20: The rebel ninja surrenders, countdown to the third war!

The forest within the Land of Fire was a completely different world from the Land of Wind.

The air was moist and warm, carrying the fragrance of earth and humus, and the dense tree canopy covered the sky, cutting the sunlight into fragmented golden specks that fell upon the thick layer of fallen leaves.

Tang Yan and the other two were positioned in a fan formation, lurking on either side of a narrow mountain pass.

This was the only path for the rogue Ninja to escape to Konoha, a strategically important location, making it an excellent ambush spot.

Zi Luo leaned against a cold rock, his ferocious iron hand gently caressing the rock's texture, emitting a faint rustling sound.

He closed his eyes, adjusting his breathing, his chest rising and falling with a unique rhythm, as if he had become one with the pulse of the entire mountain.

Qian Ze squatted on a thick tree branch, his figure blending with the mottled tree shadows, the two white velvet iron fans in his hands half-open and half-closed, like two butterflies preparing to pounce.

Her vibrant red dress, in the dim forest, ironically became a strange form of camouflage.

Tang Yan stood at the highest point, activating the Tang Clan secret technique 'Observation,' his senses spreading out like mercury, silently covering an area of a hundred meters.

The rustling of leaves in the wind, the tremor of insects crawling across the ground, and even the faint flow of Chakra in the air, were all clearly reflected in his mind.

This was an interception that could not fail; the target was the Kazekage's personal guard, an experienced Jonin.

Any slight oversight could lead to irreparable disaster.

Suddenly, Tang Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

They're here.

Several figures, one in front and several behind, appeared at the edge of his spiritual perception.

The person in front was agile and steady in his steps, each step landing on the most energy-efficient point, precisely the rogue Ninja from the intel—a Sunagakure Jonin, one of Rasa's personal guards, Saga.

And not far behind them, several other Chakra fluctuations flickered into existence.

Judging by their attire, they were from the "Root" organization; they had actually arrived early to provide support.

Almost at the same time, a figure appeared beside Tang Yan like a ghost; it was Maki, who had returned from negotiations.

His gaze swept downwards, and his face instantly turned incredibly grim.

Saga, of course, he knew him; they had once fought side by side as comrades.

"Prepare," Maki's voice carried no emotion, only cold killing intent.

At the mountain pass, Saga seemed to have noticed something as well; he suddenly stopped, cautiously looking around.

He saw Maki on the cliff, his pupils suddenly constricted, and his face showed a look of surprise and disbelief; he opened his mouth as if to say something.

"Wind Release: Wind Killer Array!" Maki gave him no chance to speak!

He swiftly formed hand signs and then thrust his hands forward!

A howling gale rose out of nowhere, and countless visible green wind blades instantly condensed, covering the entire mountain pass like a gigantic meat grinder!

He did not choose a single-target attack but rather a wide-range, indiscriminate Ninjutsu, intending to draw in the "Root" Ninja who had come to rendezvous, completely disrupting the situation and giving neither side any opportunity for verbal communication!

"Maki! You've ruined my plans!" Saga's furious roar was completely torn apart by the violent wind.

"Boom!" A violent explosion echoed through the forest, and smoke and debris shot into the sky.

A black figure scrambled out of the smoke in a disheveled state; it was the "Root" Ninja who had come to provide support. He was about to help Saga, but Maki's attack had already forcibly separated the two of them.

"Move!" Maki growled.

"Yes!" Zi Luo's eyes burst with excitement. He stomped his feet, and the rocks beneath him instantly cracked. He shot forward like a cannonball, charging towards the separated "Root" Ninja!

"Seven Day Breathing Method: Impact!"

He gathered all his strength into his right arm, which was covered by the iron hand, and without dodging, he slammed into his opponent with the purest, most brutal force!

The "Root" Ninja clearly hadn't expected such a fierce attack method and could only cross his arms to block in a hurry.

"Bang!" A sickening thud, and the "Root" Ninja's arm bones instantly shattered. He flew backward like a broken kite, crashing through several large trees before stopping, spitting out blood. He was clearly not going to survive.

On the other side, although the rogue Ninja Saga had sustained some minor injuries from the Wind Release impact, he reacted extremely quickly, using the smoke as cover to turn and flee deeper into the forest.

"Trying to run?" Qian Jiao scolded, her figure drifting down from the treetops, her iron fans twirling.

【Genjutsu: Cactus Garden】!

