Back at the hotel, the three members of Kazama's team gradually woke up.
The three were extremely frustrated, regretting that they hadn't been able to participate in the battle.
Uchiha Rekka, in particular, turned bloodshot upon hearing that he had been rescued by Hatake Kaede, and almost activated his Sharingan.
Hatake Kaede thought to himself, "Damn, are the Uchiha clan really this arrogant and awkward?"
After the matter of the evil god cult was settled, nothing else major happened.The group rested peacefully for a day, and the next day they embarked on their journey back to the Land of Fire.
After selling the goods to buyers in the Land of Hot Water, the employer also purchased some local specialties from the Land of Hot Water, intending to sell them in the Land of Fire.Since there weren't many of these specialties from the Land of Hot Water, the group's return journey was much faster.
A gentle breeze blew, and the sun shone warmly.The afternoon sun made one drowsy.Hatake Kaede sat in the carriage, observing his surroundings.The two teams of eight members were currently positioned a short distance apart, so there was no need to worry too much.
Just then, Yuhi Teruharu arrived beside Hatake Kaede.
Yuhi Teruharu said, "Kaede, stay alert.A group of people have been following us ever since we left town.I took a look last night.While they don't have any particularly distinctive features, a few of them have characteristics of the Land of Water (the Land of Water's serrated fangs)."
A hint of surprise flashed in Hatake Kaede's eyes, and he asked in a low voice, "The Land of Water?Ninjas from Kirigakure?Why are they following us?"
Yuhi Teruharu said seriously, "It's not clear yet.Be on high alert and pay close attention, as a battle may break out later."
Hatake Kaede is a subordinate I value, and with his mastery of hand seal ninjutsu, I naturally don't need to worry about his safety.As for Yuhi Haru and Sarutobi Shota working together, I don't need to worry too much about them either!
Hatake Kaede smiled wryly, "-sensei Teruharu, isn't this C-rank mission a bit too much for us?Bandit raids, an attack by the Evil God Cult, and now it's a group of Kirigakure ninjas.Are you sure you don't want to consider the small stature of us rookies?"
Yuhi Teruharu also said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do.We never expected things to turn out like this!"
The Hidden Mist Village is currently under the rule of the Third Mizukage, and although it hasn't been explicitly stated, there are already signs of a policy of isolationism.With the support of the Third Mizukage, the first Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have been established.
The first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were an important means for the Third Mizukage to suppress the various ninja clans within the village.
While Kirigakure is not as strict as it was during the time of the future Fourth Mizukage in the "Village of the Bloody Mist," it has already begun to suppress and coerce the various ninja clans.
As one of the Five Great Nations' ninja villages, Kirigakure's ninjas, though prone to internal strife, are not to be underestimated.Their water-style techniques and assassination skills are renowned throughout the ninja world.
As the convoy approached a grove of trees, a light mist began to appear.Soon, the mist thickened, reducing visibility to very low levels.
The Hidden Mist ninja who had been tracking them made their move, using their signature move, "Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!"
Shirokumo Kazama immediately shouted, "Attention!Maintain formation!Protect the employer!"
Upon hearing the order, the six members of Kazama's squad and Teruharu's squad immediately surrounded the carriage carrying their employer and his entourage, protecting them.
Shirakumo Kazama and Yuhi Teruharu drew their weapons, remaining vigilant at all times.
After a while, Yuhi Teruharu shouted, "Here they come!" With that, he cleaved the charging ninja in two with his sword.The next second, the ninja, now split in two, turned into two puddles of water.
Water clone?
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed from the surrounding mist: "Eight places!"
"Throat, spine, lungs, liver, carotid artery, subclavian vein, kidneys, heart!"
Which place do you prefer?
Noma, the only girl among the six, trembled with fear.Suddenly, Yuhi Teruharu shouted to Hatake Kaede, "Kaede, watch out!" But as the surrounding fog thickened, Hatake Kaede's figure disappeared from Yuhi Teruharu's sight.
"one!"
A figure appeared silently in front of Hatake Kaede, a kunai in its hand piercing straight into Hatake Kaede's heart.However, strangely, there was no sensation of the kunai piercing flesh.
Hatake Kaede reached out and grabbed the wrist of the figure in front of him, laughing eerily, "Hehehe, got you." A numbing electric current surged through the ninja's body, instantly paralyzing him and rendering him unable to fight.
Before losing consciousness, the man only saw lightning flashing across Hatake Kaede's chest.In his dying moments, the man thought: [What kind of monster is this?]
After killing the man before him, Hatake Kaede began forming hand seals in the thick fog, unleashing "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough !"
A strong wind swept rapidly through the surrounding environment, completely dispersing the thick white fog.
