The Hyūga ninja from the Rat Squadron detected the target three kilometers away: Senju Kashiwa.
"Squadron Leader! The target has appeared!"
The gaze within the Rat Squadron Leader's mask was sharp. "We're only a few kilometers from the headquarters. We cannot alert Senju Nawaki. We must intercept Senju Kashiwa here!"
The three squads of the Rat Squadron quickly charged towards Senju Kashiwa.
Pursued from the front, blocked from the rear.
Senju Kashiwa took out a secret pill.
This was an Akimichi secret pill given to him by a former Akimichi clan teammate before their sacrifice.
After consuming the secret pill, one could burn flesh and blood to transform it into a large amount of chakra, but if not controlled properly, one could also die violently from excessive chakra extraction.
Having no more reservations now, Senju Kashiwa swallowed the Chili Pill, ready to die.
Every cell in his body groaned as he squeezed out all his body's potential.
His entire body's chakra surged wildly. Before the Anbu could close in around him, he performed his final jutsu.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
A large amount of water suddenly appeared beside Senju Kashiwa, gushing forth like a fountain.
The Rat Squadron Leader, who had already rushed close by, was somewhat surprised. Senju Kashiwa's strength was significantly greater than reported in the intelligence. He quickly prepared to defend.
He was no match for a Water Release of that scale.
However, the Rat Squadron Leader did not retreat. Even if it meant death, he could not allow Senju Kashiwa to get any closer to the front-line headquarters.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
An earthen wall rose in front of the Rat Squadron Leader.
He saw Battalion Commander Yellow Dog appear in the distance behind Senju Kashiwa.
However, Senju Kashiwa's Water Release wasn't aimed at the Rat Squadron Leader at all.
The water dragon shot straight into the sky.
The water dragon's body showed minimal curvature and vibration, shooting almost vertically towards the sky.
Under the blue sky and white clouds, the blue water pillar was exceptionally conspicuous.
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog was still two hundred meters away from Senju Kashiwa, but he felt uneasy.
"Fire Release: Great Blazing Ball!"
A massive fireball traversed over two hundred meters, rushing towards the water dragon in the air.
Yōkō, watching from the side, clicked his tongue in amazement. The level of this Fire Release and its attack range were truly exaggerated.
The fireball was ultimately a bit too slow, colliding with the lower section of the water dragon.
After ascending, the water dragon suddenly transformed, exploding outwards in all directions.
Several smaller water dragons scattered, forming a Senju clan emblem in the sky!
Even with Battalion Commander Yellow Dog's strong will, he halted in his tracks, his heart sinking with a strong sense of foreboding.
The others continued charging towards the soaring water dragon.
Inside the headquarters camp, Senju Nawaki, who was sparring with his teacher Orochimaru, turned his head in confusion.
He saw the Senju clan emblem in the sky!
"That's the Senju clan's distress signal! Enemy attack! Iwa-nin have rushed near the camp!"
As soon as Nawaki finished speaking, he leaped up, disappearing with the Body Flicker Technique.
Orochimaru felt somewhat puzzled. Even if it was an enemy attack, why not use Konoha's universal distress signal flare? Why use this obscure Senju clan distress signal? It hadn't been seen for decades since the founding of Konoha Village.
Adhering to his principle of training Nawaki, Orochimaru followed at a distance behind him.
Nawaki was a genius; Orochimaru wanted him to make his own judgments and decisions from the very beginning of his ninja career.
What he needed to do was help Nawaki analyze things whenever he occasionally made mistakes.
Guiding him in everything would not cultivate a disciple who could surpass him.
Not only did Nawaki leave the camp, but other Senju clan ninjas on the front line also rushed out urgently.
Looking at the Senju clan emblem composed of Water Release in the air, Battalion Commander Yellow Dog turned and said, "Fox! Take your squad to find Senju Nawaki, who is likely heading this way. For now, do not intercept him, just monitor him!"
Yōkō nodded and led his squad away.
After accomplishing all this, Senju Kashiwa let the Water Release fall. Within a range of several dozen meters, it was as if a flood had occurred.
Senju Kashiwa himself was also submerged by the water.
