Escape From Konoha

In the early morning, standing on the balcony on the second floor, what I saw when I looked up was a gray-white sky full of monotonous colors.

Pieces of snowflakes were flying down from the gray sky. In this kind of weather, it was basically impossible to see much sunshine.

The entire Konoha Village looks like a silver world.

From the balcony on the second floor, Sakura glanced at the road in front of her house. She could see that many store workers had gotten up early and started shoveling snow to keep the road clear.

Wearing heavy cotton coats and scarves under their necks, they put down their snow shoveling tools, looked up at the sky, rested there for a while, and then continued to shovel snow.

"I won't practice today. Let's go to the library and read."

Sakura felt the biting chill in the air, and for some reason, she felt that today's winter was colder than usual.

When he exhales from his mouth, the white gas spit out from his mouth starts to drag to one side like a shooting star when blown by the cold wind.

The roads on the street are still smooth, and you can keep walking. However, under the heavy snow for days, the Konoha training ground has probably become a no-man's land. There is a thick layer of snow on it. Even ninjas can't stand it. It's not particularly convenient to move around there.

Besides, she didn't really want to run outside in such cold weather.

Sakura stood on the balcony for a while, then left the balcony, walked back to the room, picked up the things she had brought with her, and was ready in less than five minutes.

"Mom, I'm going out."

Her father had been busy at the barbecue restaurant early in the morning, leaving only her mother to look after the door. Sakura carried her backpack and walked towards the library.

Sakura looked at the scenery on both sides of the street. Most of the shops were open early, but a few shops had just opened.

However, looking at this familiar street, Sakura always felt that the pedestrians walking on the road were a little deserted than usual.

Is it an illusion?

Sakura did not think deeply about this and continued towards the library.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, I arrived in front of Konoha's library. All the books that can be seen in Konoha's market are gathered here, and there are even books imported from abroad. Ninjas often come here to learn knowledge. important place.

Compared to the library established in the ninja school, it is much larger and has a more diverse variety of books.

Walking to her usual bookshelf, Sakura habitually took out a book about medicine and walked towards the reading area.

The reading area of ​​the library was very deserted in the morning. Not many people came here at all, and it was visibly empty.

At this moment, Sakura spotted a familiar figure in a remote corner and couldn't help but call out his name.

"Sai?"

Hearing Sakura's soft call, Sai, who was sitting in a remote corner of the reading area, raised his head in time and looked at Sakura who was walking towards him.

"It's Sakura, good morning."

Sai squinted his eyes and smiled, which gave the impression that no matter how you looked at it, it was fake, and he was just smiling for the sake of smiling.

Sakura has long been used to this. These days, following Tsunade, she has grown not only in medical ninjutsu and strange power, but also gained a lot of knowledge.

For example, during the break, she also asked Tsunade about the root organization and gained a deeper understanding of this organization.

At the same time, I also understood the circumstances under which Saoi's thinking, which was very different from that of ordinary people, was developed. It was not Saoi's own problem, but the darkness within Konoha.

It was that darkness that caused Sayi's current situation.

"Good morning, I didn't expect you to be here reading so early in the morning."

Sakura glanced at the book in Sai's hand. She had already opened about a third of it, and there was a notebook next to it.

The title of the book is "How to Communicate with People Correctly".

Seeing this, the smile on Sakura's face deepened.

"However, reading this kind of book, Saai, it seems that you are just a talker. You don't say it, but in your heart you really want to integrate into the environment of Class 7."

Hearing what Sakura said, Sai smiled and said, "No, I did this just to complete the task better."

"I knew you would say that, but Naruto is not here now. He is training in Miaomu Mountain, so you don't have to play riddles with me."

Sakura sat down opposite Sai and put down the medical book in her hand, titled "The Effects and Reconciliation of Drugs."

"No, I mean it sincerely."

Sai shook his head.

"I really can't stand you. Forget it, let's not talk about it. Have you thought about the ending of your picture book? Can you tell me who won in the end between you and your brother?"

Sakura asked curiously.

