Chapter 301 - 301: 301 - Sasuke vs Deidara!!

For Sasuke, the biggest gain from joining the special training so far was realizing just how strong Neji really was.

They were only a year apart in age. During the first week, the jōnin assigned by the village to rotate and supervise the program didn't immediately arrange inter-grade matches. Instead, they focused on coordinated drills and steadily ramped up the intensity.

Even so, without a formal bout between them, just watching Neji spar with Sai and Rock Lee—both in his year—was enough for Sasuke to understand one thing clearly: Hinata's Gentle Fist and Neji's Gentle Fist were completely different.

The difference wasn't just in presence.

Power, speed, precision in technique… even when they used the same forms, the gap between them was absolute and impossible to cross.

That was an enemy he had to be ready to face.

His talk with the Third Hokage had helped him grasp what the village—or rather, what certain people—wanted from him, and that was why he returned to the Academy instead of taking time off for special training.

But understanding wasn't the same as accepting it.

Accepting that as an Uchiha, he would lose to a Hyūga.

Today was the first official inter-grade combat day of the special training. According to the schedule, they would start with the larger groups: the second- and third-year students.

It was considered a relatively fair range—age hadn't yet created an overwhelming gap in physical ability, so skill and experience would play a bigger role.

When Sasuke and Gaara arrived at the training ground, there were already a few unfamiliar figures waiting.

A boy with long blond hair and a girl with short black hair.

Iwagakure? The Iwagakure exchange students started at the Academy today. He just hadn't expected them to be thrown into special training on their very first day.

Deidara noticed the new arrivals.

He took in their clothes and their hair, then spoke.

"You're that Uchiha from the special training class, right?"

Sasuke didn't respond. He simply walked to the far side of the field.

From this past week of special training, Gaara was the only one among the foreign ninja who stood out to him as an exception.

The other Suna shinobi and the exchange student from Kumogakure each had their own quirks and were strong enough, but none of them gave him that crushing pressure that forced him to go all out. The Iwagakure student in front of him probably wouldn't be any different.

Sasuke's indifference snagged Deidara's attention, pulling him out of his idle boredom. His gaze sharpened.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, Uchiha Sasuke."

As he spoke, Deidara flicked three small white spiders toward him.

Sasuke lightly tapped the ground with his foot, body sliding diagonally back and to the side. The clay spiders landed exactly where he'd been standing a heartbeat before.

"Not bad reflexes," Deidara snorted.

But Sasuke's response didn't end with a simple dodge. The instant his slide finished, he twisted his body, abruptly changed direction, and burst straight toward Deidara.

He lifted his right hand, clearly planning to teach this rude brat a lesson the moment he got close.

Deidara, however, remained unhurried. The instant Sasuke moved, Deidara had already leapt back, and at the same time four or five more clay spiders flew from his hands.

They landed in an arc around Sasuke, cutting off his pursuit routes from several angles.

'Troublesome jutsu'

Sasuke's brows knit, his charge slowing. He didn't know what those things did, but it was obvious he couldn't just let them get close.

In the next moment, Sasuke activated his Sharingan, drew a shuriken from his waist, and prepared to precisely cut down the annoying spiders.

But unexpectedly, the clay spiders that had been scuttling forward suddenly seemed to lose all power the moment his Sharingan opened. They froze in mid-air, then dropped to the ground.

Sasuke's advance came to a halt as surprise flickered in his eyes. He glanced at Deidara.

The blond boy's earlier mix of provocation and excitement vanished, replaced by blatant disappointment.

Deidara rapidly blinked his left eye, confirming there were no signs of genjutsu. His disappointment deepened.

"This is also a Sharingan?" His tone was flat with boredom. "So there's a one-tomoe version too, huh?"

Sasuke stopped completely.

To awaken the Sharingan at his age was something no one could call weak; there were plenty in the clan who never awakened it in their entire lives.

But—

"Do you know Uchiha Shisui?" Deidara seemed to remember something. His disappointment eased slightly, replaced by a different kind of interest. "I've prepared a brand-new art just for him."

"He said that as long as I apply through the proper channels, he can arrange a formal match, right? Hey, I even came to take part in this troublesome special training. Help me ask when the application will be approved."

Just then—

"Oh oh oh oh! This is the essence of youth! You've already started interacting so early!"

A vigorous shout crashed over the field as a green whirlwind dropped into the center of the training ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

As the dust settled, Might Guy emerged, flashing a row of gleaming white teeth.

"Konoha's Proud Blue Beast, the instructor in charge of your special training today—Might Guy—has arrived!"

