Mission Success

After a period of rest, Karot and the others began to move again. This time, their objective was to destroy the Cloud Ninja's vital transport route, the Thunder Moon Bridge.

At this moment, Karot and a few others were crouched on the cliff face of the Thunder Moon Bridge, waiting for the right time to destroy it in one fell swoop.

"Below us are six Cloud Ninja squads, stationed at both ends of the bridge. The guards are extremely strict. One of the Jonin has an incredibly powerful and aggressive chakra within him; just looking at him puts immense pressure on me."

Hyuga Koji used his Byakugan to meticulously detail the intelligence on the Thunder Moon Bridge. The mention of a particular Jonin piqued Karot's interest.

"So it's him."

Karot hadn't expected to encounter the future Fourth Raikage at this location.

"Hmm?"

A suddenly frowned and glanced in Karot's direction. This action drew the attention of the Cloud Ninja. He asked cautiously, "Lord A, is something wrong?"

"We've been spotted."

"Could it be them? A few days ago, intelligence from the front lines reported a Leaf Village squad had broken through the defenses and was harassing our rear. Their target is this Thunder Moon Bridge."

Those who become Jonin are no ordinary individuals. Based on the known information, they had already deduced Karot and the others' objective.

"Hmph, if they dare to come, we'll make sure they never return."

A said with an arrogant expression. He indeed had the right to be arrogant; at such a young age, he had already earned the title "A," and his succession to the position of Fourth Raikage was all but guaranteed.

"Give the order. Tell my subordinates to be on high alert. I want to capture this Leaf Village squad."

"Yes, Lord A."

At this moment, Hyuga Koji, on the cliff face, showed a fearful expression and said, "What a keen sense of perception. We were almost discovered. His strength is not inferior to Lord Orochimaru's. Our mission is in danger."

"What?"

The Ino-Shika-Cho trio was greatly alarmed. They hadn't expected the Cloud Ninja to be so thorough in their defenses here, even deploying such a powerful combatant. They all turned their gaze to Karot.

"You're mistaken, Koji. He already knows we're here."

Karot said calmly. He sensed that the Cloud Ninja's defensive formation had shifted from tight on the inside and loose on the outside, setting traps to eliminate Karot and his companions.

"What should we do?"

Hyuga Koji asked, shocked. He hadn't detected this information, yet Karot knew. How strong was his perception? Hyuga Koji couldn't help but feel a sense of dejection. He had thought his perception was the only thing that could surpass Karot's, only to discover that the latter's perception far exceeded his own.

"Since we've come, we can't leave empty-handed. Wait until nightfall, then install a large number of Explosive Tags on the cliff face to attract attention. While they're distracted, find an opportunity to blow up the bridge. As for that guy, leave him to me."

Karot knew that A's strength had reached the Kage level. This time, it was just a delaying tactic, not a fight to the death, so it wouldn't be a problem.

"But this opponent is extraordinary. You need to think carefully, Karot!"

The others said with concern. They didn't understand Karot's strength and wanted to persuade him to abandon such a dangerous course of action.

"Don't worry! Don't you know me well enough? I don't do things I'm not confident about."

Seeing Karot speak with such conviction, they finally felt relieved. Although they had only been together for a few days, they had come to understand Karot's way of doing things. He acted steadily and never engaged in battles without a sure chance of victory.

Soon, the sky gradually darkened, and the group began to prepare for their actions.

In the pitch-black night, Nara Juubei used his clan's secret technique to plant all the Explosive Tags.

The Yamanaka clan used their ninjutsu to control a Cloud Ninja, who, under Hyuga Koji's coordination, continued to install Explosive Tags.

Akimichi Tezuka was responsible for guarding their escape route.

After about an hour of busy work, all the Explosive Tags were in place. Once detonated, the falling rocks from the cliff would block the Cloud Ninja's pursuit, while the Explosive Tags under Hyuga Koji's charge would detonate in the middle, destroying the bridge.

At this moment, A felt a sudden unease. This was the time when people were most likely to let their guard down. Although he had instructed the Cloud Ninja to be vigilant, a sense of foreboding made A's expression turn grim. A ninja's sixth sense was honed through countless battles, and it wouldn't manifest without reason.

"Lord A, what's wrong?"

A subordinate saw A's grim expression and asked.

"I have a bad feeling something is about to happen. I feel uneasy."

A clutched his chest and told his subordinate of his unease.

"No, immediately order all ninja to increase patrols around the bridge. The enemy may have already made their move. Waiting here passively is no longer effective."

"Yes, Lord A, I'll convey your orders right away."

Before the Cloud Ninja could even leave the tent, explosions echoed, and the entire bridge began to shake violently. A rushed out of the tent and saw the chaotic camp, flames soaring into the sky, and countless massive rocks falling from above, smashing into the camp. Ninja who couldn't evade in time were crushed into meat paste. Just as a giant rock was about to hit A, lightning suddenly surged around his body. This was a Raiton technique only a Raikage could master, Raiton no Kai. With a single punch, the giant rock above shattered into pieces. The other ninja, seeing A appear, seemed to have found their backbone and gradually converged towards him.

"Everyone, evacuate the bridge immediately!"

A knew that the bridge was beyond saving at this point and could only order personnel to withdraw.

Finally, the bridge, unable to withstand the destructive force of the explosions, collapsed with a deafening roar.

A watched with his own eyes as the bridge was destroyed, his hatred for Leaf Village ninjutsu reaching its peak. He swore he would not rest until his anger was appeased.

A sprinted rapidly along the cliff face, searching for any trace of the Leaf Village ninja. His plan to lure the enemy out had backfired spectacularly.

Finally, he reached the top of the cliff and discovered the Leaf Village ninja team rapidly escaping.

"Leaf Village ninja, you can't escape!"

With a shout, A's body erupted in a surge of lightning, his speed becoming as fast as lightning itself as he rapidly pursued Karot and the others.

"This is bad, we're exposed."

Hearing A's cry, the group knew their presence had been discovered and could only accelerate their escape. The pressure A put on them was immense, and they dared not look back, only knowing to flee desperately.

A's distance grew shorter, and the pressure on the group intensified.

"As expected, I underestimated the heroes of this world. You won't escape so easily," Karot said. He had originally planned to blow up the cliff to slow A's pursuit, but it hadn't worked, and A had still caught up.

"Execute Plan B. You guys go on ahead."

With that, Karot stopped. The moment he turned, A was in front of him, his fist, crackling with lightning, smashing fiercely towards Karot's chest. Karot clasped his hands together. With a loud "Bang!", Karot was sent flying, plowing a trench in the ground. A massive crater formed within a ten-meter radius around Karot.