NOVEL WEB Chapter 149: Chapter 149
At the border between the Land of the Moon and the Land of Hot Springs, aside from vast forests, there once stood a small settlement known as Hongshan Village.
It used to be home to two or three hundred villagers.
However, before the war began, Hidden Cloud Village captured them all. They were now being used as laborers by Kumogakure's ninja forces.
Now, two more squads from Hidden Cloud had arrived at the deserted Hongshan Village.
Inside the village chief's former residence, seven or eight ninjas gathered in the living room. They took out food pills, swallowing them to stave off hunger. Some even brought snacks and drinks to munch on.
Ninjas on the move weren't like ordinary civilians with dietary worries or pre-battle rituals. Thanks to chakra, they didn't need to worry about digestion or stamina issues. Preparation was far more practical and straightforward.
"Samui."
The striking blonde woman turned when she heard her name. It was Darui, sitting diagonally across from her.
Darui's face was red from drinking. He raised his head and let out a burp. "Want to team up later?"
"No," Samui replied coldly, her face emotionless. "Because the troops are too large, Lord Raikage ordered them to disperse."
To civilians, large-scale battles might seem impressive, but for shinobi, they were a liability.
Numbers didn't always mean strength. Too many people grouped together made them easy targets for large-scale ninjutsu. The best strategy was to spread out and use guerrilla tactics.
Darui sighed. He'd expected her rejection—Samui was famously cool-headed—but he had to try. After all, which man wouldn't admire a woman so rational?
Probably none, Darui thought.
"I can go with you to help avenge Atsui. One more person means more strength."
Samui was slightly moved by his words. She glanced at the laid-back, white-haired, dark-skinned Darui. His sluggish demeanor irritated her a bit.
Samui was a woman of few words. "What do you want from me in return?"
"Nothing," Darui replied with a small chuckle, eyes half-closed. "We're friends, right? Isn't it natural to help a friend?"
Favors between friends—those were the hardest to repay.
If she accepted help now, it'd be difficult to turn him down next time. Still... she had to avenge her brother.
Samui clenched her jaw and looked out at the glowing red sunset.
"Fine. I'll accept your help this time."
After a long pause, the two gathered the other senior shinobi in their unit to discuss their search route.
Twenty minutes later, the two squads merged, forming a combined unit of around four hundred. Together, they headed toward the Land of Hot Springs.
The blood-red sun hung low in the sky.
By the time they had been running for a while, it was already 5:30 p.m.
Samui checked her pocket watch, then looked up and continued. Suddenly, she caught sight of a familiar figure.
"Yugito? What are you doing here?!"
Hearing someone call her name, Yugito stopped mid-step on her way toward the Konoha encampment.
Turning around, she saw her closest friend in the village—Samui, known for her broad-mindedness.
Damn it, why her?!
All of Samui's family had died. Yugito didn't have the heart to deceive her.
Thinking quickly, Yugito considered making up an excuse to find another group.
But before she could move, Darui stepped forward.
"Yugito, judging by your outfit, you've only just returned, haven't you?" he said. "Why not join us and contribute to the mission? Samui and I will take responsibility for your earlier failure when we report to Lord Raikage."
Darui was here too.
Looking behind them, Yugito spotted several groups of ninjas hiding not far away.
Roughly four hundred people.
That should be enough for what Naruto had asked her to do—bring a large force to him.
Yugito smiled apologetically. "Sure."
"We can't locate Lord Raikage right now anyway. I'll go with you guys."
Konoha Camp
One of Naruto's shadow clones hung from a tree, but the person approaching wasn't an enemy.
It was a shadow clone of Hinata Hiashi—Naruto's future father-in-law.
"Hello, Naruto-kun," Hiashi greeted warmly.
Despite his square, stern features, his smile was surprisingly gentle—gentler even than the late Third Hokage.
Normally, Naruto would've responded right away. But this was only a shadow clone.
"Please state your business. If it's important, I'll disperse and relay it to the original."
"Haha, I'm a shadow clone too. It's fine if we just chat," Hiashi offered, still smiling.
But Naruto's clone remained stoic, its expression as cold as Sasuke's. Arrogant and detached.
"Please state your business. If it's important, I'll disperse and relay it to the original."
Same line, repeated.
Hiashi's clone was momentarily speechless.
Naruto had recently figured out how to "program" his shadow clones. All of them were now brainless combat dummies, meant solely to assist in battle. They couldn't think or act independently.
Naruto remembered, from his past life watching anime, how shadow clones sometimes attacked their original or fought over trivial things—like using the toilet.
Seemed harmless, but if you thought of it like AI turning on its creators, it was dangerous.
Better to have obedient idiots than rogue intelligences.
Looking at the clone's expressionless face, Hiashi's clone twitched a little.
Probably a bad batch, he thought.
