[NTU] [ARC-06-WAR] Chapter : 70 (Patreon)

It turned out that the cylindrical object protruding from the rock was a long-tube telescope, secretly observing Toshiro’s movements. As the saying goes, you are looking at the scenery, and people in the scenery are also looking at you.

“Finally, this guy is here. Shoji, it’s up to you now. You must shoot him down immediately!”

“Remember, you have only one shot. If he gets alerted, we won't get another chance to ambush him!”

A clear voice sounded, though no one was visible at the scene. The voice’s owner, anxious to ensure his subordinates didn’t miss this opportunity, added a warning.

“Don’t worry, Captain! I’ll hit the target with one shot and show that Konoha Ninja the power of Sand Ninja Village!”

Toshiro’s frequent reconnaissance flights around the Konoha camp and over the Suna Ninja Village camp had not gone unnoticed. According to spy intelligence, the Sand Ninja learned that he often used his bird to explore their movements.

Sand Ninja Village had long prepared to eliminate him, but their own summoning beasts couldn't help. Thus, they resorted to the simplest method: ambushing Toshiro. They chose suitable locations along all potential routes he might pass, stationed capable personnel, and prepared specially developed secret weapons to strike him down.

Unaware of the ambush, Toshiro didn't take further precautions after reminding the Yamawashi. He believed that the attack range of most ninjutsu was limited, and even large weapons like ballistae or giant shuriken throwers couldn't reach his altitude of over 1,500 meters.

“The target will soon enter our range. Wait, the target’s altitude is rising!”

“Captain…”

Hearing this, the puppet master named Shoji hesitated. He wasn't sure whether to attack now or let the opportunity pass to avoid alerting the enemy.

“Damn it! This guy is cunning. Shoji, how confident are you?”

The captain, unwilling to miss this rare opportunity, wanted to take a gamble.

To ambush Toshiro successfully, they had deployed an elite team of about thirteen people, hiding in pre-planned locations for over half a month. Missing today’s chance meant an uncertain wait for another.

“About seventy... fifty percent sure!”

As Toshiro’s altitude increased, Shoji’s confidence dropped. He originally felt 70% sure but lowered his estimate as the target ascended.

“Since you’re fifty percent sure, take the shot.”

Without hesitation, the captain decisively gave the order. A fifty percent chance was worth the gamble compared to waiting for an uncertain next time.

The mountain and forest fell into silence as three telescopes tracked the black dot in the sky, adjusting with its movement.

“now!”

As Toshiro flew, a loud shout shattered the tranquility.

Click!

Buzz!

A machine sound, duller than an ordinary ballista, echoed. An egg-shaped projectile about two meters long, with small wings and a crossbow arrow glowing blue, shot toward the sky. The wings, wrapped in wind chakra, doubled the crossbow’s range. The secret weapon, now useless after firing, remained in place.

Sand Ninja Village developed this weapon specifically for ambushes.

High above, a lone person and a bird soared, blissfully unaware of the danger below.

Although the Yamawashi had received Toshiro’s warning, it had not taken it seriously.

Even now, it was flying leisurely, barely increasing its altitude.

Toshiro, too, was distracted, contemplating the movements in the camp and his own future.

Neither noticed the two-meter-long crossbow bolt hurtling towards them, defying gravity.

The blue hue of the bolt indicated it was coated with a wind chakra.

Phew!

With vision far superior to that of ordinary creatures, Yamawashi finally detected the threat when the bolt was nearby.

Issuing a hasty warning, it quickly flapped its wings, attempting to evade the attack.

“Damn!”

Toshiro, now aware of the danger, felt the bird's fear. He activated his Sharingan to assess the situation.

But even with the Sharingan, what could he do? Unless he had the space-warping abilities of the Kamui, similar to Obito’s, he was helpless.

With his enhanced dynamic vision, he saw the crossbow bolt approaching slowly, analyzing its trajectory.

In less than two seconds, the bolt would strike the Yamawashi. Without his summoning beast, Toshiro would plummet from the sky...

Swish!

Clang!

Two distinct sounds echoed from high above!

In the crucial moment, Toshiro hadn’t even reached for his kunai. Instead, he threw his kodachi, scabbard and all, at the bolt.

