Arisu put away the map and lightly tapped the mark labeled "Main Gate of Uzushio Village" with his fingertip.
"Sakumo, take the left flank. Clear out the clan shinobi and wandering ninjas on the high ground.
"Orochimaru, use your snakes to scout the ambushes in the forest on the right. Set up a poison mist barrier while you're at it and cut off their reinforcements."
"Tsunade, come with me through the front. Your monstrous strength can tear open their defenses the fastest."
"Jiraiya, stay at the rear and guard our retreat route. Warn us immediately if you spot enemies.", Arisu quickly laid out the battle plan.
"Understood!" the four replied in unison.
Very soon, they successfully arrived outside Uzushio Village.
"Begin!"
Before the words even finished, Sakumo Hatake's figure shot out like a white bolt of lightning.
His short blade had not even left its sheath yet, but three flashes of cold light had already swept across the guard post a hundred meters away.
The three Mist shinobi did not even have time to scream before clutching their spraying throats and collapsing to the ground.
"What terrifying speed."
Orochimaru licked his lips. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes before his hands quickly formed seals.
"Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!"
Countless black venomous snakes burst from his sleeves, hissing as they slithered into the dense forest on the right.
In less than a moment, screams rose one after another from the woods, along with the sizzling sound of poison mist corroding grass and trees.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Arisu rapidly formed hand seals and rushed forward first.
One Arisu became three.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!"
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Great Wind Dragon Jutsu!"
The three Arisu shadow clones each used different ninjutsu.
Using elemental techniques to clear the path directly.
Tsunade followed closely behind, fists clenched tight as chakra gathered around them in a faint golden glow.
The Mist Village's front gate defense line was guarded by dozens of shinobi. Three layers of wire traps and explosive tag traps were set up ahead.
Tsunade leaped high into the air and slammed a heavy punch into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth instantly cracked apart. Huge fissures spread out like spiderwebs, sending the wire traps, explosive traps, and even the rocks beneath them flying into the sky.
"It's people from Konoha!"
"Konoha brats! You're courting death!"
"We'll show you the reputation of the Bloody Mist!"
The Mist shinobi roared and charged forward with kunai in hand.
Before Arisu could react... Tsunade already stepped in front of him and finished off the shinobi with one punch.
The five moved quickly.
They directly chose a Western-style approach and attacked head-on.
With the strength of the five of them, they eliminated large numbers of shinobi with almost no pressure.
During the battle, Arisu sharply sensed that these were not the main forces of the Mist Village.
There were no bloodline limits here.
Most of them probably were not regular troops.
The group reached the inner area.
Corpses covered the streets. There were Uzumaki clan shinobi and Mist invaders alike. Most of the houses had been burned down, and fresh bloodstains could still be seen among the broken walls and ruins.
Tsunade's fists clenched until they cracked, her eyes full of anger.
"These bastards!"
Orochimaru, meanwhile, studied the sealing formulas left on the walls with great interest and muttered softly,
"As expected of their reputation. The Uzumaki clan's sealing techniques are truly exquisite."
Arisu's expression showed little change.
He had lived for over a thousand years and seen far too many wars and killings.
Back when he had slaughtered the ninja world until rivers of blood flowed and the earth collapsed, the scenes had been far crueler than this.
"Someone's there!"
Arisu's senses suddenly tightened, and he shouted lowly.
Everyone looked toward the sound.
Behind a broken wall not far away, a small head with fiery red curly hair peeked out.
The girl's rough cloth clothes were stained with dirt and dried blood. Her wet eyes looked at them timidly while her small body trembled.
"An enemy...?"
Orochimaru's snake-like pupils instantly narrowed into slits as chakra quietly gathered at his fingertips.
Sakumo Hatake reversed his grip on the short blade at his waist. The aura around him instantly turned cold, and the two almost simultaneously took defensive stances.
But Arisu's gaze fell on the faded Uzumaki clan emblem on the girl's wrist, and his tone eased slightly.
"She's not an enemy. She's a survivor from the Land of Whirlpools."
"She's from the Uzumaki clan!"
After confirming there was no danger, Tsunade's heart tightened.
Looking at the girl's thin, trembling figure, pain filled her eyes. She quickly walked over and carefully crouched down.
Tsunade softened her voice as much as possible.
"Don't be afraid. We're not bad people. We're allies of the Uzumaki clan, from Konoha. After the mission is over, how about we take you back to Konoha?"
The girl tightly grabbed the corner of her clothes. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum and shook clearly with fear.
"My name is... Kushina... Uzumaki Kushina."
Arisu's heart shook slightly.
He knew this name too well. According to the original course of events, she should only have been sent to Konoha as an orphan after the complete destruction of the Land of Whirlpools.
He had not expected to meet her here ahead of time.
The moment the group completely relaxed their guard, intense killing intent suddenly erupted from the surrounding forest.
Dozens of black figures shot out from behind tree shadows and rocks like ghosts. Kunai and shuriken flashed with cold light as they attacked the five from all directions.
After all, they were only teenagers. Completely caught off guard, they were immediately thrown into chaos. They could only hurriedly block the attacks while protecting Kushina and retreating backward.
"We can't stay and fight!"
Arisu slashed away the shuriken flying toward him and shouted deeply, "You guys take Kushina and retreat first. Meet up at the Six Paths Temple. I'll stay behind and cover you!"
"No!"
"The enemy are all skilled Chunin, over thirty of them! It's too dangerous for you to stay behind alone!"
Sakumo Hatake pierced the throat of a sneak attacker behind him with a reverse stab, his face grim as he shook his head.
"That's right!"
"We're comrades. We absolutely won't leave you behind alone!"
Tsunade said while tightly protecting Kushina in her arms.
Jiraiya and Orochimaru also nodded at the same time, their eyes firm without the slightest hesitation.
Seeing this, Arisu knew he could not persuade them, so he quickly changed his words, speaking extremely fast.
"Then split up and run! The target is too large. If we move together, none of us will escape! Remember, meet at the Six Paths Temple, and make sure to protect Kushina!"
Only then did the others respond and dash off in different directions.
Arisu sprinted the entire way in the opposite direction from the Six Paths Temple, drawing all the pursuers behind him.
Arisu was not afraid of these people.
He was thinking about transferring part of the Uzumaki clan to Mount Myoboku.
Just like the Hyuga clan.
Only after confirming there was no one else around did Arisu suddenly stop and slowly turn around.
His black eyes calmly swept across the dozen black figures chasing him, his tone flat without the slightest ripple.
"Stop chasing. We'll settle it here."
At that moment...
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several black figures appeared.
The leading Mist Jonin let out a cold laugh.
"Kid, you've got guts. Why'd you stop running?"
"Looks like you know there's no way for you to escape!"
Another ninja raised his ninja blade with a vicious grin.
"If you know what's good for you, kill yourself now. At least you'll leave behind a complete corpse!"
Several Mist shinobi sneered.
Arisu's expression did not change.