Chapter 89

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Following Toshiro's order, fifteen Uchiha ninjas divided into groups of three and leaped onto the backs of the birds. These creatures, brought to life by super beast imitations, immediately took to the skies, heading swiftly towards their mission's target.

On the ground, crossing a ten-kilometer distance would have required significant time from the ninjas. However, from the air, this distance vanished in an instant. As they neared their destination, the birds, previously soaring high, began to descend rapidly. They utilized gravity and the kinetic energy from their dive to accelerate to the maximum speed possible.

The Uchiha, wearing goggles, increased their chakra output to stick to the creatures and prevent them from being blown away by the intense turbulence. Falling from such a height meant relying solely on their own skills for survival, as their captain would not turn back to save them due to any mishaps. Each ninja had to fend for themselves on this perilous descent.

As they approached the ground, Toshiro controlled the birds to level their flight, transitioning from a steep dive to skimming just above the terrain. Under the cover of darkness, Toshiro and his team flew close to the ground, remaining hidden within the visible range of the Iwa Ninja lookout post.

The Iwa Ninja sentries became aware of the approaching threat only when the whistling sound from the rapid flight reached their ears, at a distance of just 300 meters.

"What is..."

"Enemy attack!!"

"Quick! Quick! Raise the alarm!!"

The two lookouts on the night shift stared in shock at the massive shapes emerging from the night sky. Despite their initial bewilderment, the Iwa Ninjas on duty, trained for such critical positions, quickly recovered. The team leader immediately began shouting orders, his voice hoarse with urgency.

However, the 300-meter distance was too short for the Iwa Ninjas to react in time. Before they could sound the alarm, Toshiro's team had already breached the stronghold.

In the center of the stronghold stood a spacious stone building where a middle-aged Iwa Ninja named Ishikawa was stationed.

"Ishikawa! When are the barrier-specialist ninjas coming to inspect our sensory barrier? It's been two days since we reported the issues! If these false alarms continue, our sensing personnel won't be able to function properly!" complained another ninja in the room, pointing at the flickering light spots on a cylindrical platform.

Ishikawa sighed, understanding the frustration. The sensory barrier had been malfunctioning, causing frequent false alarms. Despite checking multiple times, they couldn't identify the problem and had to request assistance from the seal masters. However, these experts were scarce and often busy, making it unlikely they'd visit the stronghold soon.

"Stop complaining. We're lucky to have a sensory barrier at all. But expect them to come within three to five days," Ishikawa responded, trying to keep a level head. "Which direction is the problem this time? The same place? I'll report it to the observation team to prevent any sneak attacks by Konoha or Kumo ninjas."

Although he said this, Ishikawa wasn't too concerned. The barrier's frequent glitches had made him somewhat complacent. Initially, they were nervous, but as the false alarms increased, they became more relaxed.

"Those seal masters really bragged about their work. They claimed their enchantments were top-notch, but now look... Our stronghold isn't the only one having issues. Several others are too," the colleague added, just as the flashing dots on the column from the southwest direction intensified.

Suddenly, the light spots changed from flickering to continuously glowing, becoming larger and more dazzling. The two ninjas realized something was wrong. Unlike typical false alarms, this indicated a significant chakra reaction, likely from a large number of ninjas.

Before they could react, a whistling noise broke through the thick walls, making their faces turn pale.

"Disperse!" Toshiro ordered as the birds broke into the stronghold. He controlled them to turn, dropping everyone off before using the chakra creations to crash into the highest window.

Toshiro knew he couldn't rely solely on these creations to handle the Iwa ninjas due to the stronghold's thick walls and reinforced defenses. Sacrificing the birds was necessary to breach the buildings quickly.

As he landed, Toshiro immediately formed seals. When his feet touched the ground, blue flames of chakra emanated from his right hand's fingers, which he pressed into the ground.

"Uchiha Mist Barrier," he murmured. A transparent barrier began to rise around the entire Iwa Ninja camp, enveloping it in a dense, mountain-like mist. This barrier isolated the camp, blocking sound and light from escaping or entering.

Toshiro's use of this chakra-consuming barrier technique was strategic. It prevented nearby Iwa ninjas from noticing the attack and allowed his team to operate undetected.

As the barrier settled, the birds, now controlled by Toshiro, extended their necks, channeling their potential energy into their long, sharp beaks. Toshiro had chosen a crane-like shape for the birds specifically for this purpose, allowing their beaks to pierce through the building walls effectively.

—-

(Iwa Ninja's POV)

"What's happening?"

As the Iwa's Sensory-nin detected something amiss, a tall building stood prominently in the camp's center. Inside, a middle-aged Iwa-nin wearing a forehead protector and a red turban felt an ominous premonition.

