Tachibana Ukyo in Naruto World - Chapter 18
At this moment, not far from the central tower.
The Root Trio encountered formidable foes.
The seed teams from Iwagakure and Kumogakure stood before them, seemingly intent on joining forces to deal with Konoha’s team.
The leader of the Iwagakure team, Kuroyama, stared coldly at the Root Trio, a smirk playing on his lips.
Then, he addressed the Kumogakure team, “Shimura, we agreed, didn’t we? We deal with these Konoha guys first, then we’ll settle things between us. You better not go back on your word, or else…”
“Hmph, you can rest assured. We Kumogakure always keep our promises,” Shimura replied, glancing dissatisfied at the Iwagakure trio. Let’s begin!”
As soon as the words fell, the Kumogakure trio rushed towards the Root Trio.
The Iwagakure trio, not to be outdone, quickly joined the fray.
The Root Trio’s faces were somber, each prepared for death.
One-on-one, the Root Trio might not stand a chance against their foes.
Now, with the six ninjas from Iwagakure and Kumogakure joining forces, their chances of survival were even slimmer.
Their odds of survival were slim at best.
In the monitoring room, the Konoha ninja, including Orochimaru, had no hope for this battle.
The demise of Konoha’s team was only a matter of time.
“Sensei, Danzo, it seems your plan is destined to fail!” Orochimaru murmured, watching the Root Trio before turning his gaze back to Tenya, “It looks like the final hope will rest on this boy!”
Nearby, the Iwagakure leader Kurotsuchi and the Kumogakure leader Floyd exchanged glances, a slight curve on their lips.
These leaders had more tasks than just observing Konoha’s new generation in this Chuunin Exam.
They aimed to eliminate Konoha’s emerging talents.
As one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Konoha had long held the top position in the shinobi world.
Not only did they occupy the richest lands, but they also produced a constant stream of talented ninjas, causing envy and fear among the other villages.
Talents like Kakashi rarely appeared in other villages, while Konoha always seemed to produce one or two.
Such talented ninjas had the potential to become top-tier warriors.
With Kakashi not yet dealt with, another genius emerged.
Allowing these young talents to grow would not be good for the other villages.
Thus, the other villages aimed to eliminate Konoha’s talented ninjas while they were still weak.
This Chuunin Exam provided a rare opportunity for the four villages to strike at Konoha’s talents.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Various ninjutsu were frequently unleashed, accompanied by thunderous explosions.
The battle’s intensity was evident.
Such commotion naturally drew the attention of Kisame and Tenya.
Especially Kisame, who grew anxious with Tenya’s relentless pursuit.
Having lost an arm, a direct confrontation with Tenya would be suicide.
Kisame had no desire to die here.
His gaze turned towards the source of the explosion, then back to the pursuing Tenya. Without hesitation, Kisame changed direction, heading towards the explosion.
That direction clearly had people fighting, providing an opportunity to shake off his pursuer.
Despite the danger, Kisame was willing to take the risk to escape Tenya.
Seeing Kisame change direction, Tenya followed suit.
The two chased and fled towards the explosion.
…
The battle between the Root Trio and the Iwagakure and Kumogakure teams had reached a critical stage, with neither side willing to retreat.
Facing the combined assault of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, the Root Trio gradually fell into a desperate situation.
Despite their best efforts, they saw no hope of turning the tide.
Boom!
Another explosion sounded as one of the Root Trio self-destructed, taking several Iwagakure and Kumogakure ninjas with him.
Seeing this, Shimura and Kuroyama exchanged a glance and increased their attack’s intensity, giving the remaining Root ninjas no chance to breathe.
Under their combined pressure, the last Root ninja couldn’t even attempt a mutual destruction technique and was killed on the spot.
The last Root ninja, seeing the hopeless situation, showed a hint of determination and immediately detonated the explosive tags on his body.
The Iwagakure and Kumogakure ninjas’ faces changed drastically as they quickly retreated.
“Looks like I arrived just in time!”
At this moment, Kisame arrived on the scene.
He observed the situation, quickly casting a ninjutsu to use the explosion to shake off his pursuer.
“Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique!”
Kisame’s body rapidly sank into the ground, disappearing in an instant.
Soon after Kisame vanished, a series of violent explosions erupted.
Shimura and Kuroyama, having retreated in time, weren’t severely injured but looked rather disheveled.
“Damn! These Konoha ninjas are crazy, resorting to self-destruction at the drop of a hat!”
Shimura cursed, clearly displeased.
In the Hokage’s office, a figure knelt before Hiruzen Sarutobi, informing him of the Root Trio’s demise.
“It seems the deterrent plan has failed,” Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his pipe, “Continue monitoring. Report any news immediately.”
“Yes, Lord Hokage!”
The Hokage’s office returned to silence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi stood by the window, staring outside, his eyes unfocused. After a long time, he sighed.
“Is war about to begin?”
At the Root base, Danzo also received news of the Root Trio’s death.
“Useless! All of them!”
Danzo vented his frustration before heading towards the Hokage’s office with his cane.
With the Root Trio dead, the deterrent plan had failed.
War was imminent!
He needed to discuss countermeasures with Hiruzen.
In the Forest of Death.
The battle was not over!
Thud!
Tenya landed steadily on a giant tree, scanning the surroundings but seeing no sign of Kisame.
That guy likely used the explosion to escape.
“Hm? Another one walking into the trap?”
Kuroyama was the first to spot Tenya, his face breaking into a sinister smile upon recognizing him.
Tenya’s gaze swept over the Iwagakure and Kumogakure ninjas, noting that three were heavily injured, one was lightly injured, and Shimura and Kuroyama appeared unharmed.
He then glanced at the fallen Konoha ninjas, feeling a moment of silence.
To deal with Konoha, Iwagakure and Kumogakure, who usually didn’t get along, had unprecedentedly united.
This was rare!
“Kid, you’re unlucky to run into us!” Shimura said, stroking his sword, “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick and painless.”
As he spoke, Shimura lunged forward, his sword slashing down, sending a bolt of lightning crashing towards Tenya.
Shh!
The lightning passed through, and Tenya’s figure dissipated like a bubble.
No blood, no sensation of cutting something solid.
“Not good!”
Shimura realized something was wrong, but Tenya’s figure appeared like a ghost within their formation.
Countless afterimages moved, with a rain of fine sword light.
Psh! Psh! Psh!
With the spray of blood, the three heavily injured ninjas fell under the barrage of sword light.
In an instant, three fell to Tenya’s blade.
This turn of events was unexpected for Shimura.
What seemed like a sure victory had gone awry.
Their combined team lost three members in a heartbeat.
This Konoha kid was fast!
Shimura’s disdainful smile vanished, replaced by seriousness. Kuroyama and the remaining ninja shared the same grim expression, a hint of fear flickering in their eyes.
When did Konoha produce such a character?
This strength was on par with, or even surpassed, their seed players.
Shimura and the others exchanged a look, silently surrounding Tenya.
They had no guarantee of victory one-on-one.
Only by joining forces could they have a chance.
The atmosphere grew tense once more.
…
In a secluded part of the Forest of Death, where no cameras reached.
Hiruko sealed a corpse into a scroll, satisfaction on his face, surrounded by several ANBU corpses.
“It’s time. The plan should start now…”
Licking his lips, Hiruko disappeared in a few leaps.
Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉
Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.
