章節 22: Ambush Plan

"What are your thoughts on our Uchiha clan?" Itachi, who had remained silent for a while, suddenly asked in the quietness of the forest. Even he didn't even know why he was posing such a question to a seven-year-old child. Maybe, after years of being a double agent, he felt worn out from concealing his true self and needed someone to confide in.

Yato may not be as reliable as Shisui, but he was someone Itachi could freely converse with because Yato's inclination to keep his distance from the village did make Itachi feel safer, allowing him to shed some of his facade.

"Very powerful, very prosperous," Yato replied. He didn't want to involve himself in the political affairs of the Uchiha clan and the high-ranking officials of Konoha. In every era and place, incidents related to politics often bring forth danger. The more grandiose the surface seemed, the deeper and more sinister the darkness lying within. Even uttering a word could result in countless deaths and rivers of blood.

Furthermore, neither Konoha nor the Uchiha clan had any relevance to Yato. Strictly speaking, the cause and effect were rooted in the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan. Nevertheless, Yato seemed to have thought of something and intended to speculate about it indirectly.

"Really?" Itachi felt a pang of disappointment upon hearing Yato's response. However, he realized that such thoughts were only natural for a seven-year-old child. If someone of that age could discern the true situation of the Uchiha clan, they would be nothing short of extraordinary.

Just as Itachi was about to leave, Yato suddenly halted him. Curious, Itachi asked, "Is there something else?"

Yato reached into his bag, pulled out a map, and asked, "I plan to find a waterfall to train my body. Since this area belongs to the Uchiha clan, you must be aware of a suitable training ground for me."

Training the body with a waterfall? Itachi had never encountered such a method, but he understood its essence. This type of training was akin to practicing with weighted ninja tools, a rigorous regime that intentionally burdens the body and unleashes its potential. However, training under a waterfall offered superior results. The impact of the flowing water would not only affect the skin but also strengthen the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and other internal organs. But at the same time, this training is also extremely dangerous. If you're not careful, you could be swept away by the waterfall, knocked unconscious, and potentially drown in the river or ocean, or worse, lose your life.

"I can't recommend you do this. It's just too risky." Itachi shook his head, believing that it was far too dangerous for a seven-year-old child to engage in such activities.

"I have a good sense of judgment. My teacher understands the risks better than you. Just tell me the location!" Yato persisted. He wasn't interested in the training, but just in his reaction.

"That's true. Mighty Guy is certainly better than me in this regard." Itachi chuckled, thinking about the goof who preached about youth every day. He squatted in front of Yato and casually pointed at the map.

"The distance is quite far. It would take a considerable amount of time to travel back and forth. What about these places?" Yato's eyes shimmered as he continued to inquire.

The locations Itachi pointed out were the ones he had initially dismissed. This hinted at a guilty conscience, suggesting that he and Shisui did indeed have a secret, just like in the original book. Furthermore, the three places he indicated were precisely where he believed the attack was most likely to occur and where Itachi and Shisui would often meet.

"..."

Itachi fell deep into thought upon hearing this and nodded after a while. "These three locations are indeed closer, and they have beautiful scenery. Any of them will suffice."

While Itachi pondered, Yato's fingers continuously glided between the three locations. Simultaneously, he observed any changes in Itachi's emotions.

Unfortunately, Itachi remained emotionally stoic throughout, showing no hints of anything beyond. Maybe he genuinely didn't care, or perhaps he concealed it too well. Regardless, Yato couldn't glean any information from his expression.

Reluctant to give up, Yato pointed at the map. "Alright, let's go here."

"As long as you like it, the Naka River has stunning scenery." Itachi nodded and said, "It's getting late; I should head back now."

After a brief pause, he suddenly turned his head and spoke earnestly, "You don't have to push yourself so hard every day. Trust the people around you."

With that, he leaped into the air and vanished before Yato's eyes.

Bang!

Once Itachi was gone, Yato punched the wooden stake in frustration. He didn't gain any useful information from Itachi, leaving him unwilling and dissatisfied. The competition with Danzo over "Kotoamatsukami" was too perilous. Yato needed to gather all his strength and increase his chances of success.

But for now, he was clueless, like a lost soul.

"Do I have to take a risk?"

He would never joke with his own life. If he hadn't discovered the ambush site of the Root on Shisui, he would have risked everything.

If he won, everyone would be happy, but if he lost, he would have to abandon Konoha. However, no matter how he looked at it, his chances of winning were slim. It was like trying to roll the dice and get a one-in-three or even one-in-seven probability.

"Yato, I think Uchiha Shisui might commit suicide here," Riku suddenly said, scratching his head and pointing to a spot on the map.

"Why?" Yato frowned, as that was the place he had initially ruled out.

"I can't say for sure; it's just a guess," Riku replied cautiously. Understanding the importance of the plan, he carefully chose his words. "When you pointed out these two places earlier, Uchiha Itachi seemed calm, but his heartbeat suddenly sped up when you mentioned this spot..."

"What do you mean?" Yato asked.

"His emotions fluctuated. He wasn't as relaxed as he appeared," Riku explained.

Fluctuating emotions indicated that the location held some significance for Itachi or that there were unknown factors at play. But how could that be?

The spot in question was nearly 15 miles away from the Uchiha clan's homeland. Shouldn't they be worried that the Uchiha clan might run into trouble?

"No, we don't have to walk 15 miles." Yato suddenly remembered a map he had stolen from a ninja tool shop some time ago.

He quickly took out a sealed scroll and extracted a yellowed blueprint from it. The map's age was indeterminable, as it seemed to belong to an older version of Konoha's map. Given the village's growth and expansion after the war, a new map has been created.

Yato opened the map and focused on the area between the Naka River and the Uchiha clan. In that instant, he cursed, "That old fox!"

