The Nara clan representative, his hair tied in its signature pineapple style, tried to de-escalate the situation. "Kusagakure ninjas, listen! We know you were coerced. We know this wasn't your choice."
"How about this? Release Shinnosuke, and return with us to Konoha. The Hokage is a reasonable man; he will seek justice for you.
Trust , even if you escape today, Kusagakure will never treat you kindly after bringing this much trouble to their doorstep."
"Heh, that's our business, and it has nothing to do with Konoha," Shiraki (Shisui) spoke up from the back, his voice cold and dismissive.
He then turned to Negishi. "Don't you dare let go. If you do, these thousand ninjas will turn us into dust in an instant."
"I know that! You don't have to tell ," Negishi snapped. Deep down, he was already starting to regret his choices.
He should have abandoned his subordinates and fled alone. Now, he had crossed a line with Konoha that could never be uncrossed. But there was no ti for "what ifs."
"Clear a path and let us leave!" Negishi bellowed.
"Impossible!" a Konoha Jōnin barked back.
However, the Nara strategist quickly signaled the Konoha forces to step aside, creating a narrow corridor. It was a stalling tactic.
He had already positioned several Yamanaka clan mbers within the ranks along that path. The mont the Grass ninjas entered the bottleneck, they would be hit with the Mind Body Switch Technique.
But just as the hand seals were completed, the Yamanaka ninjas suddenly collapsed, clutching their heads in agony. The spiritual backlash was instantaneous and violent.
Thirty seconds earlier, Shisui had distributed a special injector to his teammates. It contained a stimulant refined from Hero's Water and various insect pheromones.
It was a potent "Adrenaline Shot" that surged through the nervous system. While it shortened one's lifespan and led to a month-long period of extre weakness, it provided an iron-clad defense against ntal intrusion by hyper-stimulating the user's psyche.
The Grass ninjas, sensing their impending doom, had injected it without hesitation, internally thanking "Shiraki" for such a "precious" gift.
"So, you did have an ambush waiting," Negishi sneered. He tightened his grip on Shinnosuke's throat, cutting off the young man's air until he lost consciousness from hypoxia.
"Lord Shinnosuke!" the Konoha ninjas cried out, rushing forward.
Suddenly, a series of light breezes began to swirl, rapidly intensifying into a violent gale that blinded everyone in the vicinity. High above, Ao the dragonfly beat its wings with rhythmic precision.
This was Shisui's newly developed technique: Wind Style: Wind Sweep. It wasn't designed for lethal damage but for high-pressure suppression.
Mixed into the gale were phosphorus scales from Ao's wings, creating a temporary blinding effect.
Furthermore, Shisui activated his secondary invention: Secret Art: Wind-Listening. By combining chakra with natural energy, he turned the surrounding air currents into his ears and eyes. He had already mapped the perfect escape route through the chaos.
"Go! Now!" Shisui urged, falling back to cover the rear. By the ti the dust settled, they had vanished into the night.
The Hocoming of the Condemned
For three days, they trekked through the dense forests of the Land of Grass, dragging the unconscious Shinnosuke.
Every ti the Konoha trackers drew close, Shisui's sensing warned them in advance, allowing them to slip away.
When they finally limped back into Kusagakure, exhausted and bruised, they collapsed at the gates. But there was no hero's welco. The Grass Leader's face turned ashen the mont he saw their prisoner.
"YOU FOOLS!" he scread, his finger trembling as he pointed at Negishi. "That is the Hokage's son! Do you think Konoha will let us live? Do you think Iwa will protect us now? You've brought ruin to this village!"
Negishi looked up, his eyes cold and hollow. "And us? When you sent us to die, did you care about ruin then?"
The Leader stamred, unable to find an answer. An elder stepped in to diate. "What's done is done.
Lock them up. Treat the boy well—don't let him suffer. Then... then we'll see if we can negotiate with Konoha."
Everyone knew negotiation was a fantasy. You don't kidnap the son of the "God of Shinobi" and expect a seat at the table.
Sure enough, a day later, a Konoha ANBU arrived. His voice was like ice. "Return the prisoner and hand over the perpetrators within three days.
Fail, and Konoha will classify Kusagakure as a hostile entity and take all necessary asures." He left without even accepting a cup of water.
Panic gripped the village. The high-level eting was a cacophony of shouting. So wanted to hand over Negishi and his squad as a peace offering; others wanted to defect to Iwa imdiately.
The consensus: Imprison Negishi's team to appease Konoha for the mont, while secretly pleading with Iwa for protection.
The Prison Break
Negishi and his six surviving comrades were thrown into a damp, dark cell. The stimulant's side effects had kicked in; they were now so weak a child could have beaten them. Eight n huddled in the dim light of a flickering oil lamp.
"I knew it," one ninja hissed. "Those bastards are going to sell us out."
"So what? We just wait here to die?"
Negishi leaned against the wall, silent. Shisui sat in the corner, observing their rage and their burgeoning hatred for the village. The fruit was ripe for the picking.
"Do you want to get out?" Shisui asked quietly.
The group froze. Shisui reached into his pouch and pulled out several small, dark pellets (which were actually dormant insect eggs). "Eat these. They will give you the strength you need."
Without waiting for their response, he stood up and placed a hand on the reinforced iron door. With a casual shove, the "indestructible" gate shattered off its hinges. Outside, two guards already lay in pools of blood, silent and cold.
The ninjas looked at each other, then at Negishi.
Negishi didn't hesitate. He swallowed the pellet and stood up. "Let's go."
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