"Stop! Put down my teacher!"
The three Suna genin chased for dozens of kiloters until they were gasping for breath.
All three supported themselves with their hands on their knees, heads raised.
For genin to chase a jōnin this far was already a testant to their considerable willpower.
Yōkō checked the direction. He had given the three genin enough hints. He needed to take Tade's body further north, towards the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth.
Yōkō threw three kunai backwards, startling the three genin into a panicked roll.
Sweat soaked their clothes, which then beca caked with sand, leaving them in a wretched state.
Yōkō said, "The three of you are weak, but your courage is comndable.
I admire your bravery and grant you the chance to live. Scram back to Sunagakure."
Hoisting Tade's corpse onto his shoulder, Yōkō vanished with Nara Uka using the Body Flicker Technique.
Only after the two had left did the three genin feel the full force of their fear and terror.
They had been incredibly foolish to chase the murderer this far.
If the killer had wished, he could have ended them at any mont.
After putting so distance between them, Yōkō unsealed so bandages, wrapped the corpse, and sprayed it with preservatives to prevent decay.
Nara Uka said, "Let's go. We'll take the body to an underground exchange in the Land of Earth to claim the bounty."
Reaching the foot of the Kikkō Mountain Range, they saw a vast expanse of oasis.
Nara Uka said, "That's the mountain oasis of the Land of Wind. After water was diverted from the Land of Rain through the cave, this large oasis appeared.
I heard Ebizō was nearly furious to death.
His subordinates were the first to discover the cave, but after losing the war, the Wind Daimyō obtained permission from the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Rain through negotiation.
The credit belongs to the Daimyō, none of it to Ebizō."
This oasis was fan-shaped, stretching out from the base of the Kikkō Mountains for over ten kiloters.
An oasis of this scale was considered exceptionally large in the Land of Wind. Crucially, its area was still expanding.
Climbing the towering Kikkō Mountains, the temperature dropped abruptly, and the air was no longer unbearably dry.
After crossing the mountain range, they entered the Land of Rain.
Yōkō arrived once more at Tsutamidani Town.
On the town's dam, three squads of samurai were stationed.
Samurai from the Land of Rain, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Wind protected the stationed officials, ensuring the water distribution proceeded without issue.
Yōkō said, "Let's rest for the night in Tsutamidani Town. I'm a bit tired."
Nara Uka said, "You're the strong one, I'll follow your lead."
Yōkō thought to himself, the clever Nara Uka was still so admirably strength-oriented.
The two entered a newly built inn in Tsutamidani Town.
The innkeeper, seeing a masked man and woman enter, knew they were rogue ninja not to be trifled with, and provided them with two of his best rooms.
That night, Nara Uka knocked on Yōkō's door.
"I have a plan I'd like to consult you about, Captain of the ANBU Squad."
Noticing the water droplets in Nara Uka's hair, Yōkō knew she had just bathed. It can't just be a simple consultation, can it? he thought.
After entering Yōkō's room, Nara Uka sat on the bed and said:
"Barring any surprises, each village likely posts bounties on targets from enemy villages at the underground exchanges.
Using the underground exchange adds a layer of disguise, making exposure less likely, but the commission fees are too high, essentially giving money to the exchange.
The village's funds are tight; how can we keep giving money away?
Fox, do you think it's possible that if Kumogakure places a bounty on a specific Kiri jōnin, we from Konoha could intercept and kill that Kiri jōnin, collecting Kumo's bounty?"
"Absolutely possible!" Yōkō said:
"But this relies on a powerful intelligence foundation.
If Kumo spends tens of millions of Ryo to bounty a ninja, they will definitely send assassins imdiately, just like we did.
We must seize the timing gap, getting the head before the Kumo-nin do.
Our current intelligence system isn't efficient or sensitive enough for such interceptive killings. It could lead to many wasted trips and resource drain."
Nara Uka nodded; she also understood that intelligence was the key to the plan.
This would be the main sche she would push next. If implented, she would gain significant rit, and the Nara clan would benefit accordingly.
"Fox, regarding the intelligence system, do you have any suggestions?"
Yōkō shook his head: "My role has always been that of an executor, carrying out the Hokage's missions or Battalion Commander Yellow Dog's missions.
Before this mission, I had never been involved with the intelligence system. I know nothing about spies and intelligence networks.
So, you'd better ask soone else."
The ANBU spy system fell under Long-Ard Ape's purview. He needed to observe this true confidant of Yellow Dog more, looking for the right mont to act.
Favoritism existed, after all. Yōkō had been utterly unreserved, if not completely open-hearted, towards Yellow Dog, and look how it ended up.
Nara Uka continued asking: "What about suggestions regarding the interceptive killings themselves?"
"The most important thing for interceptive killing missions is speed. Dispatch fast ninjas to reach the destination quickly." Yōkō said:
"If the village is willing to invest, it could form a Rapid Reaction Battalion or Squad.
This unit should consist entirely of speed-type ninjas, capable of covering at least 500 kiloters per day to et the requirents."
The average ninja's travel speed is 300 to 400 kiloters per day, as ninjas need to preserve stamina to deal with potential ambushes at any ti.
Nara Uka nodded repeatedly, committing all this important information to heart.
"Then, Fox, would you be willing to serve as the Captain of the Rapid Reaction Battalion?"
Yōkō said: "I'm too versatile. Whether it's speed, attack power, or defense, I excel in all areas.
Personally, I don't mind. Whether it's being an ANBU Squad Captain or the Captain of the Rapid Reaction Battalion, I'll do it if ordered by the Hokage or Battalion Commander Yellow Dog.
You could suggest Black Ant for the position of Rapid Reaction Squad Captain. He's from your Nara clan."
Nara Uka seed sowhat displeased: "In your eyes, am I the type to show favoritism for my clan?"
"Apologies, I was judging a gentleman by the asure of a petty person. Knowing so much intelligence, you must be aware that there are few 'good people' in Root and ANBU, which makes prone to suspecting others' motives."
"ANBU actions are sowhat predictable, but there are indeed few good people in Root," Nara Uka said:
"Speaking of Root, after the heavy losses at the Valley of the End, their reconstruction is fraught with difficulties.
Out of 20 new trainees recently, 3 have already died during training."
Yōkō's eyes darkened.
Danzo was personally training the new Root mbers. The training was extrely brutal, solely to cultivate usable subordinates as quickly as possible.
As Yōkō was lost in thought, he felt a shadow fall over him. Nara Uka had co to stand right in front of him.
"There are still so things... I'd like to discuss with you, Fox..."
As they talked, the barriers between them gradually diminished, and pieces of clothing began to fall away.
Twenty minutes later.
Nara Uka said: "Fox, relax, let use my shadow to control you..."
"Ah? Why?"
"You're a busy ANBU ninja, you probably have very few won, right? So you don't understand won at all."
Yōkō thought to himself, Was my performance that bad?
He relaxed his body, allowing Nara Uka to control him.
Over ten seconds later, he had an epiphany.
I see! So it's this angle, this frequency.
Wait, isn't this just using as a big toy?
The Nara clan plays pretty wild too!
Indeed, clever people are selfish!
***
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