Exploding tags flew everywhere, scattering on the ground, some of them catching fire.
In a flash, Yakushi Kabuto made hand signs and shouted, "Water Style: Water Wall!"
A pillar-shaped water wall rose from the ground, swallowing the power of the exploding tags, while other soaked tags lost their effect and failed to create a chain reaction.
Watching the black mist of bugs flee, a cold light flashed in Yakushi Kabuto's eyes, but quickly he looked away, busy checking on Orochimaru.
Through the glass cover of the nutrient tank, Orochimaru glanced at him before slowly closing his eyes again.
Actually, Orochimaru had not woken up at all. He was in a deep sleep to heal his soul injuries and could not be awakened by the small actions of the Root ninja.
Just now, the genie had been controlling Orochimaru's body, bluffing to scare them away.
If the Root ninja had insisted on staying, then the genie would have had to show them what 'killing people in my sleep' meant.
Of course, that would have been too much. Unless absolutely necessary, the genie didn't want to interrupt Orochimaru's recovery.
"It seems like it will take some more time."
Yakushi Kabuto understood in his heart, quickly walked to the hidden room of the lab, activated the protective magic circle guarding the place, and recalled all the snakes that had been temporarily chased away, to protect the lab like an iron bucket once again.
The genie looked at the busy Yakushi Kabuto and nodded with satisfaction.
The defenses of this lab clearly couldn't stop Root ninja who were determined to invade, but the thief had already gotten what they wanted. The chance of them turning into robbers was greatly reduced, and they might be able to hold on until Orochimaru woke up.
Unlike Guy, Yakushi Kabuto was indeed someone who used his brain.
...
In the forest on the border of the Land of Fire, two Konoha squads surrounded a caravan of about twenty people, facing each other from a distance.
Guy, whom the genie had called 'scatterbrained', had run into something that required him to use his brain.
He looked at an old man with white hair and beard, a kind face, raised his thick eyebrows, and asked suspiciously,
"You know me? Why don't I know you? Shinno… I've never even heard of that name."
"Cough cough cough… you were still young then. I even treated your father, Might Duy, for his injuries. I remember he was training the Eight Gates."
Shinno coughed a few times, and said something vague.
In the ninja world, children as young as six years old could go to the battlefield. Eight or nine years old was definitely not young, but the other person didn't remember him, which really gave him a headache.
However, it was precisely because of this kind of personality that he was able to easily get his hands on the Eight Gates back then.
Shinno narrowed his eyes slightly, showing a kindly smile,
"I am really a wandering doctor, and these people have nothing to do with bounty hunters. They are just my guards."
Guy scratched his head, feeling a little uncertain after having family secrets called out by a stranger.
However, he also knew that his brain wasn't as bright as others, and turned his gaze to Kakashi to make the decision.
Kakashi frowned slightly, scanning the caravan.
He could sense the smell of blood on these people. The Land of Fire was in chaos, so it was understandable that they had been attacked by wandering ninja.
But Kakashi always felt that something was wrong, especially with this Shinno. How could a doctor make him feel danger.
After thinking for a moment, Kakashi made a decision. He waved to the two ninja squads, "We withdraw."
Watching the Konoha Ninja disappear into the forest, Shinno's eyes, which had been narrowed all along, suddenly opened, flashing with deep hatred.
The hatred for destroying the village was irreconcilable. One day, Konoha would also have to experience the fate of the Sky Ninja Village.
He looked around the caravan and said in a deep voice, "Speed up the pace and get out of the Land of Fire as soon as possible. They won't be fooled for too long by what I said just now."
If it weren't for the materials that could repair the aerial fortress 'Ancor Vantian', Shinno wouldn't want to get involved in Konoha's operation to eliminate the black market in the Land of Fire. He knew better than anyone how powerful this village was.
...
On the other side, Kakashi didn't run for too long before stopping on a treetop. He raised his hand and summoned the Eight Ninja Dogs, sending them out to gather the surrounding Konoha squads.
Seeing this, Guy understood immediately, "Kakashi, there was something wrong with those people just now?"
Kakashi nodded, "The Shinno leading them is very dangerous. He gave me a very bad feeling."
He had a feeling that they might have run into a big fish, but precisely because this fish was too big, he couldn't act rashly.
Not to mention that the other party was numerous and powerful, while he and Guy were still carrying burdens. If they acted rashly, not to mention him and Guy, these Genin would definitely suffer heavy casualties.
Before long, the ninja squads scattered around were summoned back by the Eight Ninja Dogs.
Kakashi briefly described the situation and his guesses. Everyone had great faith in Kakashi's abilities, and immediately followed him to track Shinno.
The Eight Ninja Dogs led the way, and the group actually came to a high mountain.
Kakashi's suspicion of Shinno deepened, but he couldn't figure out why these people with ulterior motives would run towards the mountain.
Could it be that they had an ambush here?
The group cautiously moved forward, but found no trace of the enemy until they reached a cliff.
The captains of the ninja squads looked at Kakashi, who turned his gaze to the leader of the Eight Ninja Dogs - Pakkun.
Pakkun spoke in human language, "Kakashi, I didn't lead you the wrong way. Their scent is still here."
He raised his dog paw and pointed in the direction below the cliff, "In my opinion, the other party should have some kind of flying ability."
Could it be that more than twenty people in the caravan all had flying abilities?
Kakashi's expression darkened. He didn't doubt Pakkun's judgment, but he had a clearer understanding of how troublesome the target was.
This pursuit ended without success as the enemy escaped the Land of Fire, but Kakashi had Shinno's name firmly etched in his mind.
Guy was different. It was also a wasted effort, and he forgot about it after a while.
...
In the blink of an eye, another half month passed.
During this time, Kumogakure sent another ninja squad to Konoha, but this time, they didn't even leave the Land of Lightning before being hunted down by bounty hunters.
Kakuzu, Sasori of the Red Sand, and some other rogue ninja fought fiercely with Gyuki Jinchuriki Killer Bee. Although they suffered heavy losses, they managed to kill the leader of the peace talks squad.
This angered Kumogakure greatly, and like Konoha, they began a large-scale cleanup of the domestic black market.
At the same time, Konoha and Kumogakure, the two major ninja villages, jointly forced Sunagakure Village and Takigakure Village, the source of these rogue ninja, to participate in the suppression operation.
After several major battles, Kakuzu and Sasori of the Red Sand were seriously injured and retreated, temporarily lying low and hiding, and the situation in the ninja world calmed down again.
The peace talks between Konoha and Kumogakure resumed again, and Kumogakure sent out a third peace talks squad.
Things couldn't be done more than three times. Both sides attached great importance to the safety of this squad.
---
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