Top-tier Trap, Perfect Disguise

Facing Sarutobi Shio, who had led his team away without authorization, Uchiha Daiki neither tried to stop him nor offered any explanation.

After the two sides had gone some distance in different directions, Uchiha Daiki finally stopped.

He began searching for a suitable location to set an Explosive Tag trap.

"Against an overwhelmingly powerful enemy like that, either standing our ground or blindly running away would be unwise. We can only outsmart them."

"Sorry about this..."

Uchiha Daiki muttered to himself as he took out the Explosive Tags he had stored on him and began preparing his traps.

He had deliberately said those things to anger Sarutobi Shio and the others into leaving, mainly to buy himself time.

When a group split up, the enemy would usually choose to pursue the side with more people.

After all, they had victory in the bag.

And just as Uchiha Daiki was racking his brain to recall how to set traps, a system notification immediately sounded in his mind.

Ding! You carefully recalled trap-setting methods and comprehended the Top-Tier Trap Setting Technique!

Top-Tier Trap Setting Technique: Enables the perfect setup of mechanisms and traps using Explosive Tags, Kunai, Shuriken, and more, making them difficult for enemies to detect.

You can comprehend trap-setting techniques like this too?

Uchiha Daiki was somewhat surprised.

With a thought, he hurriedly gave it a try.

In an instant, a massive torrent of information on setting Explosive Tag arrays, Kunai mechanisms, and Shuriken trap formations surged into his mind like a roaring river.

These flawless techniques would be difficult for enemies to detect.

They were perfect for dealing with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who would soon be pursuing him.

Without another word, Uchiha Daiki sprang into action. Using his powerful perception to determine his opponents' positions and movements, he began setting all sorts of traps along the routes they were most likely to take.

Meanwhile, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who were rapidly closing in, had no idea that deadly traps awaited them ahead.

At that very moment, they were still relentlessly accelerating their pursuit.

"They've split up."

Kushimaru Kuriarare warned.

"Hmph, doesn't that just mean they'll die faster?"

Munashi Jinpachi sneered.

Suikazan Fuguki grinned viciously. "I'll take those three. You can have the remaining one."

"Give me a break! You want to keep three enemies all to yourself?"

Raiga Kurosuki snorted in challenge.

Their tone made it clear that none of them regarded their upcoming opponents as worthy of concern.

Whether judging from intelligence or from the traces the enemy had left along the way, every clue pointed to one fact: the Konoha Ninja they were currently tracking were no stronger than Chunin.

Wouldn't that be an easy slaughter?

"Finish them quickly, then head to the next ambush site."

"Before the negotiations make any progress, we need to inflict as much unbearable damage on Konoha as possible—especially by killing their active forces and draining their fresh blood."

Jinin Akebino chimed in as well.

At those words, the seven of them seemed to have been injected with stimulants, growing even more excited.

To carry out ruthless slaughter and make Konoha pay a terrible price.

That was an important reason they had come to the battlefield.

Uchiha Daiki had already set five traps in different directions, all along routes the enemy was most likely to take.

That included the retreat route of Sarutobi Shio, Hyuga Koji, and Uzuki Sen.

By then, he had also used up every Kunai, Shuriken, and Explosive Tag on his person.

If I'd known, I should've had those guys give me all their equipment before we split up.

Uchiha Daiki felt a little regretful.

He had not yet had his fill. If his ninja tools had not run out, he would have liked to set a few more traps and prepare a huge surprise for the approaching Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

I should hide first.

With that thought, Uchiha Daiki used the Camouflage Technique and merged directly into a nearby tree, as though he had become part of it.

Just then, another system notification sounded in his mind.

Ding! You used the Camouflage Technique and comprehended the Advanced Camouflage Technique.

The Advanced Camouflage Technique allowed its user to disguise themselves almost perfectly, making it difficult for enemies to detect them.

Listening to the system notification echoing in his mind and sensing the sudden influx of information in his brain, Uchiha Daiki secretly rejoiced.

"This Heaven-Defying Comprehension is becoming more and more useful."

Without delay, Uchiha Daiki immediately used the Advanced Camouflage Technique he had just comprehended.

He first cleared away every trace left behind by his earlier movements in the area.

Then, he merged back into the tree beside the trap.

This time, Uchiha Daiki's presence nearly vanished completely.

Not only that, but under his conscious control, his heartbeat, breathing rate, and other bodily functions steadily slowed down.

He had practically become a part of nature itself.

Even if an enemy stood face-to-face with Uchiha Daiki, they might not necessarily notice his existence.

Now, all he had to do was patiently wait for the enemy to walk into his trap.

With his powerful sensory abilities, although layers of dense vegetation blocked his view and prevented him from seeing the enemy's location—

Uchiha Daiki could still clearly hear their movements.

About five hundred meters away, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist split into two groups. One of them headed toward Uchiha Daiki, while the remaining six pursued the direction Uzuki Sen and the others had retreated in.

"Just as I thought, hehe..."

Uchiha Daiki chuckled inwardly.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had indeed divided into two groups to pursue them.

And only one had come after him, while all the rest had gone after the three Konoha Chunin.

Everything was exactly as Uchiha Daiki had predicted.

When he set the traps earlier, he had focused on the retreat route near Uzuki Sen, Hyuga Koji, and the others.

"If I can kill the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist here, I'll be ending their fate ahead of schedule."

Uchiha Daiki thought silently.

Since the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were still intact, it meant they had yet to encounter Might Duy.

If those guys died here, perhaps he would become a contributor to ending the Third Shinobi World War early.

As he calculated in his heart, time passed second by second.

Before long, Uchiha Daiki clearly heard movement from roughly fifty meters away.

The enemy was just about to enter the Explosive Tag trap he had set, about to be blown to pieces and reduced to ashes.

Yet at that very moment, a deafening boom suddenly erupted in the distance. Firelight and thick smoke pierced through the forest and shot into the sky.