Lightning Release: Lightning Sparrow Returns to Nest

Time was tight, but Shuichi didn't rush to move on.

After confirming that no one was nearby, he lowered his voice and asked over the radio, "How are the patrol personnel ahead of us?"

Akiha quickly replied, "There are two other people moving in the passageway, more than 100 meters away from you, roughly positioned one in front of the other."

"It's important to note that the passageway seems to get narrower as you go further in, and there might not be enough room to move left or right..."

Shuichi's expression remained unchanged. Since his Sensory Ninjutsu hadn't detected anyone at this distance, the patrol personnel were definitely not ninjas. In an instant, he had an idea.

After turning off the radio, Shisui gestured to him, and the two continued on their way methodically.

As Akiha had said, the passage gradually decreased in altitude as they went deeper, Shisui soon stopped at one point.

The stalactites overhead were clearly visible. After seeing Shuichi nod, he hid in the crevice as before, which was the only suitable hiding place left.

Shuichi's performance was extremely exaggerated. He transformed into a real bat and used Magnet Release to drift deeper into the distance. Judging from his lack of wing flapping, he was clearly a fake, and his flight felt very incongruous.

Shisui waiting patiently for a long time, the second patrolman finally appeared.

As the person was about to descend, he silently formed a hand seal and released his Mental Energy, firmly controlling the opponent. Then he jumped down and struck the opponent with a palm strike, knocking him down.

Even without using his Sharingan contact, Shisui's talent for Genjutsu is still outstanding; he can easily defeat ordinary people with regular Genjutsu.

The passage became unusually quiet. Following their pre-arranged plan, Shisui synchronized her footsteps with the man's.

They are now approaching the core area of the cave. If the enemy is very vigilant, being too calm will only give away their secrets.

Soon, Shuichi appeared in front of him, with another person lying motionless at his feet. The two investigators in front and behind had already been dealt with.

However, the terrain was too treacherous. If Shuichi were to act alone, he could use Earth Release to infiltrate, but he needed Sharingan Genjutsu to prevent the enemy from resorting to desperate measures and to interrogate them for information as soon as possible. It would be more appropriate to call Shisui along.

"Charge!"

The two quickened their pace and ventured deeper into the area. The path became winding and rugged, its width narrowing in all directions. Shuichi's X-ray vision revealed a vast expanse; they only needed to pass through an entrance less than shoulder-width wide...

Deep inside the cave, Chūkichi sat casually against the wall, a Katana in his hand. His clothes were half-open, revealing his chest, and his unkempt appearance made him indistinguishable from the large group of wandering samurai around him.

However, his eyes would always inadvertently sweep over other people, and then he would close his eyes and rest as if nothing had happened.

"How much longer do we have to endure this? It's so incredibly boring!"

"Yeah, we haven't seen the sun in ages, and even I can't stand the smell on me anymore..."

Several wandering samurai were talking loudly, and some of them were secretly glancing at a woman who was tied up not far away. Although she was not very pretty and was crying her eyes out, she was still a delicious piece of meat in the eyes of the lonely guys.

The woman was dressed in fine clothes, indicating that she came from a very distinguished background, but at this moment she didn't even have the strength to speak. She could only look on in terror, trying to avoid the gazes of these wolves.

"Shut up, all of you! If you want money, stay put or get out of here!" said the tall man next to her Yuta, menacingly, instantly silencing the cave.

The wandering samurai had no way to deal with this temporary leader, so they could only grimace inwardly and turn away to whisper with acquaintances.

After all, the salary offered by the other party was not low, and it was paid daily. For them, who were already struggling to make ends meet, this was a rare opportunity, and they were reluctant to give it up.

Chūkichi ignored the complaints of these small fry; he was feeling uneasy today, as if he had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.

Out of caution, he decided to increase the frequency of his use of Sensory Ninjutsu.

Unexpectedly, the moment they made a move, two bright chakra sources shone like light bulbs in the dark, moving towards them at an extremely fast speed.

"Oh no, watch out, someone might be there..."

