As time passed, the rain began to subside until it completely stopped. From the thick, heavy clouds, a hawk soared out. Its sharp eyes scanned around for a moment before quickly locking onto a target, then with a flap of its wings, it swiftly glided towards the rock wall not far ahead!
Ren, sitting by the cave entrance, seemed to sense something and instinctively looked up, immediately noticing the hawk rapidly approaching from the sky. He stood up and went outside the cave, raising his hand. The hawk, flying close, quickly slowed down and landed steadily on his hand.
"Is it my letter?"
Ren removed the envelope from the hawk's leg and turned to lead the "messenger" into the cave. At this point, Kakuzu had only counted about half of the money. His eyes were solely on the money, and he had no interest whatsoever in what Ren was doing.
Ren opened the envelope, and the familiar handwriting of Minato immediately met his eyes. There weren't many words, about a hundred in total, so he finished reading it very quickly.
"Tsk, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, huh…"
Ren murmured softly, looking at the paper in his hand, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.
Minato's message was mainly to inform him that Konoha had received intelligence: Suikazan Fuguki, Munashi Jinpachi, Biwa Jūzō, and others, who had been fighting on the front lines of the Suna Hidden Village Battlefield, had left their main camp and were heading towards the Konoha battlefield where the Third Mizukage was located.
In that case, the high-level combat power on the Third Mizukage's side would completely surpass that of the Konoha forces led by Konoha White Fang and Kosuke.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist are all exceptionally strong. Now, all concentrated together, with the Third Mizukage leading the team, the Kirigakure defense line in the Land of Fire was in danger!
Minato's purpose in writing to Ren was to ask him to hurry and provide assistance. With his Perfect Jinchuriki strength, he could certainly contend with the Third Mizukage or the Ninja Swordsmen.
Realizing the urgency, Ren didn't delay. He took out a scroll, unsealed it to get paper and pen, quickly wrote a reply to Minato, and then re-tied it to the hawk's leg. He quickly went outside the cave, and the understanding hawk immediately spread its wings and flew high into the sky, soon becoming just a small black dot gradually disappearing into the distance.
Ren turned around. Kakuzu had just finished counting the money and had just closed the box. Coming back to his senses, Kakuzu noticed Ren staring at him. He frowned slightly and spoke.
"Hmm?"
"Mr. Kakuzu, the rain has stopped. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll see you next time."
"Alright."
Kakuzu didn't care whether he left or not; he had the money now, and the employment mission was over.
Ren smiled at him before turning and walking into the distance. Watching Ren disappear from sight, Kakuzu retracted his gaze, put the two boxes back into his storage scroll, and then also walked out of the rock cave, heading in the opposite direction from Ren.
It was still early; he could still catch some bounty targets near the Border Line of the Land of Rain for more money before dark.
After all, for Kakuzu, money not earned was money wasted.
Ren, after an hour of travel, left the Border Line of the Land of Rain and entered the Land of Fire, but the dark clouds in the sky hadn't dissipated; they still hung heavy and black, indicating that the weather across the entire Ninja World was probably bad today.
On the other side, the Third Mizukage led his army to assault the Konoha Border Line once more.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
A massive water dragon burst forth from the water, circling once in the air before flying forward to strike!
"Hmph!"
A cold snort rang out, and a figure appeared in front of the water dragon, raising his sword-wielding right hand. Chakra surged into the short sword, and he then directly slashed down at the water dragon that had rushed close!
Without encountering any resistance, the water was split where the blade passed, and in the blink of an eye, the water dragon was divided in two, scattering into a spray of water in the air, creating a small shower over the area.
"Konoha White Fang!"
The Mizukage's brows furrowed, and his narrowed eyes opened slightly as he looked at the figure standing with his sword before him, a grave expression on his face.
Although the opponent was not a Kage, his strength was definitely no weaker than his own. And there was also a middle-aged man known as Kosuke, whose powerful Water Release and swordsmanship had caused immense trouble for the Ghost Lantern and Shikotsumyaku bloodline families, as well as Ninja Swordsmen like Kurosuki Raiga and Kuriarare Kushimaru who had fought him.
If it weren't for these two, they would have long since broken through the Konoha Border Line and marched deep into the Land of Fire.
Konoha White Fang, however, had no intention of replying. While wary of his opponent, he was also using his peripheral vision to observe the entire battlefield, feeling a slight unease in his heart.
The Ninja Swordsmen who usually confronted Kosuke on the battlefield were all nowhere to be seen. Unrestrained, Kosuke continuously wielded his long sword over the sea, interspersed with various powerful Water Release techniques that were almost instantaneous.
The sea was turbulent, and the screams of the Kirigakure Ninja were incessant. Seeing this, several elite Ninja from the bloodline families stepped forward and finally managed to slow Kosuke's advance.
Although the situation now seemed to favor Konoha, the unease in Konoha White Fang's heart persisted. He had also read the intelligence from Konoha; all the Ninja Swordsmen had seemingly vanished into thin air. If such a potential hidden danger could not be detected and eliminated in time, it would definitely lead to extremely severe consequences.
Thinking of this, Konoha White Fang's expression became serious. He glided forward, raising his sword to attack his opponent.
Compared to Konoha White Fang, the Third Mizukage, however, appeared composed. While fending off Konoha White Fang's attacks, he inadvertently glanced into the distance, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The Ninja Swordsmen were not here, of course, they had other intentions. By now, they should have "infiltrated," right…
Several miles from this battlefield was a coastline patrolled by Konoha Ninja. Two Konoha Ninja stood guard on a cliff.
Looking at the unchanging sea before them, the younger man yawned boredly and spoke to his companion, who was still diligently on guard.
"Mokudai-senpai, let's rest for a bit. There's still half an hour until the next shift change."
The slightly older Mokudai glanced at his companion and said in a slightly admonishing tone.
"Stand straight. This place isn't far from the main battlefield. Those cunning Hidden Mist guys might launch an attack here, so we absolutely cannot be careless."
"Yes, yes, yes,"
The man responded perfunctorily and continued to stand lazily, inwardly dismissing Mokudai's words. This spot was at the highest elevation, offering a clear view of the entire coastline, so there was no need to worry so much.
Suddenly, several hands appeared on the edge of the cliff in front of them. Before he could react, several figures suddenly leaped out, landing one after another on the cliff, surrounding them.
One of the figures looked at the two stunned individuals, then grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth.
"Land of Fire… we're in."