Chapter 235: Thunderous Roar, Double Preparation!
"Current situation?"
Aburame Ryoma adjusted his sunglasses, paused for a moment, and replied,
"The assassination occurred the day before yesterday. The information we received was already delayed."
"The latest intel indicates that 'A', the son of the Raikage and the successor to the Raikage title, appeared in the capital of the Land of Lightning."
"Afterward, the entire capital of the Land of Lightning was locked down, making it very difficult to receive further updates."
Hearing this, Uchiha Ci couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
"What did you say?"
He had left the village this time to counter the attack on Hell Valley orchestrated by the Cloud Village's AB combination.
Now, Killer Bee, as "B," had already appeared and demonstrated that he alone couldn't overpower Konoha's and Uchiha's defensive forces stationed in Hell Valley.
Yet at this critical juncture, the youth "A," Bee's partner, had gone off to capture heretic cultists?
Then who was currently scheming to conquer Hell Valley?
"This is just a minor interlude, Ci," Ryoma said, his tone growing serious.
"Both the village and the Cloud Village know that the leader mentioned by the undying heretics is not you."
Aburame Ryoma's expression grew more solemn as he continued,
"What I truly need to inform you of is this—"
"After the Iwagakure forces retreated from the Land of Hot Water, they quickly regrouped and, in alliance with Sunagakure, advanced into the Land of Rain."
"Meanwhile, this morning, we received intelligence from the village that a high-ranking spy from our Root division, known as the 'Wandering Priestess,' has located a large Cloud Village force. They've crossed the straits of Frost Country and are now stationed at the border between the Land of Hot Water and Frost Country."
"If nothing unexpected happens—"
He raised his head, his expression grave as he said in a deep voice,
"A bigger war is coming!"
After hearing this, Uchiha Ci furrowed his brow and began contemplating the trajectory of the imminent war.
The Third Shinobi World War wouldn't end just because he killed Chiyo's brother, Ebizō, and dealt a heavy blow to Sunagakure. On the contrary, that battle was merely the opening act of a global conflict.
A greater, bloodier, and wilder war was quietly emerging, revealing its sharp fangs.
Now, in the 47th year of Konoha, according to the historical progression of the original storyline, Konoha would face not only Sunagakure and Iwagakure from the start in the Land of Rain but also the Cloud Village advancing south from the Land of Fields.
This very campaign marked the first clash between Minato Namikaze, the "Yellow Flash," and the AB brothers leading the Cloud Village forces.
But now—
Realizing this, Uchiha Ci's expression abruptly changed. He looked up at Aburame Ryoma and questioned sharply,
"You said the Cloud forces are stationed at the border between the Land of Hot Water and Frost Country, not the Land of Fields?"
His question seemed more directed at himself than Ryoma. Before Ryoma could answer, Uchiha Ci immediately deduced the reasoning:
Because the Blood Pool Clan hadn't yet been exterminated by En Oyashiro, the Cloud Village now had a better option compared to the original story.
Thus, they chose to station their troops at the border of Hot Water and Frost.
This location allowed two strategies:
Advance: They could cross the natural barriers to Hell Valley, reach the other side of the Land of Hot Water, and march directly to Konoha.
Retreat: They could detour through the Land of Fields, following their original strategic plan to gradually encroach on the Land of Fire's territory.
Their next move would depend on whether the AB brothers could conquer Hell Valley.
However, with youth "A" being reassigned away from Hell Valley, this indicated that the Cloud Village was determined to take Hell Valley, even without "A's" assistance.
Moreover, considering the earlier sudden Cloud assault—though partly due to the massive bounties—it still felt aimless. That attack must have had another purpose!
Thus, based on this analysis, to ensure the success of their mission, the Cloud Village's reinforcements would be—
Uchiha Ci's eyes widened in realization. He looked toward the cliffs below him, where Hell Valley lay bathed in the golden hues of the sunset, clouds churning like waves.
At the shadowy depths unreachable by sunlight, amidst barren wilderness, faint cries, bird carcasses, boiling springs, and blood pools—
An inexplicable chill ran down his spine as he sensed something he couldn't see: a pair of blood-streaked crimson eyes staring at him from the unseen depths.
"This is bad!" Uchiha Ci's face turned pale as he shouted urgently to Aburame Ryoma,
"If this continues, Hell Valley might be lost!"
Hearing this sudden outburst, Aburame Ryoma froze in confusion.
"What did you say?"
Uchiha Ci shook his head grimly. Reaching into his ninja tool pouch, he pulled out a uniquely shaped kunai—Minato Namikaze's Flying Raijin Kunai!
"I hope it's not too late."
Gripping the kunai, he stabbed it into the ground atop the cliff, forming hand seals. Placing his palms on the ground, a series of sealing inscriptions radiated from the kunai, forming an inverted bowl-shaped barrier.
Sealing Technique: One-Light Formation!
This basic sealing technique could be deployed hands-free and was sufficient to protect the inconspicuous kunai from damage.
"That's... the Yellow Flash's kunai? Ci, what are you—"
Aburame Ryoma stared in disbelief at Uchiha Ci's actions, unsure of their purpose.
"Ryoma-senpai, there's no time to explain!"
Uchiha Ci shook his head, hands continuing to form seals as he briefly turned to Ryoma and said quickly,
"Follow me back to the camp immediately. Forget the mission. I have urgent information for everyone!"
"What on earth happened—"
Ryoma's face was full of confusion until he recognized the sequence of hand seals Uchiha Ci was making:
Boar → Dog → Bird → Monkey → Ram!
It was the Summoning Technique!
Realizing this and recalling the Flying Raijin kunai, Ryoma immediately understood what Ci was doing.
This two-pronged preparation was for reinforcements:
One involved summoning Minato Namikaze via the Flying Raijin kunai for Konoha's fastest aid.
The other was likely summoning a snake from Ryuchi Cave to deliver urgent intelligence to Orochimaru and ensure the village could respond swiftly.
But what kind of crisis had Ci foreseen to warrant such grand preparations?
After all, Hell Valley was currently defended by over ten elite jonin, fortified by natural terrain. Even a Kage-level opponent couldn't easily breach it.
As Ryoma pondered this, the ground beneath them trembled violently. A surge of unsettling chakra erupted from the depths of Hell Valley.
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
Winds carrying debris, grass, fragments of bones, and scalding water ascended the cliff in a tangible wave of air.
In that fleeting stillness, as if time slowed to a crawl, the winds felt like the calm before the storm.
The surreal mist, rising with various debris and white vapor, painted a dazzling display of sunlight refracted in the water curtain.
Suddenly, the ethereal scene shattered—
Transforming into a torrential downpour in the twilight sky!
Amid the chaos, earth-shaking roars erupted from below the cliffs of Hell Valley:
"Kill—!!"
"Follow me and break out of Hell Valley!!"
Hearing the roar and feeling the tremors beneath their feet, Uchiha Ci's expression changed drastically. His hand seal faltered momentarily before pouring more chakra into his technique. He altered the final hand seal, lifted his index finger, and extended his palm toward the abyss of Hell Valley, shouting,
"All of you prisoners, get back now!"
"Summoning Technique—Manda!!"
Announcement:
Due to the low number of members, I'm planning to change the public release schedule from 1 chapter per day to 1 chapter per week. This isn't final yet, but if there's no increase in members over the next few days, the change will be implemented in 6 days from now. Apologies in advance, and thank you for your understanding.