He threw a thumbs-up at the four young ninjas on the field.

"Seeing you already getting to know each other and igniting your fighting spirit through the clash of youth even before the official lesson begins, I… I…"

His voice suddenly hitched. He swung one arm up to cover his eyes, the other still stubbornly holding a thumbs-up.

"This burning emotion, this surging vitality! I'm truly moved! Youth! This is the most beautiful prelude to youth!"

His gaze swept over Sasuke's still-bloodshot Sharingan, then the suspicious white clay lumps on the ground, and finally Deidara's "who is this guy?" expression.

Guy's smile grew even brighter.

"Excellent eyes! Excellent fighting spirit! It's a little early, but this desire to compete and improve together is the most beautiful spark of youth—I can feel it!"

"However, a true showdown of youth requires a proper stage and proper rules! For now, keep that burning fighting spirit in your chests until everyone has arrived!"

"Next, I will arrange battle pairings that will let all of you fully ignite your youth!"

He turned toward Deidara and Kurotsuchi, who were standing in the shade of a tree. His teeth flashed again as he grinned. "You two are the exchange students from Iwagakure, right? I'm Might Guy, and I'll be in charge of guiding this special training class today."

"Relax, just think of this as a stage to show off your youthful power! Oh, by the way, that clay over there... should Sensei help clean it up? It looks like some kind of failed sculpture material."

Deidara's eye twitched. Did Konoha really have people with this kind of personality?

"...This is art." Deidara took a deep breath, stressing each word, a small lump of clay having appeared between his fingers at some point. "Bushy Brows, do you want to experience its charm firsthand?"

——

At the same time, in the Hokage's office.

Itachi entered without a sound and placed a scroll marked "urgent" on Roshi's desk.

"Captain," his voice was clear and calm, "the escort squad sent to rendezvous with Shibuki, the leader of Takigakure, has sent back an urgent message."

"The squad discovered traces of suspicious individuals near the designated rendezvous point who are not identified as Takigakure ninja. Signs indicate they may be acting in an organized and covert manner."

"The escort squad leader has judged there is potential danger and, in accordance with emergency regulations, has sent a distress signal to the village while attempting to make discreet contact with the targets."

"A new reinforcement squad departed immediately and is expected to rendezvous with the advance squad by early evening at the earliest."

—

The roar of the Great Waterfall could be heard from several kilometers away.

It had already been some time since the request for backup was sent. Asuma stood by the Great Waterfall, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, clearly having waited for quite a while.

Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane stood to his left and right about ten meters away, their backs to each other as they maintained a full 360-degree watch.

After Hyūga Himon, who had been temporarily assigned to the squad, discovered traces of suspicious individuals nearby, they had been waiting here on high alert.

Logically, even if their opponents were rogue Takigakure ninja targeting Shibuki, they still shouldn't have warranted such a heightened level of vigilance from an elite Konoha squad made up of two Jōnin and two Chūnin.

However, before they had set out, Roshi had specifically reminded Asuma to call for backup immediately if anything unusual occurred, since reserve squads were stationed along the border.

The atmosphere was grim, and the thoroughness of the follow-up reinforcements already surpassed the standard protection afforded even to a Daimyō.

Asuma recalled that the last time he'd made trouble for the other side, Roshi had still been just a newly promoted Jonin. Now, the man's status had risen yet another level. Even faced with this clearly excessive level of protection, Asuma stayed on high alert.

He immediately sent out an encrypted signal for backup and, at the same time, persuaded the uneasy Takigakure leader, Shibuki, to take most of his people back to secure the village itself, using the excuse of "ensuring absolute safety and avoiding ambushes en route."

Only three local ninja remained on the outskirts, led by the Takigakure jōnin Yōrō. They were to move with the Konoha squad and coordinate with the incoming reinforcement team.

The wait dragged on, but as high-ranking ninja, they were long used to this kind of life.

Only Yōrō couldn't shake a faint sense of unease.

The Konoha shinobi were so tense and wary that even the Takigakure ninja under their protection found it hard to understand.

Just then, Hyūga Himon gave a low warning. "Two o'clock, edge of the forest, chakra signatures detected! Four… no, six! They're moving slowly and closing in!"

Everyone shifted into combat stance in an instant. Izumo and Kotetsu's hands went to their tool pouches, while Yōrō and the two Takigakure ninja stared nervously toward the indicated direction.

A moment later, several figures in Takigakure uniforms staggered out from behind the thick undergrowth. Their movements were unnaturally stiff, their steps slow and uncoordinated.