Saoi pondered for a moment and replied: "About this, I haven't thought about how to draw a good ending. Because to me, no matter who wins, it can't be called an excellent ending."

Speaking of this, a little loneliness flashed in Sai's eyes. But soon, this feeling of loneliness disappeared from Sayi's eyes.

"Really?" Sakura thought for a moment and continued to ask: "In other words, is it a tie?"

"I've thought about it too, but I still think it's a bit bad."

"In that case, when you think about the ending, please let me watch it."

"Well, let's talk about it then."

After ending this topic, Sai took the initiative to talk about something else:

"Speaking of which, Sakura, have you ever felt that the situation in the village is a little strange recently?"

"strangeness?"

Sakura looked away from the medical book and frowned slightly.

"Well, as for me, because I often act in the dark, I am very good at observing the dark atmosphere of Konoha... And recently, after returning from the Country of Chi, I feel that the atmosphere in the dark areas of the village has changed a bit. This matter I I asked Danzo-sama, but I didn’t get an answer. I thought Sakura, you might know something."

Sai looked at Sakura, hoping to get some reference advice from her.

Sakura's frown deepened.

When she came to the library, she did notice that something was wrong with Konoha today. Now that Saai mentioned it again, wasn't this her own illusion?

However, if there is really a major change in the atmosphere of Konoha, what will be the reason?

"I heard that the relationship between our Country of Fire and the Country of Ghosts in the west of the mainland has become extremely bad recently. It has begun to affect the normal business exchanges between the two countries, and there are frequent diplomatic problems."

Sai expressed his opinion.

"Even at other times, the relationship between the two countries may not be harmonious."

Sakura said.

The ruling class of the Demon Country are ninjas who left Konoha.

For this reason, the two countries naturally have some problems that cannot be reconciled, and they dislike each other.

The Fire Nation regards the other party as a traitor.

The other party thinks that the Fire Nation is messy.

Solving such a complicated problem was obviously not something a genin like her could do.

"No, I feel something is different this time..."

Before Zuo Jing finished speaking, a voice suddenly intervened:

"So it's here. Why, isn't that Naruto guy here?"

There were some casual sounds, and Shikamaru was seen slowly walking over with his hands in his pockets.

"Shikamaru?" Sakura looked at Shikamaru who came here in surprise, and then said: "Naruto is still practicing at Miaomu Mountain, not in the village. What, Shikamaru, do you have anything to do with him?"

Shikamaru scratched his head, glanced at Sai with the corner of his eyes, and said in a lack of motivation tone: "It's not that guy Ino who woke Choji and I up early in the morning, saying that he wanted to discuss it, tomorrow What kind of gift is appropriate?"

"Gift?"

"Yeah, tomorrow is Hinata's birthday."

Shikamaru sighed.

"That's right, I almost forgot. Fortunately, Shikamaru, you came to remind me. It seems that I also need to prepare some gifts."

Only then did Sakura realize that she had been busy with so many things recently that she had even forgotten about this matter.

"It's nothing. Speaking of which, we haven't gotten together for a long time. This time it happened to be Hinata's birthday, so I called Naruto back and we all came out to get together... Well, there is also this person named Say it.”

Shikamaru's eyes fell on Sai and he said in a positive tone.

"Yes, what's the matter?"

Sai asked with a smile.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"Eh? Can I do that too?"

Sai was surprised.

It's not that he doesn't know Hinata Hinata, but he has only met her a few times and has not had any conversations. It is a superficial relationship of 'meeting'.

And my knowledge of the other party is limited to the fact that the other party comes from a wealthy family and is a noble lady.

In addition, I learned from Sakura that this eldest lady seemed to have an unusual relationship with Naruto.

Other than that, he didn't know anything.

"Of course, you are a member of Team 7, so we will be companions from now on. I heard from my father that you have taken care of Naruto many times during missions. As Naruto's friend, naturally we cannot exclude you. .”

Shikamaru smiled.

"Is that so? Okay, I get it."

Saoi thought about it for a while and felt that this was a good way to integrate into the group and would be beneficial to his mission.

