The distance was too great for Hoshishita Shu to hear what the Sky Ninja were discussing.
But whatever they were saying didn't matter.
The fish had already taken the bait.
He wasn't going to show any mercy.
His Wood Clone stepped out from the tree trunk and raised one hand.
"Detonate."
BOOM!
A corpse suddenly exploded, flames and smoke erupting violently.
That explosion became the signal.
Before the Sky Ninja could react, the other corpses detonated one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
For a moment the entire battlefield was swallowed by fire, explosions, and rolling smoke.
The traps Shu and Sarutobi Atsushi had prepared were not trigger-based.
They were manually activated.
And extremely simple.
Each corpse had explosive tags hidden beneath the clothing.
So the Sky Ninja's careful inspections were completely useless.
When the explosions finally stopped and the smoke began to clear—
One Sky Ninja slowly crawled out from behind a mud wall he had created.
He looked around in confusion.
He was the only one still standing.
Everyone else had either been blown to pieces or lay severely injured.
Even the two squad leaders were down.
Shaking his head, the ninja staggered toward one of the fallen leaders.
But suddenly—
A swarm of black insects burst from the ground.
They engulfed him completely.
He struggled briefly.
Then—
Thud.
He collapsed to the ground.
Moments later, Shu and his team appeared.
"Flying Insect," Shu ordered calmly.
"Leave one alive."
"Ask if there are other Sky Ninja nearby… or ninjas from other forces."
"Understood."
Aburame Hiiichi nodded.
His insects surged forward, splitting into several swarms.
Dead or alive—
Every body was thoroughly bitten and checked.
In the end, only the female squad leader was left alive.
Hiiichi interrogated her using the same method Shu once used on Tsuchiya Naoya.
But this female jōnin lasted even less time.
After losing just one ear, she completely broke down.
She confessed everything.
Standing nearby, Shu listened silently.
Under his mask, a faint smile appeared.
"Kumo ninja…"
"As expected."
"No wonder the Sky Ninja were acting so recklessly."
"They've got backing."
His eyes turned cold.
"Let's just see how reliable that backing really is."
With a quiet sneer, he turned and walked away.
Hiiichi finished off the woman and followed.
A short while later, the four of them regrouped with Tsunade's team.
Shu spoke immediately.
"All Sky Ninja have been eliminated."
"But there's an unexpected development."
"The Sky Ninja are cooperating with Kumogakure."
"There are already Cloud Ninja operating in the Land of Hot Water."
"They originally planned to assist the attack, but the Sky Ninja refused their help."
Jiraiya's expression darkened.
"So there was a stronger force pushing things from behind."
Tsunade frowned.
"You're planning to deal with the Cloud Ninja too?"
Shu answered calmly.
"Your mission is finished."
"Ours isn't."
"Root exists to protect Konoha from the darkness."
"Any threat to the village must be eliminated."
"Sky Ninja or Cloud Ninja—it makes no difference."
"If they threaten the village…"
"They die."
The statement left the three Sannin stunned.
Orochimaru spoke first.
"But we don't know how many Cloud Ninja there are."
Aburame Hiiichi answered.
"We only know one contact point used by Sky Ninja and Cloud Ninja."
"Roughly one squad."
"But we don't know how many others might be hiding."
Tsunade immediately protested.
"That's too dangerous!"
"There will definitely be more Cloud Ninja hidden nearby."
"You could end up surrounded."
Jiraiya nodded.
"We should bring this information back to Konoha first."
Shu remained unmoved.
"Then you should return to the village."
He turned and walked away.
Hiiichi, Atsushi, and Ryo followed without hesitation.
Even though they didn't fully agree with Shu's decision—
They had stopped questioning him after so many missions.
And honestly…
What Shu said wasn't wrong.
Watching the four of them leave without hesitation, the three Sannin fell silent.
"Madmen," Tsunade muttered under her breath.
Jiraiya sighed.
"They make me feel ashamed."
Orochimaru looked indifferent.
"So you've already decided to follow them?"
Tsunade and Jiraiya both nodded.
Jiraiya shrugged.
"They helped us earlier."
"Helping them now just returns the favor."
Orochimaru didn't bother replying.
He simply started walking.
Soon the three Sannin caught up with Shu's squad.
"Hey!"
Tsunade called out.
"Do you have a battle plan?"
Without turning around, Shu replied:
"Outside the village, don't call me 'A.'"
"Call me 'Jia.'"
"The plan is simple."
"My team will draw out the Cloud Ninja."
"When the hidden ones appear…"
"That's when you strike."
The three Sannin exchanged glances.
Then Tsunade nodded.
"That works."
"But shouldn't we gather more intelligence first?"
Shu shook his head.
"In their territory, the Cloud Ninja know the environment better."
"We'd expose ourselves if we tried."
"So we go straight in."
"You three are the Third Hokage's students."
"You're stronger than us."
"There shouldn't be a problem."
Jiraiya burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Fair enough."
"But your squad isn't weak either."
Tsunade silently cursed Jiraiya for being an idiot.
The group continued forward without speaking.
By evening, they arrived outside a small town.
The Sky Ninja–Cloud Ninja contact point was located in a hotel inside the town.
Shu didn't enter immediately.
Instead he ate soldier pills, drank water, and rested for half an hour.
Only then did he use the Transformation Jutsu, disguising himself and his team as merchants.
They walked into the town.
Friendship Inn.
Shu glanced up at the sign before stepping inside.
The moment he entered the lobby—
His eyes locked with a middle-aged man reading a newspaper on a sofa.
Their gazes met.
Both understood instantly.
Ninja.
Shu spun around, canceling his transformation.
His right hand fell onto the sword hilt.
His left hand formed a seal.
"Crescent Moon Dance!"
At the same moment—
The middle-aged man kicked the table toward Shu and let out a sharp whistle.
Upstairs in the inn, two Cloud Ninja who had been meditating instantly jumped to their feet.
Across the street, three more Cloud Ninja burst through a window.
And Shu's teammates were still standing at the entrance of the inn.
The battle erupted without warning.
Inside the lobby—
Shu split the table in half with one slash.
His two shadow clones rushed forward from both sides.
The tight space allowed little room to maneuver.
Wood splinters flew.
A scream rang out.
The middle-aged man's left arm was severed, and a deep cut tore across his chest.
Shu's clone moved in for the finishing blow—
But a barrage of shuriken suddenly filled the air.
The clone dispersed instantly.
Shu's blade spun like a storm, knocking every shuriken away.
At the same moment—
Two Cloud Ninja rushed forward with swords.
One of their blades crackled with lightning chakra.
A low hum sounded as wind chakra flowed into Shu's sword.
Then—
He charged.
One against two.
Outside the inn, Sarutobi Atsushi fired a signal flare into the sky.
Aburame Hiiichi and Inuzuka Ryo intercepted the three approaching Cloud Ninja.
Outside the town—
Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru saw the signal flare explode in the sky.
Without hesitation—
They leapt forward and rushed into the town.
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