250. The Art of Grave Robbery

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The tomb of Kitane, one of the Four Lightning Guardians, wasn't far from the Fire Temple. The surrounding area was vast and empty, devoid of landmarks.

Chiriku pointed to a few scattered seal tags on the ground. "This area was protected by a special barrier, yet they still managed to find and breach it."

Naruto examined the ground. There were clear signs of forceful entry, but if it was purely physical strength, it wasn't as destructive as Sakura's punches… which meant whoever did this likely relied on jutsu instead of brute force.

With glow sticks in hand, the team followed Chiriku into the tomb. Naruto had no idea how glow sticks even existed in the ninja world, but at this point, the tech tree had gone too far off course, so he just accepted it.

As they moved, Naruto muttered random phrases:

"Seek the dragon's vein, observe the mountains' embrace."

"Light the candle for men, let ghosts blow them out. When the rooster crows, leave the tomb untouched."

"A pangolin's claws are the best tools for a grave robber."

Sasuke, walking beside him, frowned. "What are you babbling about?"

Naruto sighed dramatically. "It's tomb-raiding wisdom, Sasuke! We need to be professional if we're going to solve this case!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Right… I'll keep an eye on you in case you try to loot something."

---

Inside the Tomb

They arrived at the main burial chamber, where Kitane's coffin had been placed. The problem?

It was gone.

Chiriku gestured toward the untouched ground. "No footprints. It looks like they used Earth Release Jutsu to infiltrate and remove the coffin."

Kakashi, the team's "pseudo-Tsuchikage", nodded. "That makes sense."

Without missing a beat, he summoned Pakkun.

"Yo, been a while!" Pakkun greeted, raising a paw in a casual wave. His gaze then shifted toward Sakura.

Sakura shivered. "What?! If you say we use the same shampoo again, I swear—"

Pakkun sniffed. "No, actually… this new shampoo of yours smells really nice. Could you recommend it?"

"Absolutely not!" Sakura shouted, raising a fist.

Naruto quickly intervened. "Bro! Calm down! We're inside a tomb, don't start a fight with a dog!"

Kakashi sighed. "Enough messing around. Pakkun, can you track any scents?"

Pakkun sniffed around before pausing. "Strange… I smell roasted sweet potatoes."

Naruto grabbed Pakkun's ear. "Are you serious? Who the hell would eat sweet potatoes in a tomb?"

The others stared at Pakkun in disbelief.

Pakkun yanked himself free. "I'm telling you, my nose never lies."

Since Pakkun was usually reliable, the team chose to trust him.

"Let's head outside and try tracking them," Kakashi suggested.

Back on the surface, Pakkun pointed a paw. "They went that way."

---

Following the trail, the team soon found themselves climbing a mountain.

Kakashi asked, "Master Chiriku, can you share the locations of the remaining tombs?"

"Of course." Chiriku described the positions of the other three sacred graves. "I've already increased security at those sites."

Naruto frowned. "That's not guarding them… that's telling the enemy exactly where they are."

It reminded him of how Kaito Kid always used police security arrangements to identify real treasures from decoys.

Sakura crossed her arms. "Then why are we even chasing them? Let's just wait at the next tomb!"

Before Kakashi could respond, they spotted movement.

Four coffins were racing across an open plain as if they were speeding cars. Yet there was no one in sight.

Naruto activated his mini-map ability. "There's one person underground, but I bet they have more allies hidden."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "It's too deliberate. They're drawing attention."

Naruto nodded. "Exactly. Look at Orochimaru. That guy steals corpses all the time without anyone noticing. This? This is a whole damn parade."

"Let's split up," Kakashi decided. "A clone can follow the coffins while we go after the one controlling them."

Chiriku agreed. "I will accompany Pakkun to track the hidden accomplices."

With the plan in motion, Team 7 pursued the coffins while Chiriku and Pakkun took another route.

---

After some time, Team 7 got close… but suddenly, the four coffins stopped.

Then, they stood upright… and sank into the ground.

The moment they vanished, the entire terrain shifted.

Stone pillars erupted from the ground.

Deep fissures spread, forcing the team to separate.

Massive slabs moved, forming a maze-like structure.

Before they could regroup, three figures revealed themselves.

A man, a woman, and… a gender enigma.

The man: Fudō, a brutish-looking fighter.

The woman: Fuen, a red-haired seductress.

The enigma: Fūkō, dressed in a feminine robe, but with features that made their gender impossible to determine.

Fūkō, holding a topographical map, pointed at the team's positions.

"The one leading them is Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja. He'll be difficult."

"I'll keep him trapped as long as possible," Fūkō continued. "Each of you takes one of the kids; then we regroup to finish him off."

Clearly, their intelligence was outdated. They knew about Kakashi but had no idea how strong Naruto had become.

Fuen smirked, eyeing Sasuke's location. "I'll take the pretty boy~ Wonder what kind of kiss he likes?"

Fudō cracked his knuckles. "I'll handle the pink-haired girl. She won't last long. Then I'll take out the blonde brat."

Fūkō nodded. "That works."

---

As Kakashi scaled a wall, a stone slab suddenly dropped from above, forcing him to leap away.

Then, another stone spike jutted out from the wall, barely missing him.

Fūkō grinned and drew another line on their map.

Instantly, the ground collapsed, sending Kakashi into a pit filled with spikes.

Reacting quickly, Kakashi stuck his feet to the pit walls, avoiding the spikes.

As the trap lid began closing, Kakashi sighed.

"Hmm… I feel targeted."

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