After the thick fog dissipated, Sarutobi Shouta shouted, "Kaze, well done!Now it's my turn to unleash my power!Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Immediately afterwards, a large number of shurikens were shot in a certain direction of the forest.
A muffled groan came from the forest, and a figure fell to the ground.
Hatake Kaede asked Yuhi Haru, "Haru, can you sense the enemy's direction?"
Yuhi Haru replied, "It's possible, but I'm not very skilled at it yet!I can only determine the general direction!"
Hatake Kaede said, "It's okay, the general direction is fine.Haru, can you help me out?"
Yuhi Yoshun closed his eyes and began to sense things carefully.Soon, he opened his eyes and shouted to Hatake Kaede, "There are enemies at five o'clock and seven o'clock."
Hatake Kaede immediately formed hand seals, creating a shadow clone, and then roared, "Get down!"
The shadow clone rushed to Shota's side.They grabbed Shota and Haru and made them lie down on the spot.
The next moment, lightning crackled around Hatake Kaede's body as he raised his hands to face the forest.
"Boom boom boom!" Two enormous dragon heads suddenly appeared from his hands.The thunder dragons surged and roared, destroying all obstacles in the forest.
With the sudden attack of the Thunder Dragon, all the hidden ninjas were exposed, and several mangled corpses appeared on the ground.
Seeing the devastation in the forest, as if a pause button had been pressed, everyone stared at Hatake Kaede in astonishment.
Sarutobi Shota looked at Hatake Kaede in surprise, then shouted, "Wow, Kaede, you actually had such a trump card up your sleeve!That's really not fair!"
Hatake Kaede gave Shota Sarutobi a deadpan look: "This move isn't fully developed yet, so of course I can't tell you.Alright, stop yelling and come help me up."
Shota Sarutobi nodded blankly, then rushed over to support Hatake Kaede, but in his heart he thought: [Wow.so cool!]
Kazama Shirakumo commented, "Senior Teruharu, your subordinate is quite formidable.The destructive power of this ninjutsu is at least B-rank.What's most surprising is that the destructive power of this ninjutsu increases as Hatake Kaede grows stronger."
As expected of a Jonin from the village, he saw the potential for growth in Hatake Kaede's technique at a glance.
Uchiha Retsuka, standing beside him, was also astonished, muttering, "He.how.how can he be so powerful!" Overwhelmed with emotion, a red light suddenly flashed in his eyes, and a tomoe appeared in each of his eyes.The tomoe spun rapidly, exuding an eerie aura.This was the unique sign of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan awakening.
With the activation of the Sharingan, the chakra within Uchiha Rekka's body surged wildly, as if it had been ignited, threatening to break free from his physical constraints.His body trembled slightly, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead; clearly, this burst of power was proving difficult for him to withstand.
However, Uchiha Rekka didn't last long.The immense power from awakening his Sharingan instantly exhausted his physical and mental strength.His vision went black, and his body collapsed limply as if it had lost its support, falling into a coma.
Shirokumo Kazama immediately caught the unconscious Uchiha Retsuka and gently placed him on the carriage.
At this moment, among the two teams present, only Shirakumo Kazama, Yuhi Teruharu, and Hatake Kaede understood the specific reason.The remaining members stared in astonishment as Uchiha Retsuka suddenly fainted, at a loss for what to do.
Noma quickly came to Uchiha Retsuka's side, and Shiraku Kazama smiled and comforted her, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, you're just exhausted."
Then he said to Yuhi Teruharu, "Let's check if there are any survivors, seal all the corpses and survivors and bring them back to the village."
Yuhi Teruharu nodded in agreement and quickly checked on all the personnel, sealing away the two unconscious ones.He then directed the remaining smaller creatures to clean up the mess and tidy up the battlefield.
Shirokumo Kazama sealed all the corpses into scrolls, knowing that the village's intelligence department would be able to obtain sufficient intelligence from them.
Shirokumo Kazama gathered up the scrolls, then said to Yuhi Teruharu, "I'll go back to the village first.I'll leave Mawa and the others in your care, senior."
Yuhi Teruharu nodded and said, "Don't worry, I will bring them back safely."
Shirokumo Kazama gave some instructions to Mawa and the others, then bit his finger, formed hand seals, and chanted, "Summoning Jutsu!"
The white mist dissipated, and a huge blue bird appeared before them.Shirokumo Kazemaru hopped onto the bird's back, nodded to the group, and then said to the bird, "Aomaru, let's go!"
A blue bird spread its wings and disappeared into the distance, carried away by white clouds and wind.
As the white clouds disappeared from sight, Yuhi Teruharu led the little ones home at a faster pace.The employer agreed to speed things up; with his vast wealth, he certainly wanted to live life to the fullest!
The following afternoon, Shirakumo Kazama returned.He didn't say much, only urging everyone to speed up their pace.
The winds of war are blowing.
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