Chapter 74. Discovered?
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Many days later, Yuto was ready to depart.
His older brother had inexplicably volunteered for a battle mission, leaving Yuto no choice but to return earlier than planned. His main goal? Prevent his brother from taking Itachi along while leaving so explosive tags as a precautionary asure for Fugaku.
After all, no matter what, he was his brother!
When he was young and immature, he wanted to beco a ninja and contribute to Konoha, all thanks to the guidance of his older brother. Later, when Yuto chose to venture out to do business, Fugaku didn't stop him.
As for opening Mangekyo in the future... Bah! He wasn't that kind of person!
With a deep sigh, Yuto patted Nagato on the shoulder and once again offered heartfelt advice:
"Rember what I said—stay far away from psychopaths!"
"..." Nagato hesitated for a mont. Though he didn't respond, he decided against leaving since Yuto would soon be gone.
And Yuto, after reiterating his warnings, turned to Yahiko: "Take care of everyone. Don't be impulsive when encountering problems. Calm down and think things through—there's always another way."
"Understood, Brother Yuto!"
"No problem, Brother Yuto!" Konan chid in with a smile. "We're very smart!"
Yuto rolled his eyes. "You're the one I'm most worried about. Rember, if you see soone lying down, don't let curiosity get the better of you—just toss an explosive tag to be safe. Better to send them off than fall into a trap! He is already lying down anyway. Whether you save him or not, he's going to die. It's better to just help him pass away!"
"..." Konan stuck out her tongue and grumbled, "How could I be like that!"
Yuto chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Still, laughing more often is a good thing. If you feel bad about it, throw a kunai instead. As for where to aim—ask Nagato. He knows the weak points best. That way, the enemy won't be able to pretend at all."
"..."
Don't ask .
I really don't know!
Really!
Nagato looked away, clearly exasperated.
Yuto then turned to Kana. After a brief silence, he smiled and said, "I'll leave everything here to you. If anything happens, send word. I'll visit whenever I can."
Kana nodded with a gentle smile. "Yes."
With everything arranged, Yuto set off with his bodyguard ninja.
The rain in the Land of Rain was light that day, a fine mist rather than a downpour.
Yuto waved back at the group seeing him off but didn't look back. He continued forward, his mind already on his next stop—Aunt Cat's.
He wanted to check if there were any good weapons to buy. As the weapons supplier for the Uchiha clan, Aunt Cat was well-versed in their preferences, often offering custom-made items.
Rumor had it that his stubborn old father had an unusual relationship with Aunt Cat back in the day. When Fugaku took Yuto to visit as a child, he had shown her great respect.
Moreover, she could freely trade weapons across multiple shinobi villages. That was a legendary businesswoman—a true veteran!
Yuto whistled as he walked, already envisioning the mont he'd return ho, pile the weapons and explosive tags in front of Fugaku, and proudly promise to look after his sister-in-law and nephew so that Fugaku could go without any worries.
As for Itachi? The battlefield wasn't a place for him. Uncle Yuto would take care of everything!
...
anwhile...
Elsewhere, the Iwa ninjas had sohow obtained information about Yuto's travel route.
Although ninjas were technically forbidden from attacking civilians without cause—for example, even a notorious rchant like Gato was never directly targeted by soone like Zabuza—this ti was different.
Under the influence of a certain [Iwa ninja], warti justification was easy to fabricate. The death of an enemy rchant could be dismissed as collateral damage. Moreover, officially, these attackers weren't Iwa ninjas—they were simply "war-weary rogue ninjas."
"Uto-senpai, what are you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing." Nono snapped out of her thoughts and smiled at the Iwa ninja beside her. After a brief hesitation, she replied, "It's just... strange how we Iwa ninjas are suddenly targeting soone so out of the blue..."
Currently disguised as an ordinary Iwa ninja nad Uto, Nono was working undercover to gather intelligence. Identity issues? Her identity had been ticulously arranged by Root before her deploynt.
