Naruto: This Uchiha is too innocent.

Chapter 148 Surprise Attack, Bloodshed

Murata raised his hand to his heart and glanced at the weeds beside him.

As he stared intently, a toad scurried out of the weeds with a croaking sound. Its large, bell-like eyes stared silently at Murata, as if filled with curiosity about the two-legged creature before it.

Seeing this, Murata snorted and then looked away, gazing at the forest path before him. Once they crossed this forest and passed that headland, a distance of about seven kilometers, they would reach their destination, and the escort mission would be complete.

The entire journey was forty kilometers, and these seven kilometers were less than one-fifth of the total distance. However, Murata inexplicably felt a pang of palpitations, and his heart began to beat rapidly and uncontrollably.

He knew in his heart that this unease stemmed from the Konoha ANBU he had encountered earlier. That ANBU member wearing a fox mask had instilled a great sense of oppression in him.

"Shiroichi, speed up. Make sure we reach our destination before dark," Murata ordered solemnly.

The coachman, called Shiroichi, paused slightly, a hint of hesitation appearing on his face. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Jonin Murata, if we speed up, we might be discovered by the people of Konoha."

"I can't worry about that now." Murata waved his hand. "Just do as I say."

"Alright." Seeing Murata's resolute attitude, Shiro said no more. This convoy was led by Murata anyway.

Soon, the supply convoy quickened its pace. The wheels rolled, leaving clear and deep tire tracks in the muddy ground.

"At this speed, we'll reach our destination in just three hours," Shiroichi said to Murata as he drove the carriage.

"Hmm." Murata nodded slightly, then closed his eyes to rest. He kept his energy and spirit at their peak, and had a vague premonition that this mission might encounter some misfortune.

Because the two Chunin had not returned, the atmosphere in the otherwise relaxed convoy was now heavy, with an invisible sense of urgency weighing heavily on everyone's minds.

"Hey, what do you think happened to Ryokai and Hirako? They were with Jonin Murata, yet they still—died." A team member nudged his companion with his elbow, lowered his voice, and said with a worried expression.

Although Murata never explicitly told everyone that the two Chunin were dead, on this battlefield, losing contact was basically equivalent to being sentenced to "death," a tacit consensus among everyone.

"They probably ran into a Jonin from Konoha," another person pondered for a moment.

"Sigh, I think so too. What a pity—" The man sighed, his face full of regret. "I had made a promise with Hirako that after this mission, we would go to the most luxurious brothel in the Land of Earth to relax together."

"Tsk, look at you, all you can think about is that awful yellow paint."

"Hey, the way you're talking, it's like you're all that great." The man retorted defiantly, "Then tell me, what are your ambitions?"

"Me? —" The other person paused for a moment, a hint of longing in their eyes, "After the war ends, I want to resign from my ninja identity and spend the rest of my life with my wife and children. To be honest, I've saved up quite a bit of silver over the years. I want to buy a cozy little house so my family can live peacefully there. We'll live a simple life, occasionally indulging in a meal at a restaurant. When we get old, we can help our son take care of our grandchildren and enjoy the joys of family life."

After a long silence, the other person slowly spoke: "You're pretty good."

Among men, the simple phrase "You're amazing" is the highest form of recognition.

"Damn it, when I get back this time, I'm going to find a woman too!" the man shouted, his voice filled with heroic pride.

"Good luck."

"Absolutely! With my manly charm, I'm top-notch!" The man patted his chest, his face full of confidence.

And so, the two chatted idly, and time slipped by unnoticed. Before they knew it, the convoy had emerged from the woods and officially entered the headland territory—

Due to the terrain, the winds between the headlands are exceptionally fierce, their howling sound like the wailing of ghosts echoing through the silent mountains, sending chills down one's spine.

Faced with such headwinds, the convoy could only slow down and proceed steadily.

Murata, from the moment he entered the cape, was on high alert. He knew that if there was one place on the journey where he was most likely to be ambushed, it was this place.

"Listen up, everyone!" Murata suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "From now on, be on your guard! Keep your eyes wide open and your ears perked up. Report any suspicious activity immediately!" He paused, then continued encouragingly, "Once we get through here safely, the mission will be a complete success. Then you can go back to the village and enjoy yourselves to the fullest—drink the strongest liquor and woo the most beautiful girls!"

