CIATB Chapter 342: Traps, traps and more traps!
Chapter 342: Traps, traps and more traps!
Five Leaf ninjas moved carefully through the dimly lit corridors of Orochimaru's base. Their footsteps were silent as each of them focused on their mission. They had already taken down eight weak mercenaries and disabled a series of traps along the way.
"With Asuma and his team taking on the heavy hitters, the rest of these guys left behind aren't all that much of a threat." One of the Chunin ninjas spoke. Even so there was an uncertainty in his voice. "But still..."
It felt almost too easy, but none of them voiced that thought aloud. This building was made by Orochimaru. They knew better than to let their guard down.
At the front was a Chunin, Tenchi Hyuga. He activated his Byakugan, his pale eyes glowing faintly in the darkness as veins bulged around his temples.
"I'm seeing three strong chakra signatures on the lowest floor," Tenchi muttered. He narrowed his gaze, focusing. "But something feels... wrong. It's like the signatures are flickering."
His teammate Kaito Inuzuka crouched beside him, his wolf-like features alert, nose twitching as he sniffed the air. His trusty ninken, conspicuously absent from his side.
"You sure about that, Tenchi?" Kaito asked, glancing at him. "Orochimaru's bases are full of weird stuff, but you've never mentioned flickering chakra before."
Tenchi nodded, his brows furrowed. "It's like there's interference. I can't get a clear read on them."
Shin Aburame, stood calmly behind the two, his hands in his pockets as his Kikaichū beetles buzzed quietly beneath his cloak. He was calm, methodical, the type who rarely spoke unless necessary. "Could be a trap," he said, his voice low and controlled.
The other two Leaf ninjas with them—standard jonin, no bloodlines or clan techniques to boast of—nodded in agreement. They trusted the instincts of their comrades. "This is Orochimaru's base. All kinds of traps are to be expected. Let's not forget what Commander Shikaku told everyone."
"We'll stay sharp," Kaito nodded, turning to the others. "Just because we haven't hit anything major yet doesn't mean there aren't any."
As they descended toward the lowest floor, the tension grew thicker. Tenchi kept his Byakugan active, scanning for any subtle traps or seals, but his face remained set in a grim line. 'Even with my Byakugan, why can't I see who those chakra signatures belong to? How did Orochimaru even accomplish such a thing?'
When they reached the bottom, the air felt colder. There was something off about this place—almost unnatural.
The walls were lined with old seals, barely visible in the gloomy darkness, and the chakra signatures Tenchi had sensed were close. But before any of them could make another move, the seals activated and the ground beneath their feet rumbled.
Tenchi's eyes widened. "It's a—"
BOOM! The floor erupted.
A massive explosion tore through the base, sending chunks of stone, metal, and debris in every direction. Fire roared through the corridors, and for a moment, it seemed like the entire structure was collapsing. The deafening sound of the blast echoed throughout the forest outside.
But the Leaf ninjas caught in the explosion didn't cry out. They didn't panic. As the flames cleared, it became evident—their bodies, torn apart by the explosion, flickered for a brief moment before dissipating entirely in different forms.
The Aburame ninja exploded into several small insects before being consumed by flames while the others in the team vanished in a puff of smoke.
All of them were clones.
—-
Outside, concealed near the perimeter of the base was a group of 5 ninjas and a ninja dog. They were waiting patiently for information their clones could unearth.
Kaito's ninken, a sleek black-and-brown dog named Taro, growled at his side.
"Woof woof!" The ninken growled and barked softly. Its hairs stood on edge as if it sensed something ominous.
"Yeah. I know, boy. I'm feeling it too." His partner Kaito rubbed his back and calmed him.
The next second an explosion tore through the building and the Leaf ninjas dodged the burning debris coming their way.
Tenchi let out a slow breath, his Byakugan still active, his heart pounding in his chest. "We would've been vaporized if we were still inside."
Kaito grinned, though the tension hadn't quite left his face. "I've never been more grateful for Shikaku's warning. 'Always assume there's one more trap,'" he said, mimicking the Nara clan head's calm, instructive voice.
"Clones were a good call," Shin added quietly, his gaze still fixed on the crumbling base in front of them. His beetles buzzed around him in response, reflecting his steady composure. "Orochimaru's traps are always lethal."
One of the Jonin in the group wiped the sweat from his brow and nodded in agreement. "Shikaku's advice just saved our skins."
Tenchi, still scanning the area with his Byakugan, frowned. "The chakra signatures I sensed before the explosion—they're still there, but weaker now. This whole place was rigged to lure us in."
Kaito's grin faded, and his expression turned more serious. "So, this was just a decoy then? Orochimaru playing his mind games again."
"Looks like it," Tenchi replied, deactivating his Byakugan. "We'll have to regroup and report that we failed."
