The Anbu member wearing the hawk mask, after forming the hand seals, retreated again. Along the way, they had already created several scenes similar to this battle.
Although most of the Anbu members present were somewhat puzzled, no one questioned it. Obeying orders was the principle of Anbu members.
The captain of the Kirigakure Anbu nodded slightly as he looked at the large pit on the ground created by the Water Release.
"Pursue!"
As a low voice sounded, all the Anbu members immediately vanished from the spot and chased forward.
...
As time passed, the bounty on Kinoshita Yoshiro had spread throughout the entire Ninja World in less than two days.
This was not only due to the temptation of the S-rank rogue Ninja bounty amount, but also because Kirigakure's covert efforts played a significant role.
Land of Earth - Iwagakure!
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, looked expressionlessly at a piece of intelligence placed on his desk.
Even though his hair was white, Ōnoki still gave off a feeling of vigorous energy.
"Kurotsuchi, what do you think of this matter?"
Ōnoki was silent for a moment, then looked at a tall young woman next to him and spoke softly.
"A bounty of this level is quite rare, especially since it's just for providing information, not for Kinoshita Yoshiro's life."
"It seems this person named Kinoshita Yoshiro must possess some important intelligence or item from Kirigakure, which is why such a situation has occurred."
"But speaking of which, do we need to help?"
Kurotsuchi spoke casually with her hands behind her head.
"Help? Why should we help?"
Ōnoki's entire body floated up from his chair, and he spoke indifferently.
Land of Lightning - Cloud Ninja Village.
"Hmph, Kirigakure's strength is getting weaker and weaker now. They can't even keep track of their own Ninja and need to rely on things like bounties."
A middle-aged man with bronze skin and an extremely strong build let out a scornful sound.
"Lord Raikage, this person named Kinoshita Yoshiro should possess important intelligence from Kirigakure. We should try to make contact."
Mabui, standing by the desk, spoke softly, a look of thought flashing in her eyes.
"No need. There's the Land of Fire in between. By the time our people arrive, I'm afraid this guy will already have fallen into the hands of those people from Konoha Village."
Fourth Raikage A waved his hand casually and spoke indifferently.
Land of Fire - Konoha Village.
In the Hokage Office,
Looking at the intelligence on the desk, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a few puffs of his pipe, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
Thump! Thump!
A knock on the door suddenly sounded, interrupting Hiruzen Sarutobi's thoughts.
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly and said flatly, "Come in!"
Click!
As the door opened, Danzo walked in with large strides, holding his cane.
Danzo glanced at the intelligence on the desk and spoke with an indifferent tone:
"You should have received the intelligence about Kirigakure. Kinoshita Yoshiro must be hiding some secret. I plan to send people to make contact."
Hearing Danzo's words, Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned, but the expression on his face did not change at all. He said in a calm tone:
"This matter is a bit suspicious. This doesn't seem like Kirigakure's way of doing things."
"Hiruzen, you're too hesitant in your actions. With Kirigakure's current strength, what does it matter if they have some intentions?"
Danzo let out a scornful snort and continued.
"I've already sent people to investigate the border of the Land of Water. Although they didn't go deep, there are indeed signs of battle nearby. Your worries are unnecessary."
Hearing Danzo's words, a sharp glint flashed in Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes, but he remained silent.
Seeing that Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't speaking, Danzo naturally knew that what he had just said had been tacitly approved.
Danzo stopped talking nonsense, turned around, and walked out of the Hokage Office.
Not until Danzo had completely left did Hiruzen Sarutobi sigh softly and say to himself:
"Recently, Sand Ninja Village has been making too many small moves, and also Kirigakure recently... I hope I'm overthinking things."
————
Kirigakure
Not far from where Bubble lived, at a training ground.
Yūto watched with interest the four people fiercely fighting in the arena.
Ameyuri Ringo, Ranmaru, Kimimaro, Suigetsu Hozuki!
These four were clashing fiercely in the training ground like a free-for-all.
Kimimaro's condition had been completely suppressed with Yūto's help.
Originally, Yūto didn't plan to plant the Curse Mark on Kimimaro again, but ever since Kimimaro saw Ranmaru's transformation, he had sought out Yūto seven or eight times.
Helpless, Yūto could only tell Kimimaro that he would replant the Curse Mark on him after he had completely familiarized himself with his current body.
The free-for-all before them was originally a battle between Kimimaro and Ranmaru, but later, Ameyuri Ringo saw them fighting enthusiastically and directly joined in.
And Suigetsu Hozuki suffered an unexpected disaster, being directly thrown in by Yūto.
In such a free-for-all, everyone was an enemy. Naturally, Suigetsu Hozuki, who was thrown in, didn't even get a chance to explain before instantly being attacked by the other three.
Even if Suigetsu Hozuki didn't want to fight, he could only endure the attacks from the other three.
"Yūto-sama, will Suigetsu Hozuki be alright?"
Chōjūrō, who was standing nearby, looked at the dangerous situation Suigetsu Hozuki was in and spoke cautiously.
Regardless, Suigetsu Hozuki was brought by him. If something happened, Chōjūrō wouldn't be able to explain it to the Hozuki Clan head.
"Don't worry, he won't die. Besides, I'm here."
Yūto waved his hand and chuckled.
Chōjūrō was originally Mei Terumī's confidant, but he was also one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
And now, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had been directly placed under Yūto's command by Mei Terumī.
In other words, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would henceforth be directly under Yūto's jurisdiction and would only obey Yūto's orders.
Hearing Yūto-sama's relaxed tone, Chōjūrō's heart also slightly relaxed.
"Chōjūrō, do you want to go in and fight too?"
Yūto looked at Chōjūrō and suddenly spoke.
Chōjūrō was startled, and just as he was about to refuse, he suddenly noticed that Yūto-sama, who was standing beside him, had disappeared.
When he reappeared, Yūto was holding Suigetsu Hozuki, whose clothes were torn and who was in a semi-waterized state.
And Chōjūrō, the next moment, found himself soaring into the air. By the time he reacted, he had already appeared in the arena.
Boom!
With a loud bang, Chōjūrō directly joined the free-for-all.
"Honestly, it seems your strength is the weakest right now. I'm thinking about whether I should find other people from your Hozuki Clan as alternatives."
Looking at Suigetsu Hozuki, who hadn't recovered from the previous free-for-all, Yūto shook his head slightly and spoke.