However, to celebrate Hinata Hinata's birthday, it is necessary to prepare birthday gifts.

What gift should I give to a girl?

Moreover, we are still strangers, so it is not good to give something too precious, and it seems that we do not take it seriously enough to give something too simple.

Then, Sai's brows furrowed in distress.

It seems that I really lack the common sense to communicate with others.

The more this happened, the more he felt that he should join this birthday party. Only in this way could he better disguise himself as a normal person.

After chatting for a while, Shikamaru left the library.

Sakura closed the medical book and said helplessly: "It seems that I don't have time to read today, Saai, will we go pick out gifts together later?"

Sai nodded, maybe Sakura could give him some good reference advice.

"Then Naruto..."

"I will ask the teacher to be responsible for delivering the message later. There seems to be a communication office in the village that is in contact with Mt. Myoboku. And the Chinese New Year is coming soon, so it is not a problem to ask Naruto to come back a few days early."

Sakura said this, obviously thinking about the next arrangements.

Sai then closed the book, put the books on the bookshelf with Sakura, and walked out of the library.

◎

"That's it, little Naruto, as long as you work harder, you can introduce natural energy into your body normally and control them!"

Next to the oil pond where toad oil is stored in Mt. Miaomu, Fukasaku Sage, one of the two great sages, held a black stick in his hand and danced around directing Naruto to practice celestial arts.

But if you want to learn magic, absorb natural energy, and skillfully use natural energy, this is inevitable.

Even though Naruto used the Shadow Clone Technique to increase the experience accumulation process of absorbing natural energy, various errors still occurred in the process, resulting in unsatisfactory progress.

But this unsatisfactory progress is only compared to learning other ninjutsu. Based solely on the study of natural energy, in the opinion of Fukasaku Sennin, Naruto's training progress can be regarded as a type of ninja that progresses very rapidly.

If you continue to practice at this speed, it will not be difficult to learn how to use natural energy and involve the principles of magic in the next year.

If circumstances permit, the goal of learning magic can even be achieved faster.

"ah!"

Naruto shouted freely from his mouth.

He was only wearing boxer briefs, exposing his strong abdominal muscles and leg muscles. There were a lot of whip marks on his back, with red marks all over it, like a proud medal.

"It's really troublesome. It's like this again. This kind of energy is too difficult to control, isn't it, Grandpa Immortal?"

Feeling that the natural energy in his body was getting thinner and thinner, Naruto couldn't help but become dejected.

This was the first time that he had made no progress in his cultivation.

The other ninjutsu had already been completed in advance and mastered with the help of the shadow clone.

However, it is completely unworkable for natural energy, a special power that is different from chakra.

Even with the help of the shadow clone, in his opinion, the effect is not particularly obvious, it is still like a turtle crawling.

This is in a place like Miaomu Mountain where natural energy is abundant and easy to absorb. If it were the outside world, it might not be possible to absorb natural energy on its own and would need help from others.

"Little Naruto, you are just too impatient. This is the most taboo thing when learning immortal arts, otherwise it will easily disrupt the natural energy in the body. In fact, you have already done a very good job in the introductory practice of natural energy."

Fukasaku Sennin jumped over with a black stick and comforted Naruto.

"Really?"

Naruto looked suspicious.

"Of course, as an immortal, how could I deceive you? Although little Naruto, your shadow clone cultivation method can shorten the accumulation process to a certain extent, but learning immortal arts is a long grinding process. What's important is It’s about learning the patience and remembering the feeling of absorbing natural energy every time. I think in a short time, you should be able to absorb natural energy by yourself, and you can be self-sufficient even in the outside world.”

Fukasaku Sennin smiled.

Unlike when he first came to Miaomu Mountain to practice celestial arts, Naruto now has completed the improvement of his own skills, especially in terms of control of chakra and other aspects. He has obviously had targeted training.

After so much training, Naruto at this time has obviously reached the qualification line for cultivating natural energy.

Just as Naruto was about to say something, the sound of footsteps came, and Jiraiya walked over from far to near.

