章節 143: Chapter 143 Taskline Lost, New Taskline Activated
Rokusuke spoke quickly and urgently, almost as if he was condensing all his information into a single sentence.
"W-What's going on?" Lee, who had been sitting cross-legged while eating, was the most confused, his tongue tripping over his words.
Just moments ago, they were eating and singing, and when Lee looked up, he saw that his three teammates had tied up the clients. If he didn't know them so well, Lee might have thought that they were preparing to defect from the village.
"It's nothing. The clients weren't being honest, so we tied them up for their own safety." Naruto explained briefly and stuffed the rag back into Rokusuke's mouth.
The mountain road of Katabami Gold Mine is shrouded in clouds and fog.
The four of them tied up the three clients and left them in Sansho's curry shop. After getting enough information from them, the four decided to go to move forward and check the situation.
"That… funeral, does it mean they're burying people alive for defying the Kurosuki Family?" Tenten suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"Yeah." Neji's expression was also grim.
"That's too cruel. Why would they do something like that?" Tenten looked distressed.
"Exactly!" Lee agreed, turning his head as they hurried along, "Let's rescue all those villagers when we get there!"
"We just need to drive Kurosuki Raiga away, there's no need to do anything unnecessary." Naruto reminded them.
Fortunately, although Team 3 is composed of honest people who are not good at dealing with troublesome clients, they are not rookies and didn't underestimate their enemies.
No one said anything about how the villagers were also pitiable. Naruto mentioned it, and the others agreed.
"This village isn't like other places. They live off the gold mine, so it's bound to be chaotic." Naruto explained, "We are just Shinobi. In other people's countries, all we can do is complete the mission."
A light rain began to fall from the overcast sky.
Naruto stood on a high ledge, with the exposed cliffside beneath his feet, squinting at the group of black-robed figures carrying a white coffin as they slowly walked in the rain.
The entire scene was a gray blur. The mountain was nothing but endless rocks, not a single tree or blade of grass in sight.
In the distance, there were faint sounds of funeral bells and faint wailing.
"If the information from the three clients is accurate, the one mourning should be Kurosuki Raiga." Neji said, standing beside Naruto, "Guy-sensei also said that he met Kurosuki Raiga when he was still a Genin."
"No wonder Kurosuki Raiga likes to bury people so much, it turns out he is an old madman."
Suddenly, a mechanical synthesized voice echoed in Naruto's mind. Unlike the usual dull notification chime, this time the voice was a rapid alarm.
[Ding! Warning! Warning!]
[Hinata's affection, Kyubi's approval is 73%, the host releases Kyubi. Incorrect operation, the task line is lost, and it will be permanently sealed!]
In the pop-up panel, the green task progress bar at the top suddenly soared from forty-something to seventy-three and then stopped. Then the task progress bar turned into a gray locked state.
The task line was then removed from the top and sank to the very bottom.
Naruto stood in the rain, stunned for a moment, 'It turned out that the previous lags were all foreshadowed. Because I removed Kurama in advance, my actions were inconsistent with the task line, so now, the task was directly locked.'
The benefits of releasing Kurama couldn't be measured in terms of profit. Although Naruto himself cannot explain the specific reason, he just instinctively feels that it is better to nurture Kurama as early as possible.
But now, 73% is still acceptable, not too much of a loss, so he has nothing to regret.
"What's wrong?" Tenten asked when she saw Naruto standing there in a daze for a long time.
"It's nothing."
Naruto replied, shaking off his daze. He then pointed toward the area filled with mining tunnels and suggested a bold idea, "How about we make a little profit?"
"No!" Neji rejected the idea without hesitation.
"Naruto, you..." Tenten sighed in exasperation, unsure of what to say, "Why do you always have such weird thoughts in your head?"
"Profit? What profit?" Lee asked in confusion.
Naruto pouted and pointed at Neji, "You, a member of the Hyuga Clan, don't really need more money."
He then pointed at Tenten and said, "And you, rich loli, don't lack money either."
"As for Lee, he doesn't need money."
"But I'm different. I have nothing to my name. Success is my only option."
"Stop saying silly things. No means no." Neji ignored Naruto and walked to the edge of the cliff, looking at the funeral procession from afar, "We can try to get closer first."
Lee agreed, Tenten had no objections, and Naruto didn't care either.
If he couldn't profit, then they might as well finish off Raiga quickly. Although the mission says to drive him away, it actually means seriously injuring or eliminating him.
