In the small forest.
Swish swish
Accompanied by the sound of rushing wind, the two ANBU responsible for protecting Naruto and Sasuke quickly arrived at the site of the explosion in the forest.
At the center of the explosion.
Karin, covered in dust and dirt, sat dumbfounded on the ground, her eyes vacant.
Next to her lay a Leaf shinobi, covered in blood and seemingly gravely injured.
The two ANBU shinobi cautiously observed the surroundings before stepping forward to ask Karin, "What happened?"
Karin pointed in a direction and said, "Someone suddenly attacked me. Luckily, Mizuki-sensei was nearby. He fought off the attacker, but Mizuki-sensei was injured. The person ran off that way!"
The two ANBU shinobi immediately realized the gravity of the situation.
Karin was registered with the ANBU—every ANBU knew that this red-haired girl was one of the two last survivor of the Uzumaki Clan.
Someone had attempted to kidnap the last of the Uzumaki Clan within the village!
Unbelievable!
The two ANBU exchanged glances, quickly reaching an understanding.
They decided that one of them would immediately return to Naruto and Sasuke's side to prevent any ambush, while the other would relay the message and pursue the attacker in the direction Karin had pointed.
Swish swish.
In an instant, both ANBU disappeared from the scene.
By the river.
Seeing that there were no more disturbances coming from the small forest, Sasuke withdrew his gaze and fiddled with the stone in his hand.
On the opposite bank, Naruto eagerly awaited, hoping Sasuke would throw the stone back.
Looking at Naruto's clear eyes and cheerful smile, Sasuke smirked, showing a smile for the first time since the massacre of his clan.
Then, he swung his arm and sent the stone flying toward the opposite bank.
Plop… plop… plop…
The stone bounced across the water, tracing an arc as it flew toward Naruto.
Naruto, excited, stretched out his hand, ready to catch it.
Whoosh.
Almost at the same time, countless explosive tags, carried by a gust of wind, surged toward Naruto from all directions!
Coincidentally.
The ANBU rushing back from the forest witnessed this scene and were horrified!
...
In the apartment.
Uchiha Shinji had already washed up.
Traveling to and from Cat Fortress in a day had been exhausting, so he planned to rest early tonight.
After doing a final check on his tool pouch and organizing the ninja tools and explosive tags he had replenished from Cat Fortress, he collapsed onto his bed.
Another day…
Shinji slowly closed his eyes.
Boom boom boom!
Suddenly, a series of massive explosions echoed from afar.
Even lying in his bed, he could feel the entire bed shaking!
He quickly got up and looked out the window.
Outside, the night sky was lit up by the fiery glow, as if the heavens were ablaze!
What the…?!
He knew that the village wouldn't be peaceful during the Chūnin Exams, but he hadn't expected the disturbance to come this fast and this violently!
His drowsiness vanished instantly, and his mind began to race.
The scale of the explosion couldn't possibly be from an ordinary attack; chaos would certainly unfold in the village tonight.
He checked his tool pouch, changed his clothes, and donned his mask.
Shinji executed the entire sequence of actions fluidly and efficiently!
Then, he quietly turned the doorknob and left the apartment.
He didn't pay any attention to the distant explosions. Instead, he moved through the forest and shadows, making his way to the area he had previously marked on the map as the most likely location of Danzo's Root base.
It should be around here.
Hiding in a patch of bushes, he calmly observed the surroundings, searching for clues.
Swish.
Swish.
Suddenly, two figures flashed past his field of vision, rushing toward the site of the explosions.
Their speed was incredible, and their movements were stealthy. If it weren't for his Mangekyō Sharingan, he might not have noticed them.
There shouldn't be any ANBU stationed in this area…
A smile appeared on his face.
Given the current shortage of manpower in the village, there was no way they'd waste personnel guarding a place with no significant facilities.
Moreover, the two who had just rushed toward the explosion were incredibly fast—definitely not regular ANBU.
Elite like that wouldn't be deployed in an area like this.
Thus, the two who had rushed off were most likely Danzo's direct subordinates, making it very likely that Danzo's base was in this area.
However, Shinji quickly concealed his joy.
Danzo's subordinates may not be numerous, but they would be elite and loyal!
Breaking into the Root base wouldn't be any easier than infiltrating the ANBU headquarters. In fact, it might be even more dangerous!
The ANBU were responsible for the village's security, so when unexpected events happened, they'd deploy shinobi to handle the situation.
But Root wouldn't concern itself with such responsibilities.
Although Danzo claimed to protect the Hidden Leaf from the shadows, he had remained passive during multiple crises faced by the village.
Most likely, the two Root shinobi earlier had only gone to investigate the explosion.
Shinji slowly and cautiously moved through the bushes, like a patient hunter, meticulously searching for the entrance to Danzo's base.
Suddenly.
His pupils contracted.
In the distance, he saw Danzo leading four of his subordinates, exiting a run-down building and hurrying toward the explosion site.
That's it!
Clearly, that was the entrance to Danzo's base.
But seeing even Danzo rushing to the scene of the explosion, Shinji couldn't help but wonder what major event had occurred to make Danzo leave his base.
However, he quickly refocused.
His own mission was more important!
With the Hidden Leaf being so large, there was no need for him, a surviving Uchiha, to worry about whatever trouble the village was dealing with.
So he bit his finger, formed a hand seal, and whispered, "Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof.
With a puff of white smoke, Coalball cautiously poked its head out.
As it looked around, it asked in a low voice, "Shinji, what are you summoning me for at this time of night?"
Shinji quietly explained his plan to Coalball.
Coalball's eyes widened in disbelief. "Isn't this too risky?"
It hadn't expected its summoner to be this bold.
Despite still being just a student at the shinobi academy, not even a genin yet, he had the audacity to infiltrate Danzo's Root base to steal something.
Shinji shook his head slowly. "This is the best chance. If we miss it, we might never get another opportunity like this."
Seeing Coalball hesitate, Shinji asked, "Are you scared?"
Coalball grinned nervously, "Hey, I'm the great Yūkimaru, Child of the Night, Moonlight Spirit, Ghost, Shadow Ruler from Cat Fortress! How could I be scared of such a small situation?"
Shinji asked, "Then why are your legs shaking?"
Coalball defended itself, "I'm just… excited!"
Shinji glanced toward the distant entrance of the Root base and reassured, "Don't worry, I'll avoid fighting as much as possible. If a fight does break out, I'll create a distraction to give you an opportunity."
"Alright then!"
Coalball nodded and formed hand seals, activating Trasparency Jutsu, and vanished into the shadows at Shinji's feet.