Chapter 68: Chapter 6:Rescuing Hostages!
Yuto looked at the village in front of him as he scanned it with his Kamigan. The village would have seemed beautiful, if not for the fact that there were many destroyed houses, a huge earth-style jail box, and many high-level ninjas Yuto sensed near the jail. The one who shook Yuto the most was the giant weird chakra signature that had five different colored chakras pulsating on the body of Kakuzu. Yuto understood those different colored chakras were hearts of ninjas that Kakuzu had sealed inside the masks of the beasts stitched on his body. All five were of different elements: earth, fire, water, lightning, and wind. This was Kakuzu's Earth Grudge Fear kinjutsu he used.
Yuto shook Kakuzu's unsettling chakra signature out of his mind and turned to Kakashi. "There are 30 ninjas guarding the jail," Yuto reported, his Kamigan gleaming faintly as he focused. "Twenty-four of them are elite Chunin level, five are Special Jounin level, and one is an Elite Jounin—probably Suien. And near the jail, specifically the bank Shibuki mentioned, there's a Kage-level chakra signature. That's where Kakuzu is."
Kakashi's expression grew grave as he absorbed the information. He crossed his arms, thinking deeply. "So Kakuzu is likely in the bank…But this complicates things." His visible eye darkened as he continued, "We need to handle this carefully. First, Yuto, I want you to confirm whether Naruko and Hitomi have completed their mission and are in a safe position."
Yuto nodded, glancing back at the village. "And after that?"
Kakashi's voice was firm as he explained, "We'll regroup before we do anything else. Our first priority is rescuing the hostages. We'll deal with the 30 ninjas guarding the jail. For now, we avoid Kakuzu at all costs. He's too much for us to handle as we are."
Yuto's brows furrowed, but he nodded. "Got it, sensei."
Yuto formed a hand sign, summoning a sleek black crow in a puff of smoke. The bird flapped its wings, perching on Yuto's arm as he placed a hand on its back, marking it with his chakra anchor ability. He pulled out a small scroll, quickly scribbled a note, and tied it securely to the crow's leg. Without hesitation, he switched the crow's position with the kunai Naruko had, sending it off.
He and Kakashi waited in tense silence. The rustle of leaves and distant sounds of the forest filled the air, but the focus remained on the mission. Meanwhile, Shibuki crouched behind a nearby tree, trembling uncontrollably as he muttered, "Mommy… mommy, please help me…"
Kakashi sighed, giving the man a sidelong glance. "He's going to be a great help, huh?" he muttered dryly.
Yuto couldn't help but smirk despite the seriousness of the situation. "At least he knows the village layout," he replied.
Five minutes later, yuto switched the kunai with his crow again, retrieving the crow and the note tied to its leg. The new message read: Mission accomplished.
He pulled out another marked kunai, placing it beside Kakashi. "I'll be back in a moment, sensei," Yuto said before he disappeared.
Yuto reappeared inside a dimly lit cave. The kids and the women were safe, huddled together as 100 Naruko clones stood guard in perfect formation. Hitomi had set up multiple layers of traps around the cave entrance.
Naruko turned, her face lighting up at Yuto's arrival. "Took you long enough!" she teased, though her tone was filled with underlying concern. "Everything okay on your end?"
"Yeah," Yuto replied, stepping closer. He addressed the women, holding up another kunai. "Take this. If anything happens—if you're in danger—throw this kunai, and I'll come immediately."
The women nodded, clutching the blade like a lifeline. She whispered, "Thank you… thank you so much…"
Yuto then turned to his teammates, placing a firm hand on each of their shoulders. "Hold on," he instructed. In an instant, the three vanished, reappearing beside Kakashi.
Kakashi gathered the team in a tight circle. "Listen up. We're working against the clock here, and the stakes are high. Here's the plan. I'll take care of Suien as quickly as possible. Yuto, you're responsible for the five special Jōnin. And Naruko, Hitomi-you'll handle the 24 chūnin. No holding back. You'll need to go all out with the intent to kill and finish them swiftly. This will be an assassination mission so try to be silent. If Kakuzu gets involved before the hostages are safe, it could all fall apart."
