Naruto evolution system

Chapter 222: Spectating

Realizing that this might be a trap, Baishi hesitated.

According to his original plan, once he confirmed the Eight-Tails' location, he would act before the Akatsuki to capture it.

But now, knowing that something was off, charging in recklessly wouldn't be confidence—it would be stupidity.

After some thought, Baishi decided to stay flexible.

He would go to the scene, but not engage immediately.

Instead, he would observe first.

After all, he wasn't the only one interested in the Eight-Tails.

If Akatsuki took the bait and attacked first, he could take advantage of the chaos.

With that decision made, Baishi ordered Hotaru:

"Inform Natsuka and Rōshi. Get ready—we're leaving soon."

"Yes, my lord!"

Hotaru left to make preparations.

Meanwhile, Baishi finished his meal quickly and opened his status panel.

After a month of evolution, his four main stats (Strength, Intelligence, Constitution, and Agility) had all increased by around 25 points.

His newly advanced "Absolute Adaptation II" and "Iron Body II" had already passed 40%, nearing 50%.

However, "Super Vision - Energy Sight" lagged behind, reaching only 15% progress.

Meanwhile, "Energy Absorption" had finally crossed the one-third mark of its third-tier progression.

The biggest gains were in "Mental Fortress" and "Mind's Eye"—which had reached II (95.2%) and II (90.9%), respectively.

At this rate, both would reach the third tier within a week.

If he had time, he would have leveled them up before leaving.

But reality didn't wait for him.

Shaking his head, Baishi flashed into his training room.

Sitting down, he closed his eyes and began extracting chakra from the four Tailed Beasts, replenishing his nearly depleted reserves.

Even if he was just watching, he still had to be prepared.

A group of Cloud Ninja moved rapidly along the road.

There were over ten of them, led by the Fourth Raikage, A, and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer Bee.

Accompanying them were three squads of Anbu, as well as the elite jōnin, Darui and Cee.

As the future Fifth Raikage, Darui had inherited the Third Raikage's Black Lightning and could use the Storm Release kekkei genkai.

His direct combat strength was extremely high.

Cee, on the other hand, specialized in genjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and sensory abilities, making him an all-rounder among elite jōnin.

Clearly, Cloud Village was taking no chances.

As they neared the Land of Iron, the Fourth Raikage suddenly spoke:

"Cee, are those rats still following us?"

Upon hearing this, Cee expanded his sensory perception, scanned the surroundings again, and replied:

"Yes, Lord Fourth. They're still there."

"Hmm."

A nodded, pausing for a moment before turning to his men.

"Stay alert. If they're after the Eight-Tails, then—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Cee's face suddenly changed.

"Lord Raikage—new presence detected!"

Sensing his urgency, A immediately stopped running, his face serious.

"Who are they? How strong?"

Cee opened his mouth to respond, but suddenly, his mind went blank.

An icy gaze had pierced into his consciousness—like falling into a frozen abyss.

A wave of terror washed over him.

"Cee?!"

A immediately caught him as he staggered, barely able to stand.

"Cee, what's wrong?!"

Spurt!

Cee coughed up a mouthful of blood, his chakra flaring chaotically.

Blood trickled from his eyes, nose, and ears—and within seconds, he collapsed into unconsciousness.

Not a single word had come out of his mouth before he fell.

The Cloud Ninja watching felt a chill crawl up their spines.

For a moment, there was only tense silence.

Darui, usually laid-back, tightened his grip on his blade, scanning the area with vigilance.

One second… two seconds…

One minute… two minutes…

Even after three to four minutes, nothing happened.

It was as if Cee's sudden collapse had never occurred.

"...Lord Raikage?"

Darui finally spoke.

"Should we search the area?"

His eyes never left the trees as he asked.

A shook his head, his expression dark.

Looking at Cee's unconscious form, he muttered:

"Now is not the time to split up."

Despite his short temper, A wasn't stupid.

He knew Cee's strength well.

If the enemy could take him down this easily, then they could kill the others just as effortlessly.

And given Cee's reaction, the enemy was clearly beyond expectations.

Splitting up to search for them would be suicide.

"Black Wind, carry Cee. We keep moving—but stay alert."

"Yes, sir!"

A masked Anbu operative hoisted Cee onto his back.

The group resumed their journey—but at a slower pace, conserving their stamina.

Baishi withdrew his gaze, turning toward the masked Zhenjiu.

"How long have you been tailing them?"

"Six hours, my lord."

Zhenjiu responded without hesitation.

"Six hours…"

Baishi rubbed his chin, then chuckled.

"So this really is a trap."

If his initial guess was just speculation, now he was 90% certain—Cloud Village was baiting Akatsuki.

Why?

Because the Cloud Ninja's sensor, Cee, was too strong.

There was no way Zhenjiu could trail them undetected for six hours.

Even though Zhenjiu was trained in Root's stealth techniques, he wasn't invisible.

After all, Cee had noticed him the moment he acted—so why hadn't he been detected before?

The answer was obvious—Cloud Village was allowing them to be followed.

And if they were deliberately ignoring their followers, it meant they were setting a trap.

To confirm, Baishi expanded his own perception, scanning within a two-kilometer radius.

Sure enough—

Multiple chakra signatures appeared, circling around the Cloud Ninja's position.

They weren't just being tailed by one person—they were being watched from all sides.

If only one person had gone unnoticed, it might have been a coincidence.

But if everyone had gone undetected, it was no accident.

Baishi smirked.

"This just got interesting."

With a flick of his wrist, he opened his dimensional ring, releasing Hotaru, Natsuka, and Rōshi.

"Continue monitoring Cloud's movements," he instructed.

"Yes, my lord."

As the group vanished into the shadows, Baishi crossed his arms and smirked.

"As for me… I'll sit back and enjoy the show."

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