Inside the Tsuchikage's office, Onoki held a border patrol report in his hands.
Nobutoshi and Kumiko stood in front of the desk, having just finished reporting on their previous mission.
Kyoshin stood beside the two of them. After Nobutoshi finished speaking, he stepped forward, "Lord Tsuchikage, there's sothing I want to report."
Onoki looked up. "What is it?"
"It's information regarding Kusagakure." Kyoshin paused for a mont, organizing his thoughts.
"On my way from the Land of Fire to the Land of Earth, I stopped in a small town near the border of the Land of Grass to resupply. While I was there, I overheard so rumors."
Nobutoshi and Kumiko both turned to look at him. Onoki gestured for him to continue.
"The rumor says Kusagakure recently took control of a mother and daughter from the Uzumaki clan." Kyoshin said, "The mother's na is Uzumaki Chinatsu, and the daughter is called Karin, around ten years old."
Onoki narrowed his eyes. "The Uzumaki clan… that bloodline that was nearly wiped out. Is the information reliable?"
"I heard several rchants chatting about it at the ti. They said the news spread from inside Kusagakure itself." Kyoshin replied, "Considering the special value of the Uzumaki clan, I felt it was necessary to report it to you."
Nobutoshi spoke up. "Why bring it up only now?"
"I wasn't sure whether the information was true before, and I also didn't know if Iwagakure would even care about sothing like this." Kyoshin answered honestly.
"But after carrying out Anbu missions during this period, I realized the village places great importance on valuable talent and bloodlines."
"The Uzumaki clan is indeed highly valuable." Excitent crept into Onoki's voice. "Their sealing techniques, powerful vitality, and chakra are all precious resources for a ninja village."
"If this mother and daughter are really being oppressed in Kusagakure, then rescuing them would not only be morally justified, it would also benefit Iwagakure."
He looked toward Nobutoshi and Kumiko. "What do you think?"
Nobutoshi thought for a few seconds. "Kusagakure belongs to a small nation. Their strength isn't impressive. If we move carefully, the difficulty shouldn't be high."
"The key issue is what happens afterward. If Kusagakure discovers we were behind it, it could trigger diplomatic conflict."
Kumiko's voice was filled with doubt. "Do they even have the guts for that?"
Nobutoshi shrugged. "People with nothing to lose are the most troubleso."
"Then it's settled." Onoki made the final decision. "Your next mission: infiltrate Kusagakure and bring back the Uzumaki mother and daughter."
"Mission rank: S-class. Confidential."
"You are not to expose your identities as Iwa shinobi, and you must leave no evidence behind."
"Yes, sir." The three answered at the sa ti.
"Make thorough preparations before departure." Onoki added, "Kusagakure may not be strong, but it's still their territory. Proceed carefully."
"Understood."
———
[Two Days Later]
[Land of Grass]
Kyoshin's group of three lay hidden on a hillside, overlooking Kusagakure below.
The village was not large. Most of the buildings were wooden structures, surrounded by simple walls and watchtowers.
It was already deep into the night. Only a few scattered lights remained lit inside the village, while most of it was swallowed by darkness.
"Based on what we learned these past few days, they should be held near the dical facility on the eastern side of the village." Nobutoshi said quietly.
"We need to move quickly. The Land of Grass is in warti right now. They could be transferred to the battlefield at any mont."
"Kumiko, go scout the exact location."
Kumiko nodded. Her figure lted into the darkness as she silently slipped toward the village.
Kyoshin and Nobutoshi remained where they were and waited.
———
Half an hour later, Kumiko returned.
Her voice ca through the mask, carrying a trace of gravity. "Found them. There's indeed an isolated building on the east side of the village. It looks like a dical facility."
"There are four hidden sentries around it. The inside situation is unclear."
"But I sensed two unusual chakra signatures. One is extrely weak, but its life force is incredibly tenacious. The other is very special, full of vitality, but completely lacking control."
"It should be them." Nobutoshi said.
"Plan of action: I'll create a disturbance to draw attention away. Kumiko will eliminate the hidden sentries. Kintsuchi, you infiltrate and rescue them. Once you succeed, withdraw imdiately and regroup at the rendezvous point."
"Rember this. Don't use Earth Release, and don't expose the Sharingan."
Not using Earth Release was to prevent anyone from identifying the operation as the work of Iwagakure.
Not exposing the Sharingan was to conceal Kyoshin's existence.
There were very few Uchiha left in the ninja world now. The mont news spread that a Sharingan user had appeared here...
Once Konoha ruled out everyone else, they would imdiately trace it back here.
And then, by following the trail, they could very likely uncover Kyoshin's exact information.
Kyoshin nodded. "Understood."
"Move out."
Nobutoshi charged down the hillside first. After a few swift leaps, he entered the western side of the village wall.
The next second...
Agonized screams echoed through the night sky, instantly alarming the entire village.
"Enemy attack!"
"The west side! Soone's infiltrated the village!"
The Grass shinobi jolted awake from their sleep and rushed toward the source of the noise.
Lights from the watchtowers swept toward the western side as alarms rang out.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Kumiko and Kyoshin infiltrated the eastern side of the village at the sa ti.
Avoiding the patrols, they passed through narrow alleys and quickly arrived in front of the isolated building.
It was a two-story structure with a crude exterior. Every window had been boarded shut with wooden planks.
There were no guards at the entrance. Clearly, the Grass shinobi believed the hidden sentries were enough.
Kumiko blended into the darkness and silently assassinated them one by one.
anwhile, Kyoshin circled to the back of the building and found a small ventilation window.
Carefully prying the wooden boards loose, he climbed inside.
The interior was dark. Only a single oil lamp at the end of the hallway provided faint illumination.
The air was filled with a strange mix of disinfectant and blood.
He moved down the corridor, his Sharingan giving him clear vision in the darkness.
The first floor contained several empty rooms stacked with dical equipnt.
There were sounds coming from the second floor.
Kyoshin silently climbed the stairs.
There were three rooms upstairs. Two had their doors tightly shut. The third was slightly ajar, with light spilling through the crack.
He approached the room and looked inside through the gap.
The room was small and plainly furnished.
A red-haired woman sat beside the bed. She wore a worn-out white patient gown, and several tubes were inserted into her arms, connected to a machine nearby.
Her face was pale, her eyes exhausted, but traces of her forr beauty could still be seen.
Long crimson hair draped over her shoulders, the ends dry and split.
This was Uzumaki Chinatsu.
Beside the bed sat a little girl, around ten years old.
She also had vivid red hair. Her body was extrely thin, and her eyes carried a gloom that didn't belong to soone her age. At the mont, she was lowering her head and fiddling with sothing in her hands.
Karin.
Kyoshin took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
Chinatsu and Karin both looked up at the sa ti, freezing when they saw him.
Kyoshin was still wearing the fox mask and Anbu uniform, his entire presence radiating a cold and dangerous aura.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to save you." Kyoshin said in a lowered voice.
Chinatsu's first reaction was to pull Karin behind her protectively, her eyes full of caution, "Who are you? Another one of Kusagakure's tests?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers