I'll Give You Two Choices

"The timing's perfect. I've already learned that jutsu." Qin Yu smiled.

"An A-rank jutsu in three days?" Uzuki Cangwu froze, then clapped Qin Feng on the shoulder with a hearty laugh. "You rascal, joking around at a time like this."

"But maybe that's for the best. It's eased the tension a little. According to the sentries' report thirty minutes ago, a large force of Cloud Ninja had appeared five kilometers away. Give the order."

Qin Feng didn't explain himself in response to the doubt. He furrowed his brow. "Thirty minutes ago?"

"Didn't I order intelligence updates every fifteen minutes during wartime?"

Uzuki Cangwu's expression changed abruptly.

They had completely overlooked this while organizing the troops and dealing with the oppressive atmosphere of impending death.

"Uzuki, something's wrong! Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune are missing!" A Genin responsible for keeping watch hurried over.

At those words, everyone tensed.

The two incidents seemed unrelated.

But on closer inspection, their sentries had been silently taken out before they could even sound an alarm.

Could it have something to do with those two?

"Everyone, fall back into the cave!" Qin Yu shouted urgently.

Everyone's expression changed.

"Hahaha! You're only figuring it out now? I was wondering who Konoha had sent to stop our attack. Turns out it's just some greenhorn."

A hearty laugh rang out without warning.

Figures appeared from every direction—over a hundred of them.

At their head, on a hill several hundred meters away, stood the AB Duo, whose names struck fear into every nation.

"This is bad! We're surrounded!" Inubou's face turned deathly pale.

Looking at the Cloud Ninja blocking their way, even a fool could tell it was a trap.

"Over a hundred of them, and the AB Duo too. We've been ambushed—we're as good as dead."

"Senior Uzuki, what do we do?"

"It must be Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune. Otherwise, they wouldn't have discovered our defenses and sentries."

Chaos erupted. They were facing more than a hundred Cloud Ninja led by A, hailed as the next Raikage of Kumogakure, and Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

It was undoubtedly a disaster.

"Stay calm." Uzuki Cangwu's face was pale, too. When he looked at Qin Yu, though, he couldn't help but freeze.

Qin Yu looked completely calm, as if none of this concerned him.

Had the kid been scared witless?

"Hahaha! Your panic really makes me happy," A laughed recklessly. "I'd love to know what you plan to do next. Surrender quietly, or let me kill you myself?"

"Kill! Kill!"

"Surrender or die!"

The hundred-plus Cloud Ninja shouted in unison, pushing the Konoha Ninja to the brink. They couldn't hide the panic on their faces.

The Cloud Ninja before them had perfectly demonstrated the power of striking first and seizing the initiative.

"Qin Yu!" Shizune's face had gone pale, too. She couldn't help looking at Uchiha Qin Yu.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine." Qin Feng ruffled Shizune's hair. "Senior Uzuki, take them back into the cave and keep them inside the barrier. Leave the rest to me."

Qin Yu had anticipated something like this.

After all, Root in the Original Work would stop at nothing to achieve its aims.

Now that Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune had been stripped of their authority by Qin Feng, they had abandoned their teammates and a vital strategic position.

If Qin Yu and the others made it back alive, it could bring Root unwanted attention.

So their only option was to strike first and use someone else to do the killing.

But that played right into Qin Yu's hands. The next time they met, he'd be able to attack Root without restraint.

He now had a perfectly legitimate excuse.

"Qin Yu, you're going alone?"

"Are you crazy? We won't just watch you go and get yourself killed."

Uzuki Cangwu's expression shifted. He hadn't expected Qin Yu to give that answer.

They were facing over a hundred Cloud Ninja, including the fearsome AB Duo, but they couldn't let Qin Yu face them alone.

"Qin Yu, don't blame yourself. We'll face this together. There'll be a way." Shizune urged him anxiously.

"Qin Yu, you really don't need to worry about us. We chose to stay behind."

"That's right. We're Konoha Ninja. We stopped fearing death long ago."

In many people's eyes, Qin Yu was doing this because he felt guilty for forcing the whole squad to stay behind.

"Get myself killed?" Qin Yu gave a dry laugh and shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm not stupid enough to throw my life away."

"Stay inside the barrier. I'm just worried I'll have to save you later."

"I'm your chosen squad leader. That's an order."

His voice wasn't loud, but it left no room for argument.

"Senior Uzuki, what do we do?" Shizune asked in a panic.

Uzuki Cangwu's expression shifted several times. Looking at Qin Yu's calm face, he gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone, retreat into the cave. Stay ready to support Qin Yu. Don't forget, he's stronger than I am."

At his words, both the Konoha Ninja and the Cloud Ninja froze.

But when they remembered how Qin Yu had instantly taken down two Jonin, Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune, with nothing but genjutsu, they retreated despite their unease.

They secretly swore that if anything went wrong, they would rush out and save him in the blink of an eye.

As the Konoha Ninja filed into the cave, a Cloud Ninja squad leader couldn't help asking, "Lord A, should we stop them? If they get inside the barrier, it could put us at a disadvantage."

"Hmph. What disadvantage? They're just a ragtag bunch. There's nothing worth worrying about. I thought the Uchiha Clan had sent Body Flicker Shisui, like the intelligence report said. I didn't expect some unknown nobody." A scoffed. "According to the report, this greenhorn is only a Chunin."

"These Konoha Ninja are actually taking orders from a Chunin. They must be idiots, or else they're desperate."

The squad leader hurriedly smiled ingratiatingly. "You're right, Lord A. These people are already in our hands."

"Once we break through this pass, the vast Land of Fire will belong to the Land of Lightning."

The Cloud Ninja around them all looked pleased.

Konoha had opened three fronts at once and still couldn't make headway. Kumogakure had indeed begun to feel threatened.

Now they could be the straw that broke the camel's back. How could they not be delighted?

"Are you done?" Qin Yu suddenly spoke.

"I'll give you two choices."

"First, get lost. Now."

"Second, I kill every one of you."