"Yeah, but at least we're still breathing," Kaito muttered, patting Taro on the head as the ninken barked softly in agreement.
One of the Jonin behind them glanced at the smoldering ruins of the base and shook his head. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from Orochimaru. We'll have to be more careful moving forward."
Shin turned to the others, his usual calm demeanor unchanged. "We've cleared the way for Asuma's team. Let's make sure we stay alive to finish the mission."
Another voice chimed in from the far side of the room. "Lord Hokage, Team One at Base 1 has secured the perimeter. They've disabled several traps and taken down a dozen enemies. But three casualties on our side." The Yamanaka Chunin reported with a slightly saddened expression.
"Who are they?" Shikaku asked and the Yamanaka ninja quickly gave the list of the three fatalities from team one.
The Jonin commander looked over the names and inwardly nodded. 'The Root sleeper ninjas assigned to Jonin Kozim are successfully removed.'
"I understand." Hiruzen said with a neutral tone.
His thoughts were still on Bases 2 and 7, where the snake summons had been reported. Orochimaru's presence was strongest there, but that didn't mean he was actually present. Everything pointed to distractions.
As Hiruzen stood silently, listening to the reports coming in, his mind wandered back to his former student.
'Orochimaru... Once upon a time, I had been so proud of your talent. Your ambition. But now, you're just a thorn in the heart of the village, constantly testing the limits of my patience and resolve.'
The Yamanaka operative, still mentally linked to the field teams, opened his eyes again, sweat pouring down his face from the strain. "Lord Hokage, Team Seven reported that they've neutralized the snake summons at Base 7. Two fatalities but... still no sign of Lady Tsunade or Miss Shizune."
'Damn it.' Hiruzen's heart sank slightly but his expression remained calm.
He felt the weight of leadership bearing down on him more than ever in that moment. Tsunade—his other former student, his apprentice—was still missing, along with Shizune.
And the realization was growing stronger with every passing moment: 'There was the tiniest hope in my heart that he would think that we wouldn't waste our time with those obvious decoys and would hide in one of those locations but... I have to abandon that thought. He isn't in any of these bases.'
But Hiruzen had to keep pressing on. There was no other choice.
"Keep me updated on all teams," Hiruzen ordered with a stern voice. "We'll find them."
Shikaku glanced up from his notes, his sharp eyes meeting Hiruzen's. "When we do, Orochimaru won't be far behind."
Hiruzen nodded. "I'm aware. When we find him... I will end this war."
—-
Land of Fire – Unknown Location
The forest surrounding Orochimaru's 8th base was dense and foreboding, its ancient trees towering high above like sentinels, their branches entwined to form a natural canopy that let in only slivers of sunlight. The silence was unnerving—no birds, no wind, just an oppressive stillness. Deep beneath this seemingly serene woodland lay Orochimaru's true lair, hidden from the world by powerful barriers and cloaked in secrecy.
Anbu Commander Ox crouched low on a sturdy branch, his hawk-like eyes scanning the area. His mask, adorned with the signature markings of the Leaf's elite black-ops unit, hid his focused expression as he studied the terrain.
'It seems the intelligence we received from Guren is accurate. Orochimaru's defenses here are unlike anything at the decoy bases the others are currently attacking... There are multiple traps and subtle layers of barriers surrounding this area and this subterranean base, each one cleverly masked to blend with the natural chakra flow of the land. Incredible.'
Ox had seen his share of complex jutsu over the years, but this—this was something else entirely. The barriers were woven so tightly into the environment that, without Guren's inside information, it would've been nearly impossible to detect them.
'I know why Orochimaru chose this location. It's a perfect fortress.'
He stood, keeping himself hidden behind the leaves of a massive tree, scanning for any patrols or signs of movement. But the area seemed devoid of life. A faint flicker of chakra deep below the ground caught his attention.
As he began analyzing a possible entry point, his instincts flared. Something—no, someone—deep inside the base sensed his presence. Ox's body tensed as his years of battle-honed intuition screamed at him to stay alert.
'I've been discovered.'
—---------------
Author's Note.
Ok. To recap things so far. Orochimaru has created 7 decoy bases and an 8th secret base where Guren was supposed to take Daichi after capturing him.
Orochimaru had secretly leaked the locations of the 7 bases to a root ninja spying on his movements.
It was because he wanted the Hokage to attack those bases and waste time,weaken the leaf ninjas and for Danzo to take that opportunity to attack hiruzen and start a civil war (Which didn't happen)
Now, Hiruzen knows these 7 bases are decoys guarded by Orochimaru's experiment rejects but he can't just let hundreds of orochimaru's men roam the Land of Fire without doing anything. It is bound to cause chaos. And he also needed a way to get rid of Danzo fanatics and loyalists.
SO this mission was absolutely necessary.
Next chapter – A Sannin, an Anbu commander and a reanimated kage walk into a hidden base... With two toads....
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