"Akira has already infiltrated Iwa's base!"
"Not good, he's been discovered! It seems there are some highly sensitive sensory ninjas on the Iwa side!"
"Akira used Shunshin no Jutsu—there are over a dozen shadowy clones, impossible to tell which are real. He's not engaging them directly; it seems he's focusing on creating chaos instead!" "Wait—Akira suddenly struck and killed one of the ninjas! The two nearby attacked him, but his body turned back into a shadowy clone!" "He's using Fire Release! Over ten Fire Release jutsus, and now the entire Iwa base is up in flames!"
Hyūga Hiashi's Byakugan was pushed to its limits, veins bulging around his eyes, giving a terrifying appearance as he provided a live report to Jiraiya and the others from afar.
In truth, even though they were a distance away, the sight of flames lighting up the night sky told Jiraiya and the others that Akira had already caused considerable chaos within the Iwa base.
Indeed, using Fire Release to create confusion was the perfect choice. From the intensity of the fire alone, Jiraiya and the others could tell that the entire Iwa base had been thrown into turmoil.
"Akira is incredible!" Naruto exclaimed as he watched the distant flames and listened to Hyūga Hiashi's live commentary. His spirits were lifted, though he also felt a pang of envy.
They were both seven years old, but while he could only watch from afar, Akira was alone, charging into the Iwa base. Naruto couldn't help but admire and envy Akira's courage.
While those outside the base were dealing with their own thoughts, inside, Akira continued to run through the base, using over a dozen shadowy clones. After unleashing over ten Great Fireball Techniques, he looked around the base and nodded quietly to himself.
The strategy of "harassing the enemy while they're stationary" had clearly succeeded. With that, there was no need for him to stay any longer.
The Iwa-nin were all on high alert, and more were closing in on him. Even with his shadowy clones, staying any longer would mean getting surrounded.
With that in mind, Akira formed hand seals, and his chakra surged. "Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
In an instant, Akira summoned hundreds of shadow clones. These clones immediately scattered in all directions.
"Don't let any of them escape!" shouted one of the Iwa-nin, as all the Iwa forces launched their attacks.
Though Akira's shadow clones were numerous, the surrounding Iwa-nin were even more so. A series of dense explosions echoed as Akira's shadow clones were destroyed one by one.
Amid the chaos, the real Akira took advantage of the situation to make a run for the outskirts of the Iwa base. By the time he reached the edge, only twenty or thirty of his hundreds of shadow clones remained, and they gradually escaped the base.
"Don't let him escape! Five squads, pursue him! Everyone else, hold the base!" The Iwa-nin, filled with anger, couldn't allow Akira to get away.
Five squads, each consisting of four members, quickly took off after Akira.
There was no need for words. After using over a dozen Fire Release jutsus and creating hundreds of shadow clones, the Iwa-nin knew that Akira must have used up a considerable amount of chakra.
And with the chance to capture someone hailed as the greatest genius in the shinobi world, they weren't about to let him go.
"They're coming—twenty Iwa-nin, most of them jōnin-level!" Jiraiya and the others, who had been waiting in ambush, perked up at Hiashi's report.
Akira's guerrilla tactics had worked well, and now Shikaku's strategy was about to come into play.
Akira knew exactly where Jiraiya and the others were. This was the time to put on an act.
Like in an online game, when your teammates are hiding in the bushes and you need to lure a few enemy heroes over, you've got to sell it. Akira feigned exhaustion, slowing his pace, making it seem like his chakra was nearly depleted. He led the Iwa-nin into a ravine, where they finally caught up to him.
The twenty Iwa-nin surrounded Akira, cutting off all his escape routes.
"Uchiha Akira, you can't run anymore!" One of the Iwa-nin smirked, his face filled with triumph.
The greatest genius of the shinobi world? In ten years, he might reach the strength of Uchiha Madara?
Sorry, but a genius who doesn't grow up isn't a genius at all.
The shinobi world is littered with brilliant talents who died young. Akira would just be another one of them.
Only the rare few who survive and grow strong enough are remembered by the world.
