Bzz!
The tent windows began to vibrate slightly, emitting a faint glow. The surface of the water in the wine glasses on the table rippled with layers of circles.
The tremors seemed to originate from somewhere very, very far away, but they still woke the ninjas in the other tents of the Konoha camp. They grew alert, grabbed their weapons, frowned, and walked out of their tents.
"What's going on?"
"Is it an earthquake?"
Hearing the footsteps outside the tent, Arata had the three puppets grab their weapons and walk out as well. He split off a Shadow Clone, had it put on the dead ninja's clothes, and followed the three out.
As for himself, he remained inside the tent.
After a while, the tremors gradually subsided. Arata felt as if an intangible connection had appeared in his mind.
A three-dimensional structural diagram of a five-story underground palace emerged in his thoughts. Although it felt spacious, the interior was still empty.
However, as long as he was within a thousand meters of the underground palace, he could enter it directly.
"I hope this underground palace can withstand a direct assault," Arata mused silently. "Otherwise, even if it granted me a budget version of space-time ninjutsu, spending those 3000 points would be a bit of a loss."
He planned to use these ruins as bait, so they couldn't be broken into too easily.
But he couldn't test it now; he could only trust the system's integrity.
Just then, his eyes flickered slightly. He looked up towards the tent entrance and sensed that the eight Root ninjas in the camp, including his shadow clone and the three puppets, were all gathering in the same direction.
"It seems Aburame Ryoma has arrived, just as I thought, gathering the Root ninjas," Arata understood.
This was perfect. All that was left was for the show to begin.
Arata transformed into a dark shadow, merging into the darkness of the rainy night, and stealthily moved towards the Land of Hot Water.
He needed to wait inside the underground palace in advance.
Waiting for Kumogakure and Konoha to "dig" him out.
And then...
Arata slightly raised his head, looking at the full moon obscured by dark clouds.
"Since Toneri Otsutsuki could control that massive Tenseigan, I should be able to borrow it too, right?"
A light, pleased chuckle dissipated, mingled with the wind and rain.
Meanwhile, at a port in the Land of Hot Water, over a dozen Kumogakure ninjas stood silently in the rain.
Behind them, a hot spring inn serving as a contact point had its yellow lanterns lit. Strong wind surged in through every gap, causing the bulbs to sway left and right, casting their wavering black shadows upon the ground.
The leader had short purple hair and wore a black, tight-fitting combat suit, topped with a white Kumogakure flak jacket. A yellow scarf was wrapped around his neck.
"Lord Toroi," a Kumogakure ninja appeared behind him using the Body Flicker Technique and reported, "No anomalies detected. It was probably just a regular earthquake."
Boom!
At that moment, a thunderclap struck the sky above. Forked lightning spread across the night sky, painting it pale white.
"A regular earthquake, huh..."
Toroi murmured as he looked up. Rain, as large as beans, was hurled by the wind. Thick, dark clouds coiled above, obscuring the moonlight. Only the serpentine lightning illuminated the gaps in the clouds.
Inexplicably, he felt a tightness in his chest and a sense of unease, as if it were an omen of impending disaster, as if the clouds overhead were pressing down upon them.
He had always trusted his intuition. Already distrustful of Konoha, his vigilance heightened further.
However, as the agreed-upon time drew near, a faint restlessness inevitably arose within him.
Just as Toroi's mind wandered, the Kumogakure ninja beside him suddenly looked up and said solemnly, "They're here!"
In the distance, over a dozen figures in black raincoats were seen skimming across the water's surface, rushing towards them.
Toroi put his fingers in his mouth and blew a sharp whistle. Hearing the same whistle in response from the distance confirmed their identity.
Moments later, the Kumogakure crowd standing on the port shore, illuminated by the warm yellow light behind them, saw the Konoha party led by Akimichi Todo.
"Sorry about the bad weather. We're a little late..."
Akimichi Todo scanned the Kumogakure group, scratched his head somewhat sheepishly, and began to apologize.
"Come inside and do the exchange."
But before he could finish, Toroi interrupted, cutting off all further words.
With that, Toroi and the Kumogakure ninjas turned and entered the hot spring inn behind them.
"So impatient?"
Todo muttered, then cast a glance at Arata behind him. Only after receiving a subtle nod did he lead the others quickly into the inn.
This inn was secretly funded by Kumogakure. Its lobby was large, capable of accommodating over thirty people from both sides.
The Konoha members subtly glanced at Arata among them. Only after seeing his imperceptible nod did they relax slightly.
"The weather is terrible tonight," Toroi suddenly stopped walking, turned to face Todo, and said coldly.
"..." Understanding his implication, Todo wisely stepped back and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, alright, let's get this over with quickly."
A barking dog rarely bites.
Since the other party had taken such a hardline stance from the start, if a fight actually broke out later, they could reveal their own weapons then.
The moment he saw Toroi's face, he had already recognized him.
Toroi, a jonin of Kumogakure Village, skilled in using the Kekkei Genkai: Magnet Release.
'Why did the Fourth Raikage send him? Had they sensed something was off?'
"If it comes to a fight, I wonder if I can protect that Hyuga kid," Todo sighed inwardly. "The Third Hokage really gave me a troublesome mission."
"Where is it?" Toroi asked directly.
Akimichi Todo subtly tilted his head. Arata stepped forward, cast a cold glance at Toroi, and then produced a scroll from his robe.
Bam!
A dark brown coffin appeared before them. Beneath the warm yellow hanging lamp, it exuded an air of deathly stillness, making the already oppressive atmosphere even more chilling.
"Just as I thought," Toroi frowned deeply upon seeing this, but said nothing.
On the way here, he had received a message from the village, learning that the Daimyo had miscommunicated their demands. Konoha had seized on the verbal loophole, so handing over a "corpse" wasn't surprising.
However, as long as the corpse was Hyuga Hizashi, it still held significant value.
"Step back," Toroi said coldly. "We need to 'inspect the goods.'"
Referring to the "corpse" as "goods" seemed to touch a nerve with Arata, who looked at Toroi with a hint of anger in his eyes.
But just as he was about to speak, Akimichi Todo raised a hand to stop him and actively stepped back, giving Toroi space.
Toroi walked over to the coffin. An oddly shaped kunai slid from his sleeve, and he inserted it along the seal of the coffin lid.
Crack.
The moment the coffin opened, the black night sky was suddenly dyed a searing white by lightning. The dazzling, blinding flash cast each person's shadow onto the lobby floor, stretching them long and thin like ghosts.
"..."
Behind Akimichi Todo, Aburame Ryoma stared intently at the expression on Toroi's face. Unexpectedly, what he saw was an expression he hadn't anticipated.
Anger, shock, fear, all mingled on his face.
'Why this reaction?'
Doubt suddenly arose in Aburame Ryoma's mind, and then he saw Toroi abruptly look up, his face a mix of shock and rage as he opened his mouth.
Boom!
The thunder following the lightning arrived on its heels.
"Fall back!" Toroi's shocked and angry roar was drowned out.
Todo, being the closest, heard a familiarly ominous "sizzling" ignition sound. His pupils constricted sharply in an instant.
'Explosive tags?'
'How could that be?!'
The next moment, before anyone could react, a thunderous explosion, far more terrifying than the thunderclap, engulfed heaven and earth!
A blazing white flash burst forth before their eyes, engulfing everyone head-on.
BOOM!!