NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23: 23. Ambushed
(This week's goal is 100 Powerstones for a bonus chapter, this is first chapter for double release happening today)
Miyuki looked at Yukio, who looked back at her.
"Hmm, is that so?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I wonder why?" Yukio picked up some scrolls from the cupboard.
"Oh, you don't want to tell? A nightmare? Or you don't remember?"
"Yes."
"That answered nothing, other than it's one of the three—or two, in this case," Miyuki deadpanned.
"Yup. Does it matter? Let's go. Don't wanna keep Fugaku-ossan waiting. Who knows how grumpy he'll be if we're late."
"Fine, I won't pry," Miyuki rolled her eyes, making her own assumptions—probably something related to Minato and Kushina's death or an unreasonable dream.
They left the house and flickered toward the main gate of Konoha.
"Yo, ossan! What kind of mission are we going on to call the head of Konoha's best clan?" Yukio said, very unsubtly.
Nearby Hyūgas glared at Yukio. It wasn't for what he said, but for the troubles he had caused them in the past.
They had once been called useless for not noticing him sneaking into their compound, despite having 360-degree vision.
This had happened when Yukio was in the academy. People could always tell when he was sneaking around, and despite that, he had built strong relationships with most clan heads due to being Minato's apprentice.
He liked to sneak around, and though he often got caught in his early days, he spent a lot of time with these older folks—valuable time, as he enjoyed learning surface-level knowledge from them. This helped with interactions too.
However, Yukio wasn't universally liked in the village. He had threatened many people, either directly or indirectly, by speaking his mind to various factions within clans.
He was like a boogeyman to Konoha's higher-ups. The exceptions were most of the clan heads and a few elders who were mostly inactive. If they had been active, they would probably hate him too.
His deeds were even more hated than Jiraiya's antics, which often gave Fugaku headaches. Yukio enjoyed creating misunderstandings and conflicts among people for his own amusement, which earned him widespread hatred.
If you were his direct enemy or posed a problem for him, he wouldn't confront you immediately. He would first systematically destroy your social life, souring your personal relationships.
Then, he would go after your finances, causing your resources to disappear or suffer damage through unlikely accidents. If you had the misfortune of reaching this stage, it meant Yukio was about to take drastic action. He would personally torture you, leaving no trace of evidence, until you were found naked and tied to a public pole, humiliated.
From exposing corruption to revealing who was cheating on their spouse, Yukio loved to uncover the spicy details by wrecking people's lives. He didn't take actions that would cause significant harm, but if given a good reason, he would go all the way.
"You guys are finally here. I thought I'd grow old waiting," Fugaku joked.
"Aren't you already old? Do you want me to bring you a chair so you can sit down and recover your energy?" Yukio quipped back.
"Brat! It's been a while since I disciplined you. Seems like I need to do it again," Fugaku said with a tick mark of irritation.
"Bring it on, old man. Let's see if you have any strength left in those ancient bones."
Both of them got into combat stances, riling up their chakra and attracting the attention of nearby ninjas. Fugaku had been using a genjutsu to remain hidden, as he was technically a celebrity due to his status as clan head.
While nobody in their right mind would approach a Uchiha with a stoic expression—especially not the head of the Uchiha Clan— of all people.
"You're attracting attention. Stop acting like kids," Miyuki said, her eyes twitching in annoyance.
Fugaku sighed. "Yeah, I got caught up in the moment. It's been a while since I talked to Yukio properly," he said, not looking embarrassed at all.
"Yeah, me too. It's fun bantering with the old man," Yukio grinned, placing his hands behind his head and whistling.
"I'll brief you on the way. Let's go," Fugaku flickered toward the gate, and both Yukio and Miyuki followed.
After a minute or two of flickering and making sure they weren't being followed, Fugaku stopped.
"Okay, so we're heading to the Land of Rivers. We've received information that a secret trade is going to take place between Iwa and Suna. We need to gather intel to ensure Suna doesn't backstab us through the treaty."
"Hmm, Iwa and Kumo are in a major conflict, so maybe Iwa will ask Suna to support them?" Miyuki suggested.
"Yeah. I don't know how a mini-war broke out between the two, but it could escalate at any moment, leading to the Fourth Great Ninja War," Fugaku sighed.
Miyuki and Yukio exchanged glances. Should they say it?
This was one reason a clan head had been sent—the information was crucial, and Konoha wanted to know at any cost what would happen between the two countries, as it could impact Konoha and put them at a disadvantage if a war broke out.
Fugaku had been sent with the preparators of war, unaware of the existence of the latter two.
"Hmm, old man, when is the meeting going to happen?" Yukio asked.
"Tomorrow morning."
"We've got plenty of time, then," Miyuki said.
"Not necessarily. Both parties might already be camping near the area," Fugaku replied.
"Yeah, I guess," Miyuki shrugged.
"Let's first reach the area and set up camp ourselves," Yukio suggested.
They headed toward the Land of Rivers.
***
"Hmm, I don't think this was supposed to happen," Miyuki commented, lightning chakra crackling through her sword.
"Yeah, this is really funny," Yukio muttered, moulding his chakra.
"It seems someone leaked the information, or maybe it was a trap from the start."
The trio was surrounded by Iwa and Suna ninjas, all of them at least Jounin level. But that wasn't what made them tense. Leading the Iwa ninjas was Roshi, and Pakura led the Suna side. Both were S-rank shinobi.
None of the trio were S-rank. Fugaku was an elite Jounin, and while Yukio and Miyuki could fight an elite Jounin together, this situation left them with only one option.
"Let's run!" Yukio already darted toward the nearest Iwa ninja, water rapidly swirling in his hands.
He used Suikiri—or something similar—clashing his arm with Roshi's lava-covered fist.
"Don't worry, you won't leave here alive," Roshi growled.
"I'm not so sure about that," Yukio retorted, spitting water that clashed with Roshi's lava, creating a thick mist that momentarily blinded the Iwa nin.
An Iwa Jounin quickly launched an earth spear, followed by three more, restricting Yukio's movements.
Roshi, already releasing some of the Yonbi's chakra, took full advantage of this and cut off Yukio's hand with his increased speed.
Son Goku's Jinchūriki's eyes widened as he saw Yukio disperersed in water. He placed his hand on the ground, checking to see if Yukio had escaped underground at some point.
Pakura was clashing with Miyuki and Fugaku, the latter two retreating while Pakura and some Suna ninjas chased them. Despite Suna's use of wind jutsu, her allies fell to Miyuki's lightning attacks.
"There!" Roshi pointed to a location in the exact opposite direction from where Fugaku and Miyuki were headed.
"What are you waiting for...?" Roshi scolded the idle Iwa ninjas, then turned around to find them standing still, unmoving, with small holes through their hearts.
'Did he kill them in the short time I shifted into Tailed Beast Mode? But how? He shouldn't have been able to move this fast without releasing a significant amount of chakra. Did he send a clone from the start?' Roshi thought, rushing toward where he sensed Yukio.
He arrived less than a second later and slammed an axe kick into the ground, his lava-covered leg colliding with Yukio's water-covered hand.
Roshi quickly realized he was being pushed back, so he increased his chakra output. Yukio, with his free hand, weaved hand seals, and the *Suikiri* swirling in his hand took the shape of a dragon—or more accurately, a drill—overpowering the nearly perfect Jinchūriki.
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A/n- Ai editing messed this chapter up, what are your thoughts?
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