Upon hearing this, everyone erupted in excited cheers, their morale soaring.

Generally, these long-distance missions are accompanied by extremely high risks, so as long as the mission is successfully completed, there will be a short period of free time as a reward, ranging from half a day to a day. This is undoubtedly the most attractive thing for exhausted ninjas.

However, sensing the passion and excitement of the crowd, Murata only sighed softly. The unease that had been weighing on his heart did not lessen at all; on the contrary, it grew even heavier.

"I hope nothing goes wrong—" he murmured softly, lowering his head.

The slanting rays of the setting sun pierced through layers of clouds, casting a warm and soft glow on everyone's faces. The lush canopy of trees swayed merrily in the wind, rustling and playing an autumnal symphony. It was late autumn, and most of the maple leaves in the mountains were nearing the end of their lives, hanging precariously on the branches, ready to fall at any moment.

The towering mountains, like silent giants, looked down upon everything below, casting vast shadows that enveloped everyone. The leaves on both sides of the road rustled in the strong wind, telling of the desolation of autumn.

The whole world resembled a magnificent, colorful painting, especially enchanting under the glow of the setting sun. The cool air was free of any dust, so pure it was invigorating.

The Iwagakure ninjas swallowed hard in unison. Compared to Iwagakure, which was shrouded in sandstorms year-round, this place was infinitely better.

"This is only the border of the Land of Fire, and it's already so beautiful that I don't want to leave. I can't even imagine what Konoha Village must look like." An Iwagakure ninja tilted his head slightly, his eyes full of longing, and murmured to himself.

In the vast land of the ninja world, most people never leave their own country in their entire lives. Their knowledge of Konoha's prosperity comes only from rumors. And it is precisely for this reason that Konoha, widely recognized as the most superior village in the ninja world, shines like a dazzling pearl, deeply attracting them and filling them with longing.

"If we, the Hidden Stone Village, can win this war, wouldn't we also get a share of the abundant resources of the Hidden Stone Village?" a Hidden Stone Village ninja suddenly said, a greedy look flashing in his eyes.

The unattainable is always the most alluring, even though they all knew in their hearts that even if the war were won, the enormous benefits would only be enjoyed by the higher-ups of Iwagakure. These lower-ranking ninjas would at most receive some silver as a reward. However, this did not stop them from indulging in their fantasies.

"With Konoha suffering defeat after defeat on the battlefield, it's only a matter of time before Iwagakure triumphs. In my opinion, those Konoha ninjas don't deserve such a superior environment. This wonderful place should be under our control!"

"I've heard that all the girls in Konoha are incredibly beautiful, with skin so tender it's like you could squeeze water out of it. When the time comes, I'll definitely have some fun with them and let them witness the fierce power of the men of Iwagakure, and see what a real man is!" As he spoke, a lewd glint flashed in his eyes, and a disgusting smile appeared on his face.

These explicit and vulgar words instantly drew laughter from the crowd, the sound echoing through the mountains and sounding particularly jarring.

"Woof!"

"I've heard that Konoha's cuisine is unparalleled in the ninja world. Once I get to Konoha, I'll definitely have to try it and see just how delicious it is."

"Woof woof!!"

"Um, did you guys hear a dog barking?"

"A dog barking? How could there be a dog barking in this deep mountain forest? It's probably a wild wolf that came out from somewhere."

"It seems to be true, everyone please be quiet." Someone noticed something was wrong and quickly signaled everyone to stop making noise.

Instantly, everyone fell silent. They all pricked up their ears, held their breath, and listened silently to the sounds around them.

Besides the howling wind, they also heard—

"Woof woof woof!!!" The sound grew clearer and louder.

"There really are dogs!"

The group looked at each other, completely bewildered. Just as they were about to huddle together to see what was going on, a figure slowly emerged from among them.

"Murata, a Jonin?" Someone's eyes widened.

Murata took a deep breath, thinking to himself that he had indeed encountered the worst situation. With a cold face, he calmly said, "Enemy attack. Everyone, prepare for battle."

Everyone gasped, and the next moment, a clear bark suddenly rang out!

