This time, however, the enemy stopped at a distance of fifty meters, halting far earlier than expected. Unlike the first squad, they didn't charge forward like starving wolves.
"Sensei… what are they doing?" Shisui asked, puzzled by their caution.
Shimizu frowned slightly. "They're waiting for reinforcements."
Through his perception, he could sense it clearly—seven other squads were converging on this location. Despite having superior numbers, they had chosen a defensive stance.
Since the enemy refused to advance…
…then they would have to.
But just as Shimizu was about to move, the four shinobi opposite them suddenly retreated at high speed.
Seriously?!
He had only just lifted his foot!
If they weren't going to fight, then Shimizu decided to stick to his original plan—break straight through this Iwagakure unit's defensive line and continue north.
Yet the moment he moved, those four followed after him again.
Not attacking, but refusing to let go either—like persistent, irritating rats.
Shimizu came to an abrupt stop and turned, charging straight at them. But they were already prepared, vanishing in an instant as they fled once more.
At that point, it became obvious.
"They've recognized me," Shimizu said calmly. "They're waiting for more people before making a move."
They knew they couldn't win as they were—but they also didn't want to miss the chance to eliminate "Shunshin Shimizu."
"Shake them off," Shimizu decided, abandoning any thought of indulging them, and accelerated toward his intended destination.
"Yes!" Shisui followed at full speed.
Even so, this brief encounter left Shimizu inwardly wary.
From here on out, Iwagakure wouldn't be so easy to deal with.
His name had already spread among them. Any Iwa ninja who recognized him would approach with extreme caution, abandoning recklessness entirely. Gone were the days when small enemy squads, overconfident in their numbers, would foolishly try to take him down.
He almost missed those earlier days—when he was still unknown, and enemies would rush in headfirst, thinking they could overwhelm him just because he was outnumbered.
Still… he couldn't help but wonder—
Had Iwagakure already issued a special directive?
If you encounter Shunshin Shimizu, treat it as equivalent to encountering the Yellow Flash—retreat immediately.
If that were the case…
…he might not even get the chance to claim any more kills.
Lost in thought, Shimizu and Shisui quickly put distance between themselves and the pursuing unit.
Then, without warning, the sunlight vanished.
A vast shadow swallowed the land.
Both teacher and student instinctively looked up—and what they saw made their eyes narrow.
Suspended hundreds of meters in the air was an enormous boulder, its sheer size almost absurd.
"That is—" Shisui activated his Sharingan instantly, his expression turning grave. "It's filled with chakra."
"This is an Iwagakure jutsu!"
Shimizu quickly gauged its scale.
Nearly a hundred meters tall… several hundred meters in diameter.
"It's coming down!" Shisui warned.
"Take cover!"
The massive rock plummeted like a meteor.
BOOM—!!
The earth shook violently, as though the heavens themselves were collapsing.
Even from several kilometers away, the sheer force of the impact was enough to send a chill down the spine.
Debris exploded outward—countless fragments of stone scattering in all directions, some even reaching Shimizu's position.
It was impossible not to imagine—
If any Konoha shinobi had been directly beneath that falling mass…
What kind of devastation would have followed?
"We're going to take a look," Shimizu said in a low voice.
There might be a large number of Iwagakure forces gathered there—but he was confident. As long as they withdrew in time, they wouldn't be able to pin him down.
Without hesitation, the two changed direction and rushed toward the impact site.
The several kilometers vanished in the blink of an eye.
And the closer they got, the more terrifying the destruction revealed itself to be.
At the center of the battlefield lay a massive crater—dozens of meters deep and hundreds of meters across. The surrounding terrain had been utterly devastated; what had once been forest was now nothing but a chaotic expanse of mud and shattered stone, debris strewn everywhere in jagged disarray.
And yet…
Shimizu saw no trace of blood.
Not even a single body.
"So, did you find anything?" Shimizu asked.
Shisui's Sharingan scanned the entire area with meticulous focus, his gaze sweeping over every inch of the ruined battlefield. After a while, however, he shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice. "Nothing… I can't find any trace of anyone."
Not even under the Sharingan's heightened perception could he spot so much as a scrap of torn clothing or a discarded ninja tool—anything that might prove someone had once been here.
Had the Konoha shinobi been completely buried beneath that avalanche of earth and stone?
Just then, Shimizu's senses picked up a large number of chakra signatures rapidly approaching the area.
Friend or foe?
He didn't want to leave without understanding what had happened.
"The Earth Release technique I taught you before—you've got it down, right?" he asked.
It was something he had learned from Amani—a survival technique designed specifically for concealment.
"I've got it."
"Then we hide first."
—
This grand display from Iwagakure hadn't only drawn Shimizu's attention. Even Konoha units positioned much farther away had noticed the massive disturbance.
After brief hesitation, some teams chose to retreat, wary of a trap.
Others, like Shimizu, chose to move closer—driven by concern for comrades who might have been caught in the attack, even knowing full well that danger awaited them.
At the same time, far beyond the impact site, several Iwagakure divisions had already spread out, weaving a massive net.
Their goal was simple—
To capture every Konoha shinobi drawn toward the fallen boulder in one decisive sweep.
This… was the "grand move" Tobi had spoken of.
Even Black Zetsu seemed slightly impressed. "Quite the setup… not bad."
"Of course," Tobi replied smugly. "Who do you think I am?"
"But are you really certain someone will take the bait?" Black Zetsu asked skeptically. "No matter how you look at it, this is an obvious trap."
"Don't jump to conclusions," Tobi countered. "You only think that because you know there's no one under that rock. But those Konoha rats? They don't know a thing."
"Still, there's no guarantee anyone will come."
"Maybe it's confidence in their strength. Maybe it's concern for their comrades… who knows?" Tobi shrugged lazily before continuing, "I wasn't expecting everyone to come anyway. As long as I hook even one fish, that's enough."
"And then?"
"Then we capture them, of course," Tobi said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "That way, we can force the white-haired one and the blond one to show themselves."
"You really are despicable."
"I'll take that as the highest praise," Tobi said without a trace of shame. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh right, Little Black—if someone gets close again, give me a heads-up first."
Silence.
No response.
Tobi frowned, irritation bubbling up. Since when had Little Black become so petty?
"…Little Black?"
Don't tell me that bastard slipped away again without a word?
"Nishitani-senpai, are you looking for your pet?"
The voice came from behind—it was Han.
By now, quite a few people had heard about Nishitani Kenichirō keeping a field mouse as a pet.
"…Seems I starved it a little too much. It ran away from home," Nishitani said as he slowly turned around, his tone dark.
Ran away? Good riddance.
A grown man keeping a field mouse as a pet… the image was just too bizarre.
"By the way, senpai," Han continued, "we've got a bite. When do you want to move?"
"What? Something took the bait?" Nishitani's eyes lit up instantly. "Then what are you waiting for? Close the net!"
...
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