Prehistoric Treasure! The name is rather outlandish, but if it truly exists, the wealth would be immense.
In the Ninja World, just like in her previous life, everything requires money. Money is equivalent to resources; with money, one can greatly develop Ninjutsu; with money, one can stockpile military supplies for war; it seems many things can be done with money.
Inoyue also wanted money. Although she wasn't poor in her previous life, who fears having too much money?
"You all stay busy, I'm heading back first!" Inoyue instructed, preparing to slip away. She had other things to do.
"Yes!" The maids responded, watching Inoyue leave with light steps.
Karura and Bai Lu exchanged glances. Their movements were much quicker than before, without the previous caution.
Inoyue was in a hurry. The matter of the treasure was a certainty, yet Konoha's intelligence system was so ineffective, without even a single piece of news.
Walking out of the library, she arrived at a secluded spot. Inoyue created a Shadow Clone and immediately rushed out of the city.
One person definitely couldn't take all that treasure. It would be safer to call for reinforcements. As the saying goes, greed must be proportionate to one's strength, otherwise, one might get themselves into trouble.
Konoha was too far, so she could only compromise and inform Jiraiya at the border base camp. There might still be enough time.
At a moment like this, Inoyue suddenly wished she had her own Summoning Beast. Not only would she have a free runner, but she could also save half her Chakra. If her current situation were suddenly exposed, that half of her Chakra would be crucial.
Speaking of which, the treasure matter was settled, and Asakura Ichikai's issue also needed to be resolved quickly, otherwise, what would happen? Moreover, Inoyue had a feeling that the possession might be related to the treasure.
...
Within the Land of Rivers, the Shadow Clone Inoyue was sprinting.
The Sand Ninja had quieted down somewhat since their last attack. The Thirteenth Princess of the Land of Fire marrying into the Land of Rivers seemed to have achieved the desired political effect.
Daimyo City in the Land of Rivers was still in an area not controlled by the Sand Ninja, so Inoyue, who was traveling, moved very quickly, almost without needing to avoid any dangers. However, for safety, she kept her Mind's Eye active the whole way.
The Mind's Eye's wide field of vision was very suitable for preemptive strikes. Just as she was thinking the Sand Ninja seemed quiet on the surface, she saw five Sand Ninja stealthily moving ahead. Four were in the open, one hidden. The four in the open all carried large scrolls on their backs, while the one following behind carried nothing.
The Sand Ninja seemed to favor this mode: a team moving with one in the open and one hidden. If the open group encountered an ambush, the hidden one could rescue them. Perhaps the hidden person could even deliver a fatal blow to the enemy, turning the tide. That's why Ninja prefer to hide in the shadows.
But then again, the Sand Ninja actually made it this far. What on earth were Konoha's troops doing? They were truly useless. Inoyue felt an inexplicable irritation and cursed the current commander under her breath.
What to do? Inoyue hesitated whether to follow. Fighting would definitely be very dangerous. They were five, she was just one. Fighting five alone? That's a laugh.
However, if she only followed to observe, it should be much safer.
"Forget it! Delivering the message is more important." Inoyue instantly made her decision. That's what she said, but only she knew what she was truly thinking.
After careful re-evaluation, her strength was indeed insufficient, so self-preservation was her top priority. There's an old saying: it's not bad to be afraid of death, what's bad is to seek death.
Although she was currently a Shadow Clone, if the intelligence couldn't be delivered, and her main body had to fight Karura without support, there's a saying that describes it: lighting a lantern in an outhouse, looking for shit!
Decisively retreating was the correct choice. However, Inoyue, who had just retreated less than fifty meters, turned back.
No, I can't! I'm too curious. It feels like I can't *not* follow.
Humans are very curious animals, especially women. Women generally have great curiosity. Perhaps it was due to her transmigration, but Inoyue was also affected by this fixed pattern. There's a movie title that perfectly encapsulates what Inoyue was doing right now: Curiosity Killed the Cat.