No longer caring about hiding himself, Chūkichi's roar was deafening in the cave.

Fortunately, the attackers couldn't see what was happening here for the time being, because the last section of the passage connecting to the cave was curved, giving them a chance to take advantage of the chaos.

Several wandering samurai jumped in fright, but Yuta was the quickest to react, immediately grabbing the bound woman and drawing his long sword.

The gleaming blade sent a chill down her spine, but a powerful will to survive surged within her. Had her savior arrived?

Swish--

Two afterimages shot out from the passageway, appearing in everyone's sight even before the sound echoed.

They made no attempt to conceal their identities; the Konoha Forehead Protector on their heads told them they were in deep trouble this time!

Shuichi saw the knife held against Lady Miyazaki and cursed his bad luck.

Luckily, someone on the other side was sensing it; otherwise, if it had been any later, my Flying Thunder God Senbon could have landed instantly and easily killed the kidnapper.

"Konoha Ninja! I don't care what mission you received, if you want this woman back, you'll have to pay up." Yuta steadied his sword and said to Shuichi other man without any politeness.

He seemed like a guy with a short-circuited mind, blinded by money, but in reality, he was testing the intelligence of the people from Konoha.

The ninja who caught up so quickly must be no ordinary person. I'm probably going to lose my life, but my comrades should be able to retreat under cover, so the mission can be considered a success...

"Oh? Looks like you're being tactless." Shuichi eyebrow, feeling his intelligence had been insulted.

Kidnapping for money isn't common practice among ninjas, and the Shinobi World offers no fertile ground for chivalrous thieves. The powerful can simply take both people and money.

If the two sides are evenly matched, the role of hostages is to gain the initiative in the battle or to find an opportunity to escape.

Shuichi's mind raced, and without a word, he decided to take action.

If the enemy is indeed a Hidden Mist Ninja their identity, then it would be extremely foolish to remain in place and engage in a stalemate with them, as the enemy would definitely discover our concerns.

Moreover, I have Flash a backup, which guarantees I can knock the hostage-taker unconscious the moment he tenses his muscles.

While it's a waste to use it on newbies, the probability of encountering big fish lurking in the shadows is low in recent years; it's just a matter of waiting a month for the cooldown.

Crackle crackle--

No one expected that Shuichi would attack so recklessly, unleashing a burst of lightning from his right hand. A small Lightning Bird shot out from the white light and rushed towards the group of wandering samurai.

"Ugh..."

The lightning bird's wings were like knives, slicing across the waists of several unsuspecting warriors, almost cutting them in half, and causing large amounts of blood to burst from their wounds.

Yuta was extremely focused, his eyes fixed on the front, his wrist holding the knife turning slightly white, the blade already leaving a bloody mark on Lady Miyazaki's neck.

He noticed that the Lightning Bird's attack wasn't aimed at him, so he resisted the urge to immediately deal with the hostage.

"It seems this woman is quite important to Konoha!" In a flash, Yuta raced.

He believed this was a test by the enemy, indicating that the hostages were not very important.

But this action also demonstrates that the leverage they possess is valuable, so they cannot let this opportunity slip by...

Seeing his hesitation, Shuichi's lips curled slightly. Although the motives behind their series of plans were unclear, the key point was definitely not to confront Konoha head-on.

This high probability of something happening is why he acted decisively; his methods are beyond the comprehension of ordinary ninjas.

The beam of light connecting to the Lightning Bird instantly thickened, and the bird, which had been flying straight, suddenly changed direction and transformed, elongating vertically into a giant blade as thin as a cicada's wing.

The speed suddenly increased several times, and it precisely slashed between Yuta and Lady Miyazaki from the side, so that they didn't even have time to feel the pain before their arms were completely separated from their bodies.

Lightning Release: Lightning Sparrow Returns to Nest!

The lightning bolt that had completed its strike even transformed into a bird shape, passing through several samurai on the other side once more.

Amidst screams, the lightning bolt seemed to possess a life of its own, moving nimbly and tracing a triangular pattern in the air before returning to its origin, the point of connection being Shuichi's right hand.