"Boss Fukasaku, Naruto, you are all here."

He said hello.

"What's the matter, Lustful Immortal? I'm practicing natural energy."

Naruto stood up from the ground and dusted off his pants.

"Let's put aside the training matters for now. Next, we should return to Konoha."

"Eh? Now?"

Naruto froze for a moment.

"Well, that's right. Let's go now. We have received a letter from the village, asking us to come back as soon as possible. The next time we come here may be after the new year. And by that time, I may not have time to come with you."

Jiraiya's tone was full of inexplicable meaning, as if foreshadowing what was about to happen.

"Really? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if I come alone then."

Jiraiya touched Naruto's head and smiled, then turned to look at Fukasaku Sage and said: "Boss Fukasaku, then I will take Naruto back."

"Okay, but remember to be careful when you go back, little Jiraiya, and don't be too impulsive then."

There was a heavy look in Fukasaku Sennin's eyes, and his tone became a little lower, which meant something.

Jiraiya put his palm on his chest and scratched it, and continued to smile and said: "Don't worry, no matter what, I am also one of the three ninjas, and I will not be defeated so easily."

Naruto stood aside, a little confused about the exchange between the two, and blinked in confusion.

"Okay, let's go back, Naruto."

Jiraiya ignored Naruto's gaze, patted him on the back, and left quickly as Fukasaku Sage watched.

◎

The country of ghosts.

Biting ice and snow are flying in the sky.

The military jurisdiction area was filled with a chilling atmosphere.

The flag engraved with aster flowers was fluttering in the cold wind.

In the built-in corridor outside the conference room, Yiji put her hands behind her head in boredom, and occasionally looked sideways at the closed door of the conference room.

This time lasted for about half an hour, and then the closed door of the conference room slowly opened.

Senior military personnel walked out of it one after another. They walked calmly in the corridor with an unhurried attitude, as if they did not expect the difficulties they would face next. They dispersed in an orderly manner and returned to their work as usual. post.

The wind and snow were blowing wildly outside, and a layer of solid ice formed on the windows, making them pale and cold.

"I heard that it has been snowing heavily for three days in the Bear Country, making the road difficult to travel. Is there really no problem with the deployment there?"

Seeing her mother Liuli coming out of the conference room, Ichiji turned her back away from the wall and asked casually.

In such an icy and snowy day, even if there is an efficient transportation tool, it will be more difficult to use and operate than usual.

"The operational deployment plan has been drawn up a long time ago, and now it's just to re-define the process. As for you, the burden on you next is not light at all. It's impossible not to be prepared."

Liuli responded calmly.

Yiji chuckled lightly.

"I am no longer the child who will be easily knocked down by you. Mom, you have to realize this clearly. By the way, you should not go home tonight, so I will go back and prepare first."

After saying that, Yiji turned her head slightly, glanced at the flying snowflakes outside, turned around and walked in the opposite direction.

Liuli looked at Yiji's leaving figure, lowered her head and thought about something.

"Hey, isn't Yiji working with you? Why did he leave alone?"

A startled voice came from the side.

Ayane was seen yawning as she walked out of the conference room. After seeing Kazuhime leaving alone, she tilted her head in confusion.

"No, the area she is responsible for is not in the same area as mine." Liuli shook her head, then looked at Ayane, frowning dissatisfied: "Besides, wasn't this matter mentioned in the meeting just now? You ...You shouldn’t have been sleeping in meetings, right?”

"Uh..." Ayane laughed, but there was no trace of embarrassment on her face: "Oh, don't pay attention to such a trivial matter. After all, I will be responsible for the Earth Kingdom in the future, so I have to ensure that I get enough sleep first. , then you’ll have the strength to work, right?”

"Humph, you really make excuses for yourself."

"Liuli, you always take things seriously like this. To me, it's just the same as in the past. It's just an ordinary task. There's no need to make a fuss. Just treat it with a normal heart."

The corners of Ayane's mouth raised a little wider, and her smile naturally became more obvious.

There was no hint of worry or hesitation in her tone about what was going to happen next. In her eyes, this is just another task assigned to her by her own man, nothing more.