The scene before Saga, who was desperately fleeing, suddenly changed. The dense forest disappeared, replaced by an endless desert, where countless giant cacti rose from the ground, their menacing sharp spines closing in on him. The air was filled with a dry heat and a sense of despair.

"Petty tricks!" Saga was a Jonin after all, and he instantly realized it was a Genjutsu. He bit his tongue, the sharp pain invigorating him, and the illusion before his eyes shattered instantly.

But even that brief delay was enough.

"Black Secret Technique: Three Machine Puppet Performance!" Tang Yan's cold voice sounded like the Shinigami's pronouncement.

The three puppets, "medicine child," "Owl," and "Shura," roared out from the scroll behind him, forming a triangular formation that instantly sealed off all of Saga's escape routes.

The "medicine child's" poison needles rained down like a storm, the "Owl's" sharp blades were like wind, and the most terrifying "Shura," with its Chakra-glowing rotary cannon barrel, had already locked onto its target.

"Damn it!" Saga was both shocked and enraged. He quickly formed hand signs.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"

A thick earth wall rose from the ground, attempting to block the puppets' attacks.

However, just as he completed the hand signs, the ground beneath him suddenly collapsed without warning!

"Boom!" A huge pit appeared, and Saga fell into it, caught off guard.

It was a trap! This cunning traitor had actually set traps in advance along his escape route to lure his pursuers!

"Go to hell!" Saga let out a sinister laugh from the pit. On the walls of the pit, dozens of explosive tags simultaneously flashed with dazzling light!

"Rumble—!" A violent explosion lifted the entire ground, and terrifying flames and shockwaves swept in all directions.

The "Shura" puppet immediately shielded Tang Yan, enduring most of the impact with its sturdy body, but it was also blasted backward repeatedly, with multiple charred marks appearing on its armor.

When the smoke cleared, the bottom of the pit was empty.

"Pursue!" Maki's face was ashen, and he was the first to give chase.

An interception instantly turned into a pursuit.

Maki was at the forefront, Tang Yan controlled the smallest "medicine child" closely behind him, while Zi Luo and Qian Ze brought up the rear, wary of any Leaf Ninja who might be pursuing them.

Sure enough, not long after, urgent whooshing sounds came from behind.

Three "Root" Ninja wearing painted masks, like hyenas smelling blood, pursued relentlessly.

The rogue Ninja Saga stood on the other side of the river, panting heavily. He was covered in wounds, clearly exhausted from the continuous battles and traps.

Not far away, two other "Root" Ninja ran quickly, clearly another group of reinforcements.

"Maki, don't force me!" Saga's voice was hoarse. "Handing over the war deployment map to Konoha is my only way to survive now! Sunagakure can no longer accommodate me; I can only bring this token of surrender to Konoha!"

"Traitors have no right to negotiate," Maki's voice was as cold as ice. "The honor of Sunagakure cannot be sullied! You betrayed the Village that gave birth to you and raised you; how dare you beg for mercy!"

Before his words finished, Maki's figure had already vanished from his original spot. When he reappeared, he was in the middle of the river, the kunai in his hand tracing a chilling arc of light, aimed directly at Saga's throat!

A chaotic battle completely erupted!

The battle between Maki and Saga, both Jonin, was dazzlingly fast.

Taijutsu clashes and Ninjutsu bombardments, each exchange stirred up large splashes of water and shattered rocks.

And Tang Yan and the other two faced off against the three pursuing "Root" elites and the two on the other side of the river, a total of five "Root" elites!

"Genjutsu: Chaotic Blossoms!" Qian's iron fans danced, and pink petals appeared out of thin air, drawing the three "Root" Ninja into an illusion.

Zi Luo, on the other hand, was like a rampaging rhinoceros, clashing head-on with the other two "Root" Ninja, the dull and deadly sounds of their close-quarters combat resonating.

Tang Yan did not directly participate in the battle. He moved along the edge of the battlefield, his fingers dancing nimbly in the air, like an elegant conductor.

The two puppets, "medicine child" and "Owl," moved flexibly across the battlefield. Their attacks were tricky and ruthless, constantly harassing and attacking the "Root" Ninja from unexpected angles, creating opportunities for Zi Luo and Qian.

And the strongest "Shura" constantly locked onto the rogue Ninja Saga, seizing openings to attack.

Tang Yan moved around the two battlefields, occasionally using Tang Clan hidden weapons to attack Saga.

