Trap? Going Deeper

While Shuichi easily succeeded with his formidable strength, the other team members were equally determined.

A cautious man in black hid on the second floor of the castle's annex, carefully surveying the surroundings through a small hole in the wall. As a direct descendant of the Takasaki Family, he was far more dutiful than the unscrupulous mercenaries.

However, this was no match for Konoha's elite troops. Without a sound, a head slid down from above the round hole like a ghost, nearly scaring the person half to death.

If Shuichi to see this scene, he would probably exclaim that Shisui is a master at filming Japanese horror movies.

Before he could even shout, the blood-red pupils that appeared in the darkness spun rapidly. The two locked eyes for less than a second before the patrolling ninja's body went limp and he lost consciousness.

"Tsk tsk, the Sharingan is really useful, it's making me a little tempted to use it."

Carrying the two people, he stealthily made his way towards the main building. Shuichi witnessed Shisui's Genjutsu attack and exclaimed with a hint of envy.

A single glare and the enemy falls—that kind of coolness is simpler and more direct than any fancy tricks.

If he had been born into the Uchiha Clan, combined with the spiritual power and system he gained from transmigrating, he might be even more invincible now...

After a moment of reflection, he quickly put those thoughts aside.

Having discovered that their own team had captured all the guards of the Lord's mansion, everyone tacitly surrounded the central castle.

As planned, once Shuichi Barrier, Akiha and Itachi immediately invaded the first level, taking down all the soldiers, servants, and other ordinary people.

Shisui and Shuichi few swift movements, changed their positions, rushed into the house, and appeared directly in front of Lord Miyazaki.

Who are you people?

Startled by the unexpected visitor Miyazaki Kazuhiko shuddered and involuntarily jumped up from his chair.

Just as he was about to shout, he heard several thuds as the old butler and two servants beside him collapsed at the same time.

The two masked intruders made no move, and all the candles in the room had been extinguished.

In the dim light, their eyes seemed to gleam with an eerie light, and their silent expressions sent chills down Miyazaki Kazuhiko's spine.

Thud--

Several unresponsive human bodies were thrown on the ground. He stared at them, and despair welled up in his heart.

Those were the Kageyama Brothers, Special Jonin from Takigakure. It was said that the two of them could fight Jonin together, but they were taken down without even uttering a sound. You can imagine how strong the newcomers were.

"Lord Miyazaki, is it...?"

Shuichi spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "I don't want to waste time talking to you. Recently, some people have gone missing, and many more have been involved in accidents. We need an explanation."

"Of course, the more detailed the better. We have plenty of ways to verify its authenticity. If you don't want to experience a living hell, then you'd better not lie."

Since the other party belongs to the Land of Fire, killing them directly is not advisable.

Now that Miyazaki Kazuhiko's psychological defenses have been broken, let him talk so the team can understand the situation as soon as possible, and then confirm it with Sharingan Genjutsu later.

"You really are Konoha Ninja!"

Miyazaki was somewhat flustered, but not surprised by their identities; he had anticipated this situation.

Now, all we can do is honestly tell them everything we know, and quickly clear our family of any suspicion of involvement in the ninja power struggle or betraying the country.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been difficult for the Land of Fire to change the family that manages Matsuyama Castle. Unfortunately, it would have cost them a fortune no matter what, so all these years of hard work would have been for nothing.

"I'll tell you!" He swallowed hard and began, "My wife disappeared over a month ago. Since then, arrows with accompanying letters have been continuously shot into the city, stating that she is in the hands of their Yellow Sand Group and demanding a large ransom from me..."

"But they're demanding the transaction take place in the Land of Tea, which is quite far away, and we don't have enough military support. I'm afraid those who actually take the money there won't be able to return."

"So we went to Konoha to post a request, but I never expected something like this to happen..."

"..."

Shuichi listened to Miyazaki's account with narrowed eyes. The other man was indeed very cooperative. In addition to the information about the disappearance of the Nakagawa Squad, he also revealed that his family had concealed the amount of tax revenue from the Land of Fire. Judging from his expression, he did not seem to be lying.

He gave Shisui a wink, and the Genjutsu under the Three-Tomoe was activated, easily controlling Miyazaki. "Is what you just said true? Is there anything else you're hiding?"

"No, I've already told you about what happened recently. Besides..."

The following content has little to do with them; it mainly consists of some dark secrets within the Miyazaki Clan accumulated over many years and offers little help to the team's operation.

After listening for a while, Shisui dispelled the Genjutsu, causing him to fall into a deep sleep, awaiting Shuichi's next decision.

After summarizing the new information, Shuichi stroked his chin. Although the lord of the city had not lied, there were even more suspicious points in the case.

For example, that so-called Yellow Sand Group kept raising the ransom, seemingly cooperating with Matsuyama Castle to buy time. Didn't they know that Konoha might intervene?

Furthermore, the other party has repeatedly specified the same transaction location without ever changing it. What kind of power allows them to be so arrogant? Or is there some kind of trap involved?

"Captain, what should we do next?"

Shisui looked at Shuichi, sensing the situation was somewhat tricky, because the disappearance of the Anbu Ninja occurred before the Nakagawa Squad.

If the participants include those with the Kirigakure" and "Sunagakure, they could certainly devise a counter-strategy within such a long timeframe.

