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After Naruto led his team to set up a series of traps, they all hid in the island's forest, patiently waiting.
After a long rest, their chakra and stamina were mostly restored by this time. Now, all that remained was for their prey to appear.
"Captain, look! Isn't that their ship?" Hayate pointed out to Naruto.
Concerned, Liying said, "If they don't come ashore, all our efforts will be in vain."
Naruto smiled, replying, "Even if they don't land this time, there's still more distance ahead. We'll have more chances."
"Worst case, we'll set up another plan. Besides, they're already coming ashore."
While Naruto spoke, he noticed that the enemy's ship was nearing the shore.
Turning to his team, Naruto said, "Flash, Shadow, follow me into battle in a moment, and remember, only use taijutsu."
"Yamato, you lead them into the traps we've set. Absolutely no using Wood Release."
"If they launch a counterattack, retreat into the forest full of traps, and I'll cover you. Understood?"
"Understood, Captain!" the three responded in unison.
Yamato, concerned, added, "Captain, isn't it dangerous for you to stay behind? Let me handle it instead."
Naruto reassured him, "This mission doesn't allow for Wood Release, so you're not at full strength. Don't worry, I can handle it."
Before long, the Land of Moon ninjas began disembarking.
Clearly, they were not on guard, as they immediately started searching for food and quickly made a fire to prepare a meal.
Hidden in the bushes, Naruto observed the group and noticed only four were from the Land of Lightning.
Those four ninjas remained cautious, which only confirmed Naruto's previous suspicions.
Suddenly, Naruto's lightning chakra surged, and the sword in his hand, the Sword of the Thunder God began to glow.
Like a flash of lightning, Naruto dashed into the middle of the Moon Nation's ninjas, and in an instant, several heads rolled.
Shadow and Flash launched their attack from the other side in stunned confusion, slaying several more ninjas in their coordinated assault.
The leader of the group shouted, "Enemy attack!"
The remaining ninjas quickly regrouped, but Naruto managed to take down a few more in the chaos.
Seeing the situation, the leader yelled, "They are taijutsu users! Surround them!"
Several ninjas with swords, clearly skilled in taijutsu, jumped forward to engage.
Following the plan, Flash and Shadow retreated into the forest, and those who pursued them quickly fell into the traps.
Meanwhile, Naruto found himself surrounded by the remaining enemies. The leader didn't immediately order an attack.
Instead, he sneered at Naruto and said, "Two of them escaped, huh?"
"No matter. Judging by your strength, you must be their Captain. Facing us alone—what a foolish move."
"You may be wearing a mask, but once we kill you, your true identity will be revealed easily."
As the leader mocked Naruto, the Cloud ninjas cautiously scanned the area for other hidden enemies.
Naruto remained silent, the lightning chakra around him growing even more intense. To the Cloud ninjas, he seemed almost like another Raikage.
The Sword of the Thunder God shone with a blinding white light as Naruto swiftly dispatched three more ninjas, their blades unable to touch him.
Realizing that close-quarters combat wasn't working, the Moon Nation's leader ordered, "Use long-range attacks!"
First, a ninja manipulated some strange vines that surged toward Naruto.
Naruto cut through the vines with swift sword strokes, though his movements were slightly hindered.
Then, a barrage of shuriken rained down on him. Unable to dodge them all, Naruto let the shuriken hit him, but thanks to his powerful lightning armour, they couldn't harm him at all.
Seeing that Naruto remained unscathed, the Moon Nation ninjas were shocked. The leader then ordered a large-scale ninjutsu barrage.
A wave of techniques descended upon Naruto, but none were powerful enough to break through his defences.
The Cloud ninjas, watching from a distance, were in awe. "He's just like the Raikage... though his attacks aren't quite as powerful."
Meanwhile, Naruto was still being hindered by the strange vines.
Though they weren't strong, they constantly got in his way, preventing him from attacking more ninjas.
The leader of the Land of Moon sneered, "No wonder you dared to face us alone. Such formidable defence is rare."
