(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!!)
<><><><><><>
Naruto brought Hinata back to the base, ensuring she could rest in one of the rooms while he sat down to reflect on the recent events.
However, before he could even settle his thoughts, he heard the urgent voice of Hyūga Kenta from outside the door:
"Lord Naruto, this is bad! There's an issue at one of our outposts near the Land of Waterfalls' border."
"We just received a distress message from Jōnin Kurenai Yuhi requesting immediate reinforcements."
Naruto sighed inwardly, thinking, Things just never seem to settle down. Why did I get stuck with such a demanding assignment?
Seeing that Hinata was still resting, Naruto decided to head out alone.
After gathering Sage Chakra, Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to instantly arrive at the troubled outpost.
While the enemy numbers weren't as overwhelming as in the previous encounter, Konoha's forces stationed here were relatively few—just two jōnin and eight chūnin.
Likely due to the friendly relations between the Land of Waterfalls and Konoha, a stronger defensive force hadn't been deemed necessary.
However, these masked enemies were peculiar, making their identities impossible to discern. They also held a numerical advantage and used unusual ninjutsu.
Kurenai, a genjutsu master, immediately began forming seals upon spotting the enemy. "Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death!" she intoned.
Her figure seemed to fade into thin air as a massive tree rose from the ground, entangling her opponent.
Kurenai prepared to finish the enemy with shuriken, but her movements abruptly halted just as she was about to strike.
Fire-based chakra erupted from the ground beneath her, inscribing strange runes across her body. Paralyzed by these symbols, her genjutsu ceased to function.
A male voice emanated from behind one of the masks.
"If we hadn't been prepared, your genjutsu might've posed a threat. I must admit, from a genjutsu standpoint, your technique isn't half bad."
The other jōnin present, seeing Kurenai immobilized, attempted to rush to her aid but was intercepted by several masked enemies.
Meanwhile, the chūnin struggled desperately against the overwhelming enemy forces. Outnumbered two-to-one, the Konoha forces were in dire straits.
One masked enemy raised a kunai to strike down the immobilized Kurenai. Just as the kunai was about to strike, a glowing sword blocked the attack.
A swift kick followed, sending the attacker flying backwards. Naruto had arrived so abruptly that the enemy was caught off guard.
Despite crossing his arms to defend against Naruto's kick, the enemy was still sent skidding across the ground.
Quickly recovering, the attacker made a strange gesture, which his comrades immediately understood.
Four other masked enemies joined him, surrounding Naruto in a pentagonal formation. Each held a peculiar ninja tool, aiming them at Naruto.
One of them sneered, "So, Konoha even set up an outpost here. Not only did they station jōnin to guard it, but they also sent reinforcements."
"We didn't want to antagonize Konoha, but now we have no choice. You won't escape our binding technique."
"Binding Jutsu: Eternal Starfire Trap!" the enemies shouted in unison. Fire-based chakra surged from their tools, forming a pentagram around Naruto.
Floating runes, similar to those that had immobilized Kurenai, appeared in the air, closing in on Naruto. It seemed they intended to ensnare him as they had Kurenai.
Though the technique activated in mere moments, Naruto quickly reacted.
Realizing the fire-based chakra would restrict him as it did Kurenai, Naruto grabbed her and teleported away using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
The enemies were stunned as their targets suddenly disappeared. "What?!" exclaimed the one Naruto had kicked earlier.
"No one's ever escaped this technique before! He must have used some kind of special ninjutsu."
Turning to his comrades, he warned, "Be on guard. He can move instantly, and that's no ordinary technique."
Naruto set Kurenai down a safe distance away. Meanwhile, the glowing pentagram began moving, tracking Naruto's location.
Observing the unusual jutsu, Naruto decided to approach cautiously. His body began to glow with Lightning Release chakra, and he drew the Sword of the Thunder God.
Seeing the crackling lightning surrounding Naruto, the previously kicked enemy's face contorted with fear.
"No… it's him—the Black Lightning Flash! Retreat immediately!" he shouted to his comrades.
The others hesitated but quickly began forming hand seals. "Ninja Art: Starfire Inferno!" they called out.
The pentagram released an eruption of fire akin to a volcanic blast, aiming not at Naruto but the chūnin fighting elsewhere.
The flames indiscriminately engulfed the battlefield, endangering Konoha's forces and the enemies' allies.
Naruto had no choice but to counter the attack. Forming seals, he shouted, "Sage Art: Super Water Wall!"
A massive wall of water rose, shielding the chūnin from the raging inferno.
The clash of fire and water created a thick cloud of steam, under cover of which the stronger enemies fled.
Naruto dispatched a Wood Clone to pursue the fleeing enemies while focusing on the remaining combatants.
Wielding the Sword of the Thunder God, Naruto swiftly eliminated the remaining masked attackers.
The remaining enemies, though numerous, were only chūnin-level and stood no chance against Naruto's combination of sage techniques and raw power.
The Sword of the Thunder God crackled with lightning as it cut through the battlefield, leaving no enemy standing.
The surviving Konoha chūnin, though aware of Naruto's reputation as the "Black Lightning Flash," was left in awe after witnessing his prowess firsthand.