Yato cursed under his breath, his eyes shining with excitement. The map revealed a shortcut to the waterfall on the Naka River. Despite the rivers and jungles along the way, they presented no challenge for skilled ninjas like Shisui and Itachi, as long as they avoided the mountains.

"The best part is that this shortcut is secure. It leads to the Uchiha ancestral temple, where the Uchiha stone tablet is kept. Even Uchiha clan members have restricted access, and ordinary people dare not approach it." Yato put the map away, feeling like he was getting closer to the truth.

"Yato, should we check it out now?"

"Don't worry, Shisui and Itachi are both members of Anbu. Even without a mission, they have daytime duties. It's safer to go during the day." Yato assured them, confident that they would have enough time to make preparations once they pinpointed the location.

"Oh." Riku nodded, not quite grasping the situation. It then took out a few rice balls from its pants pocket and offered them to Yato.

Yato's eyebrows twitched in annoyance as he saw the rice balls shaped like rabbits. Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Where did you get these?"

"Hanabi gave them to me. I took them when I saw you didn't want them. Do you want to eat them? If not, I'll eat them myself!"

Swish!Swish!Swish!

As soon as Riku finished speaking, Sasuke's thrown kunai was forcefully pulled by an invisible force. It flew with a chilling gleam directly towards the white Dokkaebi floating in the air.

Initially, Yato wondered about Hanabi's strange behavior earlier, constantly smiling at him. Now he understood that this traitor had taken things without permission and failed to inform him. It was a clear act of betrayal!

"What are you trying to do? Didn't I say I would give you some? Why are you so angry?" Riku exclaimed.

The Dokkaebi, unfazed by the kunai, worried about the rice balls being hit. It twisted and turned in an amusing way, trying to avoid the incoming weapon.

Yato said nothing as he channeled chakra in his body, manipulating the magnetic field of gravity. He controlled the kunai, aiming it at the troublesome Dokkaebi.

"Stop! I warn you to stop immediately, or else I'll be forced to turn hostile... Alright, you won't stop, huh?"

This system spirit was very tough. Seeing that Yato had no intention of stopping, it grabbed the rice ball with both hands, put its legs together, raised its tail, and suddenly started to spin at high speed, using its tail to knock away the surrounding kunai, and issued a battle cry:Mu Da Mu Da Mu Da Mu Da Mu Da Mu..."

***

The next day, early in the morning, Yato got up and carefully passed through the ancestral temple of the Uchiha clan, taking this shortcut himself. In the end, he found that it took 15 miles to get here from the original road, but if he took this shortcut, the distance would be reduced by at least half. He also discovered that the view here was very wide. If there was a major incident in the Uchiha clan, such as smoke and explosions, it would be visible.

"It must be here!" Yato exclaimed as he looked at the Uchiha clan's land from a distance. He turned around and split into four shadow clones. Now that he had found the place where Uchiha Shisui committed suicide, the next thing he needed to do was find a suitable ambush location.

Yato took out the sealing scroll.

"Now I have a total of 10,000 detonating talismans, 30,000 shurikens, 20,000 kunai, 40,000 senbon, 10,000 smoke bombs, 13,000 flash bombs, and 500 Fuma shurikens. It's not as much as Konan, but it should be enough!"

Riku had teased Yato before, calling him the richest guy in Konoha, and this was definitely not a joke.

The Ninja Tool Shop wasn't the only store he stole these items from. In the past year, he made several successful thefts through Konoha, earning him the title of "silent thief," as no one was able to figure out his identity until now.

After laying a proper trap in a suitable location, Yato left the Naka River and returned to the ninja school. Today's first-year Class A was no different from usual, still filled with endless noise. However, there was one person with his hands wrapped in bandages who had been staring at Yato since he entered the door.

As Sasuke went home with scars all over his body, he naturally couldn't escape his parents' questioning. Sasuke, who wanted to prove himself to his father, was not willing to say that he went to find someone to fight alone but was beaten up because he wasn't as skilled as the other person.

So, when he went back, he thought of an excuse, saying that he couldn't stand someone bullying his classmates. He fought the bullies, but he finally lost as there were a hundred enemies.

Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto were astonished. If they recalled correctly, their pride, their eldest son, Uchiha Itachi, could only take on 10 opponents at most when he was Sasuke's age.

Their youngest son was so formidable that he could take on 100 opponents directly.

Sasuke, however, remained unaware of his parents' thoughts. Seeing their silent reaction, he assumed they were somewhat disappointed that he couldn't fight 100 opponents.

After dinner, he hurriedly sought out his brother, Itachi, pestering him to let them train together. He also took the opportunity to inquire about the ninja tool Yato had used during their earlier fight.

The answer he received bothered him greatly and kept him up all night, wrestling with the fact that Yato had fought him without exerting his full effort and consistently carried a weighted ninja tool.

Sasuke found it hard to believe and didn't want to believe it, but deep down, he knew his brother would never lie to him.

Therefore, when Yato entered the classroom, Sasuke immediately glared at him with resentment, his entire face expressing his displeasure.

"Next time, I will definitely defeat you!" Sasuke couldn't help but yell as he walked past Yato. There was no arrogance in his tone; instead, he sounded lacking in confidence.

"If you want, we can train together this afternoon!" Yato replied.

Sasuke couldn't help but curse under his breath. Accepting the offer would only lead to trouble, while refusing would be too embarrassing. He could only turn around and sulk in silence.

Returning to his seat, Hanabi leaned over, extending her hand to him with a smile on her face.

Yato frowned and asked coldly, "What do you want, Hyuga Hanabi?"

Hanabi asked happily, "Did you like the rice balls?"

Hearing her words, Yato glared at Riku, who was silently whispering on the side.

*****

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