173. Markings Removed
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Naruto, about to lead his three teammates to retreat yet again, suddenly stopped in surprise. "Huh?"
Kakashi turned to him. "What's wrong?"
"My Flying Thunder God's markings... they've been removed," Naruto replied, astonished. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation; there wasn't a single marking left in Amegakure.
"Wait, I thought the Flying Thunder God's mark was permanent?" Kakashi asked. As someone who had studied the technique in an attempt to replicate it using his Sharingan, he was familiar with its intricacies.
Unfortunately, the talent for such a skill eluded him, though he sometimes wondered if he would have mastered it faster than Naruto.
"Normally, yes," Naruto explained, "but they must have physically removed them digging up the ground where they were marked or destroying walls where the seals were placed." He sighed in frustration. "Being famous isn't all it's cracked up to be. My signature jutsu gets analyzed and countered."
"That's troublesome," Kakashi muttered. "We should leave Amegakure immediately."
About 30 miles outside the village, the four set up a tent to shelter from the rain and sat inside to regroup.
Kakashi began analyzing. "Every time we infiltrate, they surround us within three minutes. According to Naruto's sensory abilities, there's chakra spread throughout Amegakure. It seems the enemy is employing large-scale sensory ninjutsu."
Naruto nodded. "Not just that every time they send different shinobi to intercept us. That means they have a large number of patrol units in rotation."
Sakura chimed in, "And since they deliberately removed your Flying Thunder God marks, it's clear they're aware of your abilities and are taking countermeasures."
Sasuke activated his Sharingan, his eyes narrowing. "This level of security is abnormal. Should we capture someone and interrogate them?"
"It's best not to," Kakashi said firmly. "Infiltrating secretly is hard enough. If we leave any traces, even using genjutsu, we could alert them to our movements."
Sasuke frowned. "But didn't Naruto's Flying Thunder God markings leave traces too?"
Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, but those were left intentionally. Let them deal with it it's their problem now."
Kakashi concluded, "For now, a covert investigation seems impossible. Let's report what we've gathered so far."
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Two days later
"So, you didn't encounter Hanzō of the Salamander at all? And Amegakure's defences were so tight that even the Flying Thunder God was ineffective?" Minato Namikaze asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"That's correct," Kakashi confirmed.
Minato gestured to the letter on the table. "The reply states that Amegakure will send 15 shinobi in five teams to participate in the Chūnin Exams. This number is consistent with past years, which could be an attempt to maintain the illusion of normalcy. They might also be using the opportunity to gather intelligence on other villages."
Kakashi nodded. "Should we monitor the genin they send closely?"
"Yes," Minato affirmed.
Naruto interjected, "Although the Flying Thunder God marks in Amegakure have been removed, there are still a few scattered across the Land of Rain. They probably don't have enough manpower to search the entire country, so I can still go back if needed."
Minato smiled. "Don't risk your real body for that. Use shadow clones if you want to check in the future."
Naruto grinned. "Understood!"
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The following month
Naruto returned to training in Konoha and Mount Myōboku. During this time, he even convinced Sasuke to consider training in Ryūchi Cave. Whether Sasuke listened was another matter entirely.
Meanwhile, Sakura managed to complete the Yin Seal ahead of schedule with Naruto's assistance, shocking Tsunade, Shizune, and even the research division.
Although Sakura still needed years of chakra storage to master Creation Rebirth, the early completion of the Yin Seal gave her a significant edge essentially an "extra power bank," allowing her to use her chakra-enhanced strength for prolonged periods.
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Mount Myōboku
Naruto sat atop a stone pillar, meditating with a group of clones. At one point, one of his clones successfully formed wings using chakra, resembling an eagle.
It wobbled at first but soon flew steadily, drawing envious stares from the other 99 clones.
Naturally, chaos ensued as the grounded clones hurled kunai, water dragons, and other techniques at the flying clone.
The airborne clone evaded gracefully, smirking as it dissolved itself.
The remaining clones groaned. "Damn it! Why is he always the first to succeed?"
Naruto chuckled as he watched the commotion, then decided to test the technique himself.
Wings of chakra sprouted from his back, and he soared through the skies of Mount Myōboku, revelling in the freedom of flight.
Just as he began experimenting with aerial manoeuvres, he felt something sticky coil around him.
In a flash, he was dragged down at lightning speed and plunged into darkness.
"What the—?" Naruto struggled against the soft, slimy material encasing him, eventually prying it open and leaping out.
"Ah, Naruto?" Gamaken, the enormous toad, blinked in confusion. "Sorry, I thought you were a bug flying around."
Naruto scowled, wiping mucus off his face. "You ate me!"
Gamaken scratched his head sheepishly. "My bad, I'm a bit clumsy. I really thought you were an insect."
Naruto sighed, deciding not to argue with the apologetic toad. "Forget it. I'm going home to shower. I'll test my flight height another day."
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The next day
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura headed to the Chūnin Exam venue at the Ninja Academy.
Before Naruto could greet his friends, Kurama spoke in his mind:
"Kid, Chōmei is nearby."
Naruto's eyes lit up. "The Seven-Tails?"
Kurama growled. "Don't get too excited. Something feels off."
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