Naruto: I Can Upgrade My Techniques Infinitely

By the time they reached the outskirts of Iwagakure, near the designated rendezvous point stated in the mission, Nara Kazuki raised a hand and signaled Shisui and Itachi to stay alert. They were now operating near the border of an enemy village—any mistake could spiral into catastrophe.

They didn't know who the spy was. Whether he had been compromised. Whether he had been flipped by Iwa. The entire situation demanded caution. After all, this wasn't the first time the shinobi world had seen missions like this blow up.

The world of espionage in the shinobi age was a brutal game. The Five Great Nations were in a constant state of quiet war, always scheming, always sending spies into each other's territory. Counterintelligence efforts were ruthless. There had been cases where a spy lured in their own comrades only for the enemy village to ambush and annihilate the rescue team. Other times, a spy's cover was blown, and the village pretended not to notice—baiting the extraction squad into a trap.

Which was why these missions were high-risk, high-variance. Sometimes you got lucky—clean extraction, no resistance, no pursuit. Other times, it was like dancing in a minefield with a kunai between your teeth.

"Eyes sharp. Scan every direction," Kazuki whispered.

Shisui and Itachi nodded, both solemn. Even Itachi, usually so calm, looked visibly tense.

This wasn't a low-tier mission in the Land of Fire where they were just cutting down bandits. This was a live op, on the doorstep of Iwagakure. It was like disco dancing on a lightning trap. Thankfully, they weren't being ordered to enter the village. If Danzō had gone that far, Kazuki would've stormed back to Konoha and demanded to know what kind of suicide script the old bastard was writing.

At least now, they had some wiggle room.

Kazuki narrowed his eyes, observing the terrain. They had to confirm the rendezvous point was safe. If it wasn't, fallback had to be immediate.

Yes, ninja were expected to complete their missions no matter the cost—but spy retrievals were an exception. No one wanted to die for a gamble that had gone sour.

After a thorough sweep, neither Kazuki nor the others spotted anything suspicious. Shisui and Itachi returned from their own scans with negative reports.

But Kazuki still frowned.

Something didn't sit right. A subtle, prickling unease. Instinct.

So he created a Shadow Clone and stationed it at the rear, a safeguard. If something went wrong, he could body-swap through the shadow and reverse the ambush in seconds.

"Grab something to eat," Kazuki muttered. "Then come here—I need to go over the plan again."

They moved to a rocky overhang. From there, the extraction site below was in full view, while the alcove offered decent concealment.

Shisui and Itachi joined him, both crouching down.

Kazuki handed out rations and laid out the play.

"There are two scenarios," he began. "First—everything goes smooth. Spy shows up, we get out. No noise, no trouble, straight exit from the Land of Earth."

He glanced at Shisui.

Sure, in the original timeline, both Shisui and Itachi survived long enough to become legends. But with all the butterfly wings he was flapping, he didn't trust fate.

If either of them died under his watch, the only outcome left would be executing the Uchiha extermination plan. He might even have to eliminate Sasuke too—regardless of how little emotional connection Sasuke had to Itachi right now, it was still a risk.

"Second—spy's being tailed or used as bait. If that's the case, we pull out immediately. Forget the spy. He's either turned or about to be turned. You two are more valuable than he is. If we get separated, regroup at the last camp site. If that fails, meet in the next town. If even that's compromised, return to Konoha."

"Understood, Captain," Shisui replied, exhaling hard. He was nervous, clearly, but controlled. Kazuki gave his shoulder a reassuring pat and went quiet, waiting alongside them in the rocky shadows.

Noon came.

No one showed.

Kazuki didn't move, didn't speak. He just waited.

Then, eventually, a lone man appeared. Tall. Muscular. Carrying a basket like a forager hunting herbs.

Kazuki's eyes narrowed.

A soft birdsong echoed through the valley—whistled.

The signal.

That was the contact.

"You two stay back. Wait for my signal," Kazuki murmured. Shisui and Itachi were too conspicuous. His Shadow Clone was already positioned behind them. If anything went wrong, they'd have a route out.

Kazuki looped around, making a wide arc to approach from another direction, minimizing any chance of detection.

"Hey, you here for wild ginseng root too?" the man asked brightly when he spotted Kazuki, smiling with genuine relief.

"No. We're just the root," Kazuki replied smoothly.

The code.

This was the contact.

"Just you?" the man asked, eyes scanning the area.

Kazuki tensed. His shadow crept forward. Hands began weaving seals slowly, methodically. No change in his posture.

There was no one else around—yet.

"I'm all you need," Kazuki said flatly, not yet revealing the presence of Shisui or Itachi.

"Huh. Looks like the village really trusts me then," the man chuckled as he removed his disguise.

Kazuki's eyes widened.

That face—

No way.

That damn luck again?

YAKUSHI KABUTO.

This unlucky bastard was really the spy?

Kazuki almost looked around for Nonō Yakushi on reflex. He remembered that in canon, Kabuto's breakdown had come when he accidentally killed Nonō, and she hadn't recognized him. That was the turning point—when his identity began to disintegrate.

But maybe that hadn't happened yet. At this point, Kabuto was likely still a loyal spy under Danzō's thumb.

"Let's move. Fast," Kabuto said, glancing over his shoulder as he started toward the exit point.

At that moment, Kazuki's slow, subtle hand seals snapped into full speed.

His pupils contracted.

"AMBUSH!" Kazuki roared, chakra flaring violently.

In the next heartbeat, the sky split with the roar of thunder.

Lightning Release: Flame Demon Aspect—ignited.