-----
My son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 Timothy 2:1
-----
***
I have made changes in the earliest chapters, but it's not significant.
I removed that ROB in the beginning cuz... it felt weird. So I edited it a little.
I felt that when I read it with that ROB, the story was being...
ROBbed of its allure. Haha, get it?
So yeah, just wanted to point that out.
I edited a little bit, like stuff that might've cringed me out, and again, it's not that big of a deal to look back into. The story retains the same flow.
Anyways, enjoy!
***
The squad of 5, Saruto, Kaede, Shisui, Genma, and Aoba, sought refuge in a dark cave that was far from the hideout that had blown to smithereens.
While everyone was inside the cave, relishing in the brief period of respite, Kaede knelt at the mouth of the cave, seemingly examining her surroundings by inserting chakra through the ground.
Saruto stood beside her, guarding her from potential mishaps; to be honest, Kaede's surveillance, while elite, had proven to be quite useless throughout the mission.
For example, when she examined the enemy lair, her examination halted her from perusing the chamber that was beneath them, and even the bombs.
There's no mistaking she's a revered elite, but the opposition was simply a master of Fuinjutsu, capable of carving sigils that hampered her procession.
Even the Byakugan would be rendered helpless.
"Nobody for now..." Kaede mumbled, before standing on her two legs and brushing her forehead to wipe away the sweat.
Without haste, the duo reconvened with their allies, who all wore stern expressions...
Except for Shisui who was devouring the water supply.
"Phaaa, that hit the spot," Shisui stated satisfactorily.
Everyone was currently sitting on the ground, and Saruto and Kaede shuffled toward the end.
"Kaede-san, what did you find?" Shisui started as he capped the bottle and placed it inside his backpack.
Kaede exhaled, revising the data in her mind before reiterating, "The forbidden jutsu... Mountain's Wrath."
Everyone held their breaths in anticipation, and she said, "The sealing method inside the chamber was a decoy. The real technique is somewhere else."
"!"
A sharp exclamation rang in the air, and Genma interjected, "You mean to say the threat of the jutsu still lingers?!"
Kaede solemnly nodded her head, "Yes. The one I just examined was a weaker version that may have been capable of causing a magnitude 3 Earthquake at best, but I could tell that the technique was forcibly halted."
Shisui massaged his glabella, as though trying to remember something crucial.
"Tsk," clicking his tongue in frustration, he quipped, "Someone remind me the thing that was required to activate the jutsu."
"The Earthern Scroll," Aoba answered.
Shisui felt his head lighten, and with a satisfied smile, he probed, "Right, does that decoy in the cave require the Earthern Scroll?"
In order to utilise the Mountain's Wrath ability, a certain scroll is required. This scroll is known as the Earthern scroll.
The said scroll is known to be an ancient scroll which possesses archaic seals that cannot be mimicked...
Or to be precise, these seals, if mimicked, come with grave repercussions. As such, not even professionals would attempt to replicate these archaic scrolls.
Kaede nodded, "Yes, the Earth Scroll is required."
With a nod of acknowledgement, Shisui expounded, "I see. According to the reports, I believe Shinji-san and the squads were able to retrieve the scroll."
Saruto interjected, "Indeed. As Kaede said, the threat of the Mountain's Wrath still lingers, but if Shinji-san and the rest managed to nab the Earthern Scroll as they said in the reports, then we still have a chance to steal the scroll."
Everyone seemed to come to a tacit understanding; the dispatched squad from Konoha were ambushed to retrieve the scroll.
"May I?" Genma raised his hand, wanting to propose something.
"If the enemy is a master of Fuinjutsu, isn't it possible that they could replicate the scroll?" He asked.
As though anticipating this, Kaede answered, "I was coming to that point. It's very unlikely to duplicate. As it is an old scroll, most of the symbols are beyond my comprehension.
Even Kushina-san would struggle to understand the essence, and that's why the sealing method in the chamber was incomplete and weak. Whoever the practitioner was knew the risks, and simply didn't want to endanger their own life when forging the symbols for the Mountain's Wrath.
There were also so many variables that I too, didn't understand... I'll need to do my research."
"Mmm," Saruto hummed, before continuing, "So I guess that's that. It can't be replicated, so the enemies are people who desire the scroll, and the enemy most likely has a relation with puppets, meaning..."
Saruto paused, internally weighing his words to not elicit major reactions.
However, Genma sharply intercepted, "They're most likely from Suna."
The temperature in the cave immediately dropped, and a chilly hush befell the squad.
As it stands, Konoha and Suna have established a stable and beneficial relationship, however, everybody couldn't help but draw a ghastly breath...
Was this another prelude to war?!
Kaede, in a soothing tone, retorted, "We can't be too sure from just one puppet. There may be multiple nations, or perhaps it may be a couple of rogue ninjas."
"True," Genma raised his hands in surrender, and conceded, "I'm merely stating what was on everyone's mind. As the evidence points, it points towards Sunagakure. Puppet mastery is no joke, and on top of that..." Genma grit his teeth, almost snapping his cocktail stick.