"No, I'm worried that you are unfamiliar with combat because you haven't been on the battlefield for a long time."

"How could it be? You underestimate me too much. In order to ensure that the blood in my body can circulate smoothly before the war, Shiraishi-kun and I fought until three o'clock in the morning yesterday. Now the blood in my body has completely boiled."

Ayane raised her slender but strong arms. From the appearance, there were not many muscles, giving people a fragile and helpless feeling.

Only those who know her well know what kind of terrifying power is hidden in this slender and petite body.

In terms of physical resistance to blows, Ayane is undoubtedly the best in the Kingdom of Demons!

"..."

The 'fighting' the other party refers to is completely different from normal fighting.

However, Liuli knew that this woman, who always had a smile on her face, felt no fear or awe in anything.

Even though I felt a little bit unhappy.

The more she thought about it, the more unhappy she became. Maybe she could do some pre-war warm-up exercises tonight?

While Ruri was considering whether to implement this, Ayane's exclamation voice came to her ears:

"It's snowing so heavily. It wasn't so serious yesterday. It seems that we have to find a way to resolve the battle quickly."

It’s already a world of ice and snow outside.

The staff outside, wearing thick warm clothes and long boots, were working diligently to shovel the snow.

But the effect is not great, and soon new snowflakes will cover it again, making the road difficult to walk.

"Yeah, it seems I can't have a good year. I can only wait until next year to rest."

Liuli walked to Ayane's side, looked at the grand snow scene outside the window, and breathed out softly.

Because the heating is provided inside, you can't feel the cold yet, but in the severe cold weather outside, it will greatly affect the battle.

However, the negative impact of this kind of weather is effective for both parties. It does not target one party and let the other party go.

And because the Kingdom of Oni has more sufficient logistics capabilities, the negative impact will be lower than that of ninjas from other countries. This is barely a good signal.

◎

Bear country.

It was already 11:50 at night, and heavy snow blocked the road.

The railway tracks leading from Ghost Country were also covered in heavy snow and there was no trace of them.

Located on the eastern border of the Bear Country, it is a military fortress built out of the ground.

The huge circular tube wall isolates the world inside and outside, and also resists the cold wind howling from the distance.

There is a door at the front and back, which is the entrance and exit of the fort.

The tall wall is more than thirty meters high. Needless to say, ordinary people would find it difficult to climb such a high wall. Even a ninja cannot climb a high wall at once. He needs to use chakra to adhere to the wall and run.

Not only that, the high walls are also covered with grooves and equipped with various mechanisms.

After crossing the high wall and avoiding the various mechanisms set up on the wall, we still have to face the ninjas from the Kingdom of Ghosts guarding the high wall.

Work in a standard group of four.

Except for the captain, he wears heavy chakra armor and a metal helmet like a gas mask, with only his eyes exposed. He holds a gun-shaped weapon with a wider muzzle than ordinary firearms. He has a saber on his waist and a standard backpack on his back. , bulging with stuff inside, armed to the teeth.

The remaining three team members all wore uniform black hooded windbreakers, gas helmets on their heads, backpacks on their backs, and ninja bags hung on both sides of their thighs. In a world full of silver, they stood out against the wall. Go up and patrol back and forth.

Every forty meters, there is a standard team like this.

Since it was almost late at night, the sky and earth were clearly black and white.

The huge lighthouse of the military fortress stood high, and the strong lighting dyed the inside of the fortress into daylight. Even the outside of the fortress was also bathed in light.

As for the blind spot of the field of vision, the outer wall layer of the high wall emits light to illuminate the blind spot of the lighthouse to avoid omissions.

In the lift square of the fortress, the ninjas from the Kingdom of Oni, equipped with flying ninja equipment, leaned down on the runway of the latest orbital launcher. With a mechanical roar, the sound of the wind and snow was instantly drowned out. These equipment The ninja from the Demon Country with the flying ninja tool immediately shot out like an arrow from a string.

