Chapter 76: Infiltration – Discovered
Land of Rain – Outside Hanzō's Camp
After more than an hour of travel, Ling Yu and the others finally arrived near the Rain ninja camp.
Along the way, because of the earlier conflict, no one spoke. They simply focused on moving forward. The sharp-faced ninja had also become much quieter—he no longer dared underestimate Ling Yu and the others.
Taking advantage of the cover of night, the group easily avoided the outermost sentries and slipped into a hidden grove.
"Ling Yu, I have a technique that lets me transform into a spiritual body. I'll go scout the enemy camp. You three stay here and protect my physical body. Once I return, the mission will be complete."
Crouching in the trees, Katō Dan looked at the heavily guarded Rain camp and proposed to Ling Yu:
"If I'm discovered, just take my body and run. I'll hold them off. Once you're far enough away, I'll fly back to rejoin you."
"Katō-senpai… is this really okay…?"
Hearing Katō Dan's plan, the sharp-faced Konoha ninja stepped forward. He glanced fearfully at Ling Yu.
Ling Yu had nearly killed him earlier, so he was terrified of him. He had been hiding behind Katō Dan the whole time. Now, if Katō Dan left his body behind, he would lose his "shield." He didn't trust Ling Yu not to attack him the moment Katō Dan's spirit was gone.
"It's fine. I trust him."
Katō Dan smiled confidently.
Among everyone present, Ling Yu was undoubtedly the strongest. Although Ling Yu clearly disliked him, they were still from the same village and teammates now. Ling Yu shouldn't go too far.
If anyone in this squad could protect his body, it was Ling Yu. He didn't trust the other two Konoha ninja at all.
"Oh? Sure. I'll protect you very well."
Surprised by Katō Dan's trust, Ling Yu still nodded in agreement—he wanted to finish the mission quickly.
"Mm. Then I'll leave it to you."
With Ling Yu's confirmation, Katō Dan wasted no more time. He formed hand seals.
"Spirit Transformation Technique."
In the next moment, a glowing blue spiritual body emerged from Katō Dan's physical form. After giving Ling Yu a quick hand signal, it turned and flew straight through the trees toward the Rain ninja camp.
Seeing the technique up close for the first time, Ling Yu's eyes lit up with interest.
This technique was very similar to astral projection—capable of flight, phasing through walls, and traveling far from the body.
Although the physical body remained immobile during use, the spiritual form could accomplish many useful tasks.
"You two—go stand guard at the back. Mikoto and Kushina and I will protect Katō Dan's body here."
With that thought in mind, Ling Yu immediately ordered the two Konoha ninja.
"Huh? But…" The two exchanged a glance, clearly hesitant.
"No arguments! Follow my orders."
Ling Yu opened his Rinnegan and spoke with heavy emphasis.
"Y-Yes, sir…"
Under Ling Yu's intimidating pressure, the two felt a surge of fear. They responded quickly and hurried away without looking back.
"Ling Yu, why did you send them away?"
After the two left, Mikoto and Kushina looked at him curiously.
"Nothing. They were just in the way."
Ling Yu brushed it off casually, then changed the subject:
"But since this mission is so simple, how about after we finish, I take you two sightseeing in the Land of Rain? I can open a teleportation gate to bring us back afterward."
With the mission essentially out of their hands, they just had to wait for Katō Dan to gather the intelligence and report back. The rest was done.
So instead of sitting around bored, why not discuss where to go next?
"Yay! I've never been to the Land of Rain before—only fought on the border!"
Kushina's eyes sparkled as she nodded enthusiastically.
"I'd like to see the Land of Rain too."
Mikoto's expression was also full of anticipation.
While they chatted idly, Ling Yu placed his hand on Katō Dan's body and quickly copied the Spirit Transformation Technique for future use.
Meanwhile – Inside the Rain Ninja Camp
Katō Dan's spiritual body flew back and forth through the Rain camp, carefully avoiding detection while memorizing the number and strength of the Rain ninja.
After recording most of the important details, he continued deeper into the camp—heading straight toward the largest tent, which was clearly used for strategy meetings.
