Chapter 23: ch23
"Signal?"
"The will of fire rooted in Konoha!"
"You are Ding Shui-senpai from Danzo-sama's Root, right?"
At the border of the Land of Water, the Moon Squad led by Yugao finally reunites with the Anbu operative who captured Mist Shinobi's information.
Both sides aligned the code.
"You are Lord Hokage's Moon Squad; let's return to the village without further delay."
Yugao's three-person team and Root's Ding Shui were all wearing masks.
Listening to Ding Shui's tone, this task is definitely not easy.
"Senior Ding Shui, you will be in the middle, my two partners will lead the way, and I will cover the rear."
"Then I'll trouble you, Captain Moon."
After the four of them met at the border of the Land of Water, they immediately rushed in the direction of Konoha.
Aware of the importance of this mission, Uzuki Yugao and her party did not rest on their way back.
They didn't even stay in a hostel.
When hungry, they ate soldier pills, which are the perfect food for ninjas.
Not only do they provide a feeling of fullness, but they also replenish a bit of Chakra.
It can be said that they are a must-have for ninjas performing missions or in wars.
During the journey back, Yugao's team encountered no hindrances.
This made her feel vaguely uneasy.
When she received the order from the Third Hokage, he clearly stated that it was an A-rank mission.
Since it is an A-rank mission, it should not be so smooth.
As Anbu, Yugao has performed many missions, and every B-rank mission had its obstacles, let alone A-rank missions.
As they were approaching the territory of the Land of Fire, Ding Shui suddenly stopped.
His breathing seemed a bit labored, and his tone became weaker.
"Captain Moon, we have traveled for so long, from the border of the Land of Water to the Land of Fire. Can we take a break?"
"Of course, Senior Ding Shui, our mission this time is centered around you."
Now that they have reached the border of the Land of Fire, Yugao's tense heart can finally relax.
Such a long journey has been a huge drain on both her and her two companions.
Since sensing Yugao's Chakra, Nanaya has been following closely behind.
He hid behind a large tree, only a hundred meters away from Team Moon.
Nanaya felt that this trip had clearly taken its toll on Yugao's team.
The Anbu, whose code name is Ding Shui, is full of chakra and physical strength.
Yet he was the first to ask for a rest.
Is something off with Yugao's team?
At the same time, Moonlight Hayate and the others had stopped earlier in their journey.
Seeing them, it seemed as though they were waiting for Uzuki Yugao and the others to return.
But it's only five kilometers away.
"Tsk tsk, they're going to be in trouble."
Because Nanaya sensed that after Uzuki Yugao and Ding Shui joined from the Land of Water, there was always a force following them on the way back.
Six people, with considerable strength, all Anbu from Mist Shinobi.
Mist Shinobi's six could have attacked, but they didn't. Instead, they followed Yugao and her team.
Keeping a distance.
Nanaya didn't take the lead; he just wanted to figure out what was amiss with Yugao's mission.
His brows furrowed slightly as he saw the black figures of six individuals approaching the Moon Squad.
"These people, instead of attacking in the Land of Water, started raiding at the border of the Land of Fire, which is a bit interesting."
At this moment, Uzuki Yugao and the others noticed the change.
Six black figures had surrounded them.
A low voice filled with killing intent emerged from the forest.
"Konoha's ninja, having captured the secret of our Mist Shinobi, do you still think you can escape?"
Uzuki Yugao's beautiful eyes locked onto these six individuals, her teeth clenched.
"These are Mist Shinobi's Anbu, damn it, when did these guys appear?"
"Kamu, Ichi, protect Senior Ding Shui!"
The three of them formed a triangle, surrounding Ding Shui of the Root in the middle.
"Oh, it seems that the person in the middle is the one with the intelligence!"
"Not necessarily, maybe they've already shared the information about the village."
"There's another possibility, that this is a feint, deliberately making us think the person in the middle is the most important."
The six Mist Shinobi Anbu ignored Yugao and the others, chatting among themselves in a playful tone.
"If that's the case, then kill them all!"
A cold tone came from the Mist Shinobi Anbu, and the six of them formed seals simultaneously.
Water Style, Water Dragon Bullet Technique!
Six gigantic water dragons roared in the sky, rushing towards the four of Uzuki Yugao from different directions.
"These guys aren't ordinary ninjas."
Uzuki Yugao pulled out the long sword behind her, and two Shadow Clones appeared beside her at the same time.
Konoha-style Kenjutsu, Dance of the Crescent Moon!
The graceful dance formed a crescent, and the three figures cut down three water dragons directly.
To handle the ninjutsu of three Mist Shinobi Anbu simultaneously, this was Uzuki Yugao's limit.
The other three water dragons directly washed away Kamu, Ichi, and Ding Shui.
The leader of the Mist Shinobi Anbu sneered.
"Is this Konoha-style Kenjutsu? Not bad, but how many rounds can you withstand?"
Uzuki Yugao didn't have time to care about Mist Shinobi's mockery.
She and Ding Shui had dispersed, and now she was most worried about their safety.
"Senior Ding Shui, Kamu, Ichi, are you all alright?"
There was a sound of rapid breathing from a dark place not far away.
"Captain Moon, we're fine."
Hearing the three people's answers simultaneously, Uzuki Yugao's tense nerves relaxed slightly.
"Is it really okay?"
As soon as Mist Shinobi Anbu's words came out, there was a miserable cry from the dark corner.
"Ah—"
The desperate and painful cry flashed by, then disappeared.
"Solved one!"
"Kamu!"
This voice, Uzuki Yugao, was already familiar with; it was the voice of Kamu.
She was about to run toward the source of the sound, holding the long sword tightly, but was stopped by Mist Shinobi's Anbu.
"Don't worry, it's your turn next."
"Ah—"
Another miserable cry came from not far away; this time it was Ichi.
"The second one, Konoha's Anbu, is that the only level?"
In a few breaths, both of her partners were eliminated.
Uzuki Yugao's cheeks were full of concern.
There was no time for sadness now; the only priority was bringing Mist Shinobi's information back to the village.
"Senior Ding Shui, are you alright?"
"Don't worry, Captain Moon, I'm fine. Be careful; these Anbu from Mist Shinobi are very strong."
A Mist Shinobi Anbu looked Ding Shui up and down.
"Just leave it to me here, and you can deal with the ninja who uses Konoha-style swordsmanship."
For a while, standing in front of Uzuki Yugao were five Mist Shinobi Anbu.
Swish—
Those five attacked simultaneously, and several kunai tied with explosive tags flew towards Uzuki Yugao.
Bang bang bang—
The explosion shook the entire forest.
Uzuki Yugao's figure was already in the air.
However, the five Mist Shinobi Anbu seemed to have anticipated this.
The next moment, countless shuriken flew into the air.
The number of shuriken was comparable to the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
Konoha-style Kenjutsu, Hazy Moonlit Night!
In mid-air, Yugao swung her long sword, creating several afterimages of the blade.
This was a swordsmanship she had not yet mastered, and it was her first time using it in actual combat.
Clang clang clang...
Many shuriken were cut to the ground.
Even so, a shuriken struck Uzuki Yugao's back.
Moonlight Hayate in the jungle saw this scene and grinned, quickly moving out.
However, there was a figure faster than him.
It caught Yugao falling from the sky!