Eight-Code Station, Thunder Scars Still Fresh
The wooden door was kicked into several pieces, which slammed against the moldy wall of the inn.
There was no panic inside. Yugito sat on the dilapidated wooden windowsill, tossing a Kunai in her hand, Lightning Release Chakra dancing on its edge. She turned her head to look at Naruto in the doorway, a defiant smile playing on her lips.
Samui stood behind, holding the blood-covered spy in one hand, while maintaining Hand Seals with the other.
"You don't understand the script, huh? Well, I'll give you a few questions to answer, and you'll understand." Naruto walked across the threshold, his shoes crunching on the broken wood, his tone completely flat. "First question: Do you think you can leave here unscathed tonight?"
"Naruto Uzumaki, the Lord Raikage sends his greetings." Yugito sneered, then hurled Kunai at the pillar above his head. A specially made Explosive Tag was attached to the end of the Kunai, and the tag glowed with a blinding blue light.
"Instead of setting questions, why don't you go check out the warehouse next door? Those six civilians have thirty seconds left." Yugito leaned back and flipped out the window. Samui followed closely behind, leading the spy into the deep night.
A blinding white light engulfed the inn, and a violent explosion ripped off the roof, sending rubble and beams raining down.
Amidst the thick smoke, four figures landed one after another on the muddy ground outside the post station.
The surrounding area was a mess. Two cargo wagons lay overturned in a muddy ditch, their wheels still spinning. Three sets of charred footprints lay haphazardly on the ground, their edges still steaming.
Kakashi crouched down, rubbing his fingers along the edge of the footprints. "The footprints are deep. Lightning Release stimulated muscle activity; typical of Hidden Cloud's rapid marching style. Extremely fast."
Karin, eyes closed, a fine layer of sweat beading on her forehead, gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, and pointed northeast. "They went that way! The tracking marks on the map are still moving! But..."
She suddenly opened her eyes, turned to look at the tin warehouse on the west side of the post station, and said urgently, "I can hear six heartbeats over there! They're erratic and beating very fast! They're trapped inside!"
<Crisis Pressure START> Time is like a taut string. Indistinct sobs and the sound of pounding on the iron gate echo from the warehouse; the traces of the Hidden Cloud's escape in the northeast are being erased by the wind. The air is thick with the acrid smell of explosives and Lightning Release; every second is a countdown of lives. They have very little time left to decide. <Crisis Pressure END>
Sasuke drew Kunai from his waist, his Sharingan 'Tomoe two tomoe rapidly rotating as his gaze swept back and forth between the warehouse and the northeast. "Should we capture them first or rescue them first?"
"Save them." Naruto turned and walked straight towards the metal warehouse, his steps steady. "The blueprints won't be lost. Even if the Raikage dares to take them, I'll make him pay back with interest in three days. But if someone dies in front of me on my turf, that's ruining my reputation."
The air in front of the warehouse smelled strongly of ozone.
The heavy iron door was locked shut with an iron chain, and twelve pale blue talismans were densely pasted along the edge of the door. The talismans were connected end to end, forming a tight closed loop. Lightning Release Chakra moved across the surface of the paper like thin snakes, making a hissing sound.
"The Hidden Cloud's Lightning Chain Array." Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, his brows furrowed. "Twelve talismans linked together. If the door is forcibly broken down, or if the order is reversed, the power is enough to level this fifty-meter radius area. The people inside definitely won't survive."
"Forced demolition won't work?" Sasuke stepped forward. "I can see the flow of Chakra; what if I cut the nodes directly?"
"The Lightning Release Chakra is too violent; your sword can't keep up with its detonation speed." Kakashi shook his head, his expression grave.
Naruto raised his hand, golden Yang Release Chakra emanating from his palm. "I'll use Yang Release to forcefully neutralize it."
"Wait a moment."
A hand was placed across Naruto's face.
Sakura walked up from the back of the group and threw the medical kit on her back heavily to the ground. She took a deep breath, raised her hands, and two balls of luminous green Chakra lit up in her palms.
"I'll take it apart." Her voice trembled slightly, but her feet remained firmly planted on the ground, refusing to back down.
