Yumiko was a spy for Sunagakure.
She belonged to the Secret Intelligence Mobile Unit, commonly known as the "Inbu," under the command of the Sand Elder, Ebizō.
The reason she had been deployed to the Eastern Front was simple: every Great Nation and Hidden Village in the shinobi world understood that with the Leaf's current military strength, it was impossible for them to wage war against four nations simultaneously.
Had it not been for the Third Raikage's battle against ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi earlier this year—which depleted Iwa's forces and indirectly led to instability within Kumogakure—the Hidden Leaf would be in an even direr state. The Fourth Raikage currently needed to consolidate his own power and had temporarily withdrawn from the battlefields of the Third Shinobi World War.
Otherwise, the front line on the Land of Rain's side would likely have advanced deep into the Land of Fire by now. They might have even reached Kikyo Castle, forcing the Third Hokage to take the field personally.
At present, the Hidden Leaf's primary forces were bogged down on the Western Front, simultaneously fighting off Iwagakure and Sunagakure. With both sides locked in a stalemate, the Leaf was bound to struggle against the onslaught of Kirigakure on the Eastern Front.
Thus, the pivotal point that would influence the entire course of the Great War had fallen upon the Eastern theater.
Both Sunagakure and Iwagakure hoped that Kirigakure could deal a fatal blow to the Leaf in the East. To facilitate this, they had dispatched a large number of spies like Yumiko to operate behind the Eastern front lines, waiting for opportunities to assist Kirigakure and weaken the Hidden Leaf.
Before becoming a Sunagakure spy disguised as a "medical ninja," Yumiko had actually served as a legitimate medical ninja under Lady Chiyo back in the Sand Village.
She understood perfectly how medical ninjas were classified, could identify the talent levels of various medical ninjas within the Leaf, and was acutely aware of one thing—the severe chain reaction that would follow the emergence of a "Sannin-level" medical ninja.
The medical ninja system differed from the standard shinobi system. For those on this path, raw talent as a shinobi wasn't the primary focus; in fact, one only needed to be passably competent in traditional ninja arts.
What mattered more were the qualities of a doctor: learning ability, knowledge reserves, surgical skill, emotional stability under high pressure, and a deep understanding of the human body.
Simply put, a medical ninja couldn't be a fool. The smarter they were and the more knowledge they possessed, the greater their talent on this path. "Academic grinders" actually had a higher priority over others when it came to becoming an outstanding medical ninja.
And after witnessing that surgery last night—a procedure that had concluded in a mere 16 minutes—Yumiko immediately determined that the boy with the Byakugan named Hyuga Yu possessed the ultimate potential to inherit Tsunade's mantle and become the next "Sannin."
This was the last thing Sunagakure wanted to see.
Therefore, even though she knew Hyuga Yu possessed the Byakugan and that Hizashi Hyūga had only just departed, Yumiko still risked exposure by coming here. She intended to send an urgent intelligence report regarding Hyuga Yu to the Sand high command.
She planned to request that the leadership dispatch an assassination squad with a priority level higher than even the Rain and River Country battlefields to come to this location—to execute Hyuga Yu!
She wanted to nip this "Sannin" seed in the bud once and for all.
But now, as Yumiko looked at the message tube tied to the leg of the black pigeon, her expression shifted drastically.
It was usually she who sent intelligence to the village; the village almost never contacted her. When such an anomaly occurred, it meant a major event had transpired—one so serious that Yumiko, despite being deeply embedded in the Leaf's medical system, was required to carry out a mission even at the cost of her own exposure.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Yumiko took a deep breath. With the mindset of one prepared to die, she removed the tube from the pigeon's leg and pulled out the slip of paper.
Two cold lines of bold text written in cipher met her eyes:
[The Great Nations are assembling special operations units in preparation to capture Hyuga Yu. Nightingale, you are required to immediately abduct Hyuga Yu and bring him back to Sunagakure.]
[Should you receive intelligence that the Fourth Raikage, Ay, has been deployed during the mission, execute Hyuga Yu on the spot immediately!]
As she scanned the contents of the note, Yumiko gasped!
She couldn't understand why a mere member of the Hyūga branch family would attract the attention of so many powers—to the point that the Fourth Raikage might actually leave the turbulent Kumogakure to capture him.
However, she immediately realized that while the process was different, the result was the same. Now, the Sunagakure leadership—no, the entire shinobi world—had taken notice of Hyuga Yu. And they valued him far more than she had imagined!
At that thought, Yumiko's gaze turned cold. She immediately grabbed the black pigeon that was pecking at grass seeds on the ground.
Snap!
The innocent bird didn't even have time to let out a cry. Its dark eyes bulged as its neck was snapped, killing it instantly.
At that moment, a curious voice suddenly drifted from behind Yumiko—
"Eh? Doctor Yumiko?"
"Weren't you going to feed it? Why did you suddenly kill the little guy?"
Hearing that familiar, hauntingly boisterous voice, Yumiko couldn't help but tremble. Her face drained of color instantly, turning as pale as if the blood had been sucked right out of her.
Her eyes went wide as she stiffly turned her neck, only to see—
Might Duy, who had already completed a lap around the camp while running on his hands, was staring at her with a deep and peculiar look in his eyes.
Yumiko gritted her teeth inwardly. Why does this guy make absolutely no sound when he moves?!
"Haha... Haha..."
Yumiko forced a bashful, embarrassed expression, looking like a shy woman who had been caught in a small secret.
She slightly loosened the buttons of her white lab coat, revealing a glimpse of her tanned, ample cleavage to Might Duy. With a flush on her face, she gave an awkward smile and fanned herself with her hand.
"I think I'm suffering from a bit of internal heat... Mr. Duy, I won't lie to you. I actually came here to catch a pigeon."
"Because... well, pigeon soup is great for clearing heat and detoxifying the body."
Might Duy shook his head and lectured her with a stern face: "Doctor Yumiko, this is clearly an invasion of external pathogens caused by a lack of exercise."
"Come! I'll teach you a secret formula for physical training. Just follow me for two laps to work up a sweat, and you'll be fine!"
Yumiko's smile suddenly became extremely stiff.
But quickly, she recalled that this bowl-cut, thick-browed man seemed to be quite close to Hyuga Yu. Ultimately, she gritted her teeth and nodded with extreme reluctance.
Early morning, 8:00 AM.
Just as Hyuga Yu stepped out of the Corpse Processing Force camp to get some breakfast, he was greeted by a bizarre sight.
The doctor who had served as his second assistant last night—Yumiko, he recalled—was currently dressed in a green spandex jumpsuit identical to Might Duy's. The suit clung tightly to her curvaceous figure as she ran laps around the camp behind Duy, panting heavily and drenched in sweat.
Hyuga Yu couldn't help but blink his Byakugan, then rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Watching Might Duy's hearty, radiant smile ahead of her, Yu felt as though the world viewed through his Byakugan was somehow distorted.
"A woman actually agreed to wear those hideous clothes and train with Master Duy?"
Hyuga Yu stood stunned for a long moment, muttering to himself in doubt:
"Hiss... Could I be trapped in the Limited Tsukuyomi?"
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