After all, they were in the Land of Rivers, so the mission details had to be written more subtly to save face for the Land of Rivers.
Four against one, the advantage is on their side.
The funeral was being held on a hillside. The living were nailed shut in coffins as six black-robed figures silently walked in the rain. The path was muddy, slowing the procession's progress.
About ten minutes later, Naruto and the team reached the back of the hillside. The cries grew more harrowing, making people's skin crawl.
"This Kurosuki Raiga buries those who offend him alive, then mourns them himself. In such mental state, he should not have much fighting power." Naruto analyzed in a low voice.
"Let's attack together and finish him off!"
The dull, monotonous crying suddenly stopped, and before Neji could say anything, his body tensed.
"Why is it getting foggy?" Tenten asked nervously.
"We've been discovered! Be careful." Neji warned, his voice turning serious. Lee silently moved to the side, readying himself for combat.
The light rain was still falling, but the white fog was getting thicker.
The gusts of wind passing through the exposed rocks were cold, reminding Naruto of a book he'd read, How the Virgin Mary Was Made. (T/N: It's a title of Chinese Novel.)
There should be a little girl with red eyes Kekkei Genkai on Raiga's back. Her life story is pitiful, and her relationship with Raiga is similar to that of Zabuza and Haku.
Fortunately, what Naruto is best at is severing ties, not holding an umbrella when it rains, and not using a knife to kill people.
'In these times, Virgin Mary had no place.'
Just as Naruto was about to use Lava Release to start the battle, a flurry of mechanical chimes echoed madly in his mind.
[Dear host, the Land of Water Arc: The Ninja Swords Collection Task Line has been activated! (Pinned)]
[Achievement Unlocked: Executioner's Blade – Kubikiribocho.]
[Achievement not yet achieved: Lightning Blades – Kiba, Shark Skin - Samehada, Twin Blades – Hiramekarei, Needle Sword – Nuibari, Blastsword – Shibuki, Bluntsword – Kabutowari. ]
[Reward: Izanagi (Single-Use Item), awarded upon completing all accomplishments.]
[Ding!]
[Options]
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章節 144: Chapter 144 The Hunt
[Option 1: Kill Kurosuki Raiga, Reward: Kurosuki Raiga's Funeral (A rule-based Ninjutsu, summon the deceased members of Kurosuki Raiga's funeral procession, and forcibly seal the opponent in a coffin for burial).]
[Option 2: Redeem the bond between Kurosuki Raiga and Ranmaru. Reward: Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Tornado.]
For the first time, the system's panel seemed chaotic, with pop-up windows appearing erratically, making constant notification sounds. and Naruto was momentarily dumbfounded, but with the battle imminent, he quickly chose Option 1.
He is not a saint, so how can he save others?
The first option appeared to be a rule-based ninjutsu that summoned the deceased Kurosuki Raiga's funeral procession. Whether it was powerful or not was secondary, but the system was undoubtedly skilled at being unsettling.
'Though there was no emperor to carry the coffin, having Kurosuki Raiga handle it was still decent. It is a bit similar to Ibiki's 'Lucky Cat Ninjutsu' to some extent, so the effect was likely a forced burial.'
'The system's extended description indicated that it was a rule-based Ninjutsu. Does that mean that even if Madara comes, he can be dragged into the coffin and buried? If that were the case, whether Madara could break out of the coffin was irrelevant. The ability to drag him in was already valuable.'
There is absolutely no way to refuse, so Naruto choose Option 1.
This time, the system settled the previous task line related to Hinata, and simultaneously initiated the Seven Ninja Swords task line while triggering Raiga's options.
Naruto now possessed 73% of Kyubi's power at its peak, and he also has a Kyubi at home. Now, he not only wants to seize the Thunder Blades, but also plans to kill Raiga.
"Byakugan!!"
Neji activated his Byakugan instantly, his face stern as the veins around his eyes bulged. He quickly formed hand seals to help him focus more intensely.
Lee clenched his fists, while Tenten had already pulled out shuriken from her ninja pouch, waiting for Neji to tell them the location with his Byakugan. This was Team 3's usual strategy, reconnaissance followed by a surprise attack.
Tenten stood not far from Naruto, anxiously waiting. Suddenly, she realized she couldn't sense Naruto's breathing and was immediately startled.
She quickly turned her head, but I could still vaguely see Naruto's face.
'What's going on?'
'Just now it felt like Naruto had suddenly disappeared from my sense, as if he had died.'
