Attack

Two days later, at the city gate of the Daimyo's Mansion, a group of people were making their final preparations before setting off.

"A total of 8 carts of goods, and quite a few people!" Shuichi he looked at the line in front of him.

These wagons have a rather unusual structure, with ornate patterns on the boxes. Some of them even have shock absorber-like devices. Each wagon is pulled by two horses, and most of the drivers are already in position.

"Lord Orochimaru, Shuichi-kun, we're about to set off. What do you think?" Inoue Danza asked politely.

"No problem, let's set off."

Besides the two of them, the group also had a fairly large escort team dressed as soldiers. After discussing with Orochimaru, Shuichi followed behind the truck loaded with porcelain in the middle, while Orochimaru watched from the rear of the group to ensure they could react quickly in case of an emergency.

At this moment, in a mask shop in the Daimyo's Mansion, several people were carefully discussing something in the back warehouse.

"Boss, it's definitely Konoha ninjas. One of them is Takeda Shuichi, who's worth 30 million ryo. I think he's just a weakling who can be crushed with a single squeeze. We're determined to get this piece of meat. We can even get 30 million ryo for free. Let's make our move!"

"Hehe, that's the funniest joke I've ever heard." Just then, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out from inside the shop outside the warehouse.

"Who?" The men immediately became alert.

"Harukura, we've only been separated for a few years, how did you end up associating with these lowlifes?" A burly man with Black Flames tattoo on his arm rudely lifted the curtain.

"Who are you? I used to be a ninja from the Valley Village."

"Alright, no need to argue anymore." Harukura, wearing a black eyepatch over one eye, was the leader of the small group. "This is a former Chunin colleague from Takigakure."

"Looks like you're doing quite well with the Wildfire Group Gang, Nichito. What, you guys have your eye on that caravan too?"

Hirudo, the Nichito man, remained unceremonious. "Pretty much, but that's not the main point. I'm telling you, these past few years have corrupted you with this bustling city. Even if you're unfamiliar with the Shinobi World, there should be a limit. As an old friend, I don't want to see you go and die like this."

"Oh? You already have intelligence?" Harukura asked tentatively.

Nichito found it somewhat unbelievable; only a few years had passed, and the former Chunin had fallen so low, almost completely unaware of major events in the Shinobi World. "I won't waste my breath on you. We are indeed keeping an eye on them, but that caravan isn't the main focus."

"The leader has spoken. The main target this time is Takeda Shuichi. If things go well, he'll bring out a few C-rank Ninjutsu. The caravan's goods aren't important."

"Several C-rank Ninjutsu? That's quite a feat. Is that kid that difficult to deal with?"

"Let me be blunt: this Takeda Shuichi Konoha Sannin Orochimaru Konoha. Anyone who would dare to kill him for 30 million is simply courting death. But this time they're on a mission, especially an escort mission like this. If we have a chance to separate Orochimaru from him, our Wildfire Group has a very high chance of successfully ambushing him."

"Even if your entire Wildfire Group were to go out of force, you still couldn't guarantee killing that kid? Are you kidding me?" Harukura was dumbfounded after hearing Nichito's words.

As far as he knew, the Wildfire Group had at least three Chunin, and was considered a relatively well-known group in the Underground Black Market. Such strength was already quite terrifying, which meant that their attempt to rob a caravan was simply suicide.

Nichito was speechless. He used to envy Harukura's carefree life in the big city, but now, seeing Harukura in this state where he didn't even know how he was going to die, he secretly took it as a warning.

"Our boss saw it with his own eyes; he was watching from the stands Chunin Ninja Exams held in Konoha. Although some of us find it hard to believe, it's the truth. That Takeda Shuichi's strength far surpasses that of ordinary Chunin. If you guys actually went, you'd be throwing your lives away."

Nichito's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over their heads. Chunin were elites in their respective villages, let alone those from the Five Great Ninja Villages. How could such a freak have appeared in the Shinobi World now?

"Then why did you come to me?" Harukura had basically given up on the idea of messing with this caravan. "I don't want to go and die."

"Don't worry, you don't need to get involved directly. I bet you have people in the caravan's guard. I hope you can distract Takeda Shuichi or Orochimaru, whoever it is."

"Here's the thing... If Takeda Shuichi is lured away, Orochimaru will definitely chase after him. You can then attack the caravan and rob them. We don't care what you get. If Orochimaru is lured away, then we'll all gang up on Takeda Shuichi. After we succeed, you'll naturally share the reward."