Amidst the waves, the Rat Squadron Leader's ninja sword pierced Senju Kashiwa's chest.
The Rat Squadron Leader himself was somewhat surprised. Why was it so easy?
When the Water Release completely dissipated, he saw Senju Kashiwa, his blood vessels burst all over his body, emaciated like a skeleton.
His skin, split open by the burst blood vessels and clinging tightly to his bones, made Senju Kashiwa look neither human nor ghost.
A minute or two later, Konoha ninjas from the front-line camp arrived and saw the numerous Konoha Anbu and a corpse on the ground.
Senju Nawaki stepped forward, staring at the corpse.
The corpse wore a Kirigakure forehead protector, its entire body charred by Fire Release, shriveled into an ellipsoidal shape.
Facing Senju Nawaki's suspicious gaze, Battalion Commander Yellow Dog said:
"The Anbu were apprehending a Kirigakure spy. This spy was proficient in Water Release.
He also tortured a Senju ninja to obtain the Senju distress signal, intending to carry out sabotage near the Konoha camp. He has already been killed by us."
Senju Nawaki didn't say anything, feeling somewhat skeptical in his heart.
The Anbu's explanation seemed plausible, but Nawaki felt that something was off.
After hesitating for a while, the Senju ninjas from the front-line camp left.
Yōkō found Battalion Commander Yellow Dog and said, "Battalion Commander, Senju Nawaki didn't meet anyone on the way, and nothing unexpected happened."
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Good, the mission is finally over."
Yōkō thought to himself, That's great.
It's just that it's even better if Yellow Dog lets his guard down.
Ten minutes later, a middle-aged Senju ninja, assigned to strengthen patrols due to the chaos, was dispatched.
As he passed by a tree, he suddenly froze.
There was a symbol on that tree! It was a special contact symbol used between the Senju and Uzumaki clans!
The middle-aged ninja had only heard his father mention such symbols; they were from the style of the Warring States period, before the village was founded.
Only the Uzumaki clan used that set of code systems when contacting the Senju clan.
He walked towards the tree, bent down, and found a scroll beneath the symbol.
Looking at the trampled grass around the scroll, he judged that it had been placed there for at least two days.
Who was it?
Wasn't the Uzumaki clan annihilated?
Who left this scroll here two days in advance?
The village said that the Uzumaki clan only had one remaining member, Uzumaki Kushina.
Picking up the scroll and opening it for a glance, the Senju ninja's pupils contracted violently.
What?
What this scroll says...
The Senju ninja quickly closed the scroll. His brain felt starved of oxygen, and he felt dizzy.
The annihilation of the Uzumaki clan... Konoha already knew about it? And even participated in it?
The reason the Uzumaki clan was caught off guard, with the entire village having no chance to escape, was that the Konoha Anbu leaked all of Uzushiogakure's coastal reconnaissance points to Kirigakure in advance.
Saving the Uzumaki princess was just an act?
Everything was just to provide a new container for Konoha's Nine-Tails?
Calming his breathing, the Senju ninja suddenly thought of the young clan leader.
A Fire Release flame rose, burning the scroll to ashes.
He forcefully stomped on the tree trunk, destroying the secret code shared by the Senju and Uzumaki clans.
Over 40 years old and experienced, he did not panic.
He patiently waited until his patrol duty ended and returned to the camp as if nothing had happened.
If he made this known to everyone, the Senju clan would immediately be forced to break with the village.
A civil war in Konoha, during a critical period of the Great Ninja War, would lead to disastrous consequences.
The village was the life's work of the First and Second Hokage. Others might destroy Konoha, but the Senju clan could not.
He decided to first report this to Princess Tsunade or Young Master Nawaki.
Princess Tsunade was away on a mission, not at the front line, so he could contact Young Master Nawaki first.
Several days later, the Yellow Dog Battalion was on its way back to Konoha.
A communication eagle suddenly flew across the sky.
Battalion Commander Yellow Dog stood on a tree branch, a bad premonition rising in his heart.
The communication eagle swiftly descended, delivering a scroll.
Yōkō, watching from a distance, saw cold sweat instantly pour down from beneath Battalion Commander Yellow Dog's mask.
(End of Chapter)