"Halt! Ogata! Heisuke! Is that you?" Yōrō shouted sharply, his voice caught between suspicion and command. "Didn't you receive the Village's new orders? This is an emergency period—no one is allowed to approach the headquarters area at will!"

The Takigakure ninja gave no response. Yōrō drew his kunai.

Hyūga Himon focused on them, Byakugan active.

"They… are under genjutsu. There's abnormal chakra inside their bodies."

Yōrō ground his teeth and moved to step forward, intending to dispel the genjutsu binding his comrades.

Just as he advanced—

"Wait!" Hyūga Himon warned again. "Their chakra is converging! Get back! Everyone, get back!"

Asuma moved even faster than the warning. The instant Himon spoke, he grabbed Yōrō by the collar and hauled him backward.

At the same time, Izumo and Kotetsu seized the two stunned Takigakure ninja and dragged them quickly off to the side and rear.

The very next second, the spot they'd just vacated—

A chain of violent explosions erupted. The bodies of the Takigakure ninja suddenly ballooned, then burst apart.

"…It wasn't just genjutsu control." Himon's Byakugan never stopped moving as he scanned the smoke-filled surroundings. "A triggered explosive technique was preset inside their bodies… the caster is outside my direct field of vision."

Asuma spat out the cigarette butt. "Looks like the enemy isn't trying to ambush us. They're using this to force us away from the meeting point, or…"

He glanced around. The forest was growing darker as the shadows of the trees stretched and overlapped.

"…or they're trying to wear down our stamina and vigilance. Maybe even use your comrades' deaths to shake Takigakure's morale. Yōrō, it seems your village's missing nin have found some troublesome allies."

As if responding to his words, more swaying silhouettes appeared deeper in the forest, emerging from all directions. They moved slowly, silently, tightening the ring around them.

There were even more than before.

"Asuma-san, what should we do now?" Yōrō asked, clearly rattled. Takigakure hadn't faced a situation like this in a long time.

Even the recent internal power struggle in the village hadn't escalated to this level.

"I'm afraid you'll have to guide us into Takigakure, Yōrō," Asuma said. "Given the current situation, if we pull back to create distance, we might actually be opening the way for an attack on the village."

"After all, the enemy probably knows the route to Takigakure too."

Yōrō hesitated, then his gaze fell on the broken bodies of the Takigakure shinobi scattered across the ground.

He clenched his teeth and came to a decision.

"Please, follow me!"

—

Almost at the same time Asuma's team came under attack, another squad had already crossed the Land of Fire's border and was racing toward Takigakure.

Shiranui Genma still had his trademark senbon clamped between his teeth. The two shinobi running beside him were just as silent.

One presence in particular made this already high-profile emergency reinforcement even more extraordinary.

"I didn't expect you to come too," Genma said.

"I was a little concerned, so I decided to see things for myself," Roshi replied, his voice as calm as ever. "Shibuki's safety is tied to a series of upcoming arrangements. It's safer to confirm the situation in person."

Genma grunted in acknowledgment.

"According to the last coordinates Asuma sent, the rendezvous point is in an open area three hundred meters southeast of the Great Waterfall," Genma said, glancing up at the sky. "At the pace of the first reinforcement unit, if everything went smoothly, they should've already arrived and finished the handoff."

"At this speed, if we go a bit farther, we should run into the people they sent to meet us, or…"

He didn't finish.

But the implication was obvious: or they would find proof that something had gone wrong.

The team pressed on in silence. The closer they drew to Takigakure's territory, the louder the Great Waterfall's roar became, and the thicker the mist that wrapped around them.

Then, all four shinobi came to an abrupt halt at the exact same moment.

Not far ahead, a figure stepped out from behind an ancient tree so massive it would've taken several people holding hands to encircle the trunk.

He wore a standard Takigakure uniform, and the metal plate of his forehead protector caught a faint glint of moonlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves.

"Konoha reinforcements?" the Takigakure ninja called in a low, hurried voice. "I was ordered to meet you here! Are you the second group?"

"We were attacked, and they've temporarily retreated into the village. I'm here to lead the way and take you there."

He spoke quickly but clearly, his directions precise. In the dim light, his expression looked anxious and sincere.

Even so, none of the four Konoha shinobi took a single step.

"This feels familiar, Genma," Roshi said.

"Yeah. In the end, there are only so many tricks that actually work." Genma clicked his tongue softly, the senbon in his mouth bobbing as he nodded. "So it's no surprise they keep getting used."

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