Leaning against a tree, Kurenai Yuhi stared blankly at Aokawa under the moonlight.
Her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Along the way, she felt that Aokawa was becoming more and more different from before.
In just a few short months, her perception of him had undergone a world-shaking change.
Exquisite Medical Ninjutsu, precise Ninja Tools throwing techniques.
And that powerful and beautiful Chakra Bow.
Tonight, he had even displayed that mysterious and eerie footwork.
There were so many powerful enemies in this mission, and she couldn't even deal with one.
But Aokawa, with that beautiful Spirit Bow, had crushed so many enemies in a one-sided manner.
That powerful strength, the meticulous analysis when formulating plans, and his composure when facing the enemy.
Everything radiated a mysterious aura that deeply attracted her.
He even knew Ninjutsu.
Thinking of the way Aokawa used a mini Water Release: Water Wall to wash his hands.
Kurenai Yuhi couldn't help but find it amusing.
Then she thought of the scene where he helped her wrap her bandages.
Her face couldn't help but turn red; that feeling was still vivid in her mind.
She quickly spat twice, trying to drive the romantic thoughts out of her head.
Suddenly.
In her field of vision, Aokawa started laughing for no apparent reason.
His gaze was blank, but his smile was so sweet.
Seeing this, Kurenai Yuhi frowned.
"Is he thinking about that big-chested girl Hana-chan mentioned? He couldn't really be in a relationship, could he?"
Just as she was about to get up and confront him, she saw Kurenai Yūhi not far away.
She could only sigh and give up.
At night.
She tossed and turned, flipping back and forth like a fish being fried.
Her mind was full of everything they had experienced over the past few days.
It wasn't until the latter half of the night that she finally fell into a deep sleep.
She even dreamed of Aokawa.
In the dream, he was holding a very beautiful girl's hand with his left hand.
Yet his right hand greedily reached out toward her.
Inviting her to stand by his side as well.
She suddenly felt a pang of distress in her heart and woke up startled.
Only then did she realize it was already dawn.
Although a night's rest couldn't completely eliminate the fatigue of several days, the group's spirits were clearly much more refreshed.
Because they had alerted the border troops of the Land of Wind, they certainly couldn't pass through the checkpoint they came from.
After some discussion, they decided to sneak into the northern border area where the terrain was more complex and find an opportunity to slip out.
After confirming their destination, the group set off again, speeding toward their target.
Aokawa kept his Byakugan active at all times, taking the lead at the front.
He didn't open his field of vision to 359 degrees but instead concentrated his ocular power to enhance his visual range.
He scanned the fan-shaped area several kilometers ahead to ensure they wouldn't encounter any enemies.
Along the way, relying on the reconnaissance advantage of the Byakugan, they evaded enemy patrols multiple times.
But the closer they got to the border, the more Sunagakure patrol teams there were.
When they reached a region of wind-eroded rock pillars a few kilometers from the border, Aokawa suddenly raised his hand, signaling the team to stop.
"There's a situation ahead!" He lowered his voice, his expression grave.
"The density of the patrol teams has increased at least threefold, and their deployment is very organized, forming cross-patrols with almost no blind spots."
He turned to look at the three: "It's probably impossible to bypass them silently like before."
Hearing this, Kurenai Yūhi furrowed his brows: "Can you see a pattern?"
"There is one, but the intervals are very short. The window of opportunity in each direction is less than a minute. Forcing a Breakthrough is high-risk; we could easily be surrounded."
"Then what should we do?" Uchiha Tetsubi asked in a low voice, his Sharingan unconsciously activating.
Although his field of vision was far inferior to the Byakugan, he could still feel the faint pressure coming from ahead.
"We can only wait!" Aokawa stared at the patrol team ahead: "Since daytime won't work, we'll wait for nightfall."
The four found an extremely well-hidden rock crevice to hide in, taking turns to rest and recharge.
Time passed slowly in the tense wait. The sun set, and night gradually enveloped this desolate border land.
Just as Aokawa and the others were preparing to attempt a forced Breakthrough under the cover of darkness.
Boom!
A deafening roar suddenly erupted from the direction of the Land of Wind's border outpost in the distance.
Immediately after, a dazzling lightning light soared into the sky, illuminating it as if it were day!
Even from several kilometers away, they could feel that violent and rampaging Lightning Release Chakra!
"What is that?" Kurenai Yūhi suddenly stood up.
Aokawa's Byakugan instantly focused on that direction, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
He saw at least a thousand Ninjas wearing Kumogakure forehead protectors frantically attacking the Land of Wind's border outpost.
The leader was a burly man with bulging muscles.
His entire body was wrapped in blue Lightning Release Chakra, and his strength was terrifying.
Not a single person from the Land of Wind's border army was a match for him.
A name flashed through Aokawa's mind instantly: the future Fourth Raikage.
A!
Under his leadership, the Kumogakure army was unstoppable.
The Sunagakure border army's defensive lines were repeatedly broken.
signal flares representing the highest emergency request for reinforcements shrieked into the sky one after another, bursting into piercing light in the night sky.
The Sunagakure patrol teams that had been tightly locking down the border line almost simultaneously rushed frantically toward the direction where the flares rose!
The heavily guarded and airtight border defense line became sparse and riddled with holes in just a few breaths.
"An opportunity!" Aokawa made a decisive call: "Now! Let's go!"
Without another word, the four shot out from their hiding place like arrows from a bow, pushing their speed to the limit.
With a precise shot, Aokawa took out an unlucky sentry who had reacted, and the team finally crossed the Land of Wind's border without any further danger.
It wasn't until they could no longer see the Land of Wind's border posts and could no longer feel the distant lightning light that the four truly breathed a sigh of relief.
Aokawa looked back at the direction where the lightning light was fading, his thoughts racing.
"At this point in time, Fourth Raikage A personally leading a raid on the Land of Wind... it seems this is the battle that forced Sunagakure to sign an unfavorable treaty and led to Rasa becoming the Fourth Kazekage in the original story."
"Then next, having tasted success, the Land of Lightning will likely turn its spearhead toward the Land of Fire..."
"But he remembers that the Land of Lightning only attacked after discovering the Third Kazekage's disappearance, yet he hasn't heard that news."
He turned to Shinku-sama and asked, "Shinku-sama, has anything major happened in the Land of Wind recently?"
He wasn't even a Genin yet, so a lot of news likely only circulated among the upper echelons. Perhaps Shinku-sama knew.
As expected!
Shinku-sama nodded: "About two months ago, the Hidden Sand Village's movements were abnormal, searching for someone all over the world. There are internal rumors that the Third Kazekage suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, but it hasn't been confirmed."
"With Kumogakure launching a large-scale invasion today, it seems those rumors... are likely true. We must return as soon as possible and report the situation to Hokage-sama."
"Understood!"
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