Yuto clenched his fists, his Kamigan faintly glowing. 'Five special Jōnin, huh? I'll have to push myself... but I can handle this.' He nodded firmly. "Understood, sensei."
Naruko puffed out her chest, her usual confidence masking her nerves. "Hah! Twenty-four chūnin? That's nothing. Just watch me! They will be stomped by my army of 1000 clones."
Hitomi shot her a sharp glance but nodded. "We'll get it done."
Kakashi nodded before he looked at yuto and added. "One more thing, Yuto. I need you to make a shadow clone. That clone will switch all the villagers and ninjas out of the jail and into the guarded cave where the kids are. It has to be seamless-no mistakes. This will help us escape without any reason to fight if kakuzu did show up." Yuto just grinned at his request.
Suien stood on the roof of a house, his arms crossed as he gazed at the moon. His thoughts swirled around the Hero Water, frustration etched on his face. 'That damn Kakuzu. He couldn't care less about the Hero Water. I need to figure out how to get my hands on it without him interfering…' His musings were cut short as a kunai whizzed past him, slicing a lock of his hair. His eyes widened in shock, realizing that if he'd been a second slower, the kunai would've impaled his head.
He leapt back and looked around to find the enemy. The moonlight revealed a familiar figure stepping into view, calm and deadly. "Hatake Kakashi," Suien sneered, his voice tinged with surprise. "The infamous Copy Ninja himself. I'm honored. Trying to kill me already? No words of greeting?"
Kakashi didn't reply, his single exposed eye fixed coldly on Suien. Without warning, both shinobi moved. Suien's hands blurred into seals as he inhaled deeply, puffing out his cheeks. A massive torrent of spinning water shot forth—a Water Style: Water Cannon Jutsu. The force tore through the air toward Kakashi, who swiftly countered with Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder.
The crackling energy surged toward the water attack, lighting up the battlefield with a blinding glow. Realizing the danger, Suien stopped his jutsu and leapt backward, narrowly avoiding being electrocuted. He landed on the roof's edge, panting slightly, his eyes narrowed at Kakashi. 'He's fast, no doubt about that. But I'm not going to lose.'
Meanwhile, near the earth-style jail, chaos erupted. The chūnin guards struggled to keep up as Naruko unleashed her signature technique, summoning an army of 500 clones. The clones surged forward like a tidal wave, overwhelming the chūnin. Two hundred clones simultaneously executed Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, creating a barrage of powerful gusts that slammed several chūnin against the massive earth wall behind them.
"Damn it!" one chūnin cursed, struggling to stand before being hit by another gust. "These clones… how does she have this much chakra?!"
Amid the chaos, Hitomi struck like a bolt of lightning. As a group of chūnin regrouped, she stepped forward, her hands weaving seals. "Lightning Style: Lightning Ball!" she declared, a glowing sphere of crackling energy forming in her palms. She launched it toward the cluster, and the resulting explosion sent bodies flying. One chūnin collapsed, unmoving, as the others scrambled to avoid her relentless attacks.
Naruko grinned, her clones advancing relentlessly. "Don't underestimate Team 7! We're just getting started!" she shouted, replacing the 200 clones That got dispelled after using the wind jutsu.
While the girls kept the guards occupied, Yuto's shadow clone worked silently near the jail. Using his Chakra Switch ability, he carefully transported the hostages one by one to safety. Each time he disappeared, he reappeared in the guarded cave, where the women and children from earlier waited anxiously.
"Stay calm." the clone reassured the terrified villagers before vanishing again to retrieve more captives. As for the real Yuto, he was having a showdown with 5 special Jounin ninjas.
(Pls give me some power stones!)
(Find out next time on Naruto:Eye system)