Spread out the steel wings on its back and generate electricity by friction with the air. Under the dark night sky, it drags a beautiful phantom of light and flies freely in the sky.

As usual, the night patrol began.

The ninjas of the Demon Country flying high in the sky crossed plains, valleys, and forests to conduct careful reconnaissance of the situation on the ground.

A ninja from the Kingdom of Ghosts flew over a forest area, using a military telescope that was placed over his eyes, similar to goggles, and began to scan the land to identify any anomalies in the area.

Just as he flew through this dense forest area, the only sound left on the earth was the howling of the cold wind.

On the land of the forest, snowflakes as big as goose feathers covered layer after layer, burying everything.

Suddenly, a piece of land loosened slightly.

A man stood up from there, patting the snowflakes on his body.

Taking this person as a signal, the snow next to them also began to loosen. The second person, the third person, the fourth person... countless people pushed away the ice and snow on their bodies, and stood up densely on the snow in the forest.

They looked at each other, then looked at the sky, and found that there was nothing above, as if they were confirming something.

"There are only ten kilometers left to the target, and the revolving air reconnaissance troops will return in five minutes. Everyone, start taking action."

I didn’t ask if I could reach the target location ten kilometers away within five minutes.

This is the inevitable answer for ninjas.

It can definitely be done!

…

In the dark night, this area of ​​the fort was brightly lit.

"It's time to eat, it's time to eat!"

As this sound sounded, each four-person team patrolling the high wall stopped what they were doing.

I saw staff wearing blue work clothes delivering hot food one after another.

On the high wall, in a tent surrounded by three spaces, there were simple beds and dining tables. Next to them was a stove for heating. Under the blowing of the cold wind, the sparks in the stove continued to drag outside.

Although there is no cover facing the external gap, the roasting of the stove will not leave the body in a state of freezing.

Every team gathered in such a tent and began to enjoy the necessary midnight snack every night.

In this season of snow and ice, every meal is an extremely happy moment.

After all, there is nothing happier than eating a delicious hot meal on a cold day.

"It's a pity that there is only so much wine, which is not enough to fill our teeth."

The Jonin captain, who was wearing thick chakra armor, took off the helmet on his head and shook the palm-sized wine bottle that was delivered with the hot food. If four people shared it, they could only get a small glass. , to the point of addiction.

"Be content, captain, that is, you can get this little wine in winter, but in other seasons, you can't even get this little wine."

A female ninja in the team said with a smile.

She smiled and took off the gas mask on her face, shook her wavy hair, and took a long breath.

"That's right. Unlike the group of people stationed inside the country, we who are stationed at the border are too strict in management."

Although the captain complained, there was no dissatisfaction in his tone.

The four of them shared the hot food, filling their already hungry stomachs.

Just when he was about to finish eating, a Hyuga clan ninja with Byakugan in the team suddenly shook his body and stopped eating.

"What's wrong?"

The captain asked with a serious expression.

As a detective ninja in the team, if the other party looked like this, it was obvious that something was going on.

"There were a large number of chakra reactions ahead, numbering in the hundreds, and the number is still increasing..."

The ninjas of the Hyuga clan stood up suddenly, scanning the forest in front of them with solemn eyes, and their expressions darkened.

Within the range that his Byakugan could observe, a large number of chakra reactions that did not belong to ordinary people began to surge at a skyrocketing speed, one after another, continuously.

This is obviously a precursor to a surprise attack by the ninja troops!

"What?"

The captain and the other two team members also stood up suddenly, rushed out of the tent, and flashed to the edge of the high wall in the blink of an eye.

The other team seemed to have noticed something. Like them, they came to the edge of the high wall and scanned the forest.

The sound of wind and snow roared in my ears, and it seemed that this was the only sound left in the world. The silence in the forest was terrifying, and the darkness was also terrifying.

Suddenly, a figure rushed out of the forest, running at a terrifying speed on the snow.

With the first, there was the second... and then more figures ran out of the forest, rushing toward the fortress at lightning speed.

Suddenly, a sharp siren sounded in the fortress under the dark night, breaking the silence of the night.