Chapter 34: Ambush! (1/2)

"Once we cross this forest, we'll be leaving the borders of the Land of Fire, Wakaho-kun."

"Let's rest for a bit."

The moonlight filtered through the dense foliage, casting shadows in the pitch-black forest. The evening breeze occasionally rustled through the trees, creating a soft "rustling" sound.

"Teacher, you stay here. I'll be back soon."

With a whoosh, Wakaho vanished from sight.

The surrounding darkness didn't bother Wakaho. Thanks to his Sharingan and natural night vision, he could move easily even in the pitch-black night.

As they neared the border, human presence dwindled, and the forest was teeming with wildlife. Wakaho was eager to hunt.

Whoosh!

With a swift throw of a shuriken, a hapless wild rabbit was dispatched.

Wakaho neatly dealt with the rabbit, contemplating whether to roast it or make stew, when suddenly, an ambush occurred!

Whoosh!

A hidden kunai sliced through the air with barely a sound, heading straight for Wakaho's neck!

"Does this rabbit have accomplices?"

Wakaho sensed the danger with his heightened awareness and quickly used his Sharingan to lock onto the kunai, using the rabbit as a shield.

Thud—

The kunai embedded itself in the rabbit, with the greenish tint indicating it was poisoned.

It was clear the rabbit was no longer safe to eat.

"I'll avenge you."

Wakaho stood up, his Sharingan scanning the direction from which the kunai had come.

It was evident that they were in an ambush, with the enemy hidden and Wakaho exposed.

The mission was designated within the Land of Earth's borders.

Given their current location on the border between the Land of Fire, Rain, and Earth, it was highly likely the attackers were from one of these three countries.

"So which ninja faction could it be?"

Rationality suggested that the attackers were most likely from Iwagakure. The Land of Rain had little involvement in the Third Shinobi World War, while Iwagakure had been persistently harassing Konoha's defenses.

Moreover, they had detected no signs of being followed on their journey, making it unlikely that the attackers were from their own village.

But intuition told Wakaho...

Konoha had recently shown exceptional talent, and some disgruntled parties might be unable to tolerate it any longer.

As Wakaho pondered, the enemy's second wave of attacks arrived.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Shurikens, many attached with explosive tags, flew from all directions, indicating the enemy had completely surrounded him!

"So many?"

Wakaho frowned. Even while hunting a wild rabbit, he had to deal with such a situation?

"Fire Style: Fire Barrier!"

Wakaho formed two hand signs and unleashed a torrent of flames that encircled him, creating a nearly impenetrable wall of fire around him!

This was a B-rank defensive Water Style jutsu adapted into Fire Style. While its defensive power was naturally weaker than Water Style due to the lack of mass, Wakaho had devised a solution: he made the flames flow like water, using kinetic energy to reinforce the defense!

Puff, puff, puff, puff!

The fire barrier blocked shurikens from all sides. Even the gaps created by the exploding tags were quickly filled by the flowing flames.

Wakaho was satisfied with this result.

The high-temperature immunity granted by the "Little Fire God" allowed Fire Style, known for its offensive power, to also serve a defensive role.

"Too bad my clothes can't withstand the high temperatures. If only I could use the Fire Prison Technique directly, it would save some chakra."

Wakaho raised an eyebrow.

Meanwhile, the enemy was closing in!

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A simultaneous roar came from three directions, followed by an all-encompassing gale aimed directly at Wakaho's fire wall!

The wind jutsu intended to blow the fire barrier right back at Wakaho!

While Wakaho could ignore high temperatures, he couldn't ignore the impact of Wind Style, which also posed the risk of suffocation.

And Wakaho's solution was simple and straightforward.