<Emotional Resonance START> Orochimaru's killing intent in the Forest of Death, Zabuza's massive sword on the road to the Wave Country. Every time she faced a life-or-death situation, she found herself powerless except to scream. She could only hide behind, watching Sasuke get injured, watching Naruto shield him. That feeling of helplessness grew wildly in her heart like poisonous weeds. She didn't want to be a stupid burden anymore, didn't want to forever only see their backs. <Emotional Resonance END>
Sasuke turned to look at her, his brow furrowed. "These aren't training dummies. A mistake could kill someone."
"I know." Sakura looked at the Lightning Explosion Tag on the iron gate, and the words of Shizune's teachings flashed through her mind— Chakra control is not about brute force, but about patience.
She stepped forward and placed her hands close to the edge of the first Lightning Explosion Tag.
The arc of electricity struck the back of her hand, instantly leaving a charred red mark, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. She gritted her teeth, tears welling in her eyes, and forced herself not to pull her hand away.
The green medical Chakra transformed into extremely fine threads, probing little by little into the interior of the talisman. She slowed her breathing and, following the violent patterns of the Lightning Release Chakra, carefully severed the delivery channels, like peeling an onion.
Sizzle--
The blue light on the first talisman dimmed, and it floated lightly onto the muddy ground.
A hint of surprise flashed in Kakashi's eyes.
Large beads of sweat from Sakura's forehead fell to the ground. (Second picture, third picture...)
This was a surgery even more dangerous than healing a broken bone. The frenzy of Lightning Release could backfire at any moment, so she had to control every bit of Chakra down to the micrometer level. Her hands trembled violently from the continuous output and electric shocks, but the Chakra Threads she probed into the talisman remained as steady as a rock.
"The ninth one..." She bit her lip until it bled.
Behind him, Naruto stood with his arms crossed, quietly watching the petite figure. He didn't interfere, nor did he urge her on.
The last Lightning Explosion Tag fell off.
Sakura's legs went weak, and she collapsed into the muddy water, panting heavily. Her hands trembled and hung limply at her sides, the backs of her hands covered with crisscrossing scorch marks.
Kakashi cleaved the chains in two with a single stroke, pushed open the iron gate, and six trembling civilians scrambled out. They knelt on the ground, crying and thanking him.
Naruto walked over to Sakura, but instead of helping her up, he tossed her a bottle of water. "Well done. You pass."
Sakura caught the kettle, wincing in pain as she did so, but a bright smile stretched across her face. She could finally help; she was no longer just a bystander.
<Emotional Contrast START> Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the night sky in the distance suddenly changed drastically. The previously pitch-black direction of the Land of Lightning was unexpectedly illuminated by a blinding white light. Then, a bolt of eerie blue lightning, as thick as a water vat, struck the mountain ridge several kilometers away with earth-shattering force, tearing a massive rift in the night! <Emotional Contrast END>
Boom!
A deafening clap of thunder rolled in, and a fierce wind whipped up sand and gravel from the ground, stinging people's faces.
Karin suddenly opened her eyes, her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground, clutching her chest tightly with both hands, her voice trembling with suppressed sobs. "Naruto... the Chakra of that half of the blueprint stopped... but another Chakra crashed into it!"
"How strong?" Kakashi quickly entered battle mode.
"Like a burning mountain! The Chakra is so thick it's suffocating, filled with rage and malice!" Karin's face turned deathly pale as she gasped for breath. "It's the Two-Tails! It's definitely the Two-Tails' Chakra!"
The wind grew stronger, causing Naruto's dark blue robe to flutter wildly.
<Information Gap START> The Hidden Cloud Village went to great lengths to steal half of the sealing map and arranged for Jinchūriki to meet them at the border. That half-map wasn't some core secret at all. What exactly was the Raikage drawing? Was the clan founding ceremony just a decoy, and their true target from the beginning the Uzumaki Clan's trump card? <Information Gap END>
Naruto stood at the wind's edge, watching the distant lightning. He showed no panic; instead, he twisted his neck, his joints cracking crisply, and a wild smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Hidden Cloud has even brought out their Jinchūriki for a stroll; that's quite a show." Naruto took a step forward, his eyes sharp. "Now that the script is written, let's go collect the debt. Three days is too long; I want an explanation tonight."