Chapter 344 : Ito Family Crisis!

[A/N: Bonus chapter for crossing 2k Power Stones in the last week.]

Kurogane noticed the gloomy mood on his back and was annoyed by it. He muttered to himself, 'I'd rather fight those ninjas than keep getting this depressed feeling from my back.'

He snapped them out of their thoughts by asking, "How far do you want me to carry you, Fujin? You know that I don't like flying for a long time."

Fujin answered, "We have to pass by a town which should be very close. After reaching it, just fly South for an hour. You can drop us in the Land of Fire. Our chakra is very exhausted. I'd prefer to not have any more surprises."

Kurogane replied, "Alright. You'll have to guide me though. I have no idea about the geography here."

Fujin nodded. Fujin's words surprised Yugao. She asked, "Are we not going back to the town?"

Fujin shook his head and replied, "No. The enemy is stronger than us. Staying in this country is very risky. If there is any other such force here or they decide to chase us to this town, then we could be in danger.

The seals in the village were made by a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster and they have someone who can create that strong explosion. So they have multiple means of trapping us in the city or even destroying the mansion when we might be resting. So it's not worth it."

None of his subordinates disagreed and they continued moving forward.

Since no one was bothering him, Fujin began thinking about the situation again. He thought, 'What's done is done. There is no point in getting upset over it. I need to analyze why I fell into such a mess in the first place and how Iwagakure knew I would be sent here. I need to calm my mind as being annoyed won't help me analyze it properly.'

He began meditating. A few minutes later, they reached above the town. Fujin created a Shadow Clone who jumped off Kurogane. As for Kurogane, he changed direction and began flying towards the Land of Fire.

The town was still in panic. It had only been an hour since they had heard about the incidents. Though the Ito family tried to calm the public down, it wasn't very effective. While the Ito family was thinking about what methods they should use to quell the panic, their guards noticed something in the air. Their eyes widened as they noticed someone falling down.

Fujin's clone used Assassin's rush in short bursts to slow down his fall. When he reached close to the ground, he exhaled a forceful but harmless Infinite Breakthrough jutsu on the ground to slow down his fall and landed on his feet.

Though the guards were surprised, they immediately recognized his attire. However, they weren't sure if it was him or an enemy under disguise. Fujin's clone didn't bother talking with them. He flickered and appeared inside the mansion, next to Ito Yuya. The guards were surprised and hurriedly ran inside to inform them what they had witnessed.

Yuya was taken aback by Fujin's sudden appearance. Fujin's clone said, "I have important information. Call another meeting instantly."

Yuya frowned and wondered, 'Why did he come back so quickly? More importantly, is it him or someone else disguising as him?'

He quickly asked, "Why did you come back so quickly? And how can I be sure if you aren't someone else in disguise and want to gather our family and kill us at the same time?"

Fujin's clone wasn't surprised by the questions. The Anbu frequently faced such issues. He said in a plain voice, "You sent most of the ninjas in this town out. If I wanted to kill you and your entire family, then no one could stop me."

Yuya was intimidated by his words. Fortunately, the clone didn't continue threatening him and said, "But I don't have much time. If you want to listen to it yourself, then that's fine as well. As for what you do after is none of my business.

The one behind the recent incidents is Iwagakure."

Yuya's eyes widened. He said loudly in disbelief, "How can that be? Why would a major village do something like this?"

Fujin's clone answered, "No idea. We didn't talk much. The village with the missing people is covered with seals by a Fuinjutsu Grandmaster. The village itself had around a hundred Iwa ninjas. Maybe more if they stayed hidden. And they are led by the Third Tsuchikage's son-in-law, Kitsuchi."

Yuya's heart became increasingly heavier as Fujin's clone provided more information. Though the Ito family was the most dominant family in the territory, they were no match for a behemoth like Iwagakure. Just thinking about one hundred Iwa ninjas led by Kitsuchi made his knees weak.

Fujin's clone added, "We clashed but were forced to retreat. They would likely not make a move for a few hours, but I am not sure what they will do afterwards. Since their cover was blown, there are two possibilities.

The first possibility and the one you might prefer is that they will retreat back to the Land of Stone. The second is that they might try to speed up whatever they were planning. It might involve an attack on this town."

Yuya's mind went blank for a few seconds. The information was too much for him to handle. However, as an experienced politician, he gathered himself quickly. He bowed and pleaded, "Please help us defend the town."

Fujin's clone shook his head and said, "The amount of Iwa forces is enough to start a war. This matter is something that Takigakure needs to handle. As someone from Konoha, I can't be involved lightly in this matter. Slowing them down and providing you with sufficient time is the most I can do.

My squad is already heading back. I'll report the details to Lord Hokage and he will make a decision on Konoha's further involvement. In the meantime, you should coordinate with Takigakure and take appropriate measures."

Yuya immediately understood his mistake. He realized, 'If the Konoha ninjas get involved, then this could result in a war between Konoha and Iwagakure fought in the Land of Waterfall. Our country will be one to suffer the most. I can't make such a decision. It will have to be made by Takigakure.'

He replied, "Alright. Thank You for your suggestions. We will act hurriedly."

Fujin's clone nodded and replied, "Good luck."

He dispelled himself. Yuya thought, 'So he was just a clone.'

He immediately gathered the important members of his family and informed them about Fujin's words. The entire Ito family was terrified. Thankfully, while the meeting for taking place, the ninjas from Takigakure, who were terrified by the flames raining down, reached the town.

They quickly met up with the Ito family and informed them about what they had witnessed. The Ito family was shocked once again. Yuya wondered, 'Is that what the Konoha ninja meant by slowing them down? Who was he to be capable of doing something so crazy?'

Though Konoha was known for having ninjas with very good fire affinity, it was the first time they had heard about something like this. The fact that a single jutsu could burn down the town they were proud of was a bitter pill to swallow.

The Ito family informed the Taki ninjas about what Fujin had informed them, shocking the Taki ninjas. After discussing it for a bit, they quickly formed a plan. They quickly sent messenger birds to Takigakure. In less than 15 minutes, the entire Ito family quietly departed from the town and went into hiding.

Fujin and his squad were still flying on Kurogane. Fujin had calmed down. He analyzed, 'I need to start from the very basic question. How did Iwagakure know I would be sent here?'

He thought of many possible answers, 'My first thought was that someone from Konoha leaked my movements. Possibly someone like Danzo… But it doesn't seem very practical now that I think about it. After all, Iwa had started this mess around 4 months ago.

There is no way Danzo could have known that I would be sent here. Unless he or someone else influenced Eagle to send me on this mission. Still, the chances of this are low. I haven't irked Danzo or any other ninja in power as of yet. But even though unlikely, I will need to check on this. I don't want to leave myself vulnerable to someone scheming against me in the dark.

Other than that, there is only one possibility. Iwagakure somehow predicted that I would be dispatched here… Or at least, they betted that I might be dispatched here. Maybe they hoped I'd be dispatched but were willing to trap any Elite Jounin who might have been dispatched here from Konoha. A good scheme indeed.'

Fujin felt a chill as he realized how much Iwa had planned and how much effort they were willing to take to eliminate him.

[A/N : Bonus chapter on next Sunday if the fic gets 1000 Power Stones. Bonus chapter on next week's Saturday if the fic gets 2000 Power Stones.]

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