"What's with that look you're giving us?"
Seeing Izayoi sizing them up with a strange gaze, Sasuke Uchiha immediately looked displeased.
"You guys got an emergency summons too?" Izayoi asked.
"Emergency summons? What emergency summons?!"
Seventh Squad was slightly taken aback. Then, Uzumaki Naruto pointed at Granny Tsunade and loudly questioned, "Granny Tsunade, is there another big mission? You actually summoned Izayoi and them urgently, but not us. Are you looking down on us? Ouch, ouch..."
Uzumaki Naruto had barely finished speaking before he clutched his head and cried out in pain.
Kakashi Hatake gave him a flick on the forehead, scolding, "Idiot, don't talk to the Hokage like that."
Tsunade didn't mind at all, and instead felt a sense of familiarity.
The still-growing Uzumaki Naruto was practically Nawaki with whiskers, so similar in both appearance and personality.
"Here's your mission scroll. Go find the client and negotiate yourselves."
Tsunade first tossed a scroll to Kakashi Hatake, then said to Uzumaki Naruto in an annoyed tone, "It's obvious that your cultural studies grades were at the bottom of your class in the Ninja Academy. Each squad has its own specialty. Some are more balanced, some are good at taijutsu, and some specialize in genjutsu or sensing."
"Izayoi and his Eighth Squad are now the strongest Sensor Team in Konoha. I'm urgently summoning the Sensor Team now, so this mission definitely needs their sensing help. What are you Seventh Squad doing here? Can you sense?"
"Izayoi's strength? What kind of sensing ninja is he?" Uzumaki Naruto couldn't help but retort.
"You guys are going on a mission? Be careful on the road," Izayoi kindly reminded.
"Why?"
Seventh Squad looked over in confusion.
"Because based on your previous mission experiences, I've come to a conclusion," Izayoi said with a teasing smile. "Eight or nine times out of ten, you encounter accidents on your missions. This mission might be a special case too."
Seventh Squad instantly had black lines all over their faces, but they were speechless.
What was even more frustrating was that they didn't get higher-level rewards for each special case mission, and the battle record didn't count.
"Raven's beak!"
Tsunade also rolled her eyes at Izayoi, then waved for Seventh Squad to leave.
Not long after Seventh Squad left, Hinata and Shino Aburame also arrived at the Hokage's office.
Tsunade crossed her arms and said seriously, "The reason I urgently summoned you is to give you an assistance mission."
"Just yesterday, a mysterious army suddenly attacked a Port City in the Wind Country. This mysterious army has very advanced steel battleships, and the soldiers are all equipped with well-made armor. They can also release power similar to ninjutsu."
"Because their battleships are extremely fast, and they attack the cities of the Wind Country at night and in the early morning, and because they have no Chakra in their bodies, the Sunagakure's sensing ninjas can't find their tracks at all, so they can only ask our allied country for help."
Taking out a scroll from the drawer, Tsunade threw it to Izayoi and instructed, "Your mission is to help Sunagakure find the enemy's location. You don't need to worry about the rest."
"Yes!"
Eighth Squad nodded in agreement, then left the Hokage's office.
Izayoi went to get the village exit permit, while Hinata and Shino Aburame went back to pack their things.
Before long, the three gathered at the village entrance.
Coincidentally, they encountered Seventh Squad again.
"Eh! Are you also going to the Wind Country?"
Upon learning the location of Eighth Squad's mission, Uzumaki Naruto was slightly surprised, then excitedly extended an invitation, "Then why don't we travel together? We can keep each other company on the road."
"Although I'd love to go with you, we're pressed for time right now, so we'll take the lead, see ya~~" Izayoi waved with a smile, then the three of them turned into afterimages and disappeared.
Watching the Eighth Squad fly away, Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha were lost in thought.
...
At the same time, in Obito Uchiha's Kamui Dimension.
Using Earth Release to piece together a platform of rock pillars, and in front of a round table made with Wood Release, sat ten figures, precisely the Akatsuki's entire member's Manifestation Clone.
"Not bad, Tobi, didn't expect you to have such abilities."
Deidara sized up the dark Kamui Dimension, praising Obito Uchiha, who was sitting not far away.
"Hahaha... not at all, Deidara-senpai overpraises me." Obito Uchiha scratched his head, using Tobi's voice to laugh modestly, acting embarrassed.
However, apart from Deidara and Hidan, the two idiots, everyone else was taking Obito Uchiha seriously.
"Space-Time Ninjutsu, didn't expect our Akatsuki to have such a person." Kakuzu said in a deep voice, "Under that mask, could it be a familiar face from the Black Market?"
"Such powerful abilities, and he's still just an intern, truly makes one ashamed." Kisame Hoshigaki laughed.
Itachi Uchiha activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, sizing up the current Obito Uchiha.