Inoyue was speechless with herself, saying with disdain, "If things go south, just retreat!"
"Sigh! It feels a bit like looking for an excuse to back down." Inoyue's inner self was complaining, her thoughts a bit chaotic. It seemed all women were like this, weren't they? Saying one thing and meaning another!
...
The feeling of curiosity was peculiar, making one's heart itch with impatience, and in the Ninja World, it could make one overlook some dangers. It was like a fragrant bait, and Inoyue was the greedy fish.
Although she still followed, she was cautious and kept her distance. With the help of her Mind's Eye, the Sand Ninja ahead shouldn't discover the little tail behind them.
Following behind as a tail was a very good thing, because the enemy thought they were in the dark, but in reality, all their actions were known like the back of one's hand. This feeling was truly exhilarating, with the pleasure of a cat playing with a mouse.
Of course, all of this could only be enjoyed when there was a premise of safety. If it were in an absolutely dangerous state, then only tension would remain. For example, Gekkō Hayate during a waning crescent moon night was like that; there was no pleasure, only a state of a brave warrior going and never returning. Haven't you seen how heartbreaking it was when little Yūgao and he separated?
Inoyue had been tailing for over ten minutes. Fortunately, the general direction was correct; they were heading towards the Konoha base camp. However, looking at the scrolls carried by these five Sand Ninja, it didn't seem like a good thing at all; it felt somewhat dangerous.
These people's intentions must be significant, otherwise, they wouldn't risk going to the Konoha base camp. Inoyue shortened the tracking distance a bit, keeping it within two hundred meters.
Just as she got a bit closer, Inoyue quickly hit the brakes because the Sand Ninja ahead suddenly stopped. To figure out why, Inoyue also had to slowly move closer, maintaining a distance within a hundred meters.
The leading Sand Ninja slightly moved his right hand, and the others behind him immediately formed a semicircle and slowly moved forward, while the hidden one always followed behind the commander.
Inoyue frowned slightly. Looking at the Sand Ninja's different colored paw signs, could it be that Konoha Ninja had been discovered?!
As soon as she had this thought, she looked, and sure enough. With the advantage of her Mind's Eye, Inoyue discovered that about two hundred meters ahead, a squad was resting.
This squad consisted of one large and three small. She didn't recognize the large one, who looked about fifteen. The three small ones looked about ten years old, with a boy on either side and a girl in the middle.
The one on the left had silver hair and wore a mask. The one on the right had black hair, wore goggles, and most importantly, had a Uchiha Suien on his back. Needless to say, this kid was from the Uchiha Clan.
The girl in the middle was relatively ordinary, with short brown hair and large, dark brown pupils, dark red knee-high socks, and red bracelets on her hands. Her most prominent feature was two purple patterns on her face.
Damn it! If she didn't know who these three were after seeing this, then she wouldn't be considered a Hokage fan.
The silver-haired one with the mask was the tsundere Kakashi; the one with the goggles and an angry face was Uchiha Obito. The girl in the middle was their mediator: Rin Nohara.
As for the fifteen-year-old big kid next to them, who was at a loss, watching his teammates argue, only showing an anxious face—who was he?
She hadn't seen him before, no impression at all. The one leading Kakashi's squad should be Minato Namikaze, their sensei, right? Why was it replaced by a big hairy kid?
...
The Sand Ninja were getting closer, seemingly preparing to launch a surprise attack on the group.
Obito was still arguing with Kakashi, and Rin Nohara was mediating. Kakashi could say something that would choke Obito half to death, and then Rin would comfort Obito. They were truly two bickering sweethearts.
Suddenly, Kakashi swung his right hand, and the three immediately became alert, as this was the usual action when an enemy was detected. The Sand Ninja had already approached within twenty meters of them. And to be able to sense an enemy's approach purely by intuition, Kakashi was indeed the genius Ninja Kakashi.