Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 82: Ambush

Although everyone regarded Sasuke as a genius, he himself had a rather sober understanding of his abilities. What kind of genius was he? It was Itachi Uchiha who was the real genius!

Itachi didn't need the Sharingan to copy techniques, nor did he require elders to repeatedly explain the secrets of ninjutsu. He didn't even need to be told the hand seals. With just a single glance, relying solely on his own comprehension, Itachi could perform the "Great Fireball Technique" in the blink of an eye.

It took Sasuke an entire week to learn the "Great Fireball Technique." Compared to his older brother, he was utterly mediocre.

Adding to this was the fact that he had been defeated by Ino once. These past few days, he had also seen Ino diligently practicing "Water Severing Wave" and "Earth-Style Wall." She was clearly a genius who combined both effort and talent. The pressure on Sasuke remained, but he no longer considered himself a genius.

Since he wasn't a genius, it was understandable that he hadn't instantly mastered the Chidori.

Sasuke was learning the Chidori. Although his progress was slow, he was gradually mastering this A-rank Lightning Release ninjutsu through sheer repetition.

Sakura, on the other hand, was learning genjutsu while also studying the Water Prison Technique.

In terms of genjutsu proficiency, the group staying at Tazuna's house was roughly on the same level. Ino knew the "Hell Viewing Technique," Kakashi was somewhat familiar with it but far from mastering it, and Asuma, who had a girlfriend skilled in genjutsu, would occasionally discuss it to find common ground. Over time, he had picked up a few techniques as well.

The three of them all knew genjutsu, but none had invested much effort into the field.

Sakura had matured somewhat by now. Her infatuation wasn't as severe as before, and with the advantage of proximity, she felt certain she could win Sasuke's heart. Seeing Ino busy training every day, Sakura no longer harbored much hostility toward her.

During breaks, she began asking Ino for advice on genjutsu, then turned to Kakashi and Asuma for guidance.

She discovered that each of them had their own unique approach.

Ino's imagination was vast, and her "Hell Viewing Technique" was grand in scale.

Sakura had Ino cast the genjutsu on her once. In the illusion, she found herself at a ninja academy called "Suzuran," witnessing the daily brawls among the students a so-called "Suzuran domination." It was raining, umbrellas were being thrown, and in the end, two leaders named Genji Uzumaki and Tamox Uchiha led their respective gangs in a muddy brawl.

Sakura felt as though she had no control over her body, shouting from the sidelines, "Stop! You guys need to stop fighting!"

That night, as she rested, Sakura could still hear someone whispering in her ear, "Genji, you must conquer the world."

The genjutsu felt both real and unreal, leaving Sakura disoriented for a long time after breaking free. She even began looking at Naruto and Sasuke with a strange expression.

When Kakashi used the "Hell Viewing Technique" on her, she saw nothing but darkness severed heads rolling on the ground, blood flying everywhere, and corpses scattered in all directions.

Asuma's "Hell Viewing Technique" was far more intricate, layered within layers. Sakura managed to break free using her willpower, only to realize much later that she was still trapped in the second layer of the illusion.

One was realistic, one was terrifying, and one was cunning. Each of their genjutsu styles was different, leaving Sakura utterly bewildered.

Both Sasuke and Sakura had their own breakthroughs.

Naruto, however, was struggling. His foundation was far weaker compared to the Naruto who would later be trained by Jiraiya three years down the line.

Kakashi was truly terrible at teaching. As a genius himself, he could master techniques with minimal practice. When teaching Ino the "Earth-Style Wall," he demonstrated it once and told her to practice on her own. The same went for Sasuke and the Chidori. Many things that Kakashi took for granted and didn't bother explaining were things Ino and Sasuke could grasp through their own talent. Naruto, however, couldn't.

Explaining the nature transformation of Wind Release chakra was like pulling teeth for Kakashi, leaving him utterly exasperated.

Naruto spent his days creating a multitude of shadow clones, training relentlessly, but he still hadn't made any significant progress.

The eight of them had been staying at Tazuna's house for six days. On the evening of the sixth day, Ino's shadow clone discovered Zabuza's trail. After waiting two more days, Homura Mitokado sent word that the Hidden Mist Village was willing to engage in limited contact with the Hidden Leaf Village. The Leaf Village wanted the two teams to work together to capture Zabuza and Haku especially Haku and bring them to the Mist Village.

The group halted their training and gathered to discuss their next strategy.

Ino began by sharing her reconnaissance findings.

Pointing at the map, she said, "There's a high probability that Zabuza and Haku are on this small island to our seven o'clock direction. They're approximately nineteen kilometers away from us."

Once the location was confirmed, the next step was an ambush.

Both Asuma and Kakashi, as jonin, would definitely go. Shikamaru, Choji, and Sakura would stay behind to guard Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru, while Ino, Naruto, and Sasuke would join the mission.

The five of them took a boat to the target island and, without much difficulty, found Haku grinding herbs.

Naruto, still furious at being deceived by this "big sister," charged forward with a roar.

Haku immediately used a Water Clone Technique to create distance, moving back more than ten meters.

A thick mist began to envelop the area nearby, signaling Zabuza's arrival.

Kakashi quickly issued combat orders: "You three handle the boy. Remember, the village wants him alive, but your lives are far more important. Survival is your top priority. Asuma, let's take on Zabuza."

"Got it!" The two jonin split off, charging toward the center of the mist.

During the war between the Leaf and Mist Villages, Asuma had been rebellious and had left to serve as a guardian ninja for the Land of Fire's daimyo. As a result, he had little experience fighting Mist ninja. Leading Team 10, Ino had helped fill in some of those gaps. Through sparring, he had gained some experience dealing with the Hidden Mist Technique and Water Release ninjutsu.

Asuma had flint embedded in his molars. He immediately ignited the gunpowder transformed through chakra nature and, without waiting for a reaction, spat it out.

"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"

The gunpowder scattered rapidly, and a second later, a massive explosion erupted within the mist-covered area.

The violent explosion temporarily dispersed the mist, and the sound of the blast caused Haku to turn his head in alarm. The beautiful boy cried out, "Zabuza-sama?!"

The response to his call was the sharp, buzzing sound of Sasuke's "Chidori"!

Sasuke was still clumsy with this technique. Both the speed of the jutsu and his physical movement were somewhat slow.

He had barely covered a third of the distance when Haku reacted. As a ninja with the Ice Release kekkei genkai, Haku spread his arms, and several ice mirrors formed behind him. He stepped back into one of the mirrors, then began moving rapidly through them, ignoring spatial constraints.

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