"I can't see clearly at all!" Neji's breathing grew heavier, "Give me some time, there's something strange about this fog, it's obscuring my Byakugan's vision."
Tenten, now holding a kunai, watched their surroundings warily. But when she glanced at Naruto again, she noticed he was standing completely still, like a statue.
If she hadn't known that Naruto was standing there, she would never have noticed that there was another person there.
There was almost no sound of breathing, and his entire body didn't even make the slightest movement. Tenten even began to wonder if Naruto's heart was still beating. She was also curious about what he was doing, 'Was he concealing his presence?'
'On second thought, it seemed like a good strategy. If the opponent's fog obscured Neji's vision, the enemy might use the opportunity to attack, but maybe Naruto could use it as an opportunity to counterattack.'
Tenten also wanted to conceal her presence, but holding her breath was obviously not feasible.
"Southeast 45 degrees 11, northwest 32 degrees 23, southwest 34 degrees 21." Neji reported the coordinates with precision. Upon hearing this, Team 3 moved like a pack of unleashed hounds, charging forward with unrestrained speed.
Naruto didn't move, but Neji didn't notice.
The moment Neji's kunai struck a tree trunk, he knew that the image he saw with his Byakugan was wrong.
Sure enough, Lee's Konoha Whirlwind missed, and Tenten's shuriken clattered harmlessly against rocks.
The missed strike meant their positions were exposed.
The directions given, southeast, northwest and southwest, were completely opposite, making it clear that the enemy intended to scatter them and pick them off one by one. Neji, too tense, hadn't realized it was a trap.
Neji leaped back, a wave of anxiety washing over him. His Byakugan had failed for the first time, leaving him momentarily at a loss, wondering if everything he saw was not real.
Team 3 was originally a team that focused on Taijutsu. Neji was the eyes of the entire team. Only when he could see clearly could they deliver a critical hit accurately.
But now, his eyes were no longer working, and in the face of the still thick fog, Neji's confidence wavered for the first time. Facing the silent white fog, his fear was infinitely magnified.
But the current situation is that the position has been exposed, and all they could do was wait for the enemy to make the first move and then figure out a counter-strategy.
These thoughts flashed through Neji's mind in an instant. As a genius, he was constrained by the title. His desire for answers was so strong that he didn't consider the possibility that the enemy could interfere with his Byakugan.
Naruto's condition was very mysterious, his blood flowed slowly, his heartbeat had slowed, and his breathing was nearly non-existent. He was using Kyubi's chakra to forcibly conceal his presence, completely hiding himself in the fog.
And he succeeded. Except Tenten, no one else remembered him in that crucial moment.
His eyes seemed veiled by a thin mist, and he remained as calm as an emotionless machine. Even though his teammates' positions were exposed and they were in danger, he remained unmoved.
On a higher rock, Raiga, wearing a black robe, looked up with a maniacal grin on his face.
Behind him stood a row of similarly dressed black-robed figures, slightly bowing with their heads lowered. A square, white coffin lay quietly on the ground.
"They've been lured over." A youthful voice devoid of emotion came from behind Raiga.
"Well done, Ranmaru."
Raiga licked his lips with satisfaction, "Now, I will be the one to bury them. However, I won't cry for strangers! Hahahaha!!"
He raised the Lightning Blades, Kiba, and bolts of lightning shot out in three directions.
In the dense white fog, the lightning traveled incredibly fast, striking the three targets almost instantly.
As the screams of Tenten, Lee, and Neji echoed through the air, Naruto moved. Through the thick fog, he locked onto Raiga's exact position.
His killing intent surged in an instant. He hadn't moved when Neji, Tenten, and Lee were exposed because he knew that Kurotsuchi Raiga had a child with the red eye Kekkei Genkai on his back, which could nullify the Byakugan.
Naruto was betting, betting that his speed was unmatched. He just needed to abandon his eyesight and slowly spread the Kyubi's Chakra to find the enemy's position.
But at the moment when the three people were struck by lightning, he finally found Raiga's weakness!
So, he moved.
His figure darted like a specter, with the white fog rushing into his sleeves and collar. His thin short sleeves billowed, flapping loudly in the wind.
His blond hair was tousled by the fierce wind, revealing his calm, emotionless blue eyes.
"Oh no! Raiga!! There's another one!"
"Where?"
But it was too late. With 73% of the Kyubi's power, Naruto instantly put on the blood-red Biju Cloak, moving at a speed comparable to a high-speed missile. The air compressed by Kyubi's Chakra erupted with a deafening boom.
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