"Hehe, I just wanted to ask if you need any help. Don't worry about owing me a favor. You're my daughter's close friend—so you're a friend of the Hyuga clan."
…
Silence.
Hiashi's clone asked again, "Why don't you disperse?"
"Please state your business. If it's important, I'll disperse and relay it to the original."
"…"
Damn it, you said you'd inform the original if it's important, so why not just poof already?!
Just as Hiashi's clone was about to continue, Naruto's clone suddenly raised its palm. A massive swirling Rasengan formed and, in an instant, he shot from the tree like a meteor, smashing into the ground with a boom.
A cyclone burst outward, alarming everyone nearby.
Hidden Konoha ninjas leapt out, led by Kakashi and Hiashi himself.
Kakashi frowned, ready to scold Naruto for making noise and giving away their position—until he saw the crater.
Lying inside it was the corpse of a Hidden Cloud ninja.
Both Kakashi and Hiashi were stunned.
When did that enemy get here?
Even with the Byakugan and Sharingan, they hadn't noticed him.
Yet Naruto's clone had.
"Incredible…" Kakashi murmured. "Naruto, when did you notice him?"
The clone replied, "Please state your business. If it's important, I'll disperse and relay it to the original."
Kakashi's expression darkened. He assumed Naruto was still holding a grudge.
"Look, Naruto, I admit I focused too much on Sasuke. That was wrong. But now's not the time for petty grievances."
"Tell me where the enemy is coming from so we can respond properly!"
But again, the clone simply said, "Please state your business. If it's important, I'll disperse and relay it to the original."
Kakashi finally understood what true helplessness felt like.
Hiashi, too, had just received intel from his own clone.
At first, they thought Naruto had been reckless, but now… it seemed like Naruto had predicted everything.
That earlier attack was no accident—it was a calculated move.
Hiashi opened his Byakugan to scan the area. "Kakashi, as a sensei, maybe stop relying on your student so much. Use your own eyes."
The jab hit home. Kakashi flushed with embarrassment.
We're at war here, and now Hiashi's going senile too?
Naruto was young—fine—but why was Hiashi acting like this?
Before Kakashi could retort, Naruto's clone raised another Rasengan and looked toward the northeast.
As they followed his gaze, the sky darkened.
There, towering like a living mountain, stood the Eight-Tails. Each swing of its tails stirred clouds of dust.
"It's that damn Eight-Tails again!" Hiashi gritted his teeth. "It bombed us three times already."
Kakashi snapped into command mode. "Everyone spread out! Avoid cluster formations! Sealing team, ready!"
His leadership shone, even more than Hiashi's. But commanding was only part of the job—power also mattered.
The Tailed Beast's strength couldn't be resisted by ordinary shinobi. This would be the ultimate test of teamwork.
Just then, Naruto's shadow clones swarmed in from every direction—twenty to thirty of them.
With Rasengans blazing, they charged the Eight-Tails like madmen.
"ROAAARRR!!"
The beast's roar scattered most of the clones with soundwaves alone. The rest managed to land blows, but the damage was negligible.
"I sense the Nine-Tails' chakra in you… are you its jinchūriki?" Gyūki boomed, grabbing one clone. "Kirabi says, if you want to live, surrender."
But Naruto's clone responded with a shout: "Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
The spiraling projectile ripped into the beast's hand, shredding the clone but leaving behind a deep, stinging pain.
"ROAR!!"
Gyūki howled in pain—twice in under a minute.
The first roar was intimidating.
The second was... just embarrassing.
"Damn you, Nine-Tails Jinchūriki!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
From the woods nearby, Naruto himself observed the chaos.
He saw the Eight-Tails, and dozens of Cloud Ninjas converging on the battlefield.
His eyes narrowed as a smile crept across his face.
"So many people want me dead, huh? Selector… isn't this your cue?"
[Ding! Passive Choice Triggered!]
[You've become the #2 target of Hidden Cloud. Most of Kumogakure's forces want you dead. What will you do?]
[Option 1 – Be Friendly: Convince Konoha and Kumogakure to reconcile by the end of today. Reward: Rinnegan.]
"Screw your reconciliation. And screw your Rinnegan. Don't dangle good loot when you know it's impossible to complete!"
[Option 2 – Be Rational: Fight alongside Konoha and defeat Hidden Cloud within a month. Reward: 16% control of the Nine-Tails.]
[Option 3 – Go Wild: Completely destroy Hidden Cloud and take control of the Land of Lightning. Reward: Eight Gates: Perfect Edition.]
Eight Gates: Perfect Edition – Opening the Death Gate no longer kills the user. Instead, it consumes all chakra and requires a long recovery.
[Option 4 – Be Ruthless: Kill everyone in the Land of Lightning. Reward: Blood-Drinking Sword (Divine Weapon).]