Naruto: Different Path

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After learning the basics of the situation, Naruto arranged for the newly arrived Anbu to rest while he started thinking about a strategy. 

The information the Anbu brought made it clear that wiping out the enemy in one go was unlikely. 

Their best option was to defeat the enemy individually, especially since the Mist ninjas rarely operated together. 

However, they were currently all on the same large ship. 

After suffering some losses, the Mist ninjas were likely to overwhelm Naruto's group when they made a move. 

This is where strategy became critically important. Among all the Anbu, Naruto trusted Yamato and Hinata the most. 

While the group's overall goal was aligned with Konoha's interests, personal motivations could sometimes influence it. 

Hinata was pure-hearted and inexperienced, so Naruto could only rely on Yamato to make such important decisions.

Naruto and Yamato discussed the situation in Naruto's private room, where they had set up soundproofing. 

Yamato, being seasoned, was aware of the many disadvantages they faced and often had insights that hadn't occurred to Naruto. 

However, Yamato also looked troubled. He said to Naruto, "The enemy's strength may be far beyond mine."

"Even with the reinforcements from Lady Hokage, it'll be hard to close the power gap. In such situations, strategy might not be enough."

Naruto didn't deny Yamato's observation, but he didn't entirely agree either. 

"If we face them head-on, we'll be at a disadvantage. But in one-on-one battles, I'm confident I can take them."

Yamato looked at Naruto, a mix of emotions on his face. Naruto's words reminded him of something and also infected him with confidence. 

Hearing about the enemy's strength had shaken Yamato's self-assurance, but Naruto's ability to remain confident even in such situations spoke volumes about his power.

Yamato said, "Our best course is to separate them and take them out individually."

Naruto nodded. "The biggest problem is that they're all on that ship, and the water gives them the advantage." 

"We can't execute any plans if they stay there."

Yamato pondered this long before saying, "We have to find a way to force them off the ship." 

"If they leave it, they can't stay in the water for long, which gives us a chance to act."

Force them off the ship? Naruto thought about it. 

The ship had everything they needed to stay aboard for months, and since the ship could move, the Mist ninjas were unlikely to leave it before completing their mission—unless the ship sank.

That's it! Naruto suddenly realized that the Mist ninjas would be forced to find another place to regroup if they destroyed the ship. 

He shared this plan with Yamato, but Yamato shook his head. "Sinking the ship won't be easy." 

"There are many Mist ninjas on board, including sensor types. It would be hard to get close, let alone destroy it."

Naruto replied, "Let's call it a day for now. I've got an idea on how to destroy the ship." Yamato nodded and left. 

Once alone, Naruto muttered, "Looks like this mission will be another one I must handle alone."

After Yamato left, Naruto studied the map, trying to predict the Mist ninjas' movements after the ship was destroyed. 

He figured that the Mist must have scouted the surrounding area beforehand. 

The ship's current position was well-chosen, not only because it was where few ships passed by but also because there were two nearby islands. 

These islands would be ideal fallback points in case of emergencies.

One island was large, the other small. The smaller one could only be used as a temporary stop, while the larger one could serve as a more permanent base. 

Naruto predicted that the Mist ninjas would likely retreat to one of these islands if they successfully sank the ship. 

If Naruto destroyed the ship and retreated, the enemy would probably regroup and recover on the island, making the next steps difficult. 

The best time to strike would be when they were still unsettled, so Naruto needed to plan for both sinking the ship and attacking them when they tried to land.

Naruto initially thought about scouting the islands, but then he remembered Suiko, who had been stationed here for a long time and was familiar with the area. 

Suiko gave Naruto a detailed rundown of the two islands. 

The ship was closer to the smaller island but not close enough for the sensor ninjas to detect activity there. 

The key was that Suiko had discovered a hidden sea route that bypassed the ship and led directly to the island. 

This information was a huge help to Naruto, allowing him to devise a perfect strategy.

The next day, Naruto gathered all the Anbu and explained the plan. 