After speaking, Nichito's expression suddenly turned serious. "I've already spoken to the leader about your situation. I hope you'll be sensible, otherwise, who knows what might happen."

"You..." Harukura was furious at being threatened, but they had no choice but to cooperate now, as the Wildfire Group had too many experts.

Meanwhile, Shuichi was unaware that someone had already begun preparing to deal with him. Although he had become Chunin and his strength was quite good, the Third Hokage wasn't foolish enough to let him lead a team on a mission now. That would be blatantly telling the other villages to come and assassinate him.

With Orochimaru by his side, any other village that wanted to assassinate Shuichi near the Land of Fire would have to bring multiple top-tier fighters. Once their whereabouts were discovered, Konoha could launch a counter-encirclement and kill them, and no one could afford such a cost.

After the victory in the Second Great Ninja War, the other major villages had to send troops together if they wanted to attack Konoha, otherwise they would have to bear the wrath of the Number One Ninja Village alone, ultimately benefiting other opponents.

The straight-line distance from the Daimyo's Mansion to the destination is approximately 2,000 kilometers. Although the Land of Fire has mostly plains, it also has many forests and hills. In addition, caravans have high requirements for roads, so they can only take detours and travel along flat trade routes.

More than 20 days later, their group had reached the northern border of the Land of Fire. Further ahead, they would enter the territory of the Land of Iron, where the roads would become more difficult and the terrain would become rugged.

The journey through the Land of Fire proceeded without major incidents. Only a group of ordinary bandits, overestimating their abilities, attempted to challenge them, but Shuichi was quickly dealt with by the guards in formation before he could even put up a fight.

"Shuichi-kun, the mountains ahead are the most difficult part of this journey. There's also a complex jungle after that, which is quite dangerous for the caravan. I'll have to trouble you during this time." Inoue Danza, who had been following Shuichi all the way, came over to remind him now that they had reached the border area.

"No problem." Shuichi showed no childish impatience throughout the journey, which was reassuring. "Uncle Danza, was this the same location where you last experienced cargo loss?"

"Yes, that battle two years ago took place in that area ahead." Inoue Danza was still quite worried about potential problems. "The commotion from the ninja battles is immense. Although the Konoha ninjas had the upper hand last time, a lot of the cargo was damaged, resulting in considerable losses."

"But this time there shouldn't be any problems," he thought to himself. "No one would risk being killed by Konoha Ninja to sabotage the caravan."

Upon entering the Land of Land of Iron, a complex mountain range came into view. The route ahead looked somewhat similar to the winding mountain roads in Shuichi's previous life, and it would probably take quite a while.

Earth Release: Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu!

A bumpy road was filled in, and Shuichi noticed that the group's speed had slowed down considerably. Feeling that he had plenty of energy, he used Earth Release to repair the road in a difficult section.

The group moved much faster this time, and by the time they reached the foot of the other side of the mountain, it was only early afternoon.

"That's great, Shuichi-kun, you've worked hard." Inoue Danza was very happy. "We can cross the jungle ahead before nightfall and rest in an open area."

The Land of Fire caravan traveled smoothly, but the people on a nearby hill were not so happy.

A young man with a large monocular telescope watched the caravan reach the foot of the mountain. His gaze lingered on Shuichi and Orochimaru for a moment before he quickly ran to the back.

"Boss, things aren't going well. This caravan is moving too fast. They'll probably reach the plains soon, and if we move at night, we won't be able to use this jungle."

Harukura frowned upon hearing this, but he couldn't make a decision either. When he looked towards Nichito's direction, he saw the members of the Wildfire Group discussing something in a corner behind a rock.

Not long after, Nichito came out alone. "We'll make our move in two hours at that special spot in the middle. I hope you guys don't mess things up."

After he finished speaking, two masked ninjas with Black Flames tattoos on their hands stood next to Harukura with Nichito, while two others disappeared in a flash, their whereabouts unknown.

On Shuichi's side, the caravan began to enter the complex jungle area. The trees here were not as tall as in the Forest of Death, and a narrow path could be seen on the ground, as if it had been worn down by many people.

The group had to slow down, as the drivers were finding it difficult to control the horses in this terrain and had to lead them from the front.

Fortunately, the weather was kind to us today. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the branches, casting shimmering spots of light on the path, which lifted our spirits considerably. The sounds of insects and birds could be heard from time to time.

After an unknown amount of time, the long column emerged from the dense jungle and arrived at a sparsely wooded area. Just when everyone thought the journey would be smooth sailing, a scream suddenly came from the middle of the column.

