Chapter 653: Trapping the Spies!

In the darkness of the night, a ninja stealthily entered the Forest of Death while thinking, 'As I expected, the security around the Forest of Death is very low. Considering its massive size, Konoha would need to deploy a lot of manpower to properly keep an eye on this training ground.

I can complete my mission with little obstacles. Still, I need to be careful in case someone from the Inuzuka, Hyuga or Yamanaka clan is present here.'

The ninja continued moving stealthily while looking for something in the Forest of Death. After around an hour and a half, he finally found what he was looking for!

He continued hiding among the trees while looking at the area burnt down by Fujin during his fight against Orochimaru. The destruction in front of him left the ninja shocked. With a solemn expression, he thought, 'There is no doubt about it. There was a massive battle here! Only rank S ninjas can leave behind the destruction of this scale!'

He quickly analyzed all the available information and even checked the canal left behind by Fujin's Wind Dragon jutsu. He concluded, 'Even though there are signs of battles, I can't say for sure whether Fujin defeated Orochimaru or not. I can't say whether Fujin fought alone or whether Orochimaru was ganged up on either.

However, considering what happened last evening, it is most likely true. I was lucky enough to be close to that spot. Though I didn't witness Orochimaru and Fujin clash, there is little doubt that Orochimaru ended up running away!

Since it happened last evening, there is no reason that it might not have happened 5 days ago. I need to report all of this to Raikage-sama! He'll make the final call'

He quickly moved away from that spot and found another hiding spot. He quickly wrote an encrypted message with all the details, attached it to a messenger bird he summoned and sent it flying towards Kumogakure!

He sneakily began making his way out of the forest and reached its border when he suddenly realized, 'There is someone ahead! And they have sensed me!'

Instead of panicking and trying to escape in futility, he continued moving forward confidently. Within seconds, he saw two Hyuga waiting ahead. The Hyuga ninjas muttered, "Are you from the Yamanaka clan?"

The spy had blonde hair like the Yamanaka clan members and the Yamanaka clan crest on his clothes. Even his appearance was quite similar to theirs. Of course, he looked like that because he had used Transformation jutsu long before he decided to approach the Forest of Death.

The spy smiled kindly and said in a friendly manner, "Our clan leader sent me here to take a look at the battlefield. I hope that it wasn't an issue."

One of the Hyuga ninjas said, "Lord Hokage has ordered this training ground to be sealed off and prevent others from entering. Please ask Lord Inoichi to not send any more ninjas here."

The spy smiled and said, "Yes, of course. I'll be on my way."

He walked past the Hyuga ninjas, happy that he had successfully managed to fool them. He had just taken a couple of steps when his instincts suddenly warned him! Unfortunately, before his body could move, 2 fingers jabbed into his back right behind his heart.

He looked behind in disbelief and lost consciousness before he could say anything. At the same time, his transformation was dispelled and his real appearance could be seen.

One of the Hyuga ninjas said, "He was very good at acting. If it wasn't for Lord Hokage's trap, I might not have suspected him."

The other replied, "Yeah. However, it's all over for him now. Ibiki will make him regret the day he decided to become a spy inside Konoha."

The two restrained the spy and gave him to other Chunins who were responsible for transporting the spies to Konoha's Torture & Interrogation department. Some distance away, the messenger bird sent by the spy was intercepted and captured as well and Konoha got the scroll he was sending.

15 such incidents happened during the night! 2 of the spies were from Kirigakure, with one from each faction. 5 were from Iwagakure and 8 were from Kumogakure! As for Sunagakure, they didn't deploy their spies since Baki had an official reason for going into the Forest of Death. On the other hand, the minor villages didn't dare to irk Konoha by deploying spies there. So, they were spared.

Regardless, the number of spies inside Konoha was heavily cut down in a single night. Shikaku and Hiruzen had accurately predicted their reactions and took advantage of the opportunity provided by Fujin's display of strength. And, this was just the first step!

All the captured spies were brought to the T&I department stealthily using the cover of the night. No one was aware that Konoha had captured so many spies. Several seals were inscribed on each of their bodies to ensure that they wouldn't be able to resist or commit suicide.

An Anbu ninja rushed to the Hokage's office and reported Hiruzen and Shikaku, who were still working despite the time, about their progress. Hiruzen said, "Good work. Continue monitoring the Forest of Death in case there are more spies trying to see the aftermath of the battle. Ask Ibiki to start reading the memories of the spies and provide me with the reports by this evening."

The Anbu ninja nodded and quickly left. In the T&I department, 15 Yamanaka clan ninjas began reading the memories of the unconscious spies! That was the second step of Hiruzen's plan.

Early in the morning, Fujin was woken up by an excited Naruto. The warning given by his clone the previous day was long forgotten. Fujin lazily opened the door as Naruto exclaimed, "Fujin, it's ti... Huh? You just woke up?"

Ignoring his question, Fujin yawned and asked, "Are you still wearing the training seal I gave you?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yes, I have increased it to the max level!"

Fujin said, "Good. Take it off and equip this one."

Naruto followed Fujin's instructions and replaced his old seal while asking, "What's the difference between this and the old seal?"

Fujin made a hand seal while saying, "Your previous seal had a max pressure of 50 kg. This one has a max pressure of 500 kg."

"Ten times higher? Ugh!!!" Naruto immediately crouched down and placed his hands on the ground while thinking, 'This is nuts!'

Fujin continued, "I have increased the pressure of the seal to half its maximum capacity. For the next three hours, you'll follow Kakashi's physical training workout and complete it without falling short. If you manage that, I'll teach you a trick that might allow you to defeat not just Neji but also Sasuke."

Naruto became excited at the prospect of defeating both Neji and Sasuke. However, his excitement fizzled out in an instant as he asked, "How can I do that when I can barely move!"

With a lot of effort, Naruto managed to get to his feet. As for training, that was out of the question. Fujin asked, "Why aren't you using your chakra to assist you?"

Naruto was surprised and asked, "We can do that?"

Fujin nodded and said, "Try it. My training seal is twice as strong as yours and I use it at its maximum power. Yet, it doesn't affect me much. Circulate your chakra through your entire body and use it to help yourself move just like you do it while climbing a tree or walking on water."

Naruto followed Fujin's instructions. He failed a couple of times before finally succeeding. He began moving normally and said, "This is incredible! I have never tried anything like this."

Fujin chuckled and said, "In the future, try to incorporate this into your training. It'll improve your Taijutsu as well as Chakra Control considerably. Anyway, run along now. Complete your training as I said. Don't slack off, I'll know. I'll see you later."

Naruto followed Fujin's instructions and went into the training ground opposite their compound. Fujin watched him go and yawned while thinking, 'It's a good thing that he isn't very bright. I can get another 2 and a half hours of sleep.'

Fujin had been reading Kabuto's memories until late at night. He only wrapped everything up by 1:30 AM and Naruto showed up at 5 AM. While he could function properly even with that little sleep, he didn't have a reason for doing so. He turned around and went to bed.

Just like Fujin, another person was woken up at 5 AM. Unlike Fujin, he couldn't go back to sleep. He looked at the report with a stunned expression as he muttered, "Scor... Scorch Release?"