Naruto: The Teaching System - 270

Chapter 270: Father and Son Converge

"Kill him!"

The Iwagakure shinobi who had been pursuing them grinned viciously when they saw only Uchiha Itachi blocking their path.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"

The Iwagakure shinobi who had caught up formed seals together. Within a radius of half a kilometer, countless massive earthen spears erupted from the ground at once, aiming to eliminate Uchiha Itachi in a single strike.

As the forest bristled with spears surging toward him, Itachi's Sharingan shifted, the tomoe blurring into a shuriken-like pattern as it spun furiously. There were too many to evade, even with the Body Flicker Technique.

A massive crimson skeletal guardian manifested, raising a divine shield that rebounded every spear in an instant.

"Ah—"

The foremost Iwagakure shinobi had no time to react before he was impaled by his own earthen spear, disbelief flooding his eyes.

"How is that possible?!"

He stared at the crimson, skull-like giant before him. It held a shield, and every spear from moments ago had been turned aside by it.

Blood trickled from Itachi's eyes. The pattern in his pupils eased back toward Tomoe as the skeletal Susanoo faded away. If he weren't in a rush to help his father, he would never have used this power.

Every Iwagakure shinobi who had just caught up lay skewered by their own technique within Itachi's field of view.

Itachi flickered through the clearing, cutting down those who still showed signs of life. When his kunai slit the last Iwagakure shinobi's throat, he finally stopped.

Footsteps halted. The moment they did, Itachi's kunai flashed forward.

Clang!

Sawada snapped a hand up and slapped the incoming kunai aside, then looked toward Itachi in the distance. Feeling the faint, lingering trace of Yin Release chakra in the air, the corner of his mouth twitched. Did this guy really need to go all out just to handle a pack of Iwagakure shinobi? Had he forgotten that Mangekyō was still a Sharingan?

Seeing Sawada, Itachi paused, then bounded over and landed beside him, offering an apology. "Sawada-sama, I didn't recognize you just now."

"It's fine. I came as fast as I could, but I didn't expect you to have finished already," Sawada said, pointing to the two dozen Iwagakure corpses on the ground.

Hearing that, a dull throb pulsed at Itachi's temples. If he had known Sawada was nearby, he would never have used Susanoo, even in its initial form.

"Oh, right. Sawada-sama, my father is still fighting Akatsuchi."

Thinking of Fugaku, Itachi spoke quickly.

"I doubt that's a problem," Sawada said, glancing helplessly toward the dense forest ahead. In his perception, a chakra signature was rapidly approaching. If not mistaken, it was Fugaku.

Itachi paused when he heard this, then turned to look. At that moment, Fugaku leaped out from the treeline. When he saw the scene before him, he was momentarily speechless. This... didn't look like something Fire Release would leave behind.

He had revealed his trump card without hesitation to end Akatsuchi quickly and then go help his son. And yet the result was... this?

"Good. The Uchiha squad should arrive shortly," Sawada said, clapping lightly to snap the father and son out of their stupor.

"That's a relief," Fugaku exhaled.

"Clan Head Fugaku, Itachi, do you want me to treat you first?" Sawada asked, noting that both looked injured.

"Then I'll trouble you," Fugaku said without hesitation. They still needed to reach the battlefield, so recovering quickly was best.

"No problem."

Green chakra bloomed in Sawada's hands as he began healing Fugaku. For outsiders, it was better to use medical ninjutsu whenever possible. As for Yang Release, he would reserve it for his own people; it required fewer explanations.

"Sawada-sama, why are you here?" Itachi asked, watching Fugaku receive treatment before turning to Sawada.

"My assignment is to deal with Iwagakure shinobi who infiltrated our territory, but after days of moving around, I've only handled a few squads. I didn't expect them to appear here," Sawada said plainly, hiding nothing. It wasn't a secret mission anyway.

"Sawada, the news that the Uchiha Clan was heading to the front lines must have been leaked by Iwagakure spies," Fugaku said as he was treated.

Itachi nodded. That had been his assessment as well.

"Seems there are still rats in the village," Sawada muttered, frowning as his thoughts drifted to Naruto and the others. Then he remembered Nyanko was still with Naruto, and some of the worry lifted. In Nyanko's eyes, ordinary people couldn't get near Naruto and the rest. Besides, Naruto and Sasuke were strong in their own right.

Sawada withdrew his hands and said to Fugaku, "Clan Head Fugaku, your external injuries are handled. The internal damage will still need medicine. That's recoil from monstrous strength."

"Understood. Thank you," Fugaku said, rising to his feet.

"Next, we need to reach the border front quickly."

Sawada nodded at Fugaku's words. They had already delayed too long here; it was time to make haste. Fortunately, the hidden Iwagakure shinobi should all be dealt with now.

"Sawada-sama, Father, I need to leave first," Itachi said after a long silence, speaking to both Sawada and Fugaku.

"What is it?" Fugaku asked with a frown.

"Before departure, Lord Hiruzen gave me a mission. I was supposed to depart to execute it after reaching the front."

Itachi turned to Sawada. "Since you're with us, Sawada-sama, I can proceed with peace of mind."

Fugaku fell silent at his son's words. "Go. Be careful."

"Yes, Father."

Itachi nodded to Sawada and Fugaku, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.

Watching Itachi's figure recede, Sawada couldn't help but speculate. "Is he going to find Orochimaru, or to track the Akatsuki?"

After all, Kisame had already been affected by his technique before leaving the village. Although interrogation could uncover some things, what came out might only give Hiruzen and Shikaku more headaches.

"Sawada-sama!"

"We're here!"

Yusuke and Neji flashed in, followed by a stream of Uchiha clansmen.

"Clan Head Fugaku, I'll leave that to you," Sawada said, turning away. Itachi's departure would inevitably raise questions; it was better for Fugaku to smooth things over first.

"No problem," Fugaku said with a nod, stepping forward.

"Neji, we're heading to the battlefield. Are you ready?" Sawada asked, looking at him.

"No problem, Sensei," Neji said after a brief pause, then nodded firmly.