A dozen fierce-looking ninja dogs bared their fangs and roared at them!

Everyone was startled.

"Calm down, protect the supplies." Murata's voice rang in everyone's ears. With this Jonin as their pillar of support, the panicked Iwagakure ninja quickly calmed down.

Two Chunin stepped forward, formed hand seals, slammed their hands on the ground, and shouted in unison, "Earth Release: Earth Wall Technique!"

In an instant, two tall and thick earthen walls rose from the ground and stood in front of everyone.

The ninja dogs charged straight at the first earthen wall. With a deafening roar, the first earthen wall crumbled instantly under the dogs' fierce impact, shattering into countless pieces of earth and stone. However, the second earthen wall successfully blocked the dogs' subsequent attacks.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the other Iwagakure ninjas unleashed their full power, and in an instant, all sorts of fancy ninjutsu were displayed. Under this overwhelming attack, the ninja dogs quickly gave out and disappeared with a series of "plop" sounds.

However, just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a cold glint flashed. A sharp sword light cleaved through the second earthen wall, followed by a shuriken, a surge of water, and a vortex of energy. Two genin, unable to dodge in time, were caught in the water tornado formed by the scrolls. The protective shuriken within the tornado instantly activated, turning the originally clear blue water tornado crimson with splattered blood, resembling a ferocious blood dragon.

The two corpses were swirling wildly in the waterspout, being sliced ​​into pieces by the shuriken, a gruesome sight. The onlookers were utterly horrified; a strong feeling of nausea rose from their stomachs, and goosebumps rose all over their bodies.

Without warning, two bloody arms were flung out and landed with a "thud" in front of everyone. Seeing the severed limbs, the Iwa ninja instinctively took a few steps back, their faces filled with terror.

Soon, the water jet stopped spinning, and with a muffled "splat," blood rained down like a torrential downpour. Someone was accidentally smeared with bits of flesh and immediately couldn't hold back any longer, gagging loudly, the sound particularly jarring in the silent battlefield.

"Damn it!" Murata roared in fury at the sight of the carnage. His eyes blazed with fury as he drew his long sword from behind him and slashed through the blood-soaked curtain of blood, finally revealing the pair of cold, emotionless eyes hidden beneath the mask.

Uchiha Sora reacted quickly, lightly blocking with the grass sword in his hand. With a "clang," the crisp sound of metal clashing echoed. Because he was not yet an adult, his direct strength was not as great as Murata's, and he was slightly at a disadvantage in the clash of strength. His brows under the mask furrowed slightly.

A thought flashed through his mind, and lightning struck from the sky. If struck by this lightning, the brief stun would be enough for Uchiha Sora to seize the opportunity and sever Murata's head. However, Murata was no ordinary person. Just as the lightning was about to hit, he flashed away, using the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the fatal blow.

Having failed in his first attack, Uchiha Sora did not linger and turned to attack the genin and chunin.

This is war, he won't be so foolish as to fight Murata to the death. As long as he deals with these Chunin and Genin, this mission will be completed.

Murata gasped, never expecting the Konoha Anbu to be so ruthless.

"Everyone, keep your distance from the enemy!" he roared.

However, Uchiha Sora had already made his move. His grass sword drew a perfect arc, gently slicing a genin in half at the waist, as if cutting through a cream cake.

"Konoha!!!" Murata was both shocked and furious, unleashing a terrifying power, determined to kill Uchiha Sora.

However, after landing a successful attack, Uchiha Sora immediately escaped, and Murata gave chase. He knew that if he didn't stop this person, all the Iwa ninja would die here.

"Everyone, I'll hold him off, you continue onward." He left those words behind and chased after Uchiha Sora. The two quickly disappeared from the area. The others snapped out of their daze and hurriedly pulled the carriage along as if fleeing, cautiously looking around for fear that there might still be enemies.

The genin who had been cut in half at the waist collapsed helplessly into the arms of another genin.

Whether it was a cruel twist of fate or not, this genin who was cut in half at the waist was the very person who had previously decided to resign from his ninja identity after this battle and live a good life with his wife and children.

The other person stared blankly at the half-corpse lying in his arms, watching as those eyes gradually dimmed—