Naruto: I have an attribute panel

Chapter 49 The "Truth" Within the Truth

"Hahaha, didn't expect that, did you? The ninjas of Konoha are still a step ahead of us!" The rogue ninja Aoyama fought hard and forced Captain Yamaguchi back. He said while stretching his arms, which were tired from the long burst of power, and his arrogant and smug expression was no longer concealed.

Before Taiyi and the others, who had stopped fighting upon hearing the sound, could speak, there was a "bang" and "Taiyi," who was maintaining the ninjutsu, dissipated. The huge water prison collapsed immediately, and the two ninjas imprisoned inside fell down.

Anyone could see that they were already lifeless. Almost 10 minutes had passed since the start of the battle, and these two were just ordinary wandering ninjas. They couldn't possibly hold out for that long in this high-pressure, turbulent water prison.

The deaths of the two men were like two hard slaps to the face of Aoyama, who had just been extremely smug.

"Damn it!" Aoyama glared fiercely at Taiichi, the instigator, his eyes seeming to want to devour him: "It's all this brat's fault. He ruined the last attack too."

Wandering ninjas aren't as easy to recruit as bandit henchmen. Heaven knows how much effort he put into recruiting these people, and this mission alone resulted in so many losses, including two Chunin. How could he not feel heartbroken?

Putting aside his thoughts, the rogue ninja Aoyama calmed himself down and said to Captain Yamaguchi, "We have the target, and there is no need to continue the battle. Let's call it a day. This child might still be spared."

"Otherwise, the effect of killing people is pretty much the same," Aoyama threatened viciously. He didn't want to fight anymore; if they continued, who knew how many more people would die? It wasn't worth it at all. After all, they were just rogue ninjas who were paid to do things; this wasn't about protecting the village.

"Are all the ninjas in Sunagakure this shameless?" Captain Yamaguchi mocked.

"Hmph, I'm no longer a Sand Village ninja, I'm a traitor now..."

Before he could finish speaking, another "bang" interrupted the rogue ninja Aoyama.

Suddenly, Saori, who was standing by the carriage, transformed into Taiichi and then vanished into white smoke. This was a sign that the shadow clone's chakra was exhausted.

"Shadow Clone Technique, Transformation Technique." Aoyama gritted his teeth as he saw this.

It turns out that the "Saori" next to the carriage was actually Taiichi's shadow clone. During the battle, she guarded the carriage and only dealt with some bandits, so no one realized that she was a fake until she disappeared.

That girl was a fake? Where did the real one go? The situation had changed beyond Qingshan's expectations, leaving him somewhat confused.

"Oh no, Mitsutsugu, check on that child!" Koji, who reacted quickly, shouted at the Chunin who was holding the child hostage.

But there was no need to wait for Mitsuyasu to check anymore. The "Ishihara-kun" he was carrying also disappeared into smoke with a "pop". This was Taiichi actively deactivated the shadow clone.

This left everyone on Aoyama's side stunned, followed by a wave of anger at being tricked. The duck that was about to be eaten had flown away; how could they not be angry!

……

Let's go back to the night of the fifth day, the night of Aoyama and his men's first attack.

"Madam, let Saori carry Ishihara on her back and take a detour directly to Kinsho Castle. They will definitely be much faster than our main force. If all goes well, they should arrive in the seventh day," Captain Yamaguchi told Madam Ishihara about their plan.

This plan was also proposed by Taiichi, and it was similar to Ishihara Masao's previous idea, both of which were to deceive everyone.

"They just retreated in a panic, and they definitely don't expect that some of us will leave the main force and go on our own. So we'll use the transformation technique to disguise ourselves as Saori and Koishihara and stay here to attract their attention," Captain Yamaguchi continued to explain.

"By the time they send reinforcements to attack us again, it will be too late even if they discover the truth."

Mrs. Ishihara considered the feasibility of the plan and nodded in agreement. She knew that if the enemy attacked again, it would not be so easy for her to deal with it.

Captain Yamaguchi and his three men breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Ishihara agreed to the plan. Although they had agreed to continue the mission, they didn't want to risk their lives in a direct confrontation with the enemy. Now, all that remained was to delay, rather than engage in a death struggle as initially anticipated.

"Well then, Madam, please tidy up here as well. We'll be ready to pick up Koishihara later." Captain Yamaguchi gave his final instructions before leading the three away from Madam Ishihara's tent.

Just as he was about to leave, Taichi, as if remembering something, turned back to Mrs. Ishihara and said, "Madam, you must not tell anyone about this, including Masao Ishihara, understand?"

"You mean in the caravan..." Mrs. Ishihara asked hesitantly.

"Better safe than sorry!" Taiyi didn't say anything more, turned around and left.

Soon, a figure quickly left the camp under the cover of night, circled around, and headed straight for Jinsong City.

……

Let's turn back to the present.

"Where are they?! Where have you hidden them?" the rogue ninja Aoyama roared.

"Ah~ Haha, judging by the time, we should be almost at Jinsong City by now!" Yang Ping said smugly, as if he had come up with the plan himself, and was extremely excited.

Seeing the anger rising in the hearts of the Aoyama group, Captain Yamaguchi didn't want to provoke them. The battle had reached this point, and there was no point in continuing.

"It's over. Just like you said, your mission has failed. We have no reason to continue fighting. Continuing will only increase casualties," Captain Yamaguchi advised the other side.

Following Captain Yamaguchi's words, Taichi and Yohei gathered on either side of the captain, adopting a posture of fighting to the death.

Qingshan was unwilling to accept this. He had put in so much effort, lost four men, and in the end, it was all for nothing. How could he swallow this insult?

"Boss, let's go. If they fight to the death, one of us will definitely be killed. Let's cut our losses now." Koji, who was clear-headed at the moment, stepped forward to persuade him.

"Damn it, let's go!" After thinking for a long time, Aoyama finally gave up the fight.

Upon receiving the order, personnel from both sides abandoned their opposing forces and retreated cautiously.

Watching the enemy's departing figure, Captain Yamaguchi, Taichi, and Yohei all breathed a sigh of relief. The enemy's lineup was indeed strong, not to mention the unexpected arrival of a Chunin. If the fight had continued, they might have suffered casualties as well.

Fortunately, everything proceeded smoothly according to plan, and the other side eventually withdrew after losing their objective.

At this point, everyone in the caravan understood their situation. The most dangerous moment had finally passed, and all that remained was to travel safely. Everyone cheered with joy.

Sure enough, the rest of the journey went smoothly, without even a trace of bandits in sight. The sky seemed to understand everyone's feelings, stopping the continuous drizzle and hanging up a warm sun.

On the afternoon of the eighth day, the caravan finally spotted Jinsong City in the distance, which brought tears of joy to many of its members. The casualties on this journey had been too heavy; someone who was laughing and joking with you yesterday might be dead today, leaving only a handful of ashes.

Upon arriving at Golden Pine City, Taiichi saw the welcoming crowd. He immediately recognized Furukawa Saori and the little boy Ishihara standing beside her. Only then did Taiichi truly relax; this mission was now perfectly accomplished.

Without going into too much detail, the head of the Ishihara family warmly welcomed Taichi and his group, and once again apologized for the deception at the beginning of the mission. He also promised to inform Konoha of the details of the mission and increase the mission level and reward.

Of course, Captain Yamaguchi was responsible for negotiating all of this. Taichi and the others took advantage of the time before the mission deadline to enjoy a good day at Kinsho Castle. They didn't say goodbye to the Ishihara family until just before the mission's deadline and began their journey back to Konoha.