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The surroundings were eerily quiet—so quiet that even the chirping of birds and the buzzing of cicadas had vanished. The entire forest was shrouded in an oppressive silence. Unbeknownst to others, the pitch-black pupils behind Miao's mask had already transformed into a three-tomoe Sharingan.
His crimson, profound eyes seemed capable of piercing through layers of obstructions, clearly discerning enemies hidden among the dense trees. The blue chakra points within their bodies were vividly captured by Miao's Sharingan. After all, the Sharingan could see the chakra flowing inside an opponent's body. To Miao, these seemingly well-concealed enemies were completely exposed, as their chakra signatures stood out like glowing targets.
As his body grew, the advantages of the Uzumaki bloodline began to manifest more prominently. The rate at which his chakra reserves expanded far exceeded that of ordinary shinobi. At just fourteen years old, the amount of chakra within him had already surpassed that of a jonin-level ninja—perhaps even doubling it. His chakra capacity now rivaled that of a Kage-level shinobi.
Only now did Miao fully grasp how terrifying the Uzumaki bloodline truly was. Setting aside their longevity, their sheer chakra reserves alone surpassed those of every clan except the Senju. They were nothing short of monstrous.
For this reason, activating the Sharingan at any time was effortless for Miao. Though maintaining the Sharingan consumed vast amounts of chakra, Miao's immense reserves rendered such costs negligible.
However, Miao wasn't ready to reveal the existence of his Sharingan just yet. While he harbored no fear of Konoha, he didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble either. Still, Konoha was a place he intended to visit sooner or later—a bold plan was slowly taking shape in his mind.
"Maintain formation!" Ake shouted sternly, abandoning his usual comedic demeanor. His face was serious as he barked orders at the three chuunin accompanying him. "Understood!" The three chuunin nodded gravely, each gripping kunai tightly as they prepared to defend the group from potential threats.
Miao also drew a kunai from the weapon pouch on his hip, holding it firmly in his hand. Behind his mask, the Sharingan gleamed with a sinister red light, its three tomoe spinning slowly within his irises.
"One, two, three, four… eleven!" Miao silently counted in his mind, thanks to the keen observation of his Sharingan.
"Judging by their chakra levels, each point corresponds to someone with chakra exceeding that of a chuunin. These aren't shadow clones, so there are eleven enemies in total. Of course, it's possible some remain hidden further away, undetected by me." Miao quickly assessed the situation. After all, unlike the Byakugan, the Sharingan's detection range was limited to the immediate vicinity.
They were at the edge of the forest, though still within its bounds. The wide road had disappeared, leaving only a narrow path flanked by towering trees and dense thickets of shrubs.
Ake's expression was grim, his muscles taut with tension as he prepared for an ambush that could come at any moment. The three chuunin formed a protective circle around the cargo, their senses on high alert.
Yuuhi Kurenai, being a genjutsu specialist, positioned herself inside the group to safeguard Matsamoto Sho, the leader of the caravan. She too held a kunai, standing guard beside Matsamoto's carriage alongside the other escorts.
"Kurenai-san, is something wrong?" Matsamoto poked his head out of the carriage curtain, his voice tinged with nervousness. "There may be enemies lurking nearby who intend to attack the convoy. But rest assured, we will protect your goods and ensure your safety," Kurenai replied solemnly.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Matsamoto's face hardened with determination. "Then I leave it to you!" he said earnestly.
"Though I've identified the number of enemies, their objective remains unclear. Is it the cargo? Or Matsamoto himself? Either way, it doesn't matter to me. My mission is to defeat them, and passive defense isn't my style!" Miao thought to himself.
With that, a cold smirk crept onto Miao's lips beneath his mask. In an instant, his figure vanished from sight. His sudden movement startled everyone else. "So fast!" they thought in unison.
"Hey! Don't move recklessly! You'll break the defensive formation!" one of the Konoha chuunin angrily shouted at Miao.
But Miao paid him no heed. His body instantly transformed into a black blur, darting into the underbrush. The kunai in his hand glinted with icy menace as he unleashed the full power of the Body Flicker Technique. His form became a streak of darkness weaving through the trees.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside a hidden enemy who hadn't reacted quickly enough. "What?! You...!!" The masked ninja's face twisted in shock, but Miao was faster. With a swift motion, he slashed the man's throat.
Without sparing a glance, Miao vanished once again. However, the commotion caught the attention of the others. "Not good!" the remaining shinobi exclaimed in alarm. They had been intently focused on guarding the convoy, but Miao's position at the rear of the group had kept him concealed. Moreover, none of them expected Miao to have already pinpointed their locations. Combined with his incredible speed, which far exceeded their ability to react, they were utterly unprepared.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!" Blood sprayed as three more ninjas fell victim to Miao's swift strikes, their throats slit before they could even register what was happening.
"Damn it! Boss! He's too fast! We can't keep up with him in this dense jungle!" another ninja cried out in panic.
They never anticipated that their carefully chosen hiding spots would be turned against them, allowing Miao to exploit the terrain for his deadly ambushes. Of course, such tactics required knowing the enemy's exact positions beforehand.
"Everyone retreat from the bushes!" the leader, an experienced ninja, roared at his subordinates.
"Pfft!" Another ninja fell, impaled through the heart by Miao's kunai. "Damn it! Who the hell is this guy?!" the leader seethed with a mixture of rage and fear.
"Shh! Shh! Shh!" Several dark figures leapt out of the dense foliage, landing on the main path. At the same time, Ake and his team finally spotted them.