Land of Birds, Night.
Returning to the inn, the three were exhausted, only wanting to wash up and get some rest.
They had come on a mission and couldn't stay out for too long.
Without their employer, the return trip would be much faster than the journey here, so they still had a day to enjoy themselves tomorrow.
Rin was counting the spoils from their shopping trip, while Anko suddenly felt like eating again.
"Didn't we just have dinner not long ago?" Rin said helplessly.
"Eating this late will make you gain weight."
"After shopping for so long, of course I'm hungry," Anko argued.
Her appetite was enormous, even greater than that of a grown man, yet no matter how much she ate, she never gained weight.
"I'm going to ask the innkeeper if they have any late-night snacks."
With that, Anko walked out of the room.
When she reached the front desk, her eyes suddenly caught sight of a flyer on the floor.
"Nagano Dango Shop Grand Opening — 80% off and buy-one-get-one-free with a complimentary drink for the first three days. Open until midnight. Address..."
She read the contents aloud, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.
Glancing at the street outside, she noticed there were fewer people at this late hour, but she couldn't resist and hurried out excitedly.
Following the address on the flyer, she found the shop still brightly lit and open.
The owner greeted her enthusiastically. "Welcome! What would you like, miss?"
As Anko stepped inside, her eyes flickered, and she subtly examined the shopkeeper.
He appeared to be an ordinary middle-aged man, but she could sense the distinct presence of chakra from him.
Her senses had far surpassed those of ordinary people.
Ever since she woke up that day, for some unknown reason, she had gained an enhanced perception ability.
Anko handed the flyer to the shopkeeper. "Is everything on here true?"
The shopkeeper smiled warmly. "Yes, since it's our grand opening, everything in the store is 80% off, buy one get one free, with complimentary tea and drinks for dine-in customers."
Anko nodded. "Then I'll have ten skewers of red bean dango and ten skewers of tri-color dango."
Meanwhile, back at the inn where Obito was staying:
After accompanying the two girls on their shopping trip, Obito's legs felt weak.
As soon as he returned to the room, he collapsed onto the tatami mat, unwilling to move.
Outside, the moon hung high in the sparse sky, and a cool breeze gently swept through the night.
Exhausted from walking all day, Obito drifted into a hazy sleep.
Suddenly, a loud and violent sound of shattering glass jolted him awake.
He sat up, his mind still foggy, and turned to look out the window, only to see several dark shadows swiftly darting past.
Thinking he might have imagined it, he rubbed his eyes but soon sensed that something was wrong.
He immediately got up, walked to Rin's room, and knocked on the door.
"Rin."
"Rin, are you asleep?"
"Rin?"
"Anko?"
The room was lit, but there was no response.
Obito suddenly pushed the door open, only to find the room completely empty.
There were some scattered belongings, a tatami mat that had clearly been slept on, and a shattered window...
He quickly walked to the window, peering into the vast night, but there was no sign of anyone.
Recalling the shadows he had seen earlier, a dreadful realization dawned upon him.
Rin was in trouble!
Obito's mind went blank, as if it had exploded with a deafening "boom."
.......
A sharp pain in her head brought Rin back to consciousness.
As she woke up, she realized her hands and feet were tightly bound with ropes, and her mouth was sealed with tape.
Fortunately, there were no sealing techniques on her body, and she could still use chakra.
Beside her stood two men dressed in black with masked faces, their appearances indiscernible.
She hadn't expected the tea at the inn to be drugged and had let her guard down, falling right into their trap.
The captors had yet to notice she was awake.
Keeping calm, Rin quietly surveyed her surroundings.
They were by the lakeside, with a dense, silent forest on the opposite side.
Before long, two more figures approached.
"Lord Tetsuhi, the target has been captured," someone reported.
"Looks like it went smoothly," replied another voice.
"She's just a mere Chunin girl—catching her was a piece of cake."
"Hmm, Mitarashi Anko has also been contained. Now we just need to wait for Obito to show up."
Rin listened to their conversation.
They seemed familiar with the three of them, though their intentions remained unclear.
Filled with suspicion, she kept still to avoid alarming them.
"Lord Tetsuhi, is it really necessary to mobilize so many? Three Jonin and two Special Jonin at once?"
"Fool! This was personally ordered by the clan leader. Naturally, he has his reasons. Go check if Nohara Rin has woken up."
Three Jonin and two Special Jonin... Tetsuhi... the clan leader...
Rin pondered over their identities.
Given the presence of Jonin and Special Jonin ranks, they clearly weren't rogue ninjas.
As footsteps drew nearer, she quickly closed her eyes and continued to feign unconsciousness.
