Shadow War (2/5)

Fire Style – Great Flame Bullet!

Water Style – Great Waterfall Technique!

Lightning Release: False Darkness!

Wind Release: Pressure Damage!

Thanks to the ninjutsu scrolls he had seized from the Grass Ninja Village, Allen learned a large number of ninjutsu in an extremely short time and conducted a series of tests on the monsters in the Dungeon.

More importantly, this learning deepened his understanding of the entire ninjutsu system. He could draw inferences from one example to another, alter the forms and properties of certain ninjutsu, and even, like Stone Rain, raise a ninjutsu from C-rank to S-rank.

During the process of learning, he gradually realized why Orochimaru had developed the desire to master every ninjutsu in this world.

Because techniques that manipulated energy to produce all kinds of different effects were simply too interesting!

At the very least, compared to the dull training method of taijutsu, which demanded constant perseverance, ninjutsu was undoubtedly far more fun. Add in the fusion of nature transformations brought by bloodline limits, and its variations could truly be said to be endless.

"Looks like after I defect, the first person I should seek out is Orochimaru. It’s decided, then."

After leaving the Dungeon and returning to his small room, Allen immediately began planning for the future.

Of course, before that, there were quite a few things in Konoha Village that he was interested in and had to obtain, such as the famous Scroll of Seals.

He would not even need to steal the book itself. He only needed to silently make a copy when Naruto Uzumaki stole it.

Driven by his desire for ninjutsu and power, over the following period, Allen studied Medical Ninjutsu with Kiriko while learning the Eight Inner Gates from Might Guy. His strength improved rapidly at a pace visible to the naked eye.

Finally, two months later, in the latter half of Konoha Year 47, the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire began a shadow war over the Land of Grass, which had lost its ability to protect itself.

For a time, large numbers of ninja were dispatched to the border regions, and clashes both open and covert sprang up one after another.

Though neither side had openly torn off the mask yet, anyone with experience from the Third Shinobi World War could smell the stench of war and death.

As the first to discover this matter, Team Three unsurprisingly received transfer orders as well, heading to the border to assist the defenders in preventing Stone Ninja infiltration.

The moment they arrived at the camp, the first thing that met their eyes was the wounded lying in temporary shelters, their faces twisted in pain as they received treatment.

Clearly, although the Third Hokage and the Tsuchikage were both consciously controlling the scale of the conflict to keep things from spiraling out of control, they were also constantly placing extreme pressure on the other side to see who would be the first to yield.

Simply put, it was a classic game of chicken.

If either side lost its nerve, it would be placed at a disadvantage in negotiations and be forced to surrender a great deal of the benefits that had originally been within easy reach.

"Is the situation here serious?"

The moment Might Guy met the commander stationed there, he took the initiative to ask.

"Hmm! Very serious! That bastard Onoki sent his son, Huang Tu, to hold the line, along with two elite squads. Those bastards frequently launch Surprise Attacks on our patrols, forcing us to retreat again and again. You can see the result for yourselves. So our top priority right now is to find them, drive them back, and secure bargaining chips for the coming negotiations." Shikaku Nara rubbed his forehead and explained helplessly.

Might Guy nodded thoughtfully. "So war probably won’t break out, right?"

"Right! Judging from the number of ninja the Stone Ninja have sent and the way they are operating, they probably don’t want to start a war at this time either. So the reconnaissance work is up to you."

After saying that, Shikaku Nara glanced at the somewhat nervous Neji and the utterly calm Allen.

There was no need to ask. He clearly intended to make use of the two boys’ powerful scouting and sensory abilities.

"Understood! Leave it to us! This is youth!"

Might Guy gave a thumbs-up, once again flashing those gleaming white teeth fit for a toothpaste advertisement.

After obtaining information on the locations where their patrols had been attacked, he immediately led the team out without another word and began searching along that route.

With the dual coverage of the Byakugan and Track Humanoid, any method of concealment was meaningless.

The latter was especially effective. Even someone hiding underground would be precisely Marked.

Naturally, Shikaku Nara would not rely on a mere handful of genin to deal with the enemy’s two elite squads, so he also dispatched experts to follow them in secret and ensure the plan went off without a hitch.

However, in order not to alert the enemy, those experts did not approach too closely and instead maintained a considerable distance.

Suddenly!

Neji stopped in the middle of their rapid advance and asked in an extremely serious tone, "Allen, did you sense it?"

"Yes. How could I possibly fail to sense such an obvious presence?" Allen replied with a meaningful curl of his lips.

"What did you find?" Might Guy hurried over and stared ahead with wide eyes.

Unfortunately, aside from dense forest and a canyon, he could see nothing.

"Ninja! There are three of them! They’re lying in ambush behind that huge rock ahead, waiting for us to walk into a trap they set in advance." Allen loosened his joints slightly and swiftly entered a combat-ready state.

"That’s right! Judging by the amount of Chakra they possess, they are most likely Special Jonin or jonin," Neji added.

"If that’s the case, send the signal." Might Guy immediately turned and nodded at Tenten.

But just as she was about to fire the signal flare, Allen suddenly stopped her. "Don’t do that! If we fire the flare now, there’s an eighty percent chance the enemy will retreat rather than stay and wait to be surrounded."

"Then you mean…"

Rock Lee seemed to realize something. He looked both excited and afraid.

"There are three enemies! Teacher Kai is a jonin, so dealing with one should not be a problem. Lee and Neji will hold one back, I’ll handle one, and Tenten will stay behind and send a distress signal while they aren’t paying attention. In this way, we can truly eliminate this Stone Ninja squad." Allen calmly laid out his plan.

"You’re sure you can handle a jonin by yourself?" Neji frowned instinctively.

"How would we know without trying? I have great confidence in my own strength." Allen smiled and turned his gaze toward Might Guy, who held the final decision.

"Fine! But remember, don’t push yourself too hard."

After hesitating for a moment, Might Guy promptly agreed to the battle plan.

Just as Allen had said, firing the signal flare directly would very likely alert the enemy, wasting such a rare opportunity and making them realize that their whereabouts had been exposed.

Moreover, he approved of the strength of this subordinate before him, who was clear-headed, adaptable, and proficient in a great deal of Medical Ninjutsu. Even if Allen was no match for a jonin, Might Guy felt that holding one back would not be much of a problem.

Compared to Allen, who had experience fighting ninja, Might Guy was actually more worried about Rock Lee and Neji.

After all, strength was one thing; whether they could remain calm and bring it out in battle was another matter entirely.

But at this moment, he had no better options.

Especially since this mission was directly tied to the outcome of the upcoming negotiations between Konoha and the Stone Ninja!

So they had to eliminate this enemy elite squad and expand their patrol range back to its original ideal state…