"They're experts. We need to tread with caution," Shisui completed.
*CLAP*
A resounding clap caught everyone's attention, and the red-haired man proposed, "We can only hope that the enemies did not steal the Earthern scroll. So as the mission stands, we need to locate our allies, and find the scroll."
Reaching into his inner pocket, the red-haired man extracted a knotted scroll from his jacket, and unwound it, revealing a map.
"Let's simplify this. Which do you think is the most reasonable detour?" Saruto questioned.
With their gazes fixed on the map, everyone remained silent and circumspectly analysed.
The man with sunglasses, Aoba, summarised as he pointed his finger toward a certain region of the map, "I believe the detour through the Silent Ravine is most plausible."
Everybody seemed to accept Aoba's conjecture, and Saruto took out a marker from his jacket and uncapped it.
He circled the region in red, and instructed, "That is respectable. I believe this is the most noteworthy trail."
Binding the map, he placed it back into his jacket, and declared, "Then we'll need to search for clues. During the trail, we must try and look for any signs of battle, is that understood?"
"Yes," everyone chorused.
***
And so the search commenced.
The squad made no haste to take action, and after about an hour, signs of battle had started to develop.
The route Aoba had narrowed down, by a sliver of a chance, ended up being the correct path.
Though extinguished due to a recent downpour, the squad had found evidence of a recent campsite where the Konoha squad had rested; the clatter of wood that showed signs of burn and decay, but this very site also held signs of battle.
In addition, this sight also showed signs of a possible battle.
Observing the darkened blocks of wood, Aoba theorised, "They must've been ambushed while they were resting."
Bearing a contemplative stance with a finger beneath his chin, Shisui said in a suppressed tone, "The squad had 2 Uchihas... And even a Hyuga. Could they really have been ambushed?"
With that in mind, the squad should've been able to ambush the ambush.
"Blood," a feminine tone shouted, earning everyone's attention.
Their focus was shifted toward the bark of a tree, which carried a weak crimson, but it was unmistakably blood.
Directing his gaze to the distant forest, which led downhill, Saruto said, "Guys, the Silent Ravine is nearby. About another 3 kilometres, and we'll be there."
Shisui, with a complicated expression, commended the man with sunglasses; "Aoba-san, your analysis was spot on. They really did take a detour through here."
Aoba shook his head, "It was a basic deduction, nothing noteworthy."
Kaede rose to her feet, her bangs obscuring her eyes. Her visage contorted, gritting her teeth in annoyance.
"!"
Shrouded in an eerie hue, Genma, Aoba, and Shisui hadn't realised they took a step back!
The tomoes of Kaede's Sharingan spiralled into a strange shape, activating the...
'Mangekyo Sharingan!' Shisui gasped.
Kaede mentally chanted, 'Shinkei Kyoumei.'
[Neural Resonance]
------
Shinkei Kyoumei:
Long story short, the user's nervous system syncs with the natural rhythms of the environment. It's as though their surroundings become an extension of their own body.
------
"!"
Kaede suddenly vanished from her spot, but nobody could follow her movement.
"W-What the- What did she do?" Aoba expressed his surprise.
"Follow me," Saruto commented, before plunging into the forest.
Nobody questioned and trailed behind, and through the lush foliage, they finally broke through to a gloomy spectacle; the Silent Ravine.
The Silent Ravine is a narrow and murky region in between 2 cliff behemoths.
Leaping down, Saruto's hair brushed back against gravity while his face brushed against the wind.
*DRIP*
Gracefully landing on top of the murky water, Saruto could see a distant silhouette.
*DRIP* *DRIP* *DRIP*
The other 3 members landed behind Saruto, and the 4 approached Kaede, and they noticed an anomaly under her feet!
"!"
"A puppet?!" Aoba muttered.
Kaede turned to the squad, and said, "This thing was tailing us without us knowing. It also had the Fuin seal on it, disabling me from noticing its presence."
Genma raised a brow, "Wait, then how did yo-"
"We all have our secrets," Kaede sharply intercepted, making it evident that she didn't want to divulge her technique.
Genma remained silent.
Kaede, kicking the metal scrap to the side, pointed at the murky earth beneath, and tersely mumbled, "Dead body."
"!"
She descended on a single knee, raising her fist in a punching motion, before slowly delivering it to the water...
Before she even made contact with the water, it was as though the water dispersed, making way for her, and then...
*BOOM*
A spiderweb of cracks suffused upon contact, followed by a boom!
"Doton: Ugoku Tsuchi no Kaku," Saruto deployed, clamming his hand onto the Earth.
[Earth Style: Rising Core Technique]
*RUMBLE*
Following a slight quake through the earth, everyone's feet remained firm on the ground.
Eventually, a pillar of earth erupted from the ground ever so slowly, and an unpleasant aroma diffused into the air, prompting everyone to cover their noses.
Saruto stopped midway at the emergence of a muddy scalp, and everyone's hearts raced in anxiety.
"!"
Wrapped around the muddy scalp was a damaged forehead protector, bearing the notorious insignia of Konohagakure.