Coordination with the newly arrived Anbu was also crucial, but since they were all Jonin, it wasn't difficult to work together. 

They spent the entire day preparing, and the operation began under the cover of night.

Except for Naruto, all the Anbu secretly landed on the small island. 

If there were any enemies, they were to swiftly eliminate them and then hide, masking their presence. 

Once enemies landed on the island, Naruto would send a signal, and the Anbu would strike quickly to take them out. 

Naruto left Yamato in charge of the Anbu on the island. 

Knowing Naruto planned to destroy the ship, Yamato voiced his concern, "Captain, isn't it dangerous to act alone?"

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry. I wouldn't do anything I'm not confident about." 

"Just keep Sweetheart (Hinata) safe while I'm gone. Even though she has the Byakugan, she still lacks the strength to protect herself fully." 

Yamato nodded, and with that, Naruto vanished, heading off to execute his plan.

Naruto approached the ship using the same method, carefully controlling the distance to remain undetected. 

However, sinking the ship without getting too close was still a challenge. But Naruto had come up with a clever idea.

The ocean was full of fish, and the area where the ship was docked had many passing by. 

These fish often brought fresh seafood to the Mist ninjas on board, but they would deliver disaster this time. 

Naruto marked a few fish and placed Wood Style seeds on them—something he had become very adept at. 

Now, he had to sense the fish's position and the ship. 

The fish's exact movements weren't guaranteed to be perfect, but it was only a matter of time before they got close. If necessary, he would try again.

Suddenly, the sensor ninja aboard the ship shouted, "We're under attack! The enemy is below the ship!" 

Immediately, a massive explosion rang out. Countless explosive tags detonated, blowing apart the ship's bottom. The vessel began to sink rapidly.

Naruto successfully destroyed the Mist Village's ship from below, but he suddenly sensed a powerful shockwave from the water's surface before he could celebrate. 

Using his Thunder God Sword and Lightning Release, he blocked the attack. 

It felt like an overwhelming force, almost like a mountain crushing down on him, though it was unclear whether it was a Water Release technique or just raw power. 

As Naruto squinted to get a clearer look, he saw a large man on the surface. 

The figure resembled the leader of the three men Hinata had described earlier. 

Realizing another punch was incoming, Naruto instinctively used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport away.

When Naruto vanished, the large man became enraged and yelled at the sensor ninja, "Where did he go? Tell me, now!" 

The sensor ninja was startled and immediately tried to locate Naruto, but after a moment of hesitation, he stammered, "I... I can't sense him anymore. He's outside our range."

Just then, a fish swam past the feet of the sensor ninja. Suddenly, a burst of lightning erupted, forming a large thunderball. 

Before the sensor ninjas could react, they were struck down. 

Their lives were extinguished in an instant. The lightning quickly disappeared, moving away at an unimaginable speed.

The large man, still searching for the enemy, was furious that his men had been killed right in front of him. 

He slammed his fist into the water, sending a towering column into the air. 

He shouted angrily, "Little brother, you're the fastest. Go smash him to pieces! Make sure he's destroyed!"

A calm, almost playful voice responded, "Big brother, there's no need to take the game so seriously." 

"But I don't like when others interfere while I'm playing. If possible, this should be a thrilling game."

This man was the leader of the Blood Mist ninjas, known for his ruthlessness, but even he seemed helpless regarding his younger brother. 

He sighed and said, "Fine, I'll leave this task to you. But be careful. The enemy is fast—faster than the rest of us."

The younger brother called "the Bloodless Blade" for his swift, clean kills, didn't seem concerned. 

"When it comes to speed games, no one can outrun me. Let's see how long he can keep up." 

With that, he vanished without a sound, not even a whisper of wind left behind.

Naruto had taken out the enemy's sensor ninjas to clear obstacles for future operations and lure the enemy into a trap. 

Naruto knew any pursuers would get scattered by moving quickly because of their differing speeds. 

