Rout and Misunderstanding

The several burly men rising to their feet immediately made Itachi and the others realize something was wrong. Hinata Bai tried to keep negotiating, but all he got in response were swinging steel blades.

"Damn it, Konoha thugs hired by Takita Kaito are here."

The lead man, with a long, narrow scar at the corner of his eye, shouted. When he failed to slash Hinata Bai, he immediately called for backup. Shopkeepers from several pawnshops along the street pulled out all sorts of weapons. Only then did Itachi and the others see that, at some point, the flag over this pawnshop had changed hands.

[Misawa]

They knew very little about the major local families.

Even the villages kept such matters tightly under wraps. After all, who could guarantee that no spies had infiltrated them?

But attacking at the slightest disagreement was truly beyond their comprehension.

"Don't let them get away! They're the ones who assassinated Lord Kazekage!"

"Don't let a single one of those bastards go!"

"I want that female ninja! Catch them—I have questions for her!"

"Get them, boys!"

Someone shouted. In the distance, several powerful presences seemed to be awakening and closing in. Itachi and the others couldn't understand the cries in the local dialect, but they could tell they weren't anything good.

How had a perfectly ordinary commission turned them into public enemies?

Swish! Swish!

A barrage of kunai and shuriken shot toward them. Hinata Bai used Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation to knock them aside, but judging by the situation, they wouldn't be able to hold out much longer.

Moreover, the encirclement seemed premeditated, steadily closing around them from all sides. It was impossible to force their way out of Sunagakure now, so perhaps they could only do the opposite.

"Then we'll head straight for the Kazekage's office. That might let us complete the handover for this so-called mission and clear our names. For now, don't fall behind. Cover each other's backs as we retreat."

Itachi and the others leaped across the rooftops like fleas, their shadows rising and falling. More and more powerful presences were converging on them, making his scalp tingle.

What fucking hornet's nest did we kick?

It was like entering some primitive wilderness tribe, only to be met by a group of savages who knew nothing but leaping about, performing Maori war dances, and screaming as they rushed over to capture them.

It was practically a one-sided rout.

"This isn't a place you can enter."

Several Sunagakure ninja stood guard at the entrance with all manner of weapons, but Itachi immediately formed a hand seal.

[Ninjutsu: Crow Swarm, Riot of a Hundred Flowers!]

It was a blinding technique with no offensive power, but its advantage was that it could be cast instantly and without warning.

In an instant, dozens of crows flapped their wings and charged at the ninja. Quite a few were struck down, but black feathers scattered everywhere, obscuring their vision.

Taking the opportunity, Itachi leaped into the air and used the force of his descent to smash a man's wooden staff in two with a vicious elbow strike.

A scream rang out as the ninja flew away like a kite with its string cut. The other ninja rushed in to surround him, but the next second, a pair of crimson eyes appeared before them. Just moments ago, through the eyes of the crows created by Crow Swarm, he had already implanted the power of Sharingan genjutsu into them.

They immediately felt their bodies stiffen, as though something had taken control of them. They couldn't stop at all.

And the next moment, Itachi showed them no mercy. In that brief instant while he hovered in midair, he unleashed a spinning Lion Combo kick, striking every one of them squarely in the chest. It felt as though they had been hit by battering rams. The terrifying force made those Chunin cough up blood and collapse.

"How did this happen?"

The first group arrived at the Kazekage's residence. It was an enormous building shaped like a sand pot, standing in the center of the village, its vantage point overlooking the entire city.

Ninja lay sprawled across the ground in all directions. They couldn't believe what would happen if those thugs broke in.

So what those people said had been true. Those bastards really were just like that asshole Takita Kaito—scum who had come to assassinate the Kazekage and attempt to overthrow them.

"Charge in and protect Lord Kazekage! Everyone else, seal off the surrounding routes and detain anyone acting suspiciously. Better to kill the wrong person than let one slip through."

Kankuro's voice rang out nearby. As one of Sunagakure's few high-ranking figures and the eldest son of the current Kazekage, his words carried considerable authority.

"Yes!"

"The rest of you, follow me."

Dressed in a black bodysuit, with purple markings painted across his face, he immediately led the ninja beside him forward in a rush.

Sunagakure was in utter chaos that day. Who could have imagined that these pests would make repeated attempts on their benefactor? After all, the reason Sunagakure could survive without downsizing was largely because the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa of the Land of Wind's Sunagakure, used the Gold Dust Jutsu to refine wealth that sustained them.

That had drawn envy from all sides. Years of work had also taken a severe toll on Rasa's body. Especially after he suppressed the One-Tail's rampage last time, Rasa's coughing and weakness had made them realize certain things.

Sure enough, after failing last time, they still hadn't given up.

Damn bastards!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of Itachi and the others' footsteps echoed continuously through the long, winding staircase. Every heartbeat thundered like a war drum. The pressure was imaginable—who knew why they had been struck by such an undeserved disaster? If they couldn't clear their names today, they might even indirectly ignite a war between two nations!

"This staircase is so long. It feels like we've been trapped in here forever."

Izumi Uchiha suddenly complained, and the others were jolted awake as well. At ninja speed, even if they had been sprinting through Sunagakure, they should have crossed nearly half the village by now. How could they possibly still be stuck in this staircase?

Was it genjutsu?

Damn it, when did we get caught in it?

No, perhaps it was a summoning technique similar to Mount Myoboku's Toad Esophagus. It seemed this person was an expert as well.

Itachi murmured softly, then stopped and signaled everyone to remain silent. He abruptly bit his finger, formed several hand seals, and slammed his hand against the floor.

In an instant, a formation barrier emerged from the ground, nourished by his blood.