Perhaps the situation inside the castle is being monitored, because the hidden enemies know that Konoha will definitely send someone here.

At this point, information is severely lacking. Do we really have to spend time figuring things out bit by bit?

"Hmph, let's go straight to that so-called Yellow Sand Group!" Shuichi sneered. No matter how clever the scheme, it needs strength as a backup, otherwise it will only trap you.

With his immense strength, the Byakugan's reconnaissance abilities, and the Sharingan's Genjutsu capabilities, the more his enemies do, the easier it is for them to slip up. Could it be that the guy who wiped out the Konoha Ninjas was actually Uchiha Madara?

Without wasting any time, the Konoha Squad gathered together, woke up the prisoners, and interrogated them, but found no other valuable information.

So they killed the Kageyama Brothers and two other missing-nin ninjas, and under the cover of night, headed straight for the Land of Tea.

Before setting off Shuichi used his X-ray vision to explore the entire Matsuyama Castle, but he didn't find any White Zetsu. He didn't believe that the enemy could transmit intelligence faster than his own.

The Land of Tea is a peninsula country with abundant fisheries. Its overall altitude is low, and the terrain is mostly plains.

However, the ecological environment is complex, somewhat like the Tropical rainforest in Shuichi's previous life, and its roads are not much easier to travel than those in the mountains.

Shuichi and his three companions trudged through the muddy ground, thick with weeds and branches, the ground sometimes soft, sometimes hard.

Sometimes it feels like walking on cotton, and sometimes stepping on gravel can feel a slightly uncomfortable swaying motion.

Even though they possess the Byakugan and are not afraid of ambushes, they still dare not run wildly without restraint.

"Call..."

The sun had been up for three hours, but the colorful scenery before them held no appeal for them. Instead, the rising temperature exacerbated their physical exertion.

"Is this the place?" Shuichi wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked Akiyo in a low voice.

Their journey was far from peaceful, as they narrowly avoided other ninjas several times, only managing to escape unscathed thanks to their Byakugan and sensory abilities.

To catch your opponent off guard, you must act quickly and decisively.

The identities of the ninjas they almost encountered have been revealed. Most of them were from Sunagakure. The identities of some of the teams that weren't wearing Forehead Protector are still uncertain, but judging from their direction of action, they are more likely to be allies of Sunagakure.

"Yes, this is the place!"

"Autumn Night," she said wearily, her gaze fixed on the large hole half-exposed in the ground ahead, her senses extending deeper into the passage.

"There are about 10 people at the deepest point, and several people are patrolling back and forth in the passage, looking very cautious..."

The Yellow Sand Group, and several Sunagakure Squads--

Shuichi's psychological analysis states. "This area is very likely the battleground between Kirigakure and Sunagakure, and it's an area of activity leaning towards Sunagakure."

"If it weren't for the Byakugan clearing the way, the Konoha Squad that came to investigate would likely have run into the Sunagakure Ninja. Considering the disappearance of Jonin Kawakami, it wouldn't be surprising if the two sides clashed directly."

"Shifting the blame? Deliberate provocation?" Shuichi's expression turned dangerous. "I'll catch you red-handed soon!"

He opened his backpack, took out a small box, and handed one of the single earpieces to Akiha. "You use your Byakugan to monitor the situation outside. Itachi stays here to assist."

"Shisui and I went in to search. This radio is the latest model; even if the signal propagation path is poor, it can still be barely received within a few hundred meters."

"Unless an enemy is preparing to attack you, I will ask you the question first, and then you will answer..."

After grabbing their radios, Shuichi and Shisui darted into the Underground cave, their feet lightly touching the ground as they ventured deeper inside.

The dim lighting had almost no effect on the two people with their exceptional observation skills. They swayed left and right as they walked, avoiding small puddles, like two nimble Yao, making no sound at all.

Stop!

Shuichi suddenly stopped and waved, indicating that someone was approaching from not far ahead; it was probably the patrol personnel Akiha had mentioned.

So he pointed upwards, and Shisui nodded in understanding.

Swoosh--

Locating the deepest pit at the top of the cave, the two sprang to their feet, using the Bat-hanging technique, and quietly waited for their prey to come to them.

This Underground cave is definitely quite old, with a height exceeding 10 meters. The rugged rocks hanging from the ceiling perfectly concealed the figures of two people.

However, in this terrain, even the slightest sound would be echoed. Considering that the captured Lady Miyazaki might really be in the enemy's hands, Shuichi decided to sneak in as stealthily as possible; the area within 30 meters was his domain.

Soon, a person appeared at the corner of the passage, holding a torch to illuminate the area. He slowly walked down to them and found nothing unusual.

Swish--

The Kakkō reflected off the surface of the puddle, making it appear as if there were two different colors. Just as the man heard the sound, he was struck hard on the back of the head with a "thud," and his Byakugan rolled back as he was thrown to the ground.

Shuichi landed silently, his right hand rising from below while his left simultaneously caught the torch. Shisui followed, pulling him to the wall and setting him down.

If we go back the way we came, this guy will definitely be tortured.

After noting down the person's height, face, and build, Shuichi didn't rush to transform, because there were still patrolling personnel ahead.

Now they need to move faster to avoid the enemy's signals being given through long-distance conversations or scheduled meetings, which would inevitably expose their whereabouts.