Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the next instant, dozens—perhaps even hundreds—of earth dragon projectiles rained down upon the Konoha reconnaissance team like a devastating hailstorm. Each projectile carried enough force to shatter bone and crush human bodies, transforming the battlefield into a deadly shooting gallery.
However, the Konoha ninja had used the brief respite to prepare their defensive countermeasures, their years of training and experience allowing them to respond with coordinated precision even under such extreme pressure.
Sasuke stood among them, his young face set with grim determination. Despite his relative youth and inexperience, his hand seal formation speed had improved dramatically through intensive training, allowing him to keep pace with the veteran operatives surrounding him.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" Sasuke roared, channeling his chakra into a massive sphere of blazing fire that rocketed upward to meet the incoming earth projectiles.
The collision between fire and earth techniques created spectacular explosions that lit up the battlefield, but the numerical disadvantage quickly became apparent. The Iwagakure force significantly outnumbered the reconnaissance team, and after their first wave of attacks had been neutralized, they immediately launched a second coordinated assault.
BOOM! BOOM!
The ground beneath the Konoha team's feet suddenly cracked and split as earthen spikes erupted from below, seeking to impale anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in their path. The rocky terrain transformed into a hazardous obstacle course of jutting barbs and unstable footing.
Forced to retreat from their positions, the reconnaissance team found themselves being systematically driven back while the Iwagakure ninja advanced through the rubble-strewn area that Shibi had previously seeded with his parasitic insects.
Both sides maintained the pretense of anonymity—neither wore their village's distinctive clothing or symbols. The Iwagakure ninja couldn't afford to directly provoke Konoha through official action, while Konoha couldn't risk international condemnation by openly conducting aggressive intelligence operations within another nation's sphere of influence.
Such overt action would only reinforce other countries' fears about Konoha's growing dominance and potentially drive them toward forming a defensive alliance.
"The enemy is stalling for time," Shibi observed with tactical clarity, his analytical mind processing the flow of battle. "They're waiting for their reinforcements to arrive before attempting to completely encircle and destroy us."
Through the brief but intense exchange, Shibi had already assessed that the Iwagakure force lacked any truly powerful specialists. Their techniques were competent but unremarkable, suggesting that they served primarily as a delaying action rather than the main threat.
The real danger would come from whatever organization had arranged this trap. These Rock ninja were likely nothing more than expendable bait used to keep the reconnaissance team occupied until more dangerous forces could arrive.
The realization brought both relief and increased urgency to Shibi's strategic thinking. If that hidden ally hadn't chosen to accompany their mission, the situation might indeed have become critical. However, with that particular asset in position, they should be able to handle anything short of the organization's primary operatives.
"There's no benefit to prolonging this engagement," Shibi declared to his team. "Find an opening and eliminate these obstacles quickly."
As he spoke, he swept his wide sleeves dramatically, releasing another massive swarm of black insects that poured out like a living river across the battlefield terrain.
Minato had given him explicit instructions that Sasuke must not discover Itachi's presence during this mission, regardless of what developed during their operation.
BANG!
The insect swarm flowed across the ground toward the feet of the Rock ninja, who responded by forming defensive formations and preparing ninjutsu to counter this biological assault.
Meanwhile, the remaining Iwagakure operatives attempted to circle around the flanks, abandoning the slower process of long-range ninjutsu in favor of direct physical assault against Shibi's position.
The Konoha reconnaissance team responded with equal speed and aggression, engaging the enemy before they could complete their encirclement maneuver.
Sasuke found himself facing a single Iwagakure ninja who regarded him with obvious amusement and condescension. The enemy's expression suggested that he considered the young Uchiha to be an easy target—a grave miscalculation that would soon prove costly.
CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!
Lightning suddenly erupted in Sasuke's palm with a piercing sound reminiscent of a thousand birds crying in unison. The electrical energy crackled and sparked as it concentrated into a devastating close-range weapon.
"Chidori!" Sasuke shouted, his speed increasing dramatically as the lightning technique propelled him forward with explosive force.
The Iwagakure ninja's amused expression transformed into shock and terror as he realized the true level of power being directed against him.
Simultaneously, in a different section of the battlefield, more than a dozen figures wearing distinctive black robes embroidered with red cloud patterns found their advance blocked by a solitary opponent.
A small black insect clung to the back of Itachi's right hand, having recently delivered tactical information from Shibi about the enemy's disposition and objectives.
Flash!
Itachi's ordinary dark eyes suddenly transformed into the blood-red of the Sharingan, three tomoe spinning slowly within each iris as his legendary abilities activated.
To prevent Sasuke from detecting his presence, Itachi needed to conclude this engagement with maximum speed and efficiency.
Swoosh!
Two enemy operatives immediately rushed toward him, clearly confident in their ability to overwhelm a single opponent through coordinated assault.
