Chapter 198: Barrier

Inside the Iwa-nin outpost, located in a spacious stone building at the center.

"Ryōboshin! When will the barrier experts from the main camp come to inspect our detection barrier? We reported it two days ago! If it keeps giving false alarms like this, our sensory team can hardly work properly!"

In the central area of the room, a middle-aged Iwa-nin around thirty years old sat on a cylindrical platform about three meters in diameter.

The middle-aged ninja was currently complaining to his colleague in the same room about the few flickering light points atop the column.

This wasn't the first or second time this spot had malfunctioned! The detection array had been going off erratically these past few days, always giving false alarms, putting their sensory personnel in embarrassing situations.

After some inspection with his colleague, they couldn't find any issues. However, they were used to it; such intricate and high-end technology was beyond their comprehension.

Helpless, they had no choice but to seek help from the main camp! Talents in barrier detection weren't totally nonexistent among Iwa-nin but were extremely rare. The stability of such small detection barriers was generally poor, causing the few barrier experts they had to be overwhelmed with work, unable to visit this outpost in a short time.

"Stop complaining already. Having any detection barrier is a blessing! As for getting an expert to inspect it, don't count on it for another three or five days at least!"

His colleague, Ryōboshin, responded nonchalantly while asking, "Which direction is the issue in? The usual spot? I need to report it to the lookout team so they can monitor the area better to prevent attacks from Konoha and Kumogakure!"

Despite speaking this way, Ryōboshin showed no sense of urgency. Instead, he calmly stood up, appearing leisurely. It wasn't negligence but rather the frequent malfunctions of the detection barrier, especially in recent days. Initially, they were tense, but after numerous false alarms, they couldn't help but become a bit lax, even more so now at this hour.

"Those barrier specialists sure love boasting. They exaggerated how great their barrier was, but in reality... The problems aren't just with our outpost; several places have similar issues~"

"Yes, always the southwest..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the flickering dots in the southwest direction of the column suddenly stopped.

The light spots turned from flickering to a steady glow, growing larger and more intense, emitting a blinding light.

"Something's happening!"

Both men realized simultaneously that something might be wrong outside. This standard barrier, despite its minor issues, would never falsely report such a strong chakra reaction. The barrier wouldn't react so intensely to regular animals; only a significant number of ninjas could trigger such a response.

Before they could shout in alarm, a series of whistling noises pierced through the thick walls, making their faces go pale.

...

"Scatter!"

As the five bird simulacra infiltrated the outpost, Toshirō timed it right, causing them to flip everyone onto the ground, including himself. 

He then directed these chakra constructs to extend their necks and crash into the tallest buildings within the outpost.

It wasn't that Toshirō didn't want to use these chakra constructs to deal with the Iwa-nin. It was just that during the outpost construction, the Iwa-nin had made the walls excessively thick, even inscribing defensive seals within some walls.

Without sacrificing them, Toshirō and his small team couldn't break through these numerous fortified buildings swiftly. 

To successfully raid an outpost with no fewer than 60 Iwa-nin, any delay could mean getting surrounded, putting them in a dangerous position.

Toshirō had his own agenda. Even before his feet touched the ground, his hands were already forming seals. By the time his feet landed, the blue chakra flames flickered on his right-hand fingers, pressing into the ground.

"Barrier: Uchiha Mist"

With a soft command, a transparent square barrier rapidly rose around the Iwa-nin camp, enveloping it.

In just a second or two, the transparent barrier's surface turned cloudy, resembling mountain mist from afar, isolating the camp from the outside world. External sight and sound couldn't penetrate it, and internal light and sound couldn't escape.

Toshirō used this chakra-intensive barrier technique precisely for this effect. Otherwise, during their assault, nearby roaming Iwa-nin would instantly notice the commotion. 

The threat they faced wouldn't be just the ninjas within the outpost. If tangled up by the Iwa-nin inside, their group would be in grave danger.

Now, with the barrier and the cover of night, they could freely use any means necessary.

As the barrier rose, the bird constructs extended their necks and focused all their momentum into their sharp beaks. Toshirō had designed these chakra constructs in the shape of cranes, perfect for piercing the outer walls of buildings.