Thanks to his exceptional dynamic vision and reflexes, he hit the bolt precisely, altering its trajectory.

“Close call!”

He was about to wipe the sweat from his brow when a violent explosion erupted above him.

The crossbow bolt had flown past them, transforming into a fiery ball in the sky.

Before Toshiro could react, his heart was filled with dread.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

A barrage of metal senbon shot towards Toshiro and Yamawashi.

The puppet masters of Sand Ninja Village had designed the crossbow with a contingency in case it missed its target.

They installed mechanisms that would cause it to detonate after a preset time, making its construction more complex but significantly increasing its effectiveness.

Toshiro found himself in a dire situation.

The explosion occurred less than twenty meters away. He could block the senbon, but the Yamawashi was too large and airborne, making it vulnerable.

Even a single senbon striking the bird would spell trouble, especially since they were likely coated in deadly poison.

The thought of being high in the sky on a poisoned bird was terrifying.

“Shoji! Well done!”

The ambushers, observing through telescopes, were initially frustrated when the bird dodged the bolt. But the explosion restored their confidence.

They knew their patience had paid off. The bird, due to its size, couldn't evade all the attacks.

Its fate was sealed once the bolt exploded.

The poison on the bolt, extracted from mutated scorpions, would paralyze any creature, including giant summoning beasts.

Once paralyzed, the bird would fall, increasing in speed due to gravity, turning Toshiro into a helpless victim.

The ambushers, having waited so long, revealed themselves, no longer needing to hide from the summoning beast.

By this point, everything else was irrelevant...

Three figures emerged.

At the center was the team leader, a stylishly dressed young girl of about sixteen or seventeen.

The standard three-person team consisted of a leading Jounin and two Chunin subordinates.

"Kenichi! Observe where they land. Let's move!" She directed her companion, who was responsible for monitoring the situation. Turning to the puppet master named Shoji, she ordered,

"Pack up this special crossbow. You and it have both done great work this time..."

In this team, one was the leader, one was the observer responsible for locating the target, and the other was the puppet master operating the ballista.

Aside from the Jounin leading the team, the other two were elite Chunin. Behind them, more than ten others from the Sand Ninja Camp were similarly poised.

Sunagakure specifically sent them all out to ambush Toshiro.

It was partly Toshiro's fault; recent successes had made him complacent, allowing the enemy to exploit the opportunity and launch this attack.

High in the sky and in a dire situation, Toshiro made his move.

"Summnoning Release!"

While forming the seal with one hand to release the summoning technique, he reached behind with the other to draw a kunai, waving it defensively.

Peng!

An explosion of white smoke erupted, sending the Yamawashi back to the Forgotten Island.

Shrouded in the smoke, Toshiro's figure became obscured.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

From the dissipating white smoke came the sharp clinks of metal clashing and the sound of Toshiro's kunai deflecting the steel senbon.

Thanks to his sharingan, Toshiro had anticipated the trajectory of the incoming senbon. Otherwise, an ordinary ninja in this situation would have been doomed.

Even so, without Yamawashi, Toshiro was still in peril.

As the strong wind dispersed the white smoke, Toshiro vanished from sight.

Gravity took hold, sending him plummeting toward the ground. If nothing intervened, his fate was sealed...

Re-summoning Yamawashi was impossible at this time.

According to the rules of the ninja world, the same summoning beast cannot be summoned again in quick succession, as there is a cooldown period.

This cooldown usually lasts about a day.

Moreover, the duration of a summoning beast's summoning varies. Beasts from the three holy places—Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest—typically remain in the real world for no more than two hours before returning to their respective sanctuaries.

Summoning beasts like Toshiro's or Kakashi's, however, do not face such strict limitations. Generally, they can assist their masters for extended periods once summoned.

Toshiro theorized that this discrepancy was due to the different realms these beasts originated from. Yamawashi and Kakashi's 'Pakkun' were native to the ninja world, whereas the holy places were from different planes described in fanfics from his previous life.

This difference influenced how long they could stay after being summoned.

…

"Captain, the situation has changed!"

"What!"

Hearing this, the captain, who had been observing the cross-bow bolt explosion, quickly focused her attention.

From her vantage point, there was nothing obstructing her view of Toshiro. She no longer needed a telescope to see him, though the distance made his figure appear blurry.

"This is..."