Before his subordinate could respond, a slender black bird's beak pierced through the building door with a muffled crash, appearing before them.

"What's going on? Are we under attack?" The jounin demanded, sensing imminent danger. He glanced down to see the bird's beak inside the building, accompanied by a faint, sizzling sound.

"Exploding tag!!" he shouted in alarm. Reacting swiftly, the jounin activated his ninjutsu and burrowed underground, hoping to escape the impending explosion.

The chaos wasn't limited to his building; several tall structures in the camp were similarly targeted. The chakra creations either smashed through doors or used their pointed beaks to penetrate the walls, causing flashes of sparks as they pierced through the thick defenses.

Throughout the camp, ghost-like figures hurled kunai through doors and windows into smaller buildings. The flickering firelight revealed sheets of paper with ghostly symbols attached to these kunai—exploding tags obtained by Toshiro through the black market.

The Uchiha clan members, recently dropped off by the birds, utilized their skills and pre-planned strategies to overcome the disorientation from their aerial drop. Without wasting any time, they swiftly threw the prepared exploding tags into buildings housing Iwa ninjas.

They knew the success of their raid depended on effectively neutralizing the Iwa ninjas. Failure would result in a fierce retaliation. With this in mind, they spared no effort.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In just three to five seconds, the barrier Toshiro erected had fully risen. Continuous explosions erupted from the buildings, followed by blinding flashes and thick smoke. The specially targeted tall structures experienced particularly deafening blasts.

Thirty exploding tags were packed into each of the chakra creations, totaling one hundred and fifty. Their combined explosions rivaled an S-rank ninjutsu in magnitude.

As the explosions subsided, debris, along with severed limbs, rained down from the sky.

"The true meaning of art is explosion!" Toshiro muttered, his face emotionless, as he surveyed the collapsed buildings and heard the panicked screams amidst the flickering firelight.

This raid consumed over 800 exploding tags, including those purchased and those already possessed. The sheer visual and auditory impact alone was staggering, a testament to his meticulous preparation.

To launch this attack, Toshiro considered every possible method. The entire Iwa Ninja camp was protected by a sensory barrier extending nearly two kilometers. Any intruding ninja would be detected by them, and the fortified buildings added another layer of defense. Sneak attacks seemed nearly impossible.

However, Toshiro had a plan. He began preparations three days prior, intermittently sending larger animals or chakra-created beasts to trigger false alarms, thereby desensitizing the sensory nins.

This ruse was designed to buy ten crucial seconds. With that time, Toshiro's birds could dive and cross the sensory barrier. The risk of the ruse backfiring and alerting the Iwa ninjas was high, but he had no choice.

The raid required this deception. Otherwise, their attack options were severely limited, and a direct assault would lead to uncontrollable casualties. With over 60 ninjas permanently stationed and possibly up to 100 people, including visitors, all enjoying a defensive advantage, the odds were against them.

Even in his sage mode, Toshiro doubted he could single-handedly defeat the camp. His comrades faced an even grimmer prospect; survival was unlikely for any of them.

This operation was all or nothing.

—

A faint mist spread over the plains, resembling an early morning fog in a forest. Though it was slightly ahead of dawn, it did not attract any attention.

In the midst of this mist stood a square barrier, enveloping a ruined area. Bathed in traces of snow-white moonlight, the place had an eerie, ghostly appearance. Apart from the occasional groans of pain, there was no other sound.

"It's time to start planning the next step," Toshiro observed. Calmly, he instructed his fellow clansmen to proceed according to their original plan.

"Everyone, be careful," he added, feeling a pang of unease. These people had followed him through many battles, and he wished for their safety.

Without further words, everyone, including Shisui, nodded at Toshiro and split into groups of three, stealthily entering the dilapidated stronghold to finish their mission. They were aware that this was their most dangerous moment.

While the ordinary genin might not survive their surprise attack, experienced veteran chunin and jounin could recover quickly from the shock. These seasoned ninjas were likely hiding underground or behind collapsed buildings, carefully observing the disturbance. Once they assessed the situation or regrouped with others, trouble would ensue.

Meanwhile, Toshiro was not idle. He took out an emerald green flute from his waist, brought it to his lips, and began to play a slow, haunting melody. The sound of the flute, like a plaintive cry, reached the ears of every Iwa ninja within earshot.

The melody was lingering and sorrowful, resonating through the battlefield like a lament. As the flute played, Iwa ninjas hidden in the shadows began to hum along involuntarily, revealing their positions.

They became living targets, swiftly taken out by the Uchiha clansmen, who were working in groups to eliminate the injured Iwa ninjas.

"No…it's a genjutsu!" some realized too late, as their lives were claimed in the deadly game orchestrated by Toshiro and his team.

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