Chapter 98: Chapter 20:Danger is closing in!
Here's the expanded version of the scene:
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Yuto's armored worm erupted from the ground, its massive, armored form towering over Team 7 as they abruptly stopped their card game. The worm's tail slowly unfolded, revealing a trembling mole clutched tightly in its grasp. The mole was enormous, nearly twice the size of Kakashi, and it quivered in fear, its small eyes darting around nervously.
Naruko leaned in, her eyebrows raised. "That's the mole? I thought it'd be, you know, smaller."
Hitomi smirked. "Well, it's not like a tiny mole would survive in this place."
Yuto stepped forward, patting the worm's metallic armor. "Good job. You never disappoint." He reached out, placing his hand on the mole's head. His Kamigan activated, the crimson-red eyes glowing ominously. The mole stiffened as it fell under the influence of his Genjutsu.
With a small nod, Yuto dismissed the worm. "You can head back now. Rest up." The armored worm let out a low rumble before disappearing in a swirl of smoke, returning to the summoning realm.
Yuto turned his attention to the mole, his voice calm but commanding. "Now, lead us to the fourth level."
The mole, still under the Genjutsu, nodded furiously and began digging a tunnel into the earth. Team 7 followed close behind, chakra sticking to their feet and hands as they maneuvered through the freshly created passage.
Naruko wrinkled her nose as the earthy scent of the tunnel filled her senses. "Not exactly the most glamorous way to travel," she muttered.
"Better than getting blasted by those robots," Hitomi replied, though she kept her eyes on the mole.
After a few minutes of silence, Hitomi broke the quiet, her voice curious. "Yuto, can you teach me summoning jutsu?"
Naruko perked up at the question, nodding eagerly. "Yeah! Me too! A summon would be awesome!"
Yuto's mind briefly flashed to the original timeline, remembering how Jiraiya and Orochimaru had been the ones to give Naruko and Hitomi their respective summons. But the memory faded quickly as Yuto shook his head.
'The original timeline doesn't matter anymore. The butterfly effect has already changed a lot of things,' he thought, his focus returning to the present.
"I'll help you both with summoning jutsu training," Yuto said finally, his voice steady. "But not now. Let's wait until after the Chunin Exams—or at least until we get a proper break, like two or three days."
Both girls lit up with excitement.
"Really? You mean it?" Naruko asked, her eyes sparkling.
Hitomi gave a small smile. "Thanks, Yuto. I owe you one."
Yuto smirked, his tone light. "Just don't blame me if the Summon you end up with is not to your liking."
As they continued to run behind the giant mole, the tunnel grew darker and narrower, but the team remained focused. Naruko couldn't help but glance at Yuto, a small smile tugging at her lips.
'He's always looking out for us, even if he's a bit of a weirdo sometimes,' she thought.
As Team 7 continued to follow the mole through the tunnel, Hitomi glanced at Yuto, her brows furrowed in thought. "Yuto," she started, "even though we're heading to the fourth level, doesn't this tunnel give the other teams a direct shortcut? I mean, they could just follow this path we're making."
Yuto sighed, his tone resigned. "Yeah, nothing can be done about it. This dungeon is full of unpredictable variables. All we can do is focus on finishing the five levels first, get to the next location from the riddle, and find the secret scroll vault before anyone else." Actually, Yuto had some ways to make sure the other teams can't do that, but he was just lazy as he wanted to get this whole first level be done because now it was just getting plain boring.
Naruko frowned. "Tch, that doesn't sound fair. We're doing all the hard work while they can just waltz in." She said all that while completely ignoring the fact that it was Yuto's summon who did 99 percent of the job.
"Welcome to the ninja world," Yuto replied dryly.
The mole suddenly stopped, signaling the end of their tunnel. Yuto and the girls came to a halt, and their eyes widened as they stepped into an expansive cave made entirely of glittering crystals. The walls sparkled in every direction, reflecting light into dazzling patterns that seemed to dance across the space.
Naruko whistled in awe. "Whoa, this place is insane. Look at all these crystals!"
Hitomi was equally impressed, though she kept her guard up. "Don't get distracted. It might look beautiful, but this level's not going to be easy."
The mole turned toward Yuto and used its tiny hands to gesture at a sign engraved on a nearby crystal pillar. Yuto nodded and placed his hand on the mole's head, dispelling the Genjutsu. The mole blinked a few times, looking dazed. It glanced nervously at Team 7 before squeaking in fear and burrowing into the ground, disappearing from sight.
Naruko tilted her head. "Guess it wasn't too thrilled to stick around."
Yuto smirked faintly, then approached the crystal pillar. He ran his hand over the smooth surface, reading aloud the engraved text:
"This level is called 'Crystal of Surprise.' The objective is to find a rare blood-red crystal hidden among the others. This crystal only has a 5% chance of being found and was carefully concealed by experienced samurai and miners. Chakra sensing won't work, as these crystals emit no chakra signature. Once the blood-red crystal is found, return here and channel chakra into the seal below this sign to summon one of the samurai."
Naruko groaned. "A 5% chance? Are they kidding me? That's ridiculous!"
Yuto shrugged. "It's not so bad. We've got an easy way to deal with this." He turned to Naruko, giving her a knowing look.
Naruko grinned, catching his drift. "On it!" She made a quick hand sign, and in a puff of smoke, a hundred shadow clones filled the crystal cave.
"Alright, listen up!" Naruko barked at her clones. "Find that blood-red crystal and report back! Move it!"
The clones saluted and scattered across the cave, their footsteps echoing as they began searching the countless glittering crystals.
Hitomi crossed her arms. "Guess we're back to waiting."
"Cards again?" Yuto suggested, pulling out the deck with a smirk.
Naruko groaned. "We've played like a hundred games already!"
"Then make it a hundred and one," Yuto shot back, already shuffling the cards.
As Team 7 settled back into their card game, completely unaware, danger loomed right above them.
High above the glittering cave, a figure cloaked in black with red cloud patterns strode across the rocky terrain. The figure's golden hair, tied back in a messy ponytail, fluttered in the wind. His sharp, piercing eyes scanned the ground beneath him, though his expression was one of mild irritation rather than focus.
"Why do I have to do this boring surveillance mission?" Deidara muttered to himself, his tone laced with disdain. "Keep an eye on the Nine-Tails, they said. Can't they appreciate real art? Hah! Fools."
He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small wad of clay, kneading it absentmindedly as he walked.
"All this time wasted when I could be perfecting my creations. True art is an explosion, yeah!" His voice rose slightly, but he quickly quieted himself, glancing around to ensure no one was nearby.
Deidara stopped, tilting his head as he looked at the ground beneath his feet. "Hmm... they're close. I can feel it," he mused, a devious smile spreading across his face. "Maybe I'll have a little fun before I report back. After all, art should never be rushed."
He crouched down, pressing his hand to the ground and sending a faint pulse of chakra to detect movement below.
"Found you," he murmured, his grin widening as he began to prepare.
(Pls give me some power stones!)
(Find out next time on Naruto:Eye system)