Opportunity! (Third Update)

In the small grove.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Accompanied by two piercing gusts, the two ANBU assigned to protect Naruto and Sasuke swiftly arrived at the site of the explosion in the grove.

At the center of the blast.

Karin, her face smeared with dirt, sat blankly on the ground, her eyes unfocused.

Beside her lay a Konoha ninja covered in blood, seemingly badly wounded.

The two ANBU ninjas cautiously surveyed the surroundings before stepping forward and asking Karin, "What happened?"

Karin pointed in one direction. "Someone suddenly attacked me. Luckily Teacher Mizuki was nearby. That person wounded Teacher Mizuki and ran that way!"

The two ANBU immediately realized the seriousness of the situation.

Karin had been flagged within ANBU. Every ANBU ninja knew that this red-haired little girl was a surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan.

Someone had actually dared to attempt to abduct a surviving member of the Uzumaki Clan inside the village!

Utterly audacious!

The two ANBU exchanged a glance and came to an unspoken agreement.

They decided that one would immediately return to Naruto and Sasuke's side to prevent them from being ambushed, while the other would relay the information and pursue the culprit in the direction Karin had indicated.

Whoosh, whoosh!

In an instant, the two ANBU vanished from the spot.

By the river.

Seeing that no further disturbance came from the grove, Sasuke withdrew his gaze and weighed the pebble in his hand.

Naruto, on the opposite bank, looked eagerly at him, still waiting for him to throw the pebble over.

Looking at Naruto's clear eyes and bright smile, Sasuke's lips curved upward. For the first time since the massacre of his clan, he smiled.

Then he swung his arm and flicked the pebble toward the opposite bank.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The thrown pebble skipped across the water in several arcs, flying accurately toward Naruto.

Naruto excitedly reached out to catch it.

Splash!

Almost at the exact same moment as the flying pebble, countless Explosive Tags were swept in by a violent gale from all directions toward Naruto.

Just then.

The ANBU returning from the grove witnessed the scene and went pale with shock!

Inside the apartment.

Shinji had washed up early.

Traveling to and from the Land of Cats in one day had been truly exhausting, so he planned to turn in early that night.

After making one final inventory of his ninja tool pouch and arranging the ninja tools and Explosive Tags he had replenished in the Land of Cats, he flopped down onto the bed.

"Day after day..."

Shinji slowly closed his eyes.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a series of massive explosions rang out in the distance.

Even lying in bed, he could feel the entire bed shaking!

He got up and looked out the window.

The night sky outside had been dyed crimson by flames that filled the heavens, as though the sky itself were burning!

"What!?"

He knew the village would not be peaceful during the Chunin Exams, but he had never expected the trouble to come so quickly and so fiercely!

His drowsiness instantly vanished, and his mind began racing.

Explosions on this scale were definitely not the work of an ordinary attack. The village was bound to descend into chaos tonight.

He checked his ninja tool pouch, changed clothes, and put on his mask.

Shinji completed the entire sequence in one smooth motion!

Then he gently twisted the doorknob and left the apartment.

Rather than heading toward the distant explosions, he used the woods and shadows all the way to stealthily make his way to the area he had previously marked on the map as the most likely location of Danzo's Root Base.

"It should be around here."

He hid in a patch of grass, calmly observing his surroundings and searching for clues.

Whoosh.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, two figures flashed through his field of vision, rushing toward the site of the recent explosion.

They were incredibly fast and moved covertly. If he had not possessed a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan, he might not have noticed them at all.

"There shouldn't be ANBU stationed in a place like this."

A pleased look appeared on his face.

With the village currently short-handed, there was no way it would waste manpower on an area with no important facilities.

Moreover, the two who had rushed toward the explosion were exceptionally fast. They were clearly no ordinary ANBU.

Such elites were even less likely to be deployed in this area.

Therefore, those two who had headed to the blast site were most likely Danzo's direct subordinates, and Danzo's base was very likely somewhere in this area as well.

However, the pleased look quickly faded from his face.

Danzo probably did not have many subordinates at present.

But they should all be his direct retainers, and would be extremely elite!

So forcibly breaking into the Root Base would not be any easier than breaking into the ANBU Building. It might even be more dangerous!

ANBU had to ensure the village's safety, so when unexpected incidents occurred, they would dispatch personnel to deal with them.

But Danzo's Root did not bear such responsibilities.

Although Danzo claimed that he protected Konoha from the darkness, whenever Konoha faced a crisis, he had chosen to stand by and do nothing.

Those two Root members had most likely only gone to investigate the scene.

Shinji therefore slowly moved through the grass. Like a hunter, he meticulously and patiently searched for the entrance to Danzo's Root Base.

Suddenly.

His pupils contracted.

In the distance, he saw Danzo leading four subordinates out of an extremely old-looking building and hurriedly heading toward the explosion site.

"It's there!"

Clearly, that was the entrance to Danzo's lair.

But seeing even Danzo rushing to the scene, Shinji suddenly wondered what major incident had occurred that even Danzo could no longer sit still.

However, he quickly pulled his thoughts back.

His own business came first!

Konoha was so vast. Whatever trouble arose, it could be handled. There was no need for an Uchiha remnant like him to worry about it.

So he immediately bit his finger and formed hand seals. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Poof.

Amid a cloud of white smoke, Meiqiu poked his head out cautiously.

As he looked around, he asked in a low voice, "Shinji, why did you summon me here in the middle of the night?"

Shinji quietly told Meiqiu his plan.

Meiqiu's eyes widened. "Isn't this too risky?"

He had not expected his contractor to be so bold.

He was clearly only a Ninja Academy student, not even a genin, yet he actually dared to infiltrate Danzo's Root Base and steal something.

Shinji slowly shook his head. "This is the best opportunity right now. If we miss it, we may never find another chance like this again."

Seeing Meiqiu hesitate, Shinji asked, "Are you scared?"

Meiqiu gave an awkward laugh. "Heh, I'm Meiqiu, the great beloved of the night, moonlit spirit, ghost, shadow dominator of the Land of Cats. Would I be afraid of something this small?"

Shinji asked, "Then why are your legs shaking?"

Meiqiu protested, "I'm excited!"

Shinji looked toward the distant entrance to the Root Base and reassured him, "Don't worry. I'll avoid fighting as much as possible. If a fight does break out, I'll find a way to draw the enemy away and create an opportunity for you."

"Fine!"

Meiqiu nodded, then formed hand seals and used Shadow Release, hiding in Shinji's shadow.

The third update is here! Please support me with recommendation votes and monthly passes! Everyone, new books aren't easy—please lend a hand!