Enemy Attack

Whoosh, whoosh!

With Tobitake Tonbo's intelligence, the four rushed toward the convoy at top speed.

Itachi Uchiha kept his eyes fixed on Tobitake Tonbo ahead.

He greatly admired this senior's analytical abilities.

"Conceal your presence and set traps."

Hayama Shirakumo raised a hand, signaling the others to act.

"Mm."

Whoosh, whoosh!

They moved together, setting up quite a few traps in a short time.

Tobitake Tonbo also worked seriously on the preparations.

He formed hand seals.

A massive pangolin appeared and burrowed underground.

After restoring the ground and grass to their original state, he set several Explosive Tag traps elsewhere.

Barrier traps.

He was already used to all of this. Without Hashirama Senju's level of chakra reserves, chakra-saving tactics were unavoidable.

After all,

Hidan had been taken down by Shikamaru's traps. In a battle of attrition, Shikamaru would have certainly lost.

So he had learned his lesson. He could not be reckless.

He still had a wife waiting for him at home.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Dark figures flickered.

A squad moved swiftly beneath the dim shade of the trees.

"Captain, Konoha should have learned the intelligence by now, right?

Why are we still taking such a huge risk

to strike at the supplies?" someone asked.

At the front was a burly man, his muscles bulging from his arms, yet he did not speak rashly. "According to the village's intelligence,

Konoha's recovery has accelerated over the past two years. We have to stop them from rebuilding their strength too quickly."

"I see."

"According to the intelligence the spy gave me, by the time we reach our destination, it should be just about when the convoy arrives.

There won't be Konoha ninja lying in ambush, will there?" someone asked worriedly.

"Hmph, at most, it'll be a Land of Fire border patrol squad.

Under normal circumstances, they travel in groups of four.

We have eight people. Even if they come, they'll die."

"That's right. And Konoha's people are pretty weak. They can't compare to our muscles at all."

"Don't let your guard down. There may be traps."

"We're here."

They reached a bend in the road, concealed themselves among the treetops, watched the road outside, and set traps.

The four concealed themselves in the shadows beside the road.

Hayama Shirakumo was very satisfied as he sensed his teammates' caliber.

Every one of them concealed their presence without the slightest awkwardness.

Especially Itachi Uchiha, who was only eight years old yet could achieve this level. What a genius.

Tobitake Tonbo formed hand seals and began sensing.

A black-and-white sensory interface spread outward in a circle.

Suddenly,

eight blue chakra sources appeared in his mind.

"Enemies. Eight of them, coming rapidly from the seven o'clock direction.

They'll probably arrive before the convoy does. They're all elites, so be careful."

Tobitake Tonbo spoke solemnly.

"Is their chakra strong?" Hayama Shirakumo asked.

He knew Tobitake Tonbo's sensory ability mainly detected chakra.

And a ninja's fundamental abilities were built upon chakra.

From the intensity of a person's chakra, one could infer whether an enemy was strong or weak.

Chakra could not determine a person's strength, but someone with powerful chakra definitely would not be weak.

"Mm. Two of them are about as strong as us. They should be the captains of two squads."

Tobitake Tonbo explained the situation.

Anko and Itachi's expressions also turned grave.

Was their first battle patrolling the border already going to be this intense?

Hayama Shirakumo frowned. "Since their chakra levels are comparable to ours, we have to assume they have at least two Jōnin.

Can you hold one of them off?"

"Do you want to take one down quickly, then come support me?

Don't worry. Leave one of them to me.

Take yours down quickly, then go support those two."

Tobitake Tonbo pointed to a Genin and a Chunin beside him.

Indeed, even if the enemy only had two Jōnin, their side still had two who were not particularly strong!

As for himself, he was very confident. Even if the Raikage came, he could stall him for a while.

He was smart and had plenty of tricks, so naturally he was confident.

"The remaining enemies should be no problem for Senior Anko and me," Itachi suddenly said.

His tone was full of confidence.

Mitaraishi Anko, however, was not nearly as confident.

Against enemies from two squads, she was not certain she could win, even with the genius boy Itachi.

She had no confidence in Itachi's strength because he was too young.

Itachi's eyes shifted, revealing the Two-Tomoe Sharingan. "Before these eyes, as long as the gap in numbers and strength isn't too great, there won't be a problem."

"The Sharingan."

Mitaraishi Anko was quite surprised. She had not expected an Uchiha so young to have awakened the Sharingan.

What a genius, she thought.

The Uchiha truly produced geniuses every year.

And he was only eight!

Looking at the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Tobitake Tonbo praised him. "Leave those little punks to you two. You're impressive.

I heard Madara Uchiha only awakened the Sharingan at fifteen.

You've reached Two-Tomoe at eight. Your future is boundless."

He was surprised as well. It seemed the shock of his teammates' previous deaths had been quite powerful.

"I would not dare compare myself to my ancestor," Itachi said.

Hayama Shirakumo said, "Good. With the Sharingan, holding off the enemy should not be a problem. We also set traps beforehand, so it should be fine."

Although he said that, he had already prepared himself to provide emergency support.

Tobitake Tonbo's expression suddenly turned grim. "They're here."

Clip-clop, clip-clop!

The convoy approached from afar at an unhurried pace, with several ninja and samurai guarding the rear.

The wagons creaked as they rolled over the earth, revealing the weight pressing down upon them.

At the front was a hairy-faced uncle wearing an exquisite kimono.

He gave orders from time to time.

Suddenly.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Whoosh!

Dense Shuriken and Kunai suddenly shot out from the forests on both sides.

"Enemy attack!"

The moment those words were shouted, several guards had already died on the spot.

The remaining guards hurriedly responded.

Crackle, crackle!

As they tensed up, several people within the convoy suddenly released lightning from both hands into the crowd.

Bang, bang!

Those who were struck collapsed onto the ground, their bodies charred black.

"Men, kill them!"

Rather than panicking at the sight of the enemy, the hairy-faced uncle at the front immediately began ordering his men to counterattack.

"Damn it! You dare attack a great noble of the Land of Iron? I'll let you taste my swordsmanship!"

The uncle drew his katana and assumed an iaijutsu stance. As the Shuriken neared him, he precisely knocked them away.

The sudden betrayal of the convoy's own men made him even more furious.

Whoosh, whoosh!!!

Eight figures emerged from the shadows, blades rising and falling as Lightning Release assisted them.

Of the convoy of more than fifty people, only a dozen or so guards remained in no time.

Crackle!

"Sorry, but who told you to trade with the Land of Fire?"

The leader was a pitch-black middle-aged man with an afro, his entire body wreathed in lightning.

"Who are you people? Do you know who I am?

Offend me, and none of you will meet a good end."

The hairy-faced uncle's expression was furious.

"Is that so?

Lightning Release: Swift Lightning Arrow."