"But we have over a hundred people. Once your chakra is exhausted, you'll die. It's a pity for a ninja of your calibre."
Naruto replied, "You have over a hundred people, but you lack any strong offensive jutsu."
"It's a shame because you're about to meet your end." With that, Naruto quickly formed hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave! Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
These powerful water-style techniques flooded the area, soaking most enemies, while a few managed to block the water with earth-style defences.
Naruto continued forming seals. "Water Release: Great Rainstorm Technique!"
This jutsu didn't have much offensive power but soaked everyone on the battlefield.
Then, Naruto unleashed his final attack: "Lightning Release: Lightning Serpent!"
The powerful lightning technique shot forth like a dragon, conducted by the water, electrocuting everyone in its path.
Those weak against lightning were immediately killed, while even the stronger ninjas were left paralyzed.
Naruto quickly finished off the incapacitated ninjas.
By the time the leader of the Land of Moon realized what was happening, only two Cloud ninjas and he were left standing.
With disbelief in his eyes, the leader watched Naruto approach and said,
"Who are you? You're not just skilled with lightning techniques but water techniques as well. It seems we should have chosen to flee from the start."
Naruto calmly responded, "From the moment you boarded the ship to head for the Land of Water, your fate was sealed."
He ended the leader's life with a swift motion of the Sword of the Thunder God.
At that moment, one of the two remaining Cloud ninjas suddenly sprang to his feet, his sword crackling with lightning chakra as he lunged at Naruto's vital spot, shouting, "Run!"
The other ninja leapt up as Naruto blocked the attack, creating multiple shadow clones scattered in all directions. The ninja was an expert in fleeing.
Flash and Shadow rushed out, taking down two of the clones, but the original ninja dove into the sea and disappeared without a trace.
The remaining Cloud Ninja sighed in relief, thankful that not all had been wiped out.
Naruto looked at him and smiled. "Relieved that he escaped? Let me tell you, I let him go on purpose."
"How else would the Raikage learn what happened here?"
The Cloud ninja was momentarily stunned by Naruto's words. He then turned to flee, but Naruto quickly cut him down with a reverse slash.
"You're not getting away. We only need one messenger."
Naruto then called Yamato, hiding in the forest, "Come out. We'll rest here tonight."
"Tomorrow, we'll head back to the Leaf Village by sea. Our mission is complete."
Yamato seemed confused and asked Naruto, "Even though we've dealt with some of the ninjas from the Land of the Moon, they weren't elites."
"This might not be enough to stop the Raikage from attacking Konoha, right?" The other two also looked at Naruto, clearly sharing Yamato's thoughts.
Naruto replied, "First, let's throw all the bodies into the sea and erase any traces of the battle. Then, I'll explain everything."
The team quickly got to work, erasing all signs of the fight, a task they experienced as members of the Anbu.
Later, the four sat in Yamato's wooden house, eating grilled meat and resting.
Naruto started to explain, "I've been puzzled for a while. Why did the Raikage only send a few weak ninjas to the Land of Water?"
"And why were most of them not even from his village?"
Naruto paused and continued, "But then I thought, if I were the Raikage and the Mizukage suddenly proposed an alliance to attack Konoha, how would I react?"
"It could easily be a trap, but the opportunity to attack Konoha is tempting. So, what's the best approach?"
Yamato thought for a moment and replied, "I get it. The best way would be to send a small group to test the waters first."
"If it's a trap, the losses would be minimal."
"To reduce risk even further, the Raikage sent mostly foreign ninjas, only keeping a few of his own to relay information."
Naruto nodded. "Exactly. At first, I wasn't sure, but the more I observed, the more certain I became."
Yamato said, "So, that's why you didn't let me use Wood Style during the battle, and we made sure to erase all traces of our presence on the island."
"Then, you used a powerful Water Style technique to avoid suspicion."
"If everything goes according to plan, the mission should be considered a success."