"The captain's mastery of Lightning Release has become even more astonishing, it's even more terrifying than the effect of Storm Release!" Shisui exclaimed inwardly upon seeing this.

At the same time, he was quick to act. After Shuichi made his move, he activated the Body Flicker Technique and rushed towards Yuta. When Yuta's arm was severed, he arrived in front of Lady Miyazaki the next moment.

"Damn it! Who is this Konoha Ninja?"

Chūkichi didn't have time to think further; he had never heard of such a monstrous Lightning Release before.

However, his combat experience as Jonin made him act instinctively, intending to try to reclaim the Lady Miyazaki. If he failed, he would retreat immediately, leaving no evidence for the enemy.

Both figures approached in Body Flicker Techniques; the situation changed so quickly it was almost impossible to keep up. Chūkichi was closer to Yuta, and although he was a fraction slower, he should be able to take the hostages first...

"Whoosh!"

A faint light flashed before Chūkichi's eyes. Someone else was even faster than the two of them; Shuichi ghost in Body Flicker Technique's path, delivering a Flying Thunder God Light-Speed Kick that sent him flying backward.

"I noticed something was off about you the moment you came in. What were you waiting for, hiding in the back?"

Thud--

The kicked Chūkichi slammed heavily against the wall, Shisui easily brought Lady Miyazaki back with a second Continuous Body Flicker.

"BOOM!"

"Holy crap, Shadow Clone?" Shuichi was surprised to see the exploded body. He had wanted to capture the person for interrogation, but he didn't expect the other party to be so cautious.

"It seems he's definitely connected to the disappearance of Jonin Kawakami, so we absolutely cannot let him go!"

Upon closer reflection, it makes perfect sense. Konoha wouldn't use piecemeal tactics to send their enemies to their deaths. The next group to arrive would consist of multiple squads or top-tier fighters, so a Jonin certainly couldn't fight them head-on.

Boom boom--

A deafening explosion echoed from inside the cave. There were several round holes above this spacious area, allowing sunlight to stream in and preventing it from being too dark, indicating that they were not far from the ground.

The view was now much clearer, as countless boulders crumbled and continued to fall, clearly intending to bury everyone who had entered...

Before the explosion, a large, white bird took flight from a small pond; it appeared to be Blue-footed Albatross, a relatively rare species in the Land of Water.

It is over 3 meters long, has a handsome appearance, and can carry a person without any effort.

Sitting atop the bird's back, Chūkichi looked back at the violent collapse below with a cruel smile. "Even the entrance will be blocked by the explosion, and the commotion here will attract the attention of Sunagakure. Enjoy, Konoha Ninja..."

Bang!

"What?"

A deafening explosion came from below, far exceeding the collapse of the cave. Half of the rubble had just fallen when it was blasted away by an unknown force.

Under the astonished gazes of the Chūkichi, a giant rock, tens of meters wide, crashed into the ground, as if someone had punched it from below, almost filling the crater left by the explosion.

Earth Release: Earth Fist!

Shuichi vented her anger a little. She was already quite tired before accepting the mission, and she had to travel all the way to the far south to collect clues. She couldn't help but feel a little impatient.

Chūkichi was so frightened that he dared not look back again. This exaggerated Ninjutsu and the movement he had just made were the Purple Aurora that terrified many experts in the village.

Despite the Albatross's high speed, someone was not willing to let him go. A figure burst out of the ground behind the Rock Fist, running through the complex environment of the Land of Tea as if walking on flat ground. His figure seemed to leave an invisible black line as he approached the seabird at an astonishing speed.

Snap!

With a violent burst of chakra beneath his feet, Shuichi shot into the sky like a cannonball, and with the full power of Magnet Release activated, he rose vertically and crashed into Albatross.

For any other Konoha Ninja, this might be a tough situation, at least they wouldn't be able to catch Jonin who's prepared to Flight ability. But Chūkichi has messed with Konoha's trump card today, and he'll soon know what it means to have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide...