In the vast, sandy desert of the Land of Wind, the Anbu Squad Six ninjas sped across the dunes.
A week had gone by since they left Konoha.
During this time, Sarutobi Ryo, with the help of Yamanaka Hui's ability to sense things and Hyuga Ruri's watchful Byakugan eyes, successfully avoided many Sunagakure teams.
As Anbu, they weren't usually sent to the front lines of battle.
Unless they had special missions, or were needed to add to the fighting power later in the war.
Right now, Sarutobi Ryo's job was to sneak behind enemy lines and find out about their plans.
Anbu Commander Danzo gave him this mission.
It's much harder to sneak into enemy territory during wartime.
The rules and laws are much stricter than in peaceful times.
The squad wandered around, still looking for a chance to slip into Sunagakure.
But Sarutobi Ryo knew that if they waited long enough, they would find a weak spot in the enemy's defenses.
----
That night, Sarutobi Ryo hid behind a large rock, listening to the wind howl.
It suddenly got freezing cold, making Hyuga Ruri, Yamanaka Hui, and the others put on thick cloaks.
Sarutobi Ryo was the only one who didn't seem to mind, still wearing his thin black outfit.
His Ice Release Kekkei Genkai kept him from feeling the cold.
"I've found a team..."
Hyuga Ruri said suddenly.
Her emotionless eyes were surrounded by veins, which didn't make her look less beautiful. Instead, it gave her a unique charm.
As Ruri watched, the Anbu Squad became more alert.
The group lay on the hillside, watching the Sunagakure Squad approach below.
Judging by the large scrolls on their backs, they were probably a supply team.
These teams usually weren't guarded by experts, if they were carrying ordinary supplies.
But Sarutobi Ryo noticed something different about this team right away.
"That little kid..."
His right eye narrowed, and Sarutobi Ryo saw a girl who looked a bit like Nohara Rin.
"It's Pakura's disciple..."
Then, a message popped up from his system.
[Will of Fire System]
[New Weapon of the Will of Fire: Maki]
[Side Mission Objective: Inject the Will of Fire into Maki!]
[Side Mission Reward: Chance to unlock Magnet Release]
"Magnet Release?"
Sarutobi Ryo frowned slightly.
He'd had the system for so long that he understood it pretty well.
The mission reward, Magnet Release, didn't necessarily mean that Maki had that Kekkei Genkai.
But it probably meant that Maki knew something about Magnet Release.
Thinking about how the Second Kazekage invented a Magnet Release Kekkei Genkai that humans could use, how the Third Kazekage improved it, and how Rasa inherited it...
It probably meant that Maki knew where to find information about Magnet Release.
Which was... the location of Sunagakure's secret information.
That was probably it.
"Young Master, what should we do?" Yamanaka Hui asked right away.
They had seen supply teams like this many times in the past week.
To avoid causing any alarm, they had always gone around them.
After all, their mission was to get secrets, not to attack supply lines.
"Attack them, but keep them all alive."
Sarutobi Ryo quickly stood up, his feet kicking up yellow sand as he leaped down like a hawk.
Even though he didn't quite understand why.
Yamanaka Hui still told Hyuga Ruri and the Umino Couple to attack.
It made sense that Pakura's disciple would be on this kind of mission.
In the original story, Maki wasn't a strong fighter, but she was extremely talented at Sealing Techniques.
In the Shippuden, the Cloth Binding Technique that sealed the Impure World Reincarnation was created by Maki to fight the undead.
She shared this technique, so all the ninja allied forces could use it.
Even better... the Cloth Binding Technique was only C-rank, so it was easy to learn.
This made Maki seem incredibly talented.
Because of the system's message and Maki's special position, Sarutobi Ryo told Yamanaka Hui and the others to keep them alive.
Bang!
Sarutobi Ryo landed smoothly.
The supply squad that Maki was with looked surprised when the black shadow suddenly appeared. Then, they got ready to defend themselves.
The next moment, someone trembled and cried out in fear: "It's, it's the Black Grim Reaper!"
Sarutobi Ryo had been to Sunagakure, and had done many Anbu missions without wearing a mask. He was also the Hokage's son, from a famous family.
Not long ago, he had even killed the second son of the Tsuchikage, Onoki.
All of this made Sarutobi Ryo well-known.
"Are you going to surrender, or do I have to take action?"
Sarutobi Ryo scanned the group and asked coldly.
"Forget it..."
With a shua sound, the Wangshu Sword was drawn.
Then, a cold wind swept towards them. The flowing blade attacked the group.
How strong was Sarutobi Ryo?
He was one of the most powerful Jonin.
Before they could even react, he stopped them with a series of quick attacks.
The small girl, who looked like Nohara Rin, took a few steps back, looking scared: "What, what did you do to them?"
The three teammates looked confused, like time had stopped for them.
The night wind was blowing, but the three of them didn't move, although they were still breathing.
"It's nothing, I just used Ice Release Chakra to slow down their thinking... or their nerve signals..."
Sarutobi Ryo shook his head, looking at the helpless girl who was holding a kunai and trembling. He felt a bit interested.
"As expected of Pakura's disciple, you have courage. But you probably know how strong I am from your teacher, so you know you can't beat me..."
Ice Release Chakra is good at freezing and cutting.
But combined with the Sword of Kusanagi, it can do amazing things.
By putting Ice Release Chakra into the Sword of Kusanagi and then into other people's bodies, it can slow them down, make them numb, or even freeze them.
It's hard to control properly.
Sarutobi Ryo has only learned how to do this so far.
The system message and reward that popped up on Hyuga Natsu's graduation day confirmed what he should focus on next.
Chakra control.
Normal ninjas can't control their Chakra as well as the Hyuga Clan.
Most Jonin can only release Chakra from their feet and hands.
Strong Hyuga Clan ninjas can release it from all over their bodies.
It's like the difference between a surgeon's scalpel and a kunai in a child's hand.
"Ya~!"
Maki screamed and rushed forward, determined to fight to the death.
But Sarutobi Ryo just made a quick movement.
The slowing and numbing effect spread through the nerves near her brain, slowing down her Chakra and even freezing it.
Finally... Yamanaka Hui and the others saw the girl slow down, slower and slower... and even freeze in the wind...
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[T/N:
Latest Chapter translated on Patreon - Chapter Access up to Ch 224 (Vol 2 Ch 166)
Final Total Power Stone Collection : 95 PS
Goal : Reach +50 Total PS = +2 Bonus Chapters next day! 🚀
Here are the novels I'm currently translating:
-> Naruto Paradise: An Evil Uchiha's Rise
-> One Piece: I'm Destined to Be the Son-in-Law King!
-> Young Master, Please Become Hokage!
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]