Ambush

As the three crossed the border of the Land of Fire, the surrounding vegetation began to shift noticeably.

The once lush broadleaf forests gradually thinned, replaced by vast stretches of low shrubs and exposed gray-black rock. The humidity in the air was astonishingly high, every breath like swallowing icy fog.

The rain fell harder.

If the rain in Konoha was like continuous strands of silk, then the rain in the Land of Rain was like countless fine steel needles, carrying a bone-piercing chill as it endlessly scoured this weeping land.

"The atmosphere here... it's really oppressive."

As they moved, Namikaze Minato couldn't help but mutter softly.

He looked up, trying to find a sliver of sunlight through the thick clouds, but all he saw was endless gloom.

"Don't gawk."

Uchiha Fugaku, leading the way ahead, didn't turn his head, his voice cold: "Once we step into the Land of Rain, we've already set foot on the battlefield. Behind every rock here, there could be a rogue ninja wanting your head."

Namikaze Minato shrank his neck and gave an awkward smile: "Fugaku-senpai, loosen up a bit, will you? If you keep your nerves wound tight, you'll react slower in a fight."

"That's for the weak." Uchiha Fugaku shot back coldly. "The Uchiha's nerves never snap."

Nishikawa Tetsu followed silently behind, not joining their conversation.

His attention was entirely focused on the environment.

If Uchiha Fugaku was using the insight of his Sharingan to watch for enemies, and Namikaze Minato was sensing danger with a ninja's instincts, then Nishikawa Tetsu was surveying this battlefield with the eye of a researcher.

The terrain had changed noticeably, from plains to rolling hills. The rocks were mostly shale and sandstone, unstable and prone to landslides.

The wind came mainly from the northwest, and as it passed through the canyon, it created a funnel effect, doubling the wind speed.

That meant throwing kunai against the wind would reduce their range, while Fire Style techniques with the wind would increase in power.

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

"Hey! What now?"

Uchiha Fugaku's figure flashed beside him in an instant, his brow furrowed, his tone full of impatience: "First you were digging up grass roots, now you're looking at moss? Nishikawa Tetsu, are you a kid on a sightseeing trip?"

Namikaze Minato also stopped, looking at Tetsu with some concern: "Did you find something wrong?"

"Not wrong—I'm confirming our coordinates."

Nishikawa Tetsu stood up, shook the mud and water off his hand, and pointed at the patterns on the rock face: "This kind of moss only grows on the leeward side, and it's very sensitive to residual chakra. Look at this patch—"

He pointed to a slightly yellowed area.

"This part of the moss is withered, and there are radiating scorch marks. Although the rain has washed away most of the traces, this clearly isn't natural."

Nishikawa Tetsu gave his conclusion: "About three days ago, a fight happened here. Someone used Lightning Style Ninjutsu. The current traveled along the wet rock face and killed this moss. Based on the spread of the scorch marks, the user's chakra level was at least Chunin rank."

Hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku's scarlet pupils contracted slightly.

He stepped closer and carefully examined that almost imperceptible patch of withered yellow.

Without Nishikawa Tetsu's reminder, even with his Sharingan, he might have easily overlooked such a detail during high-speed travel.

"...Hmph."

Uchiha Fugaku's expression softened a little, but his mouth still wouldn't let up: "That's a bit clever, I suppose. But this kind of post-analysis does nothing for survival in the moment. The enemy is long gone."

"No, senpai."

Nishikawa Tetsu shook his head, his gaze fixed on the narrow, deep canyon ahead—a one-sky gap: "It means this route is a common ambush point for Stone or Rain ninja. Lightning Style users are usually good at surprise attacks and paralysis. If I were the commander, I'd have an Earth Style ninja cooperate to block the path."

Uchiha Fugaku was silent for a moment.

He took a long look at this young man with unremarkable chakra reserves, and for the first time, didn't immediately retort with sarcasm.

"Since we know it's an ambush point, we need to pass through quickly."

Uchiha Fugaku turned, his hand pressing down on his Ninja Tool Pouch: "Full speed ahead, maintain a triangle formation. I'm in front, Minato on the left flank, Nishikawa Tetsu on the right. If we encounter enemies..."

His eyes turned sharp in an instant, killing intent spilling out:

"Forget tactics—just kill them directly!"

"Understood." Namikaze Minato's expression turned serious, the sunny boy's aura vanishing, replaced by the edge of a ninja.

Nishikawa Tetsu also nodded, but his hand quietly slipped into his Ninja Tool Pouch, gripping a few of his self-made weapons.

Just kill them directly? That's a privilege for geniuses like you.

Nishikawa Tetsu thought to himself.

For someone ordinary like me, I'll have to use some dirty tricks.

The three turned into three black shadows and charged into that perilous canyon.

Rainwater streamed down the rock walls, gathering into murky streams at the bottom.

The cliffs on both sides towered into the clouds, blocking the already dim sky completely.

The wind howled a mournful shriek through the gap.

This terrain was practically made for ambushes.

Nishikawa Tetsu ran, rapidly constructing a three-dimensional model of his surroundings in his mind.

The echo frequency was off.

Suddenly, Tetsu's brow twitched sharply.

"Stop!"

Tetsu barked in a low voice.

"What now?" Uchiha Fugaku complained, but his body reacted instinctively, halting on the spot.

Namikaze Minato stopped almost simultaneously, scanning their surroundings warily. "Tetsu?"

"The wind sounds wrong."

Tetsu stared fixedly at the seemingly empty pile of rubble ahead, explaining at a rapid pace: "The wind's echo is scattering abnormally up ahead. There should be something invisible blocking the airflow... or rather, someone used Chakra to alter the terrain!"

Before his words faded.

"Boom---!!!"

A thunderous roar seemed to confirm his speculation.

The originally stable rock walls on both sides suddenly collapsed. Countless massive boulders mixed with mud, carrying an earth-shattering momentum, came crashing down toward the narrow area where the three stood!

It wasn't a natural landslide.

Behind the rolling boulders, several figures wearing Stone Ninja forehead protectors flickered in and out of the shadows, their hands forming Earth Style seals.

"Earth Style: Rock Lodging Collapse!"

Uchiha Fugaku's face twisted with extreme displeasure.

"Damn it! It really is an ambush!"

But he didn't panic. His Sharingan spun wildly as his hands completed the seals in an instant.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

A massive fireball shot into the sky, attempting to block the falling rocks, but against several tons of stone, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

Battle, in this rain-soaked valley, erupted without warning.