Naruto didn't go at his absolute top speed to ensure they could still follow, but even at his current pace, he was faster than most ninjas.

At that moment, Naruto noticed a figure rapidly approaching from behind. The pursuer seemed like he was about to catch up. 

If Naruto were to be caught here, the rest of the enemy ninjas might swarm him, which would be dangerous. 

Without hesitation, Naruto increased his speed. The Blood Mist ninja was chasing him, surprised that Naruto had held back earlier." 

"He noticed the gap widening and sneered, "So you weren't going all out. This is getting interesting. Time to get serious." 

He unleashed a surge of wind chakra, drastically boosting his speed again.

Naruto felt something was off as the enemy closed in faster than before. 

Naruto accelerated his Lightning Release to its maximum, but now the two were nearly neck and neck, keeping a consistent distance from each other. 

However, Naruto realized that the gap was slowly shrinking. If this kept up, he would eventually be caught.

The Blood Mist ninja also noticed this, his grin widening as he thought Naruto would soon be within reach. Yet, Naruto remained calm. 

He calculated that he'd reach the ambush point before his pursuer could catch him.

Naruto sped ahead with the enemy still hot on his heels. Naruto made a straight dash toward a small island as they approached it. 

Once he reached the island's centre, Naruto stopped and turned to face his pursuer. The enemy stopped as well, smirking.

"Giving up on running? Or do you have some kind of plan? Whatever it is, the game always ends the same way."

Naruto smiled and said, "It's over. You've walked right into a trap." 

He raised the Thunder God Sword, and the hidden Anbu forces emerged at his signal, surrounding the enemy in a circle. 

Naruto commanded, "Long-range attack!" Immediately, a barrage of Fire, Earth, and Lightning Release jutsu launched toward the Blood Mist ninja.

However, the enemy seemed to vanish, as if he had teleported, reappearing right in front of Naruto. 

Naruto quickly blocked the attack with his Thunder God Sword, feeling the wind chakra coursing through the enemy's blade. 

Naruto realized that their attack strength was almost equal. 

Despite their large numbers, Naruto's team was disadvantaged against such a fast opponent, making group attacks ineffective. 

With Naruto engaging the enemy in close combat, the Anbu couldn't risk using ninjutsu without hitting him.

Seeing that Naruto had blocked his strike, the Blood Mist ninja grinned. "Numbers mean nothing to me. But for you to block my blade... this is getting interesting. The game's getting more fun." 

He swung his blade again, each strike faster than the last, and Naruto struggled to parry.

Yamato, watching the intense fight, said with concern, "Captain, let's join the battle. Even if there are casualties, we have the advantage in numbers."

Indeed, in such a situation, sacrificing a few close-combat ninjas and using wide-range attacks could give Konoha the upper hand. 

But it was unclear how many Konoha ninjas would have to be sacrificed. The other Anbu, watching Naruto fight so fiercely, were stunned. 

The speed of both fighters was so extreme that their movements could only be seen when their blades clashed. 

With each impact, chakra collided violently, creating shockwaves that forced the surrounding Anbu to retreat.

Only Hinata, with her Byakugan, could observe the battle. She noticed that while Naruto was at a disadvantage, the enemy couldn't overwhelm him. 

She also carefully studied the enemy, looking for any weaknesses.

Naruto shouted, "Yamato and Sweetheart (Hinata), stay and support me! Everyone else falls back and sets up ambushes around the island." 

"If any of the enemy's reinforcements arrive, stop them at all costs!"

Naruto's order confused the Anbu. Why was he sending them away when their enemy was so strong? 

Flash ask, "Captain, are you sure this is the right move? The enemy's too powerful!"

Yamato replied, "Trust the captain. Against an opponent like this, you'll only get in the way. With me and Hinata here, we can handle it. Follow Naruto's orders!"

Reluctantly, Flash responded, "Understood!" All the Anbu quickly left and set up their ambushes around the island as Naruto had instructed.

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