Observing their approach with calm detachment, Itachi remained motionless except for a slight sideways shift and the raising of his right index finger in an almost casual gesture.
In the next instant, both attacking figures froze completely in mid-motion, their bodies locked in place as if time itself had stopped around them.
"What's happening?" voices called from the rear ranks of the mercenary force, shock and confusion evident in their tones.
"Could this be some kind of genjutsu?" the apparent leader of the group asked with growing alarm.
The only technique capable of producing such instantaneous paralysis would be an illusion of extraordinary sophistication. However, none of them had observed their opponent forming hand seals or performing any obvious preparatory actions.
Could someone really cast such powerful genjutsu with nothing more than a finger gesture?
While the mercenaries struggled to understand what they had witnessed, Itachi was already moving toward them with fluid grace. The three tomoe patterns in his blood-red eyes had begun connecting and reshaping themselves into a more complex configuration.
The battle concluded with shocking speed. Utilizing his advanced Sharingan abilities, Itachi systematically dismantled the enemy force with ruthless efficiency.
Several opponents proved more challenging than the others, and Itachi quickly identified them as wanted criminals—rogue ninja whose skills had been honed through years of illicit activities and violent encounters.
However, even these experienced fighters couldn't withstand Itachi's overwhelming advantages for long. One by one, they fell before his superior techniques and tactical brilliance.
When only a single enemy remained, the survivor attempted to retreat in obvious panic, recognizing that continued resistance would be suicidal.
However, as he fled, the mercenary suddenly realized that his surroundings had undergone a fundamental transformation. At some point during his escape attempt, reality itself had changed without his awareness.
A massive blood-red moon now dominated the sky above him, casting an eerie crimson light across a landscape that bore no resemblance to the rocky terrain where the battle had begun.
He found himself bound to a wooden cross, unable to move or struggle against the restraints that held him in place. Before him, a pair of blood-red eyes stared with penetrating intensity that seemed to pierce directly into his soul.
"The genjutsu of the Mangekyō Sharingan cannot be escaped," came a voice that carried the authority of divine judgment, each word reverberating through the strange dimensional space.
"Within the world of Tsukuyomi, space, time, and matter itself exist under my absolute control," Itachi continued with cold precision.
"Therefore, you will tell me everything you know, slowly and completely."
Itachi had employed his most powerful genjutsu not for torture or revenge, but to gather crucial intelligence about the organizational structure that Nagato had created.
According to the information currently available to Konoha, their enemies possessed exceptional capabilities in infiltration and intelligence gathering. However, the enemy force hadn't seemed to detect his surveillance during this mission, suggesting that their awareness wasn't as comprehensive as initially feared.
Within the Tsukuyomi dimension, time became completely meaningless. Years of subjective experience could pass while only moments elapsed in the real world, allowing for extensive interrogation without external interference.
"You're merely a peripheral member of this organization," Itachi observed with disappointment after completing his questioning. "Your knowledge is severely limited."
The captured mercenary's mind had been thoroughly explored, but his low rank within the organization had left him ignorant of most significant details.
The only potentially useful intelligence he possessed was the knowledge that the organization was concentrating its resources in preparation for some major operation. However, this information merely confirmed what Minato and Konoha's leadership already suspected.
The prisoner's position within the hierarchy was simply too low to provide access to meaningful strategic details.
After extracting every possible piece of information, Itachi allowed the Tsukuyomi to collapse, returning them both to normal reality. The interrogated mercenary collapsed unconsciously, his mind temporarily overwhelmed by the experience.
Itachi's eyes reverted to their normal appearance as he quickly concealed himself once again, ensuring that his involvement in the mission remained undetected.
Meanwhile, under Shibi's tactical leadership, the Konoha reconnaissance team had successfully defeated their immediate opponents and begun executing a strategic withdrawal from the engagement zone.
The mercenary reinforcements had arrived too late to affect the outcome of the battle, forcing the Iwagakure operatives to abandon their assault in order to minimize further losses.
Huff... huff...
Sasuke's breathing had become labored from the intensity of combat, and his right hand was stained with blood that belonged to the enemy whose heart he had pierced with his Chidori technique.
This marked his first experience with truly lethal combat against human opponents. While the alliance between the five great ninja nations meant that most encounters between rival village operatives maintained certain unspoken boundaries, this mission had escalated far beyond such civilized constraints.
The psychological impact of taking a human life—even an enemy's life in legitimate self-defense—created internal changes that went beyond mere technical skill development.
Gradually, Sasuke's single-tomoe Sharingan, which had remained static for months despite intensive training, began showing signs of evolutionary transformation. The tomoe patterns within his crimson irises started shifting and multiplying as his ocular abilities responded to the trauma and intensity of genuine mortal combat.
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