Seeing that the other party was also a Manifestation Clone, he retracted his gaze.
"Why specifically use this method for a meeting?" Sasori of the Red Sand said in a low voice, "Did you find Toneri Otsutsuki and prepare to start the counterattack?"
"Future meetings will all be conducted in this way." Deva Path Pain said expressionlessly, "Toneri Otsutsuki's Tenseigan possesses perception surpassing the Rinnegan. I suspect his ability to summon meteorites stems from his ability to perceive, or even see, meteorites in outer space. Only this can explain how he knows so much about our information and can recklessly summon meteorite showers with such precision."
Hearing this, the Akatsuki members' expressions changed slightly.
"If he can really see them, wouldn't that mean his Tenseigan is actually an enhanced version of the Byakugan?" Kakuzu said with a shocked expression.
You're actually right!
Black Zetsu thought to himself.
The Akatsuki members felt a chill down their spines at the thought of an enemy watching them silently from a place they couldn't see or sense.
Deva Path Pain didn't answer, but instead stated the theme of this meeting: "Yesterday evening, and again in the early hours of this morning, my main body sensed a very large and special energy fluctuation in the direction of the River Country, fleeting."
"During that time, the Wind Country was attacked by a mysterious army, and the port city by the sea was bombarded, turning half the city into ruins."
"However, that army didn't use Ninjutsu or Exploding Tags, but rather the shells of steel battleships, and a type of energy similar to Chakra. The soldiers were all heavily armed armored people."
"Moreover, Zetsu discovered that their main base isn't overseas, but a flying mobile fortress."
"Armored people? A mobile fortress?!" Sasori of the Red Sand instantly became interested, "Has the Shinobi World's technology developed to this extent?"
White Zetsu laughed, "According to my clone's eavesdropping, although they're attacking the Wind Country under the banner of establishing an Ideal Country, they're actually searching for a mineral called Gelel Stone."
"Gelel Stone, what kind of thing is that?" Deidara asked, puzzled.
"I don't know, but it should be related to the energy they're using." White Zetsu shook his head.
"The main body is very interested in that kind of energy and mobile fortress technology." Deva Path Pain said indifferently, "Sasori, Deidara, and also Itachi and Kisame, your locations are closest to the Wind Country and River Country, go and bring back those guys who can use special energy, and their mobile fortresses."
"Understood." Kisame Hoshigaki grinned, looking at the art duo and asking, "Shall we act together, or separately?"
"I'm more interested in those armored people, and I'm more familiar with the Wind Country, and I've also planted spies in Sunagakure, so leave the Wind Country to me." Sasori of the Red Sand said.
"In that case, the mobile fortress will be left to me and Itachi." Kisame Hoshigaki nodded.
"White Zetsu's clones will assist you, if you encounter any difficulties, you can summon the Six Paths of Pain." Deva Path Pain stood up and said, "Meeting dismissed!"
...
Without using the Flying Thunder God Technique, the Eighth Squad spent three days to reach Sunagakure in the Wind Country.
"The Main Family's young lady of the Hyuga Clan, the genius of the Aburame Clan, and a Wood Release Ninja..."
In the Kazekage's office, Chiyo looked at the Eighth Squad in front of her, and sighed slightly, "I didn't expect Granny Tsunade to send you over, she's really thoughtful."
"We are here under orders to assist the Wind Country." Izayoi didn't stand on ceremony, but said with a serious expression, "I need to understand more detailed information, please send someone to take us to the place where the incident happened most recently, to see if there are any scents left."
"Although I would also like to do my part as a host, the situation in the Wind Country is very bad right now, so I won't stand on ceremony with you."
Chiyo clapped her hands, and then a familiar figure pushed the door open and entered.
"Temari, you take Lord Izayoi and the others to the place where the incident happened most recently." Chiyo instructed, and reminded Temari to be polite with an honorific title.
"Yes, Lady Chiyo." Temari respectfully nodded in response.
Walking out of the Kazekage Building, Izayoi looked at the somewhat awkward girl who wanted to say something but hesitated, and couldn't help but smile, "Long time no see."
"Long... long time no see."
Seeing Izayoi take the initiative to break the atmosphere, Temari breathed a sigh of relief, then bowed slightly to Izayoi, and said gratefully, "Lord Izayoi, thank you for sparing Gaara last time."
Izayoi was slightly stunned, then smiled and said, "No need to thank me, your Sunagakure must have paid a considerable price as well."
"Even so, I still thank you for sparing Gaara's life." Temari said seriously.
After learning that Izayoi was a Wood Release Ninja, and after the think tank analyzed that he had awakened Wood Release long ago, Temari felt a burst of fear and gratitude.
With Izayoi's strength at the time, the esoteric ninjutsu that fused three nature transformations was definitely not his strongest move.
