Buzzing sounds filled the air.
The tent windows began to shake with a faint glow, and ripples spread across the surface of the water in the cups on the table. The tremor seemed to come from very far away, yet it still woke the ninja in other tents of the Konoha camp. One after another, they picked up their weapons, frowned, and stepped out to check.
"What is going on?"
"Is it an earthquake?"
Hearing footsteps outside, Ryuji Hyuga had the three puppets take up weapons and go out as well. He split off one Shadow Clone, dressed it in the dead ninja's clothes, and sent it out with the others. He himself stayed inside the tent.
After a short while, the shaking slowly faded. Ryuji Hyuga felt as if an invisible connection had appeared in his mind. A three dimensional structure of a five level underground palace formed clearly in his thoughts, wide in scale but still completely empty inside.
As long as he wished, he could directly enter the underground palace from anywhere within a thousand meters of it. "This place should be able to withstand a direct assault, right?" Ryuji Hyuga thought to himself. "Otherwise, even if I got a cheap version of space time Ninjutsu, spending three thousand points would be a loss."
He planned to use this underground ruin as bait, so it could not be broken so easily. For now, he could not test it and could only choose to trust the system. At that moment, his eyes shifted slightly as he sensed activity outside the tent.
Including the Shadow Clone and the three puppets, eight Root ninja in the camp were all moving toward the same direction. "Looks like Aburame Ryoma has arrived," Ryuji Hyuga thought calmly. "Just as I expected, he is gathering the Root ninja."
With that, everything was in place, and he only needed to wait for the show to begin. Ryuji Hyuga turned into a dark shadow and slipped into the rainy night, moving quietly toward the direction of the Land of Hot Water. He intended to wait inside the underground palace in advance.
He would wait until Kumogakure and Konoha dug him out themselves. Then, he slowly raised his head and looked at the round moon hidden behind thick clouds. "Since Toneri Otsutsuki can control that giant Tenseigan, I should be able to borrow it as well."
A soft, pleased chuckle scattered into the wind and rain.
At the same time, at the harbor of the Land of Hot Water, more than a dozen Kumogakure Ninja stood silently in the rain. Behind them, the Hot Spring Inn used as a contact point glowed with yellow light, while strong wind forced its way through the gaps and made the lamps sway. Their black shadows stretched and twisted across the ground.
The man at the front had short purple hair and wore a black combat suit, with a white Kumogakure vest over it and a yellow scarf around his neck. "Troy-sama," a Kumogakure Ninja ninja using Shunshin appeared behind him and spoke quietly. "We did not find anything unusual. It should just be a normal earthquake."
Thunder crashed at that moment, and branching lightning filled the sky with pale light. "A normal earthquake..." Troy murmured as he looked up. Heavy rain was thrown against him by the wind, and thick clouds blocked the moon, lit only by flashes of lightning.
For no clear reason, his chest felt tight and uneasy, as if some disaster was approaching. He had always trusted his instincts, and since he already did not trust Konoha, his caution rose even higher. Still, as the agreed time drew closer, a trace of impatience crept into his thoughts.
As Troy was lost in thought, a Kumogakure Ninja nearby suddenly raised his head and said in a low voice, "They are here." In the distance, more than a dozen figures in black raincoats ran across the water toward them. Troy put his fingers to his mouth and let out a sharp whistle, and after hearing the matching reply, he confirmed their identity.
A moment later, under the warm yellow lights behind them, the Kumogakure group saw the people from Konoha led by Akimichi Clan Tangdong. "Sorry, the weather is bad, so we are late," Tangdong said as he scratched his head with an honest smile. Before he could finish, Troy cut him off.
"Go inside and trade."
Troy turned with the Kumogakure Ninja and walked straight into the Hot Spring Inn. "So impatient?" Tangdong muttered, giving Ryuji Hyuga a look behind him before leading everyone inside after them. The inn was funded by Kumogakure, and its lobby was large enough to hold more than thirty people from both sides.
The Konoha group glanced at Ryuji Hyuga in the team, and only relaxed after seeing his subtle nod. "The weather tonight is terrible," Troy suddenly said as he stopped and turned to face Tangdong. His tone was cold and distant.
Understanding the meaning behind the words, Tangdong stepped back at once and shrugged. "Alright, alright. Let us get this over with quickly." He stayed alert, knowing that a quiet dog could bite hard, and it was better to wait before showing his hand.
The moment he saw that face, he had already recognized who the other man was. Troy, a Jonin of Kumogakure, skilled in using Kekkei Genkai Magnet Release. The fact that Fourth Raikage had sent him made Tangdong wonder if something had already been noticed.
"If a fight breaks out, I do not even know if I can protect that kid from the Hyuga Clan," Tangdong sighed inwardly. "The Third Hokage really gave me a troublesome assignment."
"Where is the item?" Troy asked bluntly. Tangdong tilted his head slightly, and Ryuji Hyuga stepped forward from behind. He cast a cold glance at Troy and then took out a scroll from his clothes.
With a loud thud, a dark brown coffin appeared before them. Under the warm hanging lights, it gave off a sense of death, and the already heavy mood grew even colder. "Just as I thought," Troy said as he frowned, though he did not say anything more.
On the way here, he had already received a message from the village and knew that the daimyo had passed on wrong information. Since Konoha had seized on that slip and handed over a "corpse," it was not surprising. As long as the body was Hiashi Hyuga, it still held great value.
"Step back," Troy said coldly. "We need to inspect the goods." Referring to a body as goods seemed to strike a nerve in Ryuji Hyuga, and anger flashed in his eyes. Before he could speak, Tangdong raised a hand to stop him and stepped back, giving Troy space.
Troy walked to the coffin and slid a strangely shaped shuriken from his sleeve, cutting along the seal of the lid. Kacha. At the moment the coffin opened, lightning turned the night sky a burning white.
Blinding flashes cast everyone's shadows across the floor, stretched long and twisted. Behind Tangdong, Aburame Ryoma stared hard at Troy's expression, only to see something completely unexpected. Anger, shock, and fear mixed across his face.
Why this reaction? Doubt rose sharply in Aburame Ryoma's mind as he saw Troy jerk his head up, mouth opening in alarm. Thunder followed close after the lightning.
"Retreat!" Troy shouted, but his voice was swallowed. Tangdong, the closest, heard a familiar hissing ignition sound, and his pupils shrank instantly. Explosive Tag?
How was that possible? Before anyone could react, a blast far more terrifying than thunder exploded and swallowed everything in front of them. Blazing white light burst outward and rushed straight at the crowd.
Boom.