Chapter 70: Important Intel
"Honored ninja of Konoha, I have important intel!"
Seeing Asuma preparing to give up on him, the boy shouted desperately.
"The leader... the leader has been..." The boy's voice was suddenly cut off, as if an invisible hand had clamped around his throat.
A kunai, glinting coldly, sliced through the air with a whistling sound and embedded itself precisely in the boy's forehead.
The boy's body twitched violently. Blood gushed from the wound, staining the muddy ground red.
His pupils dilated, freezing in an expression of indescribable terror.
Naruto's eyes went wide, rage instantly surging to his head. "You—!"
He instinctively tried to rush forward, but Shikamaru slammed a hand onto his shoulder.
Shikamaru's voice was unnaturally calm. "Don't! It's an ambush!"
Hinata's Byakugan swept the surroundings. "High ground, southeast... two more ninja. They just arrived."
Seeing this, the bound Kusa-nin smirked triumphantly. "Now, Konoha ninja, you can leave, right? That kid was just a traitor. Kusagakure's affairs are none of your business!"
Naruto gritted his teeth. "He was trying to say something! You—"
"Naruto." Asuma cut him off. "Mission first."
Shikamaru's brow was furrowed, his mind racing to analyze the situation. "They clearly don't want us to know something. The boy said 'The leader has been...' Been what? 'Been replaced'? Replaced by whom? Or... 'been controlled'? Or even 'killed'?"
He threw out several guesses, but with so few clues, he couldn't reach a conclusion.
Just then, movement came from the ridge to the southeast. Two ninja in Kusagakure attire slowly revealed themselves.
They stood at the top, looking down on Asuma's group. One of them shouted, "Konoha ninja, please leave Kusagakure territory immediately. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee your safety."
Asuma took a deep breath and signaled the team to retreat. "We're leaving."
"Asuma-sensei! That kid..." Naruto looked at Asuma in disbelief, his eyes full of defiance. He couldn't understand why they were retreating when there was clearly something wrong.
"He's dead," Asuma said softly, the words hitting Naruto like a rock. "We have no evidence and no jurisdiction to investigate further. But..."
He narrowed his eyes, looking toward Kusagakure. "This isn't simple."
Shikamaru picked up the thought seamlessly. "Since they're so nervous they'd silence someone right in front of us, there must be a huge secret behind this. If he was just a normal traitor, there'd be no need to go this far."
Hinata whispered, "Could there be... internal conflict in Kusagakure? Like... a coup? Or an outside force taking control?"
Asuma nodded, agreeing with Hinata. "It's possible. If the Kusa leader has been replaced, and the new leader is colluding with some unknown force, then the 'unidentified ninja activity' at the border might be a signal. They're preparing for something."
Listening to their analysis, Naruto calmed down a bit, but he was still frustrated. "So we just go back and report this? We didn't find anything out. Did that kid die for nothing?"
"No." A small smile touched Asuma's lips. "We retreat openly... but investigate secretly. Shikamaru, do you have a plan?"
Shikamaru rubbed his chin, a sly grin appearing. "Since Kusagakure doesn't welcome us walking in the front door... we'll just make sure they don't 'see' us."
Naruto blinked, then grinned. "Infiltration? I'm good at that!"
Hinata blushed again, adding softly, "My Byakugan can help us avoid the patrols."
Asuma smiled and patted Naruto's shoulder. "Then it's settled. Remember, the mission has changed. This is the real mission: uncover the anomaly in Kusagakure and return alive with the intel."
Kusagakure.
Three Kusa-nin knelt on the floor, trembling, their heads bowed low, afraid to even breathe too loudly.
In front of them stood a massive man with狰狞 tattoos on his muscular arms, his eyes fierce enough to eat someone alive.
"Useless." The man's voice echoed in the small room. "How much did the Konoha ninja hear?"
The leader of the three shuddered violently, stammering, "Just... just 'The leader has been'... He was silenced before he could say the rest! I swear, they don't know anything else!"
He kept kowtowing, hoping for forgiveness.
The large man's expression didn't soften in the slightest.
He raised his foot and stomped hard on the kneeling ninja's hand.
CRACK! The sound of breaking bones was painfully clear in the dim room, followed immediately by a blood-curdling scream.
The ninja convulsed in pain, cold sweat pouring down his face, but he didn't dare struggle.
The large man grabbed the ninja's hair, forcing his head up. "You swear? What is your guarantee worth? Do you not know what kind of people Konoha ninja are? They excel at digging up roots. If they find even a trace of suspicion, your families will be buried with you!"
The other two ninja were terrified out of their wits. They prostrated themselves, slamming their heads against the cold, hard floor until blood stained the stone.
But the large man ignored them. He released his grip, letting the leader collapse, and turned toward the back of the room.
A man in black robes stood in the shadows.
"My lord." The large man's tone instantly became respectful, a stark contrast to his earlier brutality. "The Konoha ninja have retreated. Perhaps they've given up."
"Given up?"
"Do you think everyone is as useless as your subordinates? Those are Konoha ninja. They wouldn't give up so easily."
The black-robed man slowly turned around. The shadow of his hood obscured most of his face.
Hearing this, the large man's face went pale. "Th... Then what should we do? Should we increase security around the village, especially the main roads?"
"Security is necessary, but don't be too obvious," the black-robed man said unhurriedly. "Seal off the roads leading to the village first. Then send a few squads skilled in tracking to patrol within ten miles of the village. If you find traces of the Konoha ninja, don't engage immediately. Follow them. Figure out their objective."
The large man didn't dare ask more. "Yes! I will arrange it immediately!"
He bowed and backed out carefully, afraid to disturb the man further.