Chapter 25: Strike!

Under the pale moonlight, by the riverbank, the two rogue ninjas finally made contact with their informant. Hidden within the forest, Hoshita Shūichi and his team watched silently.

The informant bore no obvious markings of Sunagakure—instead, he resembled a wandering samurai. The distance was too great to hear their conversation, and Shūichi didn't know lip-reading.

The exchange lasted less than five minutes. As the rogue ninjas turned back, Shūichi and the others melted into the shadows. In the darkness, Namikaze Minato signaled with hand signs:

Track the informant.

The samurai-like informant was cautious, sprinting downstream along the river's surface. Shūichi's team pursued from the forest, maintaining a steady tail for nearly ten kilometers before Minato issued another command:

Strike now.

The team split into two groups. Shūichi and Minato circled ahead to intercept, while Uchiha Shisui and Kurama Sanyō charged onto the river, their feet skimming the water as they closed in.

The informant sensed their approach. He glanced back, moonlight glinting off his narrowed eyes. "Konoha?" He scoffed. "Two brats?"

Realizing others might be lying in wait, he smirked. "You underestimate me." Without hesitation, he pivoted and lunged toward Shisui and Sanyō, determined to eliminate them first.

From the forest, Minato and Shūichi burst forth. Shisui and Sanyō halted abruptly.

Whoosh!

Shisui hurled shuriken, while Sanyō's hands flew through seals. The informant dodged the initial volley, but Shisui yanked a thin wire attached to the shuriken, redirecting their trajectories from three different angles.

Simultaneously, Sanyō completed his jutsu.

Genjutsu: False Surroundings Technique!

The illusion warped the informant's vision, distorting the shuriken's paths. The man sliced through the wires, deflecting two blades—but the third struck true, embedding itself in his right arm. Blood dripped into the river as he howled in pain.

"Bastards!"

Dispelling the genjutsu, the informant roared and kicked off the water, his sword arcing toward Shisui.

"Fall back!"

Shisui and Sanyō retreated just as a kunai whistled through the air. The informant barely dodged, only for Minato to materialize mid-air, snatching the kunai and driving a fist into his gut. The force launched the man backward—where Shūichi's spinning kick sent him crashing into the river, unconscious.

Shūichi fished him out, dragging him ashore. Interrogation fell to Shisui.

Though his Sharingan bore only a single tomoe, his genjutsu prowess surpassed Sanyō's. After a brutal beating weakened the informant's will, Shisui extracted the truth in under ten minutes.

The man was indeed a Sunagakure chūnin named Tōkawa Ryō. He belonged to a four-man squad: one seasoned jōnin and two sensor-type chūnin. Their mission? To manipulate the rogue ninjas and their bandit gang, using them to destabilize the Land of Fire's border.

The plan was diabolical. Tomorrow, the bandits would attack—but with falsified intel leading them straight into a Konoha patrol. The ensuing battle would expose their village hideout, prompting Konoha to retaliate. Even if restraint prevailed, the diplomatic fallout would strain relations with the Land of Rivers—all while Sunagakure swooped in to claim the country's missions.

To cover their tracks, Ryō's squad would kill the rogue ninjas during the chaos and dispose of the bodies.

"Sunagakure's gone too far!" Sanyō spat.

Shūichi and Shisui nodded grimly. The scheme was ruthless, efficient, and nearly foolproof.

Minato studied Ryō's unconscious form before addressing his team. "What's our next move?"

Sanyō clenched his fists. "We capture his squad alive and warn the border patrol. With proof, we can turn the River Daimyo against Suna!"

Shisui agreed. "If Ryō doesn't return, they'll suspect something."

Shūichi added, "We should inform the Third Hokage. This involves international politics—it's his call."

Minato's eyes gleamed with approval. "Then we split. You three take Ryō to the border and secure the bandits—alive. I'll handle the Suna squad."

Sanyō paled. "Alone?!"

Shūichi smirked. "Have faith in sensei."

With a chuckle, Minato handed Shisui a special Flying Thunder God kunai. "I'll return swiftly."

(+20 Chapter ahead)

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