According to the Wood Release information recorded by the village, Izayoi was fully capable of killing Gaara at that time, and extracting and sealing the One-Tail.
Moreover, the official stage of the third round of the Chunin Exams was definitely the most suitable occasion to expose Wood Release and become a Konoha hero in one fell swoop.
But Izayoi didn't do that, but spared Gaara's life.
Temari had always kept this favor in her heart.
Especially after Gaara came back, the huge changes that had taken place this year made Temari even more grateful to Izayoi.
"I accept your thanks, but let's carry out the mission first." Izayoi raised his hand to block his forehead, looked up at the big fireball in the sky, and changed the subject, "The weather in your Wind Country is too hot, I feel like I'm going to turn black after staying for a few days."
"That's because you're not wearing cloaks, I'll take you to buy cloaks and fresh water first." Temari smiled.
After buying cloaks and fresh water, Temari led the Eighth Squad out of Sunagakure and headed to the place where the incident happened most recently.
On the way, in order not to neglect the guests and helpers who had come from afar, Temari racked her brains to find topics to chat awkwardly with Hinata.
Izayoi was contacting the Wood Clones who had been monitoring the Wind Country these past few days, to see if they had gained anything.
Although the Tenseigan can monitor the Shinobi World, it is not omnipotent and has many flaws.
First, it cannot eavesdrop, and Izayoi cannot read lips.
Second, it only has two perspectives: God's view and first-person view, making it impossible to monitor multiple places with one pair of eyes simultaneously.
Third, if the target is an ordinary person and is hiding, it is difficult for Izayoi to find their location if he does not know it beforehand.
Because they have no Chakra, their energy fluctuations are the same as ordinary people.
If they had Chakra, even in the deep mountains and forests, they would be as conspicuous as fireflies in the night in Izayoi's Tenseigan's God's view.
However, in the three days of travel, Izayoi and the Wood Clones had searched the Wind Country.
He had already discovered the traces of that army. Those soldiers, as Granny Tsunade said, were all equipped with well-made armored suits and had no Chakra within their bodies.
They traveled not only on rare steel behemoths of this era, but the things were also amphibious. After the attack, they did not run away at all, but hid in the desert.
Since the behemoths did not return and had no Chakra, Izayoi could not find the army's main camp.
However, Izayoi was very sure that this was either a plot he had never seen in his previous life or a butterfly effect caused by himself.
After all, this kind of army without Chakra and the Sunagakure's grand formation, even if the plot is terrible, it will be terribly memorable.
"Hmm?"
At this moment, Izayoi suddenly frowned, his expression a bit wry.
Noticing the change in his expression, Shino Aburame couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, just remembered something." Izayoi shook his head perfunctorily, but almost couldn't help but pat his head, thinking to himself, It seems that being too dependent on the Tenseigan is not a good thing. My brain is too lazy to work.
Two Wood Clones transmitted two pictures in real-time.
One was from God's view, discovering two powerful Chakras. After zooming in, it turned out to be Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara, who had found a steel behemoth hidden in the desert.
The other was Uzumaki Naruto's disappearance. Seventh Squad, under the tracking of the ninja dog Pakkun, found a fortress hidden in the mountains.
In that fortress, Izayoi also saw a large number of armored people.
Without a doubt, this was the main camp of that army.
And the location of this fortress was actually in... the River Country!
Izayoi had seen the River Country, after all, they had passed through the River Country to get to the Wind Country.
But Izayoi only used God's view to scan the River Country, and after seeing that there was no powerful Chakra, he withdrew his gaze.
Usually, reconnaissance is left to Hinata and Shino Aburame.
He never imagined that the main camp of this army was hidden in the River Country they had passed through, disguised as a mountain.
However, the appearance of Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara aroused Izayoi's curiosity.
Were these two guys interested in the armored people of the steel behemoth and the bombs that bombarded the Wind Country, or were they ordered to come?
If it was the latter, did Nagato discover something, which is why there was that secret meeting?
At this moment, another scene appeared in Izayoi's mind, transmitted in real-time by a Wood Clone responsible for monitoring Seventh Squad to see if they would encounter any unexpected events.
Seeing this scene, a flash of inspiration instantly sparked in Izayoi's mind, giving rise to a wild idea.
If this idea could be realized, the difficulty that Nagato had just increased for him would instantly vanish.
Therefore, Izayoi immediately issued instructions to the Wood Clone.
Meanwhile, inside the fortress in the River Country, Seventh Squad, who were following the scent to find Uzumaki Naruto, encountered a group on the way.
"Itachi Uchiha!!!"
Looking at one of the members of this group, Sasuke Uchiha's face instantly became ferocious, his killing intent and hatred seeming to materialize into black gas and emanate out, scaring Sakura Haruno beside him, her face turning pale.
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