Chapter 132: Are You Ready to Become a Legend?
An eighty-nine-man Konoha assault force, ready for battle!
The formation consisted of three jonin, twenty-four chunin, and sixty-two genin.
On the other side, a three-hundred-man Sunagakure force—with eight jonin visible, and countless other chunin and genin.
Some manipulated puppets, some wielded ninja tools, some formed hand seals to prepare Wind and Earth Release techniques, some flanked to unleash support ninjutsu and genjutsu, and others held back to launch staggered attacks—three hundred shinobi surged forward, chaotic yet orderly, like a dark cloud descending upon them!
Shin'ya swallowed hard, then continued shouting without turning his head:
"Tsukasa, Shisui—don't follow the same route!"
"This is the rear of Sunagakure. From here, heading southeast, you can go south to the Valley of the Gods, and then—"
Before Shin'ya could finish explaining his rough retreat plan and route, a ninja dressed in ANBU uniform and wearing a bird-patterned mask suddenly leaped down from a rock pillar in front of the eighty-nine-man Konoha assault party.
He raised his hand, swiftly drew a long sword from his waist, pointed it at Shin'ya's face, and coldly rebuked:
"Shin'ya Uchiha, captain of the Konoha assault force—do you want to betray the village?"
This sudden appearance made Shin'ya swallow the words he was about to say. He frowned deeply, looking at the ANBU ninja in astonishment.
"You're a messenger ninja sent by Shikaku Nara? An ANBU member?"
Shin'ya frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the other's bird-headed red-patterned mask.
"No... you smell like a rat in the sewers. You're that man's subordinate—a Root member!"
The Root ninja in the bird-headed mask had a calm and indifferent gaze.
"Shin'ya Uchiha, I will report your actions to my superiors afterward."
"But now—the time has come. Immediately follow strategic orders and begin operations!"
The Root ninja's eyes turned cold as he stared at Shin'ya.
"Otherwise, you will be considered a traitor!"
Hearing this, veins bulged on Shin'ya's forehead. He struggled to suppress his burgeoning anger and questioned in a deep voice:
"You were here from the beginning!"
"You knew this was all a trap!"
"Why didn't you tell us the details of the operation?!"
He pointed at the Sunagakure forces that would be upon them in minutes, gritting his teeth, then pointed to the red smoke behind them:
"You had to wait until everything was in motion before you jumped out!"
"To show off your authority?"
"Screw your mission! This situation is just a ploy to get us to pay with our lives—to stop these Sunagakure ninja!"
"And then help your infiltration unit complete its mission!"
Shin'ya roared, baring his teeth.
"You want to take my life, my clansmen's lives, my comrades' lives—the lives of all the ninja here!"
"To complete Root's achievements!!!"
With those words, ninety pairs of eyes, including Shin'ya's, fell on the Root ninja—their fury practically tearing him to shreds!
"Hahahaha~!"
However, faced with this accusation, the Root ninja suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter.
Beneath the eyeholes of the mask, a pair of mocking eyes glanced disdainfully at Shin'ya and his assault party.
Then the Root ninja asked with a sneer:
"Shin'ya Uchiha, who do you think you are?"
He snorted coldly, took a scroll from his pouch, unfolded it, and showed it to Shin'ya. Then he coldly shouted:
"Look carefully—this is your mission!"
He pointed to the contents of the scroll and simply read it aloud:
"Konoha assault party, all personnel, stand by!"
"The battle here will be carried out by members of the soon-to-arrive Konoha special operations team!"
"You are not allowed to interfere until the members of the special operations team are eliminated!"
"Otherwise, it will be considered an act of treason!"
The Root ninja sneered and threw the scroll into the hands of the stunned Shin'ya.
Shin'ya's eyes widened instantly as he repeatedly examined the scroll's contents.
Only after confirming the three seals—from the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru and Jiraiya, and the Konoha border camp—did he raise his head in disbelief:
"What did you say?!"
"Special Operations Team?"
"Where are the members of the Special Operations Team?"
"Weren't they supposed to assassinate the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa?!"
Shin'ya gritted his teeth, glancing again at the Sunagakure ninja rapidly approaching. He urgently demanded:
"Can you tell me where this key figure is?!"
The Root ninja immediately chuckled and shook his head, coldly replying:
"You have no right to know Root secrets!"
"Just wait and see."
Shin'ya clenched his fist, pointing at the approaching, increasingly noisy Sunagakure forces, his face trembling:
"If we don't prepare now, if we don't attack—we won't be able to stop them!"
"And now you're telling us to wait to die?"
"Just to wait for some member of a special operations team whose whereabouts are unknown?"