This made Saga, who was already weaker than Maki, have to divert his attention to deal with Tang Yan's attacks.

The battle was becoming increasingly favorable to Maki's side.

At some unknown point, the 'medicine child' silently circled to Saga's left blind spot.

The battle was intense, and almost no one noticed its unusual movement. Only an imperceptible silver light shot out from the "medicine child's" specially designed fingertip mechanism, so fast that it left only a blurred afterimage.

"Ugh!" Saga felt a sudden, piercing pain in his right shoulder, followed by a strong sensation of numbness that spread rapidly like an electric current to half of his body. His arm, which had been tightly gripping the kunai, instantly lost all sensation and strength, and the kunai dropped with a "clank."

The Dragon Whisker Needle hit its target! It's over!

Maki's battle instincts were incredibly sharp; he seized the opportunity almost the instant Saga's body stiffened and his weapon slipped from his grasp.

"Pfft!" Maki's figure suddenly lunged forward, and the kunai in his hand, precise and fierce, plunged deep into Saga's chest!

Saga let out a muffled groan. He knew he was doomed today.

A flicker of madness and venom flashed in his eyes. He used his last ounce of strength to pull out a scroll from his embrace, and hoarsely yelled at the last remaining "Root" Ninja. "Catch! Sunagakure intel!"

With that, he violently threw the scroll over!

The "Root" Ninja's eyes burst with ecstatic light, and he lunged desperately towards the scroll!

"Don't even think about it!" Maki roared, but it was too late to stop him.

Just at this critical moment.

"No chance," Tang Yan's calm voice sounded.

His left hand finally rose.

A completely black, pigeon-egg-sized circular hidden weapon, moving faster than the eye could follow, accurately struck the scroll in mid-air!

【Tang Clan Hidden Weapon: Twin-serpent Soul-chasing Death Pill】!

There was no violent explosion. The black "mother pill," upon contact with the scroll, burst like a bubble, and a thick, dark green acidic gas spewed out, instantly engulfing the area, including the scroll.

"Zzzzz—" A scalp-tingling corrosive sound filled the air. The war deployment map, containing Sunagakure's top secrets, along with the scroll itself, was corroded into a puddle of black-smoking ashes within 0.1 seconds. A gust of wind blew, and not even the ashes remained!

However, that wasn't all!

As the "mother pill" exploded, hundreds of "child pill" poison needles, as fine as ox hair and shimmering with a faint blue light, shot out like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, blasting towards the lunging "Root" Ninja!

The Ninja only managed to let out a short gasp before his body was completely riddled with poison needles.

The ecstasy on his face instantly froze, and his body turned black and withered at a visible rate. Finally, with a "thud," he collapsed to the ground, turning into a puddle of foul-smelling black liquid, leaving no complete corpse behind.

The entire battlefield instantly fell silent.

The few remaining "Root" Ninja watched this scene with horror, and for the first time, their emotionless eyes revealed an emotion called "fear."

"Retreat!" Maki glanced at the dead Saga, not lingering in battle, and immediately gave the order.

Tang Yan recalled the three puppets and turned to leave.

Zi Luo and Qian also quickly disengaged from the battle and followed.

The group, along with the pursuit squad that had arrived earlier, retreated rapidly towards the Land of Wind without looking back.

The merchant caravan? They were ordinary people; Konoha wouldn't go so far as to vent their anger on them for such a minor matter.

Just as they were about to disappear at the edge of the forest, Maki suddenly stopped, turned back, and his single eye coldly stared at the two accompanying "Root" Ninja. His voice was not loud, but it clearly echoed across the entire riverbed. "Go back and tell your master."

"Fourth Kazekage-sama has ordered the interception of the Sunagakure rogue Ninja. Konoha not only forcibly obstructed us but also colluded with the traitor to steal our Sunagakure Village's secrets."

"This matter is intolerable!"

His voice paused, and every word seemed to have been pulled from an ice cellar. "Go back and prepare for war."

After his words, he did not linger, his figure completely disappearing into the dense forest.

The group moved silently through the forest, with only the soft sounds of footsteps and occasional rustling of branches being pushed aside.

Tang Yan followed behind Maki, his lips habitually curving into a smile, breaking the solemn atmosphere: "Kazekage-sama was just looking for a suitable reason to start a war. This time, we've certainly performed a great service."

Maki's steps did not falter, maintaining his cold and stern demeanor. He only let out an almost inaudible hum from his nose, implicitly agreeing with Tang Yan's statement.