For them, his abilities were nothing short of legendary. Naruto then turned his attention to Kurenai.
Channeling Water Release chakra into the runes, immobilizing her, he gradually nullified the fire-based binding technique.
As her movement returned, Kurenai thanked him. "Naruto, I can't thank you enough for your help this time."
Naruto raised a hand to stop her. "We're all comrades from Konoha. No need for formalities. I have other matters, so I'll leave the rest to you."
Handing Kurenai over to the other jōnin, Naruto departed. Meanwhile, the Wood Clone continued tracking the fleeing enemies.
Sensing the clone's location, Naruto quickly pursued, ready to uncover the mystery behind these masked attackers.
After evading the Konoha ninja, the group ceased their movement and found a hidden resting location.
They pulled out their rations and began eating. Naruto's Wood Clone, adept at stealth, remained undetected as it observed them.
Before long, Naruto's true body arrived, quietly approaching using Wood and Earth Release techniques.
Although he could have swiftly dealt with the group, Naruto refrained, curious to uncover their motives.
A visibly frustrated one complained, "Konoha is always meddling! Why set up so many outposts? We were already being cautious, yet they still discovered us."
Another added, "Konoha's heightened defences are due to the recent ninja world war."
"Their Byakugan must have spotted us. Our destination is Takigakure, but we had to pass through the Land of Fire due to the terrain."
A third chimed in, "Given the current situation, there's no way we can proceed!"
They exchanged uncertain looks, remaining silent for a moment.
Finally, one sighed and said, "We can only wait in this situation. Once Konoha lowers its guard, we'll find a way to move forward."
Naruto deduced from their conversation and techniques that they were Grass Ninjas, and their goal was Takigakure.
But why were they heading there? Takigakure, a small village surrounded by waterfalls, had limited access routes—most notably through the Land of Fire.
Historically, they had a friendly relationship with Konoha. Naruto thought to himself. Their target is likely Takigakure's Tailed Beast.
However, given their strength, capturing a jinchūriki seemed improbable. Though eliminating them was an option, Naruto decided against it, formulating a plan instead.
He waited patiently until they lay down to rest, leaving only one person on watch.
Naruto approached and touched the resting individuals silently before vanishing with the Flying Raijin technique.
The sentry, sensing movement, shouted, "Who's there?!" The others, trained ninjas, woke instantly, preparing for combat as they scanned the area.
After an exhaustive search, they found nothing. "Did you see anything?" one asked the sentry.
"I thought I saw a figure appear, but it disappeared instantly," the sentry replied hesitantly.
Another ninja remarked, "I felt something touch me earlier."
Despite their suspicions, they found no evidence of an intruder. Assuming it was nerves, they resumed resting.
Meanwhile, Naruto returned to the outpost, discreetly placing Wood Release trackers and Flying Raijin marks on the group.
They were now completely within his grasp. Outside the outpost, Hinata and the others had prepared dinner and were waiting for Naruto.
Smiling, Naruto said, "Sorry for the delay. I ran into a bit of trouble earlier."
Hinata's face flushed under her mask as Hyūga Kenta invited Naruto to sit. "Thanks to you, Lord Hokage, we're lucky enough to enjoy Lady Hinata's cooking tonight,"
Kenta remarked playfully. Naruto sat down without hesitation, enjoying the lighthearted atmosphere.
For the next three days, the outpost remained peaceful. Naruto used their free time to train and assist Hinata with her practice.
The Grass Ninja group repeatedly tried to infiltrate Konoha but found no opportunities.
Naruto considered creating an opening for them when a new emergency arose—a distress signal from Jiraiya's outpost.
Naruto was surprised. For Jiraiya to request assistance, the enemy must have been extraordinary.
Bringing Hinata along, Naruto teleported to Jiraiya's post near the Land of Lightning—a hotspot for enemy activity.
Konoha had stationed Jiraiya there alongside ten Jōnin and three Hyūga clan members to guard the area.
Upon arrival, Naruto found no ongoing battle but sensed an unusual tension. "Jiraiya-sensei, what's the reason for the distress call?" Naruto asked.
Jiraiya, peering through a telescope with other ninjas, lowered it and explained, "Although there's no large-scale battle yet, we've suffered casualties over several days without ever encountering the enemy directly."
"Under such circumstances, we had to call for backup."
A Jōnin confidently said, "If the legendary Black Flash is here, I'm sure we can defeat them."
While the others expressed similar faith in Naruto, he remained cautious. Any foe capable of evading Jiraiya wouldn't be easy to deal with.
He suspected the involvement of a Kumogakure jinchūriki.
Turning to a Hyūga ninja, Naruto inquired, "Have you discovered anything?"
The Hyūga replied, "We detected a chakra source of immense strength, but their speed was too great for us to pursue. Our Byakugan's range also has its limits."
Naruto understood the challenge. For Jiraiya to activate Sage Mode, he needed to summon the Elder Toads, which would give the enemy time to escape.
While other ninjas had the speed to chase, they lacked the power to confront such a formidable foe.
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 20 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > N:DP NOVEL TIER