"Sorry, but you're the ones who've been surrounded!" Despite being encircled, Akira showed no signs of panic. Instead, a smile crept across his face as he addressed the twenty Iwa-nin.
At first, the Iwa-nin found this declaration laughable.
What nonsense is this? One person surrounded by twenty, claiming he's the one who's done the surrounding?
But then, an uneasy feeling crept over them, something didn't seem right.
Rustle, rustle, rustle!
As if to confirm Akira's words, figures suddenly appeared in the ravine.
Akimichi Chōza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Nara Shikaku, Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake, Hyūga Hiashi, Naruto Uzumaki, and Jiraiya!
Eight people emerged, forming a larger circle that now trapped the Iwa-nin within.
First, the Iwa-nin had surrounded Akira, but now the Konoha shinobi had surrounded the Iwa-nin, creating a situation like a nesting doll.
"Hmph, so what? We still outnumber you by a large margin!" Despite their initial shock, one of the Iwa-nin calmed down upon realizing they still had the advantage in numbers.
"No, something's not right…" While the first Iwa-nin might not have recognized the danger, these were elite Iwa-nin, and not all of them were so unobservant. One of them, his face filled with fear, started to speak.
"That's... the head of the Hyūga clan from Konoha?"
"Those three... are they the Ino–Shika–Chō combo?"
"And that one with the Sharingan in his left eye? Silver hair? Is that the son of the legendary White Fang? The Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake!?"
"Hey, hey, that white-haired guy… isn't he one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya?"
As they recognized the identities of the Konoha shinobi, the Iwa-nin's faces turned to despair.
Though Konoha's forces were few, each one was a shinobi of immense renown, feared throughout the shinobi world!
Especially Jiraiya, one of the Sannin—his presence on the battlefield could lead an entire army!
"What, so we're just going to be ignored?" Both Might Guy and Naruto, who hadn't been recognized, felt a bit left out.
So what? Are we just extras here?
"Sorry, but you've all been surrounded!" Akira repeated with a smile, addressing the twenty elite Iwa-nin.
"Attack!" In a clash, the brave win. At this point, nothing else mattered; it was all about who had the stronger skills.
The twenty Iwa-nin fought fiercely but were quickly and decisively defeated.
Although their numbers were similar to the twenty-four jōnin from Sunagakure that Akira had faced before, there were key differences.
First, while all the Sunagakure shinobi were jōnin, the Iwa-nin included several chūnin, creating a disparity in strength.
Second, the traps set for the Sunagakure shinobi were hasty, while this time, they had ample time to prepare.
Lastly, during the Sunagakure battle, Naruto had been more of a hindrance than a help. This time, not only was Naruto able to contribute, but they also had the powerful Jiraiya on their side.
Comparing the two battles, this time, they had three significant advantages.
Last time, only six of the Sunagakure shinobi were killed, with the rest escaping.
This time, not a single one of the twenty Iwa-nin escaped—they were all taken down!
Meanwhile, back at the Iwa base, Kitsuchi, who was in charge of the base and also Onoki's son, was waiting for the squads to return.
He hadn't expected Akira Uchiha to be so bold as to attack the Iwa base alone.
With five teams sent to pursue him, Kitsuchi was confident that there would be no problem.
But as the minutes passed with no sign of the returning squads, Kitsuchi's heart grew heavy.
At first, he had been pleased, thinking that Akira would be captured.
Then, as time went on and Akira hadn't been caught, he began to think that maybe Akira had some tricks up his sleeve, lasting longer than expected.
Finally, it dawned on him that the five squads might not be coming back at all.
As dawn broke the next day, a dozing Kitsuchi was jolted awake.
He immediately inquired about the status of the pursuit teams.
As expected, the answer came back that they hadn't returned.
Kitsuchi's heart sank.
An entire night had passed without any sign of them? It seemed clear now—they weren't coming back.
"Damn it, I've been tricked. Uchiha Akira was just bait?" By this point, Kitsuchi finally understood that he had been outplayed, his face darkening with realization.