Ambushed

"Alert!"

At Kurenai Yūhi's command, the entire convoy immediately stopped moving.

Uchiha En and the others, who had been asleep, instantly opened their eyes, leapt to their feet, and swiftly entered combat readiness.

After confirming that it was safe, Kurenai Yūhi and the others immediately formed a wary perimeter around the convoy.

Bang!

A series of massive explosions rang out, and thick smoke billowed up ahead of the convoy.

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath, secretly thankful for Inuzuka Shiro's warning. Otherwise, if they had stumbled into the trap, they would have suffered a devastating blow.

"What a pity..."

As the smoke gradually dispersed, dozens of ninjas emerged from within it, Sunagakure forehead protectors strapped around their heads.

When the middle-aged man at their head saw Inuzuka Shiro with Ranmaru, realization dawned on him.

"So there's an Inuzuka youngster among you. No wonder you discovered the Explosive Tags we hid."

"Ebizo, Shūji..." Seeing the familiar faces across from them, Kurenai Yūhi treated them as formidable enemies.

"Kurenai Yūhi! I never expected to run into you here." As a renowned jonin himself, Ebizo did not dare let down his guard. After all, she was Konoha's master of genjutsu.

"Ebizo?" Hearing that familiar name, Yūske looked at him with interest.

"He is the Sunagakure front-line commander, Chiyo's younger brother, and specializes in Puppet Technique." While the two sides had yet to begin fighting, Kurenai Yūhi introduced the enemies to those beside her. "Shūji is the Third Kazekage's disciple. He excels at long-range Wind Style combat and is not an opponent to underestimate. I don't remember the others too well, but we still need to be careful."

"Wind Style: Wind Killing Formation!"

Shūji rapidly formed hand seals, and a violent gale instantly rose around Yūske.

"Earth Release: Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

At Kurenai Yūhi's signal, several chunin skilled in Earth Release immediately used Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall. A tall wall rose from the ground, successfully blocking the fierce winds.

"Engage the enemy!"

Kurenai Yūhi kept some people behind to protect the supplies, while the rest each sought out their own opponents.

"Yūske, Shūji is yours," Kurenai Yūhi said.

"Okay!"

Yūske looked at Shūji and provocatively crooked a finger at him.

"You brat from Konoha!" As the Third Kazekage's disciple, Shūji had not been treated with such contempt in a long time. His eyes immediately filled with killing intent as he glared fiercely at Yūske.

"Do not let your guard down." Ebizo did not know Yūske, but out of caution, he reminded Shūji.

"String Style: Super Striking Constricting Whip!"

Without another word, Yūske extended his palm behind him, gathered his strings, and forcefully lashed them toward Shūji.

Shūji quickly twisted aside to evade. Yūske relentlessly pursued him, and after retracting, the Super Striking Constricting Whip struck at Shūji again.

Faced with this unfamiliar ninjutsu, Shūji did not know how to counterattack for the moment and could only duck into the forest to take temporary cover.

Seeing this, Yūske first reeled in his strings.

"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"

Taking advantage of the opening, Shūji unleashed dozens of wind blades. The blades passed through the trees ahead and continued shooting toward Yūske.

"Barrier!"

Yūske reached out, and thin strings instantly wove themselves into a barrier, blocking every Wind Cutter.

"Who are you? Since when did Konoha have a ninja like you?" Seeing his Wind Cutter blocked so easily, Shūji questioned Yūske.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Watanabe Yūske, an utterly ordinary civilian ninja." Yūske did not enjoy fighting jonin like Tsunade and Enma, who could tear through his strings at any moment. Facing a ninjutsu-oriented ninja like Shūji, Yūske was more than happy to properly exchange moves with him.

"A civilian ninja?" Shūji looked at Yūske with utter disdain.

"That is enough small talk. Let's continue." Without giving Shūji time to react, Yūske immediately charged at him and launched an attack.

"String Style: Five-Colored String!"

Yūske curled his fingers into the shape of beast claws. Several translucent, threadlike strings formed from each finger and slashed toward Shūji.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Every time Yūske swiped, the obstacles around Shūji collapsed in response.

"Wind Style: Whirlwind Fist!"

Shūji gathered Wind Style chakra in his hand, then threw a punch carrying a whirlwind.

Worthy of being an outstanding user of Wind Style Ninjutsu, Shūji's fist stirred up a violent whirlwind and blasted Yūske away with astonishing force. Yūske's body tumbled through the air until he crashed into a tree and finally came to a stop.

Fortunately, Yūske had woven himself a sturdy layer of protective clothing with fine strings before the battle began. The cutting winds sent ripples across it, but could not penetrate its defense.

Shūji's eyes widened as he stared at Yūske in disbelief. His ninjutsu had clearly struck the other man, yet Yūske was completely unharmed—not even his clothes had been damaged. Yūske's performance made Shūji realize that he had encountered an opponent who could not be underestimated.

Shūji did not dare be careless in the slightest. He focused his mind, rapidly formed hand seals, and unleashed an even more powerful ninjutsu.

"Wind Style: Pressure Damage."

As he completed the seals, a powerful airflow gathered around Yūske's position, forming a small tornado. Spinning at high speed with terrifying destructive power, the tornado steadily grew more powerful.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

Immediately afterward, a blazing torrent of flame erupted from Shūji's mouth, like a ferocious fire dragon baring its fangs and claws as it charged straight into the tornado. The fire dragon collided with the tornado, instantly triggering a violent burst of energy.

For a moment, flames scattered in every direction and heat surged through the air. The surrounding atmosphere seemed to ignite, burning with roaring fire. The flames and whirlwind intertwined, forming a spectacular fire tornado.

"That should have taken care of him, right?" Looking at his handiwork, Shūji smiled in satisfaction.

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine as Yūske's voice came from behind him.

"Are you talking about me?"