Naruto : Rise From The Rain

Outside the cliff.

More than twenty Iwagakure ninjas had sealed off all the entrances and exits. The trapped Konoha ninjas, numbering only three, were surrounded with no escape.

The Iwagakure ninjas didn't believe these three had any chance of slipping away. Their plan was to capture them alive for interrogation, hoping to extract valuable information.

The leader of the Iwagakure team said, "Prepare the smoke."

They had control over all ventilation points in the cave. Poisonous smoke would soon render the Konoha shinobi powerless. Their only hope was that the trapped ninjas wouldn't resort to suicide—a common fate among those unwilling to become prisoners.

Just as the Iwagakure team was about to act, a sudden scream of agony echoed among them.

The sound was chilling, instantly putting the Iwagakure ninjas on high alert.

Their leader looked around in shock. Shadows flickered outside the cliff, making it impossible to determine how many enemies were approaching.

"Enemy attack!"

Taking advantage of the commotion, Yahiko and his team moved swiftly.

Reaching one of the cave entrances, they noticed the distraction had worked. Without hesitation, the four of them charged forward and quickly took down the two Iwagakure guards stationed there.

Konan, accustomed to such operations, attacked from above. The enemy never saw it coming.

"Kyusuke, stay outside to provide support. Keep yourself hidden," Yahiko commanded before plunging into the cave with Konan and Asahi.

As they ventured in, darkness engulfed them. The three proceeded cautiously and soon reached a fork in the cave's pathways. The winding, labyrinthine passages stretched endlessly. Konan released paper birds imbued with her chakra to scout the different routes.

"There are too many forks," Konan remarked.

"We'll split up," Yahiko decided immediately.

The Iwagakure ninjas had only surrounded the exterior of the cave; there shouldn't be any enemies inside. Finding the Konoha team quickly was their top priority.

Each of them chose a direction and began searching the intricate cave system.

After splitting off from Yahiko, Asahi also sent out his paper birds to eliminate dead ends and circular paths ahead. Even so, he spent a significant amount of time navigating the confusing tunnels.

Finally, he reached a more open area where a faint light flickered. Someone had lit a fire.

To his surprise, he found Yahiko there. Yahiko had taken the luckier route and arrived first.

However, on the ground before him lay three corpses.

Hearing Asahi's approach, Yahiko turned to look at him, his expression filled with confusion.

"What's wrong?" Asahi asked, hurrying to his side with a frown.

Yahiko's throat bobbed as he gestured to the three bodies, his pupils slightly dilated.

"They... killed themselves when they saw me."

Suicide?!

Asahi's heart skipped a beat. He quickly knelt by the bodies to examine them. One had a slashed throat, but the other two had fatal wounds on their backs!

Searching their corpses thoroughly, Asahi found no relevant intelligence.

In that moment, he pieced everything together. Something was definitely wrong here!

At this point, Konan arrived. Before she could ask what had happened, Asahi, his expression dark and unreadable, spoke in a low voice:

"Konan, go back to the entrance where we came in and bring one of the Iwagakure corpses here. Make sure the Konoha ninjas who came with us don't notice."

Konan glanced at the Konoha ninjas' bodies on the ground, momentarily stunned. After a brief exchange of glances with Yahiko, she nodded resolutely.

"Understood!"

They still had no idea what was happening outside. Just navigating the tunnels had already cost them over ten minutes.

After Konan left, Asahi frowned and said grimly, "Yahiko, we've been set up."

Yahiko was silent for a moment before asking,

"Are you saying these three deaths will be blamed on us?"

How could anyone believe that three Konoha ninjas would commit suicide just upon seeing Amegakure ninjas? Such a claim would never hold water!

There wasn't any credible intelligence about the enemy's camp. Asahi had already questioned why such a rescue mission required their involvement. It was clear now: this was a setup. From the start, the plan was to frame Amegakure for the deaths of these Konoha ninjas.

This would allow Konoha to hold Amegakure accountable, accusing them of intentionally destroying crucial intelligence. With that justification, Konoha could demand Amegakure uncover the location of the enemy camp.

Asahi's mind raced. He suddenly pulled out a blank sheet of paper and began scribbling rapidly. Once finished, he folded the paper and tucked it into the pocket of one of the deceased ninjas.

But after a moment's thought, he retrieved the paper, poured water from his canteen into his palm, and dampened the sheet until it was thoroughly soaked. Then, he balled it up and stuffed it into the ninja's mouth, pushing it deep into the throat.

"Asahi, you…" Yahiko's eyes widened in shock.

Just then, Konan returned. She remained silent, flanked by the three Konoha ninjas who had accompanied them.

Asahi calculated the time silently. Ten to fifteen minutes—had they managed to deal with all twenty-plus enemies in such a short time?

Aburame Shibi, Hayama Shirakumo, and Yuhi Shinku …

These three were far stronger than they had initially appeared. Konoha had planned everything perfectly.

"What happened here?" Aburame Shibi asked, his gaze falling on the three corpses on the ground.

"When we arrived, this is how we found them," Asahi replied calmly, speaking before Yahiko could.

"These three comrades had already fallen."

Asahi deliberately framed their deaths as the result of an attack rather than suicide.

Aburame Shibi and the others exchanged glances. Aburame Shibi frowned. "Are you saying they were killed by Iwagakure ninjas? Did you encounter any enemies inside the cave?"

His tone carried a clear note of skepticism.

Asahi remained composed. "No, we didn't. The Iwagakure ninjas might have gotten to them earlier and used their deaths as bait to ambush us when we sent a rescue team."

Aburame Shibi furrowed his brows but said nothing.

Hayama Shirakumo stepped forward to examine the corpses. Initially, he was about to point out the unusual placement of the wounds, but recalling Asahi's earlier claim that they had been killed, he hesitated and swallowed his words.

Asahi watched in silence as Shirakumo meticulously inspected the bodies. The others' gazes were also fixed on him as he worked.

Shirakumo left no part of the bodies unchecked. When he noticed one of the corpses with its mouth slightly open, he paused, his expression puzzled.

"What's wrong?" Aburame Shibi asked.

Shirakumo reached into the corpse's mouth with two fingers and pulled out a wadded-up piece of paper.

Unfolding the damp paper, his pupils constricted as he scanned its contents.

"This is…"

Though the paper had been soaked and many of the characters were blurred, it was unmistakably a detailed record of the enemy camp's location. It included a rudimentary map, coordinates, and various annotations.

Aburame Shibi and Yūhi Mako studied the paper in silence. Then, they looked from Yahiko and Asahi to the three corpses on the ground.

Asahi, his expression unchanging, asked calmly, "Is that intelligence?"

The dim cave fell into an oppressive silence. The fire nearby flickered weakly, its final flames dancing a few times before extinguishing completely.