Ambush

As the three crossed the border into the Land of Fire, the vegetation around them began to change noticeably.

The lush broadleaf forest gradually thinned, giving way to vast stretches of low shrubs and exposed gray-black rock. The humidity in the air was astonishing; every breath felt like swallowing a mouthful of cold mist.

The rain grew heavier.

If Konoha's rain fell like silken threads, the rain in the Land of Rain was like countless fine steel needles, carrying a bone-deep chill as it relentlessly washed over this crying land.

"The atmosphere here... It's so oppressive."

As they traveled, Namikaze Minato couldn't help murmuring.

He raised his head, trying to find a ray of sunlight through the heavy clouds, but all he saw was an endless gloom.

"Stop looking around."

Uchiha Fugaku, leading the way, didn't look back. His voice was cold. "The moment we entered the Land of Rain, we stepped onto a battlefield. Behind every rock here, there could be a rogue ninja who wants your head."

Namikaze Minato hunched his shoulders and gave an awkward laugh. "Fugaku, you could loosen up a little. If you keep your nerves wound tight, you'll only react more slowly when a fight breaks out."

"That's what happens to the weak," Uchiha Fugaku shot back coldly. "An Uchiha's nerves never snap."

Nishikawa Tetsu followed silently behind them, not joining in their conversation.

All his attention was focused on the surrounding terrain.

Uchiha Fugaku was using the Sharingan's keen insight to watch for enemies, and Namikaze Minato was relying on a ninja's instincts to sense danger. Nishikawa Tetsu, meanwhile, was examining the battlefield with the eye of a researcher.

The terrain had changed significantly, shifting from plains to hills. Most of the rocks were shale and sandstone, their unstable structure making landslides likely.

The wind came mainly from the northwest. As it passed through the canyon, the channeling effect would double its speed.

That meant kunai thrown against the wind would have less range, while Fire Release techniques cast with the wind would grow more powerful.

Nishikawa Tetsu stopped beside a rock face and crouched, reaching out to touch the slick moss.

"Hey! What are you doing now?"

Uchiha Fugaku appeared at his side in an instant, brows knit and impatience clear in his voice. "First you were digging up roots, and now you're looking at moss? Nishikawa Tetsu, are you a kid out sightseeing?"

Namikaze Minato stopped too, looking at Tetsu with concern. "Did you notice something wrong?"

"I'm not checking for anything wrong. I'm confirming our coordinates."

Nishikawa Tetsu stood and shook the muddy water from his hand, pointing to the patterns on the rock face. "This kind of moss only grows on the sheltered side, and it's very sensitive to residual Chakra. Look at this patch—"

He pointed to an area that had turned slightly yellow.

"The moss here is withered, and there are scorch marks radiating outward. The rain has washed away most of the evidence, but this clearly wasn't caused by nature."

Nishikawa Tetsu gave his conclusion. "There was a battle here about three days ago. Someone used Lightning Style Ninjutsu, and the current traveled along the damp rock face, killing the moss. Judging by how far the scorch marks spread, the user had at least a Chunin's worth of Chakra."

At that, Uchiha Fugaku's scarlet eyes narrowed slightly.

He stepped closer and carefully examined the faint yellow marks.

Without Nishikawa Tetsu pointing them out, even he, with his Sharingan, could easily have missed such details while moving at speed.

"...Hmph."

Uchiha Fugaku's expression softened a little, but he still couldn't resist a jab. "You've got a little cleverness, I'll give you that. But analyzing what happened after the fact won't help us survive what's happening now. The enemy's already gone."

"No, Fugaku."

Nishikawa Tetsu shook his head, gazing toward the narrow, shadowy gorge ahead. "This tells us this route is a common ambush point for the Stone Ninja or Rain Ninja. Lightning Release users are usually good at surprise attacks and paralysis. If I were in command, I'd have Earth Release users working with them to block the road."

Uchiha Fugaku fell silent for a moment.

He gave the boy, whose Chakra reserves were merely average, a long look. For the first time, he didn't immediately mock him.

"Now that we know this is an ambush point, we need to get through it even faster."

Uchiha Fugaku turned around and rested his hand on his Ninja Tool Pouch. "Full speed. Keep a triangular formation. I'll take the lead, Minato on the left, Nishikawa Tetsu on the right. If we encounter enemies..."

His gaze turned sharp in an instant, murderous intent spilling from him.

"Forget tactics. We cut our way through!"

"Understood." Namikaze Minato's expression grew serious. The sunny boy's warmth vanished, replaced by a ninja's edge.

Nishikawa Tetsu nodded too, quietly slipping his hand into his Ninja Tool Pouch and gripping several of his homemade weapons.

Cut our way through? That's a privilege for geniuses like you.

Nishikawa Tetsu thought to himself.

For an ordinary person like me, it's only natural to use a few underhanded tricks.

The three of them became three dark blurs as they rushed into the perilous gorge.

Rain streamed down the rock walls, gathering into a muddy creek at the bottom of the gorge.

The cliffs towered on either side, blocking out what little daylight the gloomy sky offered.

The wind howled through the gorge.

This terrain seemed made for ambushes.

As he ran, Nishikawa Tetsu quickly constructed a three-dimensional model of the area in his mind.

The echoes were wrong.

Suddenly, Nishikawa Tetsu's brow twitched.

"Stop!"

Nishikawa Tetsu barked the order.

"What is it now?" Uchiha Fugaku was still complaining, but his body instinctively reacted, halting at once.

Namikaze Minato stopped almost at the same time, warily scanning their surroundings. "Tetsu?"

"The wind sounds wrong."

Nishikawa Tetsu stared at the seemingly empty pile of rocks ahead and explained rapidly. "The wind's scattering abnormally up ahead. Something invisible must be blocking the airflow... Or someone used Chakra to alter the terrain!"

Before he could finish speaking—

"RUMBLE—!!!"

A deafening crash seemed to confirm his theory.

The seemingly stable rock walls on both sides suddenly collapsed. Countless massive boulders mixed with mud, bearing down on the three of them with the force of annihilation!

This wasn't a natural landslide.

Behind the falling boulders, several figures wearing Stone Ninja Forehead Protectors appeared and vanished in the shadows, their hands forming Earth Release seals.

"Earth Release: Rock Avalanche!"

Uchiha Fugaku's expression turned grim.

"Damn it! It really was an ambush!"

But he didn't panic. His Sharingan spun furiously as his hands completed a set of seals in an instant.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A huge fireball soared upward, trying to stop the falling rocks, but against boulders weighing several tons, it was like a drop in the ocean.

The battle erupted without warning in the gorge on that rainy night.