Shin'ya grabbed the Root ninja by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, and roared:
"Are you kidding me?!"
The Root ninja slapped his hand away, snorted coldly, and sneered:
"That's none of your business."
"On the battlefield, all you need to do is—obey orders!"
Having said this, the Root ninja turned around, calmly watching the approaching Sunagakure force.
As the Sunagakure ninja drew closer and closer...
The ground rumbled with thunderous footsteps, like war drums!
The wind howled, rocks crumbled, and dust billowed. The charge of the assembled ninja forces sounded like an avalanche rolling toward them!
Seeing this, Shin'ya and his assault team all turned pale.
The cold wind couldn't stop the sweat from pouring down their faces.
Forgetting the Root ninja's orders, they immediately stood ready, fully alert, prepared for battle.
Three kilometers, two kilometers, one kilometer—until they could almost make out the faces of Sunagakure's vanguard.
The Root ninja, who had been observing coldly, finally turned around, his gaze indifferently fixed on the human wall formed by the assault force behind him.
Then he coldly barked:
"Get out of the way!"
Upon hearing this, the assault force glared back angrily.
The captain of the second company, Ichiji, gritted his teeth in anger and quietly approached Shin'ya, whispering:
"Captain, this bastard is so arrogant—should we take him out?"
Beside him, Akiichi Inuzuka nodded sullenly, then said something shocking:
"Just kill him!"
"Woof!"
Even the ninken at his feet barked in agreement.
Shin'ya let out a deep breath, glanced at the Root ninja, his gaze icy:
"Let him through. Everyone prepare for battle."
With the captain's order, the others reluctantly made way, allowing the Root ninja to walk through.
Shin'ya shook his head. He definitely couldn't count on that bastard this time—he'd have to rely on himself.
Without turning around, he began outlining tactics:
"Akiichi, the Third Company will focus on containment. Ichiji, follow me and create an opening in the enemy lines. I'll use my most powerful Fire Release technique in conjunction with your Wind Release—"
However, before he could finish speaking, he heard a sudden commotion behind him.
"What?!"
Shin'ya was surprised, thinking: The Sunagakure are practically on top of us! What are you all yelling about?
He immediately turned around, about to curse and tell his subordinates to calm down.
But upon seeing the scene before him, Shin'ya swallowed his words abruptly, staring in astonishment and gasping for breath.
At that moment, the Root ninja with the bird-headed red mask walked through the path cleared by the crowd and went straight to Tsukasa.
Then this Root ninja—who had been so arrogant just moments before, looking down on everyone—knelt down before the bewildered boy without a word!
He presented a mission scroll with both hands.
Tsukasa blinked, took the scroll, and unfolded it.
Inside were Orochimaru's own words, only two lines in large characters:
'Do as you wish!'
'Return alive!'
The Root ninja, kneeling on the ground, slightly raised his head, looking up at Tsukasa as if gazing at a blazing sun.
He had witnessed the immense power emanating from Tsukasa in the Land of Hot Water with Ryoma Aburame.
His eyes were filled with fervor.
Then the Root ninja bowed deeply, his voice rising, and asked:
"Besides, Uchiha Tsukasa—Lord Orochimaru has another question for you!"
"Are you ready to become a legend of the shinobi world?!"
At this, everyone's gaze turned to the young man, their eyes filled with surprise, astonishment, and confusion.
Tsukasa simply looked at the scroll, then raised his head to look at the approaching Sunagakure troops, the entire Konoha assault force right before him, and the rising red smoke in his peripheral vision.
He closed his eyes and shut the scroll.
Orochimaru was telling him—the series of events, the various unfavorable situations, were all real strategic pawns!
To create an opportunity for a decisive strike, to quickly end the war, this force would be sacrificed as pawns.
He was just an extra one, casually tossed in by Orochimaru.
If he couldn't defeat this Sunagakure force, then everyone around him would die!
If he couldn't quickly reinforce Ryoma Aburame, then his superior, who had been so kind to him, might also die!
Tsukasa was silent for a moment, his heart growing heavy.
Then he suddenly opened his eyes—his crimson pupils shone with unwavering resolve!
Taking a deep breath, he casually tossed aside the scroll, glanced down at the Root ninja at his feet, stepped forward, and slowly formed hand seals.
Then, without turning his head, Tsukasa calmly said:
"Then you'll just have to watch."
"My full power!"
Upon hearing this reply, the Root ninja immediately bowed deeply, placed his hand on his chest, and said respectfully in a low voice:
"Then—may you have good fortune in battle!"
The fanatical gaze beneath the mask held a mystery only he knew—and the madness about to be revealed!
End of Chapter 132
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