[Yamanaka Ino: Those damn bandits, setting up their base in such a hellish place… how despicable!]
[Uzumaki Karin: I was just watching your livestream and I felt a little scared. Please be careful.]
[Hyuga Hinata: No danger has been detected so far.]
[Tenten: According to the intel, they were just twenty or so ordinary people who weren't shinobi. They'll be easy to take care of. Even though you're all newbies, don't forget you've got buffs.]
[Yamanaka Ino: That being said… I still feel like a ghost might jump out at any moment. I'm nervous.]
[Hyuga Hinata: Me too!]
[Haruno Sakura: Haha, Ino-Pig, just use your usual aggressiveness. Even if there really was a ghost, it'd be scared away by you. Nothing to worry about!]
[Yamanaka Ino: Forehead Girl, are you challenging me? Fine! I accept! If there really is a ghost, let's see who gets scared first!]
[Haruno Sakura: What am I supposed to be afraid of? A ghost can't crawl through the screen and attack me. You should worry about yourself first.]
[Hyuga Hinata: Wait, don't talk for now—something's happening!]
Inside the valley of Ghost Crying Mountain, Team 8 had already begun reconnaissance using their respective skills the moment they entered the area.
Hinata's Byakugan extended her vision outward, and details from outside the forest began to appear in her field of view.
"There's something up ahead. My insects hit an obstacle," Shino said first, raising a hand to signal.
Immediately, the six genin stopped and went on alert.
These six were from Team 8 and Team 10. Their jōnin sensei, Asuma Sarutobi and Kurenai Yuhi, weren't allowed to interfere.
They had hidden themselves earlier and were watching in secret, leaving the mission to their students.
Hinata lowered her voice. "It looks like a fortress. They've built a wall of stone. It's new construction, and it definitely isn't for keeping out animals."
"Woof, woof, woof!" Akamaru barked.
Kiba sniffed. "Yeah. I can smell it. Enemies are right on the other side of that wall."
Shino adjusted his sunglasses. "If it's a fortress wall, its durability isn't something we can casually destroy. And the reason is… my insects—"
But Shino never finished. Nobody was listening. All eyes turned to the team leader, Shikamaru.
Earlier, before entering, the six had introduced themselves and unanimously agreed to put Shikamaru in charge.
Now, with the enemy right in front of them, everyone was waiting for his order to attack. Nobody wanted to linger in this creepy-ass place any longer.
After all, it was only a bunch of ordinary people. Why hesitate? Just charge in and get it over with.
But Shikamaru frowned.
"The fact that they built a fortress wall means they're not just worried about animals—they're worried about humans. Which means they were expecting an attack.
Maybe even from us, Konoha shinobi. Yet they didn't abandon this stronghold. That suggests confidence.
If we rush in blindly, not only will we fail to break through, we could also walk straight into a trap. Even as shinobi, we could suffer heavy losses."
Kiba snorted, unimpressed. "Trap or no trap, just rush in! Akamaru and I can take care of that wall. I'll show you the destructive power of my new move. It's just a wall, no big deal!"
"Woof! Woof!" Akamaru barked proudly, tail up.
"Wait!" Shikamaru quickly raised a hand.
But when it came to impulsiveness, Kiba ranked just behind Naruto. His need to show off drowned out Shikamaru's words.
He acknowledged Shikamaru's brains, sure. But he hated all that "thinking first, acting later" shit.
They were fighting regular people. What kind of trap could they possibly set?
Kiba grinned. Watch me tear through them all.
"Damn it…" Shikamaru cursed under his breath, grinding his teeth. Temporary teammates are so unreliable.
There was no helping it now. If Kiba went loud, they'd all have to charge.
"Inuzuka-Style: Fang Over Fang!!"
Kiba and Akamaru spun into two massive, whirling drills and slammed against the five-meter-tall stone wall.
On top of the wall, several shadowy figures peeked down cautiously, but didn't reveal themselves.
Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. Something wasn't right.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kiba's new move was no joke. The fortress wall was thick, the kind of thing not even a paper bomb could bring down easily.
But in seconds, the Fang Over Fang had carved out two huge pits.
Kiba and Akamaru didn't stop, continuing to drill deeper, the pits widening with every rotation.
The five others trailing behind were surprised.
This is Kiba? The same loudmouth who just barked all day in the Academy? That idiot who always wanted to act like the boss but never actually did shit? Since when was he this strong?
It hadn't been long since graduation, but his improvement was obvious.
"Since we've already attacked, let's charge together!" Shino finally stepped forward.
Kiba had broken formation. As his teammate, Shino needed to cover for him.
Raising his hands, black clouds swarmed out from his sleeves. Look closer—it wasn't smoke, but masses of tiny insects crawling through the air.
"Parasitic Insects," Shino muttered.
The insects floated over the wall, and screams followed instantly.
The shadows hiding there convulsed, drained of chakra, and collapsed.
Even ordinary people had chakra, though pitifully little and untrained. Once Shino's insects drained it, their bodies weakened and their minds dulled.
"The nails are pulled out," Shino said calmly. "Apart from us, there are no others inside. Move forward. My parasites will disable any traps ahead."
Everyone stared at him.
Shino was usually the type nobody noticed—stand him in front of you all day and you'd still forget he was there.
But now, showing his strength, he demanded attention.
Sure enough, after graduating the Academy, everyone had grown. None of them could be judged by the same standards as their school days.
Shikamaru exhaled, signaling the group. Together, they gathered chakra, scaled the wall, and leapt down on the other side.
Boom! Boom!
Meanwhile, Kiba and Akamaru were still grinding at the wall, drilling away with everything they had.
Finally—pop!—the wall cracked open.
Kiba's and Akamaru's heads burst through to the other side. But their bodies got stuck, wedged tight in the stone.
Both were panting hard, tongues hanging out, eyes spinning.
"Wait! There's an ambush!"
Several dark figures appeared before him, and Kiba's heart dropped.
But then the figures turned, showing only casual disdain, and walked away.
When Kiba blinked and focused, he realized—it wasn't an ambush at all. It was just his teammates.
What the fuck? That didn't make sense.
He and Akamaru had nearly killed themselves just to break through. How the hell did everyone else get in so fast?
…Was there a door right next to the wall?
...
Author's Note:
The full completed version of Konoha Harem Chat Group: I Can Fabricate the Future (Completed) is now on Patreon!
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