Chapter 7: The Pursuit! A Strong Enemy! Cung is Eager to Try
The Land of Lightning is located northeast of the Land of Fire. For Cloud Village shinobi to invade Konoha, they would certainly come from the north.
The group moved swiftly through the forest, heading towards the northern part of the Land of Fire.
The journey was long.
Therefore, for more than twenty hours after leaving the village, the team was basically on the move.
Kazuya, however, didn't feel tired.
With Kage-level chakra, his stamina was strong.
Moreover, he could occasionally pick up golden lights as the team traveled, which felt great!
[You have picked up 30 Taijutsu Talent points]
[You have picked up 40 Body Flicker Technique skill experience points]
[You have picked up 50 Body Flicker Technique skill experience points]
[You have picked up 20 Chakra points]
[You have picked up 30 Chakra points]
...
Along the way, the quality of the dropped golden lights was ordinary, but the quantity made up for it.
Soon, Kazuya had picked up 3540 chakra points and two hundred taijutsu talent points.
His current chakra amount became:
[Chakra: LV4 (13000/100,000)]
His Taijutsu Talent also increased to LV5 (700/1000)!
Just as they were preparing to rest, a golden orb suddenly burst from Jiraiya's body.
[You have picked up 50 Body Flicker Technique skill experience points]
[Your Body Flicker Technique has leveled up. Current level: Body Flicker Technique: LV4 (30/1000)]
...
Leveled up again!
Kazuya's Body Flicker Technique had also been upgraded to LV4, the same level as his Academy Three.
Leveling up even while traveling!
Not bad at all!
At this time, the team was in the border region of the Land of Fire and could encounter Cloud and Mist shinobi squads at any moment.
"According to the previous arrangement!"
"Disperse!"
After a short break, the leader of the ANBU First Platoon, Shinnosuke Sarutobi, gave the order.
"Yes!"
"Captain!"
The shinobi of four ANBU squads acknowledged the order and quickly disappeared from their spots.
Now, the remaining ANBU were Kazuya's subordinate, Kurenai's squad; the Eighth Squad, which had a Hyuga clan member; and two of Shinnosuke Sarutobi's main combat squads.
"Any intelligence?" the white-haired Jiraiya asked.
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya."
Shinnosuke Sarutobi said grimly, "We've received a secret report from our forward scouts. Traces of an enemy invasion have been found on the border."
"Hmm."
Jiraiya nodded, said no more, and began to close his eyes and rest.
The Pervy Sage at this time looked quite dignified, his aura of a powerful warrior fully displayed, far from the goofy person he would be a decade later.
It was actually normal. Jiraiya was human too. After experiencing the sorrow of Tsunade leaving the village and the premature deaths of Minato and Kushina, even a shinobi of great fortitude would go through a period of emotional low.
It was only human nature.
"Captain Kazuya!"
Suddenly, Kurenai appeared with the Body Flicker Technique and whispered, "I've found some traces left by shinobi."
"Take me to see!"
Kazuya, who had been slacking off, stood up.
"Yes!"
Soon, Kurenai led Kazuya away.
Nearby, Yūgao Uzuki and Hayate Gekkō saw their two captains leave and hurriedly followed.
"Shinnosuke, let's go take a look too!"
"Yes, Lord Jiraiya."
Shinnosuke Sarutobi immediately turned and said, "Stay here on alert. Be careful."
"Yes, Captain!" the ANBU members responded.
A moment later.
Kurenai led everyone into a dense forest.
Pointing to the moss on the bark of a high tree, she said, "I've found some scrape marks on the moss, possibly footprints, and..."
Kurenai then picked up a few branches from the ground, "These branches have been stepped on and broken. Looking at the moss marks and the distribution of the branches, the other party's destination should be..."
"The village!"
Yūgao Uzuki at the side showed a look of alarm.
The moss marks were all more than ten meters high, a height ordinary people couldn't reach. It was clear that a team of shinobi was heading towards the village!
"A thousand-mile raid. Is the Cloud Village trying to start another Great Ninja War?"
The sickly Hayate Gekkō's voice also changed.
In the distance, Jiraiya looked at the traces with a thoughtful expression.
Kazuya remained silent for a moment, then said slowly, "To start a Fourth War, the Cloud Village shouldn't be so bold. These traces..."
"They're too fake!"
"Fake?"
Kurenai looked surprised.
"Yes, too fake."
Kazuya nodded and said, "The breaks in the branches are too smooth. They weren't stepped on, they were deliberately cut. As for the footprint marks, it's normal for moss to be scraped off, but the bark exposed underneath the moss is too moist. The other party should have just left not long ago."
"What's more, those infiltrating shinobi are definitely elites. They wouldn't be so careless as to not even handle their tracks properly."
"Unless..."
"They were short on time!"
Kurenai's beautiful eyes lit up as she said, "Captain, you mean..."
"Misdirection!"
At this moment, Jiraiya suddenly walked up and said, "The other party discovered us from a great distance and retreated quickly. Because they were pressed for time and acted hastily, the traces they left lacked some details."
"Correct!"
Kazu-ya agreed, "This infiltrating shinobi squad is experienced and strong. There must be a sensor-type ninja among them, or they have other special reconnaissance methods to have discovered our movements in advance."
"The other party left behind intelligence to mislead us into making a mistake!"
Jiraiya said in a deep voice, "Since the clues point towards the village, then the other party's target is most likely somewhere else, such as..."
Kazuya and Jiraiya looked at each other and said in unison, "The Feudal Lord's Mansion!"
"What?"
"The Feudal Lord's Mansion?"
"The target of the enemy shinobi squad is the Feudal Lord?"
Kurenai, Yūgao Uzuki, and the others were all very surprised to hear this.
This makes sense!
Kazuya had a sudden realization.
No wonder in the original plot, Konoha was forced to hand over Hizashi Hyuga's life to quell the incident of the Cloud Village kidnapping Hinata.
It seems that besides the threat of a large army, it's possible the Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire was threatened by the other side's elite shinobi squad.
The Feudal Lord's Mansion of the Land of Fire has expert guards. To threaten the Feudal Lord's safety, the Cloud side would definitely dispatch extremely strong shinobi.
Killer Bee...
Or perhaps the Fourth Raikage, A, himself!??
Such a wild decapitation strike does fit the character of those two brothers!
Seeking fortune in danger!
Then everything adds up!
Kazuya sighed in his heart. The shinobi who become Kage of a village are truly no simple characters!
At this moment.
Even Jiraiya felt a lingering fear.
Fortunately, he had a bad feeling after hearing from the old man and came along. Otherwise, something big might have really happened!
At this moment.
Jiraiya looked at Kazuya with a peculiar light in his eyes.
This ANBU member, be it strength or strategy, is remarkable!
Compared to Minato, he's a bit lacking, but he's still a very outstanding shinobi!
"Pursue!"
Kazuya said coldly, "The other party definitely hasn't gone far!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Kurenai and the other ANBU members responded.
Under the mask.
Kazuya's gaze, however, swept over Jiraiya at his side without leaving a trace.
The enemy has powerful shinobi on their side, and so does Konoha!
Such a good opportunity must not be missed.
It would be best if both sides beat each other's brains out in a bit!
Otherwise, where else would he find such high-quality golden lights!!