novelhk Chapter 291 Black Sand
Chapter 291 Black Sand
The town of "Black Sand," on the border of the Wind Country, was filled with the smell of dust and gunpowder. At the town's entrance, Ototake stood hunched over, pushing a wooden cart laden with "spices." His face was smeared with plaster, his eyes as timid as a frightened rabbit. His black windbreaker had been replaced with a coarse linen shirt, his Eternal Mangekyō hidden by a specially crafted sealing band, his chakra suppressed to the utmost. Three days earlier, a remnant of the Akatsuki, Sara, led by the Suna ninja, had raided a trade caravan between Konoha and Sunagakure. They not only stole a large amount of supplies but also abducted Tos, the escort, and three villagers, threatening to "interrogate Konoha's defenses" from their base in Black Sand Town.
"Stop! What are you doing here?" The Sand Ninja sentry raised his spear, the tip pointed at the wooden cart, his eyes alert. Yin Zhu immediately fell to his knees, his voice trembling, "Sir... Sir, I'm a well-traveled merchant. I heard that spices are selling well in Black Sand Town, so I thought I'd make a little money..." He pulled a few silver coins from his pocket and held them over, his palms sweat soaking the edges of the coins.
The sentry took the silver coin, weighed it, and kicked the wooden cart, releasing the fragrant aroma of spices. "Go inside! Don't wander around. Things have been unsettled in this town lately." The sentry waved his hand, and Yin Zhu hurriedly pushed the wooden cart, practically crawling into town. As he made his way through the crowded streets, his peripheral vision darted towards the tower in the town center—there hung Tos's sonic transmitter, clearly a deliberate provocation by Sara.
At the stronghold's gate, Sha Luo sat on a tiger-skin chair, watching his men beat villagers tied to pillars. Yin Zhu approached, pushing a wooden cart. He pretended to slip, causing the cart to overturn and spilling spices. "Useless!" Sha Luo's men rushed over and kicked Yin Zhu to the ground. "You dare to cause trouble at the stronghold's gate? Are you tired of living?"
Yin Zhu lay prone on the ground, begging for mercy. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to do that. I'll clean it up right away..." As he gathered spices, he secretly observed the layout of the stronghold—four Sand Ninja guards at the entrance, two archers in the tower, and muffled groans from Tos in the backyard, evidently imprisoned there. Sara looked at his cowardly appearance and suddenly smiled. "Perfect! The stronghold is in need of a handyman. You can stay."
For the next two days, Yinzhu became the lowest-ranking handyman in the base. He fetched water, chopped wood, and cleaned, enduring beatings and scolding from the Sand Ninja. He even deliberately smashed dishes while delivering meals, making Sara's men think he was "stupid and cowardly." No one noticed that while cleaning the tower, he secretly placed a micro-tracking charm in his quiver. No one noticed that while delivering meals to Tos, he secretly slipped a crystal engraved with the Uchiha clan crest into Tos's hand—a communication crystal that could transmit chakra.
On the third night, Sara gathered all his men in the hall to celebrate the "imminent intelligence on Konoha." Ototake, stationed in a corner adding firewood, watched Sara guzzle a bowl of wine and then shouted arrogantly, "Bring out that soundwave guy for questioning tomorrow. I don't believe we can't pry him open!" The other Sand ninjas in the hall echoed his words, no one noticing that Ototake paused as he added the firewood and a cold, stern look flashed in his eyes.
Late at night, the stronghold was utterly silent. Yinzhu quietly rose and walked to the cells in the backyard. The two Sand Ninja guarding the door were dozing off. Yinzhu gathered a faint trace of chakra on his fingertips and, with a gentle tap, they instantly lost consciousness—a technique he had deliberately concealed, a "acupressure technique," even more subtle than ninjutsu. He opened the cell door, and Toss instantly regained consciousness. He whispered, "Yinzhu, what are you doing here? There are over twenty Sand Ninja here, and Sara, that guy who can use magnetic escape!"
"Don't worry." Yin Zhu untied Toss's ropes, pushed the wooden cart to the cell door, and lifted the wooden board at the bottom - hidden inside was his black windbreaker and three Flying Thunder God Kunai. "I need you to cooperate with me and put on a show." He put on his windbreaker and untied the cloth covering his eyes. The Eternal Kaleidoscope flashed a scarlet light in the darkness. "You are responsible for creating chaos. I will go to get the information, and then we will break out together."
Tos nodded and tightened his grip on the sonic transmitter. Just then, Sha Luo's voice suddenly rang out from the hall: "Who's outside?" Yin Zhu's eyes glared, and he gestured to Tos, who immediately launched a sonic attack, shaking the entire stronghold. Sha Luo rushed out with his men. When he saw Yin Zhu, he was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter: "So it's you, you loser! You dare to resist?"
Yinzhu said nothing. The Eternal Mangekyo suddenly lit up, and the illusion instantly enveloped the five Sand Ninjas in the forefront. Sara's face changed, and he immediately activated Magnetic Release, sending countless iron sands hurling towards Yinzhu. "Who are you?" Yinzhu dodged the iron sands and instantly unleashed his Flying Thunder God Kunai, piercing the hearts of two Sand Ninjas. His voice was as cold as ice: "Uchiha Yin, Yinzhu, I'm here to take your life."
"Uchiha?" Sara's pupils shrank suddenly, and he looked at Yin Zhu's eyes in disbelief, "Did you deliberately disguise yourself as a merchant to sneak in?" Yin Zhu did not answer, and the Eternal Mangekyo turned again, "Illusion? Kotoamatsukami" was activated, and Sara's movements froze instantly - he did not expect that this seemingly cowardly merchant was actually an Uchiha warrior who possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan!
Toss seized the opportunity to launch a sonic attack, stunning the remaining Sand ninja. Ototake rushed to the hall and opened Sara's intelligence box. Sure enough, it contained a map of Konoha's border defenses and the Sand Village's battle plan. He tucked the information away, turned to Toss, and shouted, "Let's go!" As the two of them rushed out of the base, Sara, finally awakening from the illusion, roared in anger and gave chase, only to find a Flying Thunder God kunai left by Ototake—engraved with the Uchiha clan crest, as if mocking his folly.
After leaving Black Sand Town, Toss looked at Yin Zhu and couldn't help asking, "You're so strong, why did you disguise yourself as a merchant?" Yin Zhu put away his Mangekyō, his expression calm again. "If we attack directly, not only will we alert the enemy, but we might also have them destroy the intelligence. Sometimes, showing weakness is more effective than being tough." He paused, looking towards Konoha in the distance. "To protect our friends and our home, we need not just a momentary display of bravado, but precise judgment and the strength to defeat the enemy with a single blow."
Tos nodded, his admiration for Yinzhu growing even stronger. The two quickened their pace, heading towards Konoha. The moonlight cast a long shadow on them. Yinzhu knew that this was just one of countless battles he would have to protect his friends. There would be more challenges ahead, but as long as he possessed the Eternal Mangekyō and could conceal his strength, playing the fool and embracing the tiger, there would be no crisis he couldn't resolve, no one he couldn't protect.
Back in the Black Sand Town stronghold, Sha Luo, looking at the bodies and empty intelligence boxes, smashed everything in anger. He finally understood that he had fallen into Yin Zhu's trap from the very beginning—that seemingly cowardly merchant was actually a sharp blade lurking in the shadows. In just three days, he had turned his stronghold upside down, stolen the intelligence, and rescued the prisoners. This incident became a lifelong shame for Sha Luo, and he never dared to underestimate anyone who seemed "ordinary" again.