"Ah!"

A soldier collapsed to the ground in pain. The sudden sound drew everyone's attention, and many became wary.

"What happened?" Inoue Danza felt very uncomfortable. Why did the journey, which had been going smoothly, suddenly encounter an unexpected incident? But as the leader, he couldn't just ignore it.

The entire group stopped because of the soldier's condition, Inoue Danza called over a few people to walk towards him together.

Seeing Shuichi also secretly became more vigilant. This caravan was of great value, but the safety of the client was more important to Konoha.

Orochimaru didn't move after pressing down, so he could only continue to protect Inoue Danza closely in case someone came to assassinate him, and thus he went along with him.

As the group approached the soldier and were about to check on him, a frog-like insect the size of a palm jumped out from his body. It moved with such agility that the ordinary people present couldn't react in time.

"Whoosh!" A flash of silver light appeared in the air, followed by a series of shrill cries from an insect.

Everyone looked over and saw that it was a colorful green insect with well-developed limbs. A Senbon had pierced its body and stuck it into the ground. It was struggling, but its strength was getting weaker and weaker.

It was Shuichi who made the move, Inoue Danza quickly realized what was happening. The group immediately gathered around to observe the insect.

"It's Green Marsh Frog! He's been poisoned! Quickly, bring the prepared antidote."

While the others were busy saving the soldiers' lives, Shuichi came to the Green Marsh Frog, quickly pulled out the Senbon, and watched the dark red blood slide to the ground.

"Whoosh!" The Green Marsh Frog, which looked dead, seemed to come back to life all at once, as if it wanted to escape again Shuichi wasn't paying attention.

"Thud!" This time it failed. It had only jumped a few meters when the Senbon pierced its head with precision. This time it didn't even make a sound, and its powerful limbs suddenly went limp. It must be really dead.

"These are poisonous insects that have been trained by humans; otherwise, they wouldn't possess such intelligence." Shuichi frowned, cautiously guarding his surroundings.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Just as they feared, a hail of arrows suddenly rained down from the distant woods towards their position.

"Enemy attack! Be on high alert!"

Before Inoue Danza could even utter a warning, Shuichi's eyes scanned every arrow, noticing several with Explosive Tag attached. Shuriken to precisely deflect the threatening arrows, continuing his attack without pause.

"Earth Release: Earth Return!"

Several square-shaped stones suddenly appeared on both sides of the caravan, and ordinary arrows struck them without even leaving a mark.

"Huh? It's not over yet?" Shuichi saw through the gap that the Kunai following the rain of arrows were about to fall beside him.

"BOOM!"

The Explosive Tag detonated in the distance, but there was no real danger.

The entire caravan was shrouded in thick smoke, likely from smoke bombs strapped to the Kunai. There were Smoke Bomb in other locations besides theirs. Shuichi noticed them, he vanished from the spot in a flash.

"Cough cough cough..."

Unaware of the enemy's intentions, he quickly hoisted Inoue Danza onto his shoulder and jumped aside. The spot where they had been standing was now shrouded in smoke, and the others inside were coughing from the smoke.

"There's not even any poison, so why are they doing this?" Shuichi couldn't understand the point of the Smoke Bomb after seeing its effect.

At that moment, a strong gust of wind blew in, and the smoke that had only appeared for a short time was swept away. It was Orochimaru from the back of the group who made his move.

"Teacher, what is the enemy's purpose? This behavior seems a bit strange!" Shuichi and Orochimaru met up immediately. Seeing that most of the people in the caravan were unharmed, they had no idea what the enemy wanted to do.

"Lord Danza, something terrible has happened!" A coachman rushed towards them. "Ryosuke has disappeared. It seems he took some of the things, and we don't know if the people around him are dead or alive. Come quickly and take a look."

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Inoue Danza quickly ran to the front of the caravan. Shuichi and Orochimaru exchanged a glance, and Shuichi followed after them, while Orochimaru remained where he was.

Upon arriving at the location of the second truck, several soldiers were lying on the ground. The truck's cargo box had been opened, but it was still filled with a large, gleaming load of goods.

Inoue Danza quickly checked the items, looking somewhat anxious. "Shuichi-kun, Ryosuke has taken some of the most valuable items."

"Damn it, he's been lurking in the Daimyo's Mansion for so long without being discovered. His disappearance so quickly must be that of a ninja. I'm helpless now; the only way to find him is through you guys."

"Could you talk to Lord Orochimaru about this? If it gets any later, we won't be able to catch them."