After circling the tent and listening carefully for a while, he found it empty. Without hesitation, he phased through the wall and entered.
Inside was a spacious meeting room. A large map of the Land of Rain hung on the wall, marked with various symbols and notations.
He spent some time memorizing all the key locations on the map before continuing his search.
Soon after, he discovered a scroll and an unfinished letter on the table.
The scroll contained intelligence about capturing tailed beasts to use against Konoha. The letter outlined ongoing negotiations for an alliance between the Land of Rain and the Land of Wind.
Seeing these two items, Katō Dan's heart leaped with joy. So this was why the Rain ninja had been so quiet—they were planning something major against Konoha.
Just as he was about to memorize the details—
A furious roar came from outside the door.
"Who's there?!"
BOOM!
With a massive crash, the door was blasted open. Hanzō stormed in with a dark expression.
With his veteran Kage-level strength, he had quickly sensed something was off in the camp. Feeling an intruder had slipped in, he rushed straight to the most important meeting room.
"Not good—run!"
The moment he saw Hanzō, Katō Dan made an instant decision and phased straight through the wall to escape.
He flew away rapidly, planning to return to his body once Ling Yu and the others had escaped far enough.
"He's a spy! Pursue him—don't let him escape!"
"Raise the alert! There may be other spies in the camp—search everywhere!"
After issuing rapid orders, Hanzō led a group of ninja in pursuit of Katō Dan.
"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
During the chase, Rain ninja continuously attacked. High-pressure water jets shot toward Katō Dan's spiritual form.
But the spiritual body was far too agile. With a few sharp turns, Katō Dan easily dodged the attacks and continued leading them in circles.
The massive commotion in the Rain camp naturally reached Ling Yu and the others. They stopped discussing their post-mission sightseeing plans.
"Ling Yu—he seems to have been discovered."
Kushina pointed at Katō Dan's motionless body and whispered.
"This useless guy actually got caught. Let's go—we're leaving."
Ling Yu casually lifted Katō Dan's body and led Kushina and Mikoto toward the outside.
"You two take him and run back. I'll cover your retreat."
Tossing Katō Dan to the two Konoha ninja, Ling Yu ordered them.
"W-What…?" The two stared blankly.
"What are you waiting for? Move!"
Seeing their stunned expressions, Ling Yu frowned and urged them again.
"Y-Yes, sir…"
Snapping out of it, the sharp-faced ninja quickly hoisted Katō Dan onto his back. The other ninja led the way as they hurried toward the Konoha camp.
"We'll follow behind them. Once Katō Dan's spirit returns, we'll cover their escape."
Turning to Mikoto and Kushina, Ling Yu said.
Meanwhile, Katō Dan—who was still being chased—sensed his body growing farther away. He stopped leading the Rain ninja in circles and flew straight back toward his physical form.
If he delayed any longer and barrier specialists arrived, he wouldn't be able to escape.
"Hm? He changed direction."
Hanzō also noticed the shift. After a quick analysis, he shouted:
"Quick! Keep chasing—his teammates must be in that direction!"
Shortly after Ling Yu and the others left, the Rain ninja discovered their trail. Unburdened now, they quickly caught up.
"Stop them! Don't let them escape!"
"Water Style: Water Flow Technique!" "Water Style: Water Clear Wave!" "Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"
Dozens of ninjutsu attacks—mixed with kunai and shuriken—rained down on Ling Yu and the others from all directions.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Spinning around, Ling Yu rapidly formed hand seals and raised a massive earth wall, blocking most of the attacks.
But some still slipped through, forcing the group to dodge continuously.
Moments later, Katō Dan's spiritual body appeared nearby. Hanzō also caught up and joined the pursuing Rain ninja, continuing the chase.
"Damn it! It's that kid!"
The moment he saw Ling Yu, Hanzō considered retreating. But remembering how easily his camp had been infiltrated, his anger surged.
He was supposed to be the "demigod of the ninja world"!
"Water Style: Waterfall Basin Technique!"
In his fury, Hanzō attacked directly. In the next instant, a massive waterfall poured down, blocking Ling Yu and the others' path.