chakra to be easily infused into them, and compared to ordinary Ninja tools, Chakra consumption is much lower.
It is precisely because of this that various Ninja tools forged from chakra metal are extremely expensive.
For example, Asuma Sarutobi, the son of Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi, used Chakra blades made from this special metal. Given his status, he only managed to forge a pair of small blades, which gives an idea of how scarce and expensive weapons made from this metal are.
“This time, Iwagakure and Hidden Sand Village have suffered a huge loss. Just this chakra metal alone will be enough to make them ache.”
Thinking of this, Naraku immediately put away the scroll, handed it to his subordinate, and then ordered, “According to the original plan, retreat now!”
“Yes!”
As the leader responsible for this mission, Naraku, as the rearguard, walked last, letting the other members leave first to return to the Village.
Naraku was very confident in his own strength, and the items he had seized were very valuable, so they needed to be sent back to the Village quickly.
In fact, crossing the Land of Fire border would make things much better. Generally, if there were pursuers, they would not easily step into the Land of Fire.
Especially a large number of troops, that would be tantamount to a direct declaration of war.
Although after the battle, one should quickly recover stamina and Chakra, and only retreat when in better condition.
But Naraku, due to acquiring the materials, directly ordered a retreat, and the Anbu members naturally had to obey the order.
Watching his subordinates retreat with the materials, Naraku glanced at the battle traces around him, then followed after them.
Of course, as the last person to retreat, he also continuously left some traps behind him, in case pursuers arrived.
...
Whoosh!
Naraku Shihouin flashed, standing at the top of a large tree in the forest, looking back.
By now, it was already bright. Naraku, as the rearguard, had not encountered any pursuers.
“If the liaison personnel from those two Ninja Villages don’t appear soon, the materials will enter the Land of Fire, and they’ll never be able to get them back.”
At a normal speed, the Konoha Anbu Ninja who had set out first were already not far from the Land of Fire border; they could be back in an hour or two.
Just then—
“Boom boom boom…”
A huge explosion suddenly erupted. Fire and smoke rose into the air in the distance, and the shockwave instantly spread out in a circle.
“They’re here!”
“I wonder if they are Ninja from Iwagakure or people from Hidden Sand Village!”
Naraku turned and jumped down from the treetop, immediately making his escape.
Due to time constraints, Naraku hadn’t overly concealed his tracks. Any Ninja skilled in tracking could easily find various traces; he simply tried his best to lead people towards himself.
...
Rustle…
Faint footsteps were hidden amidst the sounds of insects and birds in the forest.
Two squads of Iwagakure Ninja walked silently through the forest, carefully observing all movements around them.
The leading Iwagakure leader made a few simple hand gestures, and his subordinates immediately moved forward.
After the recent trap, they were now extremely cautious.
However, time was also very important to them now. If too much time was spent, the hope of recovering the materials would be completely dashed.
For the Iwagakure Ninja, the value of the materials originally intended for trade with Hidden Sand Village was not low, especially since it included chakra metal.
Now they had not received the money but had lost the materials, which was absolutely unacceptable.
Suddenly, in front of the Iwagakure leader, the ground at his feet rippled as if it had turned into water. Immediately after, an Iwagakure Ninja emerged from underground and made a gesture to the leader.
Then the Iwagakure leader looked at the Ninja beside him. The Ninja knelt on one knee, then placed a hand on the ground, Chakra surging within his body, and began to perceive the surrounding environment.
Suddenly, he paused, then reminded in a low voice:
“Southeast direction, about one kilometer away, there was some movement just now.”
“Move out!”
“Yes!”
...
Naraku Shihouin stood on a large tree, its densely growing leaves completely concealing him.
At this moment, he did not know how many Ninja were coming to pursue him.
This depended on which of Hidden Sand Village or Iwagakure reacted faster, and which valued their own possessions more.
What Naraku was most concerned about now was whether there were Perception Ninja among the pursuing Ninja. If there were, then when the battle erupted again, the first thing he would eliminate would be the Perception Ninja.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Naraku frowned. The forest, which had been full of the sounds of insects and birds and vibrant life, suddenly fell silent. Under the pervasive killing intent, it was as if a needle dropping to the ground could be heard clearly.
“They’re here!”
“Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!”
Naraku immediately got up and leaped, instantly leaving his original position!
“Bang bang bang…”
Large, sharp rocks suddenly protruded from the ground, forming spear-like shapes that thrust towards Naraku’s location.
In an instant, numerous tough trees were pierced through by the sharp rock spears, and a large amount of rock and wood debris splattered in mid-air.
“Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spears!”
Naraku had just dodged the first Earth Release Ninjutsu attack and landed when the ground beneath his feet bloomed with a large number of earth spikes, like flowers.
The earth spikes grew rapidly and enlarged, suddenly piercing through Naraku, who had no time to dodge.
“Bang!”
Smoke rose, and Naraku turned into a log and disappeared.
“Substitution Jutsu? When did he form the hand signs?”
The appearing Iwagakure Ninja searched everywhere for Naraku’s whereabouts, and the Perception Ninja found him immediately, “Three hundred meters! Southwest direction!”
“Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!”
To the shocked eyes of the Iwagakure Ninja, Naraku did not form hand signs at all. Instead, he raised his sword finger and suddenly spat out a fireball from his mouth, striking the center of the Iwagakure Ninja’s formation.
The next second, the landed fireball instantly expanded, creating a terrifying explosion with a bang, rapidly burning and covering a large area around it.
Under the terrifying speed of combustion, the Iwagakure Ninja didn't even have time to dodge. Three of them were enveloped by the Fire Release, and then turned into ashes amidst their screams.
A large section of the forest was instantly annihilated!
This Fire Release attack was too swift and fierce. The terrifying release speed and explosive power directly caused the Iwagakure Ninja to suffer a huge loss.