Chiya moved quickly through the dense forest.
The mist between the trees gradually thickened, providing natural cover for his movements.
Even so, Chiya remained sharply alert.
The three-tomoe Sharingan cast a faint crimson glow in the dim forest.
A system notification chimed in his mind.
[Congratulations, host. Mission to eliminate the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki is complete.]
[Mission reward granted: Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.]
Ice Release!
A surge of joy rose in Chiya's chest.
Ice Release is formed by combining Water Release and Wind Release. This dual-nature fusion not only creates sub-zero environments but also allows free control over the form of ice.
Though Ice Release ninja appear rarely in the world of Naruto, the practical combat effectiveness it brings is quite solid.
Chiya felt an unprecedented cold surge rising from within his body.
The white breath he exhaled actually crystallized into tiny ice shards in the air.
'So this is Ice Release.'
Chiya sensed that the cold chakra inside him felt considerably more abundant. He immediately called out inwardly.
"System, open the character panel."
[Name: Uchiha Chiya]
[Age: 18]
[Chakra: 15 Kaka]
[Kekkei Genkai: Sharingan (Mangekyo), Ice Release]
[Skills: Mangekyo Dojutsu: The Far Shore of the Yellow Springs, Cycle of Cause and Effect.
Genjutsu Mastery, Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu, Body Flicker Jutsu, Shadow Clone Jutsu, Three-Bodies Technique, and others.]
Hm?
'The chakra actually went up by five Kaka.'
'So it did increase the chakra.'
'On top of gaining a Kekkei Genkai, the chakra increased as well. That was a genuine windfall.'
More chakra is always better.
Chiya had absolutely no complaints about that.
In the world of Naruto, chakra is everything. You cannot go without it.
If a future reward ever gave him a massive chakra boost, he could just sit back and stop worrying about chakra entirely.
Suddenly, his Sharingan caught something unusual in the distance.
Chiya's attention sharpened. He quickly slipped into the surrounding trees and concealed himself.
Then a group of unfamiliar ninja arrived at the spot.
Their movements were light and quick, clearly the product of strict training.
A squad of twenty gathered together one after another, then came to a halt.
They had not detected Chiya. They were simply making a brief stop to rest and regroup.
Chiya stayed hidden in the shadows, his Sharingan flickering faintly.
'Definitely not Konoha-nin.'
"According to intelligence, Konoha is currently busy dealing with Sunagakure's offensive. This is the perfect time for us to strike."
A ninja with a low voice said, his tone carrying a clear note of excitement.
"Exactly. If we can launch a surprise attack while they are occupied, we may be able to deal Konoha a serious blow. Lord Tsuchikage will certainly be pleased."
Another ninja agreed, greed flickering in his eyes.
Chiya felt a jolt in his chest. 'These ninja are from Iwagakure.'
He could not help but recall the intelligence he had heard at a briefing before.
Iwagakure's ninja had been disguising themselves as refugees and merchant groups. Their movements were suspicious, and there was a strong possibility they were conducting operations against the Land of Fire.
He had no fondness for Root's Danzo.
But when it came to external intelligence gathered by Root, Chiya trusted it well enough.
Root ran dedicated spy operations abroad, and in intelligence gathering, it stood apart from the rest of Konoha.
Looking at the twenty ninja before him, a thought began to form in Chiya's mind.
The Ice Release Kekkei Genkai he had just acquired was the most typical Kekkei Genkai of Kirigakure's Yuki clan.
Iwagakure was here to fish in troubled waters and carve out some benefit from the war.
So, could he manufacture a piece of false intelligence suggesting that Kirigakure was also moving in to get involved and send it their way, as if by accident?
As long as he muddied the waters enough, the Iwagakure ninja already inside the Land of Rain would become hesitant and overly cautious.
If enough time passed and Konoha finished dealing with the Sunagakure side of things, Iwagakure would have missed its window. Without that opening, they would pose no great threat.
Chiya quickly formed a plan in his mind.
He raised his hands and formed seals. Then he transformed into an unfamiliar ninja, wearing a Kirigakure forehead protector pulled low over his face, and quietly moved closer to the Iwagakure squad.
His movements were light and almost completely silent.
Closer and closer. Chiya's gaze went cold. He raised his hand and reached out.
The mist in the air condensed in his hand in an instant, forming five ice-shaped senbon.
"Whoosh!"
With precise shuriken-throwing technique, he flung the senbon outward.
"Ahhh!"
Five ninja went down without warning.
"Who is there?!"
The Iwagakure ninja went on full alert immediately, every one of them pulling out a kunai.
"Captain, it's ice!"
At the word ice, everyone looked at the five fallen ninja and felt a chill go through them.
"A Kirigakure ninja with Ice Release Kekkei Genkai?!"
The squad captain at the front did not wait for Chiya to show himself. He forced a composed expression and barked out coldly.
"Does Kirigakure want to start a war with Iwagakure?"
Chiya used chakra adhesion beneath his feet and moved without a sound to the other side of a large tree.
He gave no answer. His movements turned sharper.
He formed seals quickly. The mist around him dropped several degrees colder, and a sizzling sound of water freezing rang out.
Then seven or eight ice spikes formed and shot from the air straight toward the Iwagakure ninja.
Before the Iwagakure ninja could even react, Chiya's Ice Release attack was already upon them.
The sharpness and speed of the ice spikes gave them almost no room to dodge. Three more went down in an instant.
"Damn Kiri-nin!"
The Iwagakure squad captain tracked the direction the ice spikes had come from and pointed toward Chiya's position.
"Over there!"
Several ninja who had recovered their senses flung kunai with explosive tags attached, attempting a counterattack.
However, Chiya was faster. He formed seals again.
A massive ice wall appeared before him in an instant. The enormous explosion from the tags sent ice shards flying in all directions.
Before they could even catch their breath, Chiya's voice rang out again.
"Ice Spikes!"
The sound of water freezing rang out once more in the air.
They shot in rapid succession straight at the Iwagakure ninja.
Chiya's attacks were sharp and relentless. The full power of Ice Release was on display in his hands.
Under Chiya's fierce assault, the Iwagakure squad quickly fell into chaos.
They tried to mount a counterattack, but Chiya's Ice Release was simply too powerful. They could not hold against it.
In the end, the squad of twenty was cut apart by Chiya, leaving only two or three ninja who managed to slip away in the chaos.
This, of course, was intentional. Chiya let those few escape on purpose.
Only by having Kirigakure "appear" to be involved in this conflict could he better cloud the picture and bring Iwagakure's plan to ambush Konoha to a standstill.
As for Kirigakure, Chiya was not worried in the slightest that they would actually join the war.
Their village at this point in time was likely still deep in its own bloody internal struggle and had no spare attention for anything out here.
Watching the Iwagakure ninja flee in disarray, a small smile crossed Chiya's face.
News of Kirigakure "entering the war" would likely make its way back into Iwagakure.
Kirigakure's strength was not to be taken lightly, and they had long been old rivals with Iwagakure.
Iwagakure had only come here to take advantage of the situation. There was no way they would allow themselves to be dragged into a costly war.
Once Iwagakure heard that Kirigakure was "joining in," they would in all likelihood pull their ninja back to the village.
Chiya's chakra shifted.
He returned to his original appearance and turned his feet toward the front line.
About one hour after Chiya left, a white head slowly rose up out of the ground.
"Ice Release, of all things. This Uchiha seems to be no simple figure."
The slightly flippant voice spilled out from the mouth, and then the head sank back into the earth and vanished.
-----
[Please send powerstones]