To encounter such a situation so far from Konoha in the Land of Birds clearly pointed to a deliberate plot against her.
Time slowly passed.
The tight bindings were making Rin's arms go numb.
Just as she was enduring the discomfort, she finally heard them speak again.
"Obito is here!"
"Get ready!"
These people seemed very familiar with Obito, even addressing him casually.
Two figures suddenly darted out from the dense forest.
The second figure was unmistakably Obito.
"Rin!" Obito was shocked and horrified when he saw Rin lying by the lakeside.
Rin, however, furrowed her brows inwardly, wondering if this fool had deliberately staged some hero-rescues-damsel drama.
"You bastards! What did you do to Rin?!" Obito roared in fury.
The black-clad figure lowered his voice, speaking sinisterly, "Didn't expect you to find us. In that case, we'll kill you along with her."
The four masked men in black swarmed forward, instantly engaging Obito in fierce combat.
What shocked Obito was the sheer strength of these opponents.
After just one exchange, he found himself at a disadvantage, barely able to hold his ground.
The black-clad man sneered, "Kid, with this level of skill, you won't be saving your beloved."
Grinding his teeth, Obito's eyes burned with determination as the three-tomoe Sharingan spun rapidly.
His hands flew through a series of hand signs.
"Wood Release: Adamantine Binding Wood!"
Boom!
In an instant, several thick wooden vines burst from the ground, shooting rapidly toward the enemies at lightning speed.
The black-clad men sneered coldly.
One of them formed hand seals at an astonishing speed, unleashing several wind blades that sliced the wooden vines into fragments in an instant.
The blades continued toward Obito, sharp and relentless.
"Wood Release: Wood Locking Wall!"
The fierce wind blades roared through the air.
Two wooden shields suddenly rose from either side of Obito, enclosing him protectively.
Bang!
The dense wind blades bombarded the wooden shields relentlessly, shattering countless cracks and gaps into them within moments.
A sharp, piercing whistle followed—a barrage of shuriken cutting through the night sky, exploiting the openings in the wood barrier.
The blades tore through Obito's clothing and sliced into his skin.
"The legendary Wood Release, and this is all the power it has in your hands? If the First Hokage knew, he'd probably crawl out of his grave in fury."
From behind the black-clad men, Rin was also closely observing the battle.
She noticed that what the masked men said earlier about their ranks as Jonin and Special Jonin was no exaggeration.
The gap in strength between the two sides was immense.
Obito, only a Chunin, was clearly no match for them.
However, the masked men were holding back, toying with him both through their overwhelming suppression in combat and their mocking words.
"Dammit!" Obito's anger boiled over.
Seeing Rin trapped and unable to save her filled him with helpless rage.
He channeled every last ounce of his chakra into the next technique, putting everything on the line.
"Wood Release: Adamantine Binding Wood: Wrathful Buddha Manifestation!"
Boom!
The ground beneath the masked men trembled violently, and massive vines, far thicker than before, erupted from the earth.
These gigantic wooden tendrils twisted and writhed in the air like thousands of demonic serpents, fiercely lashing out toward the men below.
Under the moonlight, countless black shadows intertwined in a terrifying display.
For the first time, the masked men showed a trace of caution in their eyes.
This technique had a momentum that made them feel threatened.
They immediately responded with jutsu of their own, unleashing even larger wind blades to cut through the massive vines.
Severed chunks of wood crashed to the ground, raising clouds of dust.
"Wood Release: Adamantine Binding Wood: Demon Seal Modification!"
Once again, the ground shook, and two enormous wooden hands, several meters tall, erupted from beneath the surface.
They rushed toward one of the masked men, closing in on both sides with the intent to crush him into pulp.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rang out as a blazing fireball shot toward the wooden hands.
The intense flames collided with the massive construct, creating a fiery explosion that sent searing heat and charred wood fragments flying in all directions.
Obito stood in place, panting heavily.
Seeing his desperate, full-power jutsu fail to succeed, despair crept into his heart.
"Damn it!"
The gulf in strength between them was like an insurmountable chasm.
It wasn't something a single jutsu could bridge.
As Obito's vision blurred with exhaustion, a shadow suddenly appeared before him.
Pain exploded in his chest, and the next moment, he was sent flying by a powerful kick.
"It seems you've run out of tricks."
--------------
Exclusive access : All novel on paetron
Genshin impact Complete novel, Naruto birdcage Complete novel, Overlord Complete novel
From the apocalypse 100+ch, Fairy tail Destiny 200+ch, Genshin Impact Eerie Teyvat 100+ch
Join now : patreon*com/DeCakraWnloverz