Naruto continued, "Yamato, to ensure our mission's success, I need you to leave a wood-style clone hidden among the trees."
"The Raikage will send people to investigate. But remember, under no circumstances should the clone be discovered."
.....
A few days later, in the Raikage's office in the Land of Lightning, a weary ninja reported to the Raikage,
"Lord Raikage, it turns out the Land of Water wasn't serious about cooperating with us."
"Everyone who went with me was killed. I barely escaped, and if it weren't for a passing merchant ship, I'd probably still be swimming."
"What? The Mizukage dared to betray us!" the Raikage shouted, smashing the desk in front of him in half.
"Give me a detailed report of everything, especially the techniques used by the enemy."
Though most of the ninjas in the room were used to the Raikage's temper, there was still a hint of fear.
The ninja continued in a low voice, "The enemy used powerful Lightning Style techniques, almost at the level of another Raikage."
"What?! How is that possible? Could it be the swordsman from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who wields Kiba?" the Raikage yelled.
"No, it wasn't him," the ninja quickly responded.
"But when they were surrounded, out of desperation, the enemy unleashed a powerful Water Style."
"Describe the entire battle to me in detail," the Raikage ordered.
The ninja relayed every moment of the battle.
After listening, the Raikage thought, saying, "I didn't expect Kirigakure to produce such a skilled Lightning Style user."
"He's likely from the younger generation, a rare talent!"
"If it weren't for the overwhelming numbers and the binding techniques used against him, I might've suspected it was one of our own turning rogue."
"But since he also used Water Style under pressure, it's clear he's a prodigy from the Land of Water. We'll head to that island you mentioned right away to investigate."
The Raikage quickly gathered a large group of Kumogakure ninjas and rushed to the island.
This time, the Raikage personally led the way, using his Lightning Style to secure the area before allowing others to land.
They immediately began searching for any signs of the battle. "Lord Raikage, we found nothing. There's no trace of a fight," one of the ninjas reported.
After silence, the Raikage muttered, "The Mist move fast."
"Still, no other nation could field someone this strong, so their cover-up is pointless. Those bastards, I'll make them pay for this!"
He punched the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air. "Let's head back to the Land of Lightning and plan our next move. We'll settle this later!"
As the Raikage and his team left the island, Yamato's Wood Style clone emerged from a tree. "Wow, the Raikage's voice sure is loud."
"You could hear it crystal clear even from here," he muttered before disappearing with a puff of smoke.
Meanwhile, Naruto and his team rested on another small island in one of Yamato's wooden houses.
They were discussing the applications of Wood Style when Yamato suddenly received the information from his clone.
He quickly relayed the message to Naruto. After hearing the update, Naruto discussed it with the team,
"It looks like the Raikage believes the Land of Water was responsible for killing his men."
"Given the Raikage's temperament, likely Kirigakure is in for some serious trouble. That means our mission is pretty much complete."
Shadow asked, "But what if the Raikage doesn't end up in a big conflict with the Land of Water? Couldn't that still pose a threat to Konoha?"
"If that happens, Lady Tsunade's mission for us won't be fully accomplished. Shouldn't we stay longer to see how things play out?"
The other two nodded in agreement, their eyes showing the same concern.
Naruto smiled, "There's no need for that. If we stick around and the Raikage catches on, everything we've done will be for nothing."
"As for the Raikage, trust me, it's almost impossible for him not to clash with Kirigakure."
"A conflict between two great nations won't go unnoticed, and we'll hear about it even from the Land of Fire."
"Besides, even if the Raikage doesn't start a war with Kirigakure, as long as he doesn't suspect Konoha, we're safe."
"He only considered joining forces with the Mist because he feared he couldn't take on Konoha alone."
Naruto coughed and laughed, "So, our next mission is to return quietly to Konoha. Yamato, how about making us a big boat?"
Yamato smiled, "As expected, your wisdom is remarkable, Captain." The others nodded in agreement, their respect for Naruto deepening.
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