69novels Chapter 27 Sparring
Chapter 27 Sparring
After awakening his past life memories, this was Xingyuan Qianshuo's first time going out on a mission.
He remained vigilant at all times, and would use his keen sense of smell to search for potential ambushes in dangerous areas.
He didn't mind that Fugaku Uchiha knew about his sensory ability.
Although this is a rather practical secret technique, it is not as secretive as the Ino-Shika-Cho family's secret technique.
Both Kakashi and Hiruzen Sarutobi used it in the original work, so there's no need to "whitewash" it.
This Gobi Desert, with its towering rock pillars, has a complex terrain that makes it easy to hide and ambush.
To be on the safe side, Xingyuan Qianshuo would activate his sensitive sense of smell every three or four hundred meters to carefully investigate the surrounding movements.
Almost at the same time that Tutai discovered the Konoha team, Hoshigen Chisaku also sensed their presence through scent.
After confirming the situation, he immediately reported to Fugaku Uchiha.
After a moment's thought, Fugaku Uchiha also decided to continue forward.
Although Xingyuan Qianshuo could only confirm that there were three opponents, he could not determine their specific strength.
However, as the head of the Uchiha clan, he had full confidence in his own strength.
The three quickened their pace slightly and soon saw the Cloud Ninja squad approaching from the diagonal front.
The other party wore headbands from the Hidden Cloud Village, and their group consisted of two adult ninjas and a child of about six or seven years old.
Among the adult ninjas, one wore a black eyepatch over his left eye.
The other person had brown curly hair, and two meticulously styled mustaches that curled upwards, making them particularly eye-catching.
The young ninja had long, light brown hair, and on his perfectly oval face, a pair of sharp, almond-shaped eyes were scanning the three Konoha members with a rather composed expression.
Xingyuan Qianshuo, who was familiar with the original plot, immediately recognized their identities:
He vaguely remembered Tsuchidae and Yugito Nii from Kumogakure, but couldn't recall the name of the ninja with the mustache.
After a quick mental analysis, he concluded that the likelihood of a conflict breaking out between the two sides was low.
Ninjas make a living by accepting missions and earning rewards. In peacetime, they rarely take action unless there is a direct conflict in the mission.
In the original story, the Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure led a team to steal a secret technique from Sugigakure, but was injured by the "Ninja Hunt" Xuanyuan Clan and was on the verge of death.
They happened to encounter Tsunade and Shizune, who were traveling in the ninja world, and were saved by their help, ultimately saving the lives of the Raikage and his guards.
This shows that the five great ninja villages had their own tacit understanding and unspoken rules during peacetime.
Of course, this is all under the premise that the spheres of influence of each party are clearly defined.
At this moment, they are in the demilitarized zone of the Iron Kingdom, which is not within the sphere of influence of either side, and there is no reason for the two sides to break out into conflict.
In particular, the Cloud Village side had the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, while the Leaf Village side had the Uchiha clan leader.
Casualties could very likely trigger a war between the two countries, a consequence neither side can afford.
"Captain Fugaku, that young ninja is very likely the one who injured King Nekoarashi," Hoshigen Chisaku said, offering his guess.
The information provided by Nekoran did not mention the other two Cloud Village Jonin, but this is not surprising—they were likely secretly protecting the two Yugito at the time.
"Okay." Fugaku Uchiha nodded. "You guys wait here for a bit, I'll go talk to them."
After saying that, he quickened his pace toward the Cloud Hidden Squad and stopped about forty or fifty meters away from them.
Another person stepped out from the Cloud Village team; it was Tsuchida.
After talking for a minute or two, the two called the waiting crowd forward.
This result was somewhat unexpected by Xingyuan Qianshuo.
Instead of a conflict or a direct parting of ways, the two sides engaged in a friendly exchange and discussion.
After a brief introduction, Xingyuan Qianshuo learned that the ninja with the mustache was named Molloy, which roughly means "crisp".
"Yukito, you have a match with Uchiha Yakumi," Tsuchida said to Yukito.
The two Yugitos appeared calm, but their eyes gleamed with eager anticipation.
Uchiha Yakumi appeared somewhat angry.
He dared not question the clan leader's decision, but felt that he had been underestimated by the Cloud Village ninja, and secretly resolved to teach this Cloud Village brat a lesson.
Xingyuan Qianshuo had not expected things to develop this way. After a moment's thought, he understood the intentions of Tsuchida and Uchiha Fugaku.
Neither of them were members of the village's militant faction.
Tsuchidae is a strategist in Kumogakure, equivalent to Shikaku Nara in Konoha in the original manga.
Fugaku Uchiha was first and foremost the head of his clan, and only secondly a Konoha ninja.
They all intended to use this opportunity to train their younger colleagues.
Getting to know each other through a competition allows both combat experience to be accumulated and intelligence on the other side to be gathered.
Xingyuan Qianshuo was really looking forward to it. If someone got injured, it would be a good opportunity for him, the medical ninja, to show off his skills.
"Kid, I won't hold back," Yaowei said to Yukito, suppressing his anger.
"Hmph, you're the one who needs to watch out," Yukito retorted with a cold snort.
Molloy was appointed by the Turks to preside over this match.
He stood between the two men, raising his right hand high: "Ready—Go!"
Whoosh!Whoosh!
Yaowei swiftly threw out two shuriken with practiced precision.
With his hands touching the ground, the wooden figure gathered chakra in his limbs and instantly disappeared from his original position, nimbly leaping onto a nearby rock pillar and easily dodging the attack.
This move is quite similar to Kiba Inuzuka's "Four-Legged Technique," one imitating a ninja dog and the other imitating a ninja cat, both of which significantly enhance grip and aggression.
Without pausing, Yukito leaped onto the rock pillar and stomped hard on the solid rock wall, launching a surprise attack on the medicinal scent from above.
"So fast!" Before Yaowei could even exclaim in surprise, he instinctively activated his Sharingan and barely managed to block Yugito's sharp claws with his kunai in hand.
When the first strike missed, the wooden figure nimbly twisted its body, and its right toes suddenly extended into sharp claws, kicking swiftly from the lower right towards Yaowei.
His Sharingan, radiating medicinal scent, spun rapidly. With his superior dynamic vision, he clearly caught the tricky attack.
Snapped!
His left hand struck Yugito's right leg precisely, blocking the combo attack.
The two used the momentum to leap backward, instantly widening the distance between them.
Yao Wei looked at the six or seven-year-old boy opposite her with lingering fear.
He had never seen a ninja of such age with such agility.
If it weren't for the Sharingan's perception, he might not have been able to block that swift attack.
Xingyuan Qianshuo, who was watching the battle, was not surprised that Uchiha Yaowei had activated his Sharingan.
If he couldn't even activate the Sharingan, why would Fugaku Uchiha personally bring him out for training?
He was even more amazed by the speed of the two wooden figures. If it were him in the past, he probably would have had a hard time completely blocking that tricky combo.
Thinking of the wounds on Nekoarashi's back, those four lacerations were inflicted by such humanoid cat claws—of course, that was when Yukito used the Two-Tails' chakra.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
The two, who had created distance between them, unexpectedly used the same ninjutsu at the same time.
Two fireballs of similar size collided violently in the air, canceling out each other's impact and generating waves of heat.
"This is like the real deal meeting a fake." Xingyuan Qianshuo thought to himself as he felt the heat rushing towards him.