But deep down, Nono sighed. She had assud her mission would end once she delivered key Iwagakure intel to Danzo. She hadn't anticipated hearing about Iwa ninjas targeting Yuto.
Left with no choice, she had followed along. She couldn't just sit back and watch Yuto get into trouble.
Though ninjas in difficult tis might discreetly "borrow" money from nobles or rchants, this particular operation against Yuto felt highly deliberate. The way Iwa ninjas gathered information, the recipe for a cup of milk tea one might want to have when passing by, business operations, and travel routes—it all seed too calculated.
It was as if soone was deliberately orchestrating the whole thing.
As for who...
Nono discreetly glanced at a certain Iwa ninja nearby.
A civilian Jonin from Iwagakure.
Based on the intelligence she had gathered, everything about him seed normal. Yet, why would he suddenly target Yuto?
Competition among peers?
Or had Yuto offended soone?
Nono, disguised under her hood, sighed inwardly, her eyes reflecting a hint of helplessness. [I hope Yuto received the ssage I sent.]
"Uto-senpai, you're so kind," one of the Iwa ninjas said with an awkward laugh. "This mission must really be unavoidable." Hesitating for a mont, he added, "Maybe we should handle it? Uto-senpai could take a break."
Nono's eyes briefly flickered, but she shook her head gently. With her hood obscuring her face, she replied softly, "I'm fine. After all, this is just a mission."
Still, she needed to figure out who was behind this attack on Yuto. Taking a deep breath, she smiled bitterly. [Didn't Yuto say he was running a legitimate business? How could he provoke Iwa ninja?]
As she was reflecting, a shout ca from an Iwa ninja nearby.
"The target appeared! But he... didn't pass through here. He took a detour!"
"???"
What's going on?
Isn't this the shortest route to Konoha?
The group exchanged puzzled glances and quickly followed after him.
A certain Iwa ninja trailing behind the group had a flicker of doubt in their eyes. [Huh? Did we get discovered?]
Still, he kept pace with the group.
Before long, soone shouted again, "Damn it! He took a detour again!"
"What the—? Why did he take another detour? And how are we losing him? We're ninjas!"
"He must have ninjas with him. They're probably powerful. They must be carrying him to move faster. Keep going!"
Frustrated, the Iwa ninjas gritted their teeth and continued the pursuit.
By now, it was clear—they had been noticed.
Realizing this, they decided to drop the pretense. All the Iwa ninjas surged forward, no longer bothering to conceal themselves.
There's no need to hide anymore!
But after a short chase...
"Changed direction again?!"
"Is he going in circles?!"
"Damn it! Are they toying with us?!"
"Kill him!"
Fuming, the Iwa ninjas doubled back, only to be t with an unexpected shout.
"Damn it! Explosive tags!"
Suddenly, an Iwa ninja yelled.
"Take cover!"
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the area. Though the damage was minimal, the frustration among the Iwa ninjas was palpable.
What the hell?!
They had thought he was just a businessman and expected to deal with him easily.
Unexpectedly, the covert operation had been discovered!
How was it discovered?
Is there a traitor?!
At this mont, Nono, observing from behind, silently studied the broken copper coin in her hand. A sly smile tugged at her lips as she seed to piece things together. She quickly pocketed the coin and called out, "Let's split into two teams and surround him from both sides!"
Her suggestion was t with imdiate agreent from the seven other Iwa ninjas.
"That's right—let's encircle them!"
"Let's show them who's boss!"
Their voices echoed like bandits as they charged ahead.
That's right.
At this mont, they're not ninjas!
anwhile, Yuto sighed as he pulled out a stack of explosive tags, shaking his head in disbelief. "Why do they have to push to this?"
Turning to his ninja bodyguards, he said, "Alright, everyone, take so. Bury them on the ground. We'll blow them up later! Take plenty! Don't hold back!"
The guards, visibly uneasy, hesitated.
"Boss, that's enough! Really, it's enough!"
There were so many explosive tags... they felt a little panicked just holding them!
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