Ambush

The atmosphere in the village had suddenly grown tense recently. Ninja could be seen hurrying through the streets everywhere.

It was because the Fourth Hokage's child was about to be born. More importantly, the child's mother was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. At such a critical moment for Konoha, no mistakes could be allowed.

Two Ninja dressed as civilians spoke quietly in a corner.

"Has Konoha gone mad? They're actually inspecting civilians. At this rate, we'll be exposed sooner or later."

"It looks like we'll have to abandon the mission to gather intelligence while undercover. We can only find a chance to leave Konoha as soon as possible."

The other man looked somewhat hesitant.

"What about the information we just obtained on that Uchiha brat..."

"No matter what, we absolutely cannot allow Konoha to produce another genius like Body Flicker Shisui. He awakened his Kekkei Genkai at such a young age. That child absolutely cannot be allowed to live."

"As long as we kill him and bring his eyes back to the village, it'll be a tremendous achievement."

Both of them looked excited. After earning such a great merit, they would surely receive all kinds of rewards upon returning to the village. It was about time they changed their Special Jonin titles, too.

"Luckily, his reputation as a 'Veterinarian' helped cover up our investigation. Otherwise, it really wouldn't have been easy to uncover his daily habits..."

The two quickly settled the details and began making preparations after leaving. Though their target was only a child, they could not afford to let their guard down. This was the Leaf Village, after all.

Qingfeng continued training as usual every day, completely unaware that someone had already set their sights on him.

"Ninety laps..."

"Ninety-five laps..."

The two Kumogakure spies waited silently. They had already investigated the Uchiha brat thoroughly. Every day, he first ran one hundred laps around the Leaf Village. They had set up an ambush in an uninhabited area and patiently waited until Qingfeng was nearly done running. By then, Qingfeng's stamina would surely be greatly depleted.

His vigilance would be greatly reduced. This was the best time to strike, and they would end the battle in an instant.

"Ninety-eight laps..."

"Now!"

"Mind Destruction Technique!"

The Kumogakure Ninja hid underground along Qingfeng's route, waiting for him to approach so he could deliver a fatal blow. The other stood nearby in support.

Qingfeng suddenly sensed that something was wrong. It was far too quiet. The warning in his heart made him stop, and he instantly activated his Sensory Technique. Could someone really be coming after me? Could it be Danzō's Root?

Seeing Qingfeng stop, the Kumogakure Ninja immediately used the Mind Destruction Technique to rush toward him.

As Qingfeng pondered, he suddenly sensed the ground trembling ever so slightly. The source of the tremor was rapidly approaching directly beneath his feet.

"Earth Style?"

There was no time to think. Uchiha Qingfeng used the Body Flicker Technique to move half a foot backward. He definitely could not enter the woods to the side—there could very well be enemies hiding there.

At the same time, a man dressed in civilian clothing burst out of the ground.

Looking at the man who had suddenly appeared before him, Uchiha Qingfeng felt fortunate. Luckily, he had learned the Sensory Technique and the Body Flicker Technique Shisui had taught him. Otherwise, this man might have succeeded with a single strike.

"You could sense my Mind Destruction Technique. As expected of Konoha's Uchiha genius. Even though you're just a brat, you can't be underestimated. But this is as far as you go."

The man's cold voice reached Qingfeng's ears. Three Shuriken slid from his sleeves and shot straight at Uchiha Qingfeng.

A confident sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth. The Shuriken had completely sealed off Qingfeng's escape routes. There was no way a mere child could evade this attack.

He was a Special Jonin of Kumogakure. There was no reason for him to fail against a child who was not even a Genin. Besides, he would avoid using Ninjutsu as much as possible to prevent drawing Konoha's guards.

"I'll be taking those eyes of yours."

Qingfeng activated his Sharingan immediately. He had not expected his opponent to try dealing with him using mere Shuriken. He was truly looking down on the Uchiha too much.

The Sharingan spun wildly. The moment the Shuriken emerged, he had already observed them clearly as if in slow motion. When it came to Shuriken techniques, the Uchiha feared no one.

Qingfeng pulled out two Shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and moved almost at the same time as the Kumogakure Ninja. One Shuriken curved through the air and intercepted all three incoming Shuriken, while the other flew directly toward the Kumogakure Ninja's chest.

After seeing Qingfeng's movements, the Kumogakure Ninja could only sigh, "So fast," before dodging Qingfeng's Shuriken in a sorry state.

"As expected of an Uchiha. You've achieved such mastery over Shuriken techniques at such a young age. Today, I, Frieza, will show you that Ninjutsu is what Ninja truly rely on to survive."

Frieza could no longer afford to worry about anything else. Even if using Ninjutsu drew Konoha's Anbu, he had to kill this brat first. Otherwise, he would become a tremendous threat in the future.

"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"

The ground beneath Qingfeng instantly turned into a swamp. He had not expected this guy to open with such a large-scale technique. This Ninjutsu was close to A-rank, wasn't it?

Ordinary Chakra reinforcement would not be enough now. In this crisis, he could only forcefully activate the Eight Inner Gates Formation.

"Opening Gate—Open!"

"Resting Gate—Open!"

"Gate of Life—Open!"

"Wound Gate—Open!"

He opened four gates in an instant. Though he could open the fifth gate as well, there was no need. If he opened the fifth gate, he would probably be unable to walk again. He absolutely did not want to experience that helpless feeling of being unable to move a second time.

The Swamp of the Underworld had completely lost its effect. Qingfeng was already fast enough to run across it without being restrained.

"Is that all you've got? Then you'd better watch out!"

Qingfeng had no intention of retreating. Green energy radiated from his body as he charged straight at Frieza, the Kumogakure Ninja.

"A brat like you, don't look down on me!"

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"

Dragon-shaped mud rose from the Swamp of the Underworld and continuously spat high-speed streams of mud at Qingfeng.

"These things pose no threat at all before these Sharingan. If you have no further tricks, then prepare yourself."

Frieza watched Qingfeng twist, leap, and rapidly close in on him. He was both shocked and frantic. Since when did Uchiha clan members stop using Ninjutsu and Genjutsu to play with Taijutsu? This completely defied common sense.

"Frieza, come out and help! This brat is too troublesome!"

Frieza, the Kumogakure Ninja, had finally accepted reality and called for his companion.

Qingfeng relaxed upon hearing that. It seemed these two were not from the Leaf Village. Qingfeng had no confidence in escaping Danzō's pursuit right now, but these two spies from an enemy nation were still far from capable of keeping him here.

Qingfeng finally rushed out of the Swamp of the Underworld. Looking at the enemy Ninja now within reach, he had no intention of retreating.

"Konoha Violent Whirlwind!"

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

At the critical moment, Frieza raised an earthen wall and blocked Qingfeng's attack.

The wall could not withstand Qingfeng's strike at all, and Qingfeng kicked a hole through it.

It barely managed to block Uchiha Qingfeng's path.