About two weeks earlier, Kirigakure had decided to participate in the Ninja World War.
This decision was related to a certain unnamed old man from the Warring States Period.
As early as thirty or forty years ago, shortly after the First Ninja World War ended, Uchiha Madara had gone to Kirigakure. Through verbal manipulation and genjutsu control, he became the shadow behind the Third Mizukage, Suien.
Over the years, Uchiha Madara had used Kirigakure many times to gather intelligence on the various nations of the ninja world. Even the "Bloody Mist policy" was partly his doing, because Madara wanted to use the island nation of the Land of Water to experiment with some new systems. The results, however, were not good.
Most Kiri ninja did not know these details.
But most Kiri ninja fully supported the decision to join the war.
After decades of the "Bloody Mist policy," the ninja of Kirigakure had basically been reduced to two types. The first were battle maniacs with heads full of slaughter and twisted minds, and they made up the majority. The second were a minority who still retained some normal thinking and wished to push for reform.
The former longed to fight Konoha, the village nominally known as the strongest, and enjoy the pleasure of killing.
The latter hoped to use external war to redirect domestic conflicts, while also accumulating strength in the process and creating conditions for future reform.
Thus, the two groups hit it off, leading to the appearance of this advance force led by Fuguki Suikazan and the others.
At this moment,
as Fuguki Suikazan turned around and looked behind him, ninja wearing Kirigakure forehead protectors walked out of the ship cabins one after another. They stood silently on the deck like quiet reefs. Most of them carried the scent of blood.
A full two hundred and forty people.
They were all elites sifted out under the "Bloody Mist policy," each one capable of killing without blinking.
It was no exaggeration to say that this force alone would be enough to take down a small country.
But if the enemy was a behemoth like Konoha…
"No matter."
Fuguki Suikazan took a deep breath, bared his teeth, and a fierce light burst from his eyes.
"The ninja who come from our Village of the Bloody Mist are not something those useless Suna trash can compare to. Mere Konoha… if they dare face our edge directly, we'll make sure they never return!"
"Oh!"
Many Kiri ninja had their fighting spirit stirred. They shouted lowly, their eyes filled with desire for plunder and slaughter.
Even for those battle maniacs with poor brains, killing ninja from another village was definitely better than killing their own people.
"Shh—"
Jūzō Biwa made a silencing gesture.
"We're still some distance from the Land of Fire. Everyone move quickly. Follow the planned route and approach the Land of Fire. Gather as much information as possible on Konoha's border defense patterns and troop deployment. If there is any movement at all, report it immediately.
"This operation concerns Kirigakure's vital interests. If anyone exposes our movements ahead of time and ruins Lord Mizukage's plan… heh."
After the two commanders spoke,
more than two hundred Kirigakure ninja surged down from several ships like a black tide. After landing, they quickly split into different squads and merged into the thick fog of the Land of Waves. Only a few ninja remained behind to guard the empty ships.
"Let's go."
Jūzō Biwa looked at Fuguki Suikazan.
The latter grinned. "Mm. Land of Fire, Konoha… just wait to offer all your chakra to my Samehada!"
As he spoke,
the two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen jumped down from the deck, carrying their respective greatswords on their backs, and also disappeared into the dense fog.
…
Konoha Village.
The sky was brightening.
At this moment, Yuu still did not know that Kirigakure had joined this battle royale and was preparing to launch a surprise attack on Konoha, which had just ended its war with Sunagakure.
More precisely, even if he knew, it would not matter. After all, the ones who should worry about this were Konoha's F4. As an ordinary, unremarkable jōnin, Yuu only needed to wait for the mission to be issued. He had no obligation to share F4's worries.
Right now, Yuu was in Konoha Hospital, meeting Tsunade after not seeing her for several days.
He had two purposes for coming here. The first was to personally hand Tsunade her ninety-thousand-ryō dividend.
"…Oh my, you really are something. Taking out a red envelope in a place like a hospital? Does your teacher look like someone who loves money that much?"
Tsunade wore a clean white coat. As she said things like "You shouldn't, you shouldn't," she unceremoniously took the red envelope from Yuu's hand, pinched it to check its thickness, then stuffed it into her inner pocket. Her face bloomed with delight.
The corner of Yuu's mouth twitched slightly. Looking at Tsunade's obvious attempt to cover things up, he asked softly, "Aren't you going to count it? What if the amount is wrong?"
"…No need. Even if I can't trust others, how could I not trust you?"
Tsunade clearly wanted to take it out and count it, but after hearing Yuu say this, she became a little embarrassed. She could only wave her hand in a deliberately bold manner, causing her impressive chest to sway slightly. Yuu could not help swallowing.
Then,
Tsunade turned around and handed Yuu a newly written scroll on the desk, along with several test tubes of different colors.
"Here. This is the analysis report for the poison sample you brought last time, along with the specific antidote for it. I rushed the research over the past few days."
"The components of this poison are quite rare. Its toxicity is three to four times stronger than ordinary medicines. It seems that old woman Chiyo's pharmaceutical skills have improved quite a bit in recent years."
This was the second reason Yuu had come today.
When he had just returned to the village last time, Yuu had already handed the poison he obtained from Sasori of the Red Sand to Tsunade and asked her to help develop a corresponding antidote.
To hide information, he had not told her everything that happened in the Death Desert. So Tsunade did not know he had encountered Sasori of the Red Sand. She only assumed this poison was the work of her old opponent, Chiyo.
But that did not really matter.
Because whether the poison's creator was Chiyo or Sasori, their achievements in pharmacology were only fit to carry Tsunade's shoes. In the original story, Sakura, who had only studied under Tsunade for three years, could independently create an antidote against Sasori's poison, let alone Tsunade herself.
It was only that Yuu did not have that much time and energy. Otherwise, with his current medical ninjutsu level, if he studied further with Tsunade, analyzing the components of this poison himself would not be too difficult.
At once,
Yuu accepted the analysis report and antidotes, roughly skimmed them, then carefully placed them into his ninja pouch. He planned to try making some himself later and apply it to his ninja tools.
Tsunade stretched lazily and casually reminded him, "Well, using poison is ultimately an unorthodox method. Unless you can use it like Hanzō and sweep across an entire battlefield directly, its usefulness is limited. Don't rely on this stuff too much."
"Alright. I will follow Teacher Tsunade's teachings."
Yuu agreed readily, then looked at Tsunade again, expectation appearing in his expression.
"Right, Teacher Tsunade, last time you said you were going to teach me a new ninjutsu. I wonder what it is…"
"Oh, that."
Tsunade sounded a little absent-minded. "There's no rush. Let me first go to the casino… cough, cough, no, go soak in a hot spring and relax a little. I'll find time to teach you later."
"…You clearly want to go gamble a few rounds, don't you?"
"Hehe."
Tsunade scratched her head.
"…"
Yuu knew Tsunade's personality, so he did not say much now. He only sighed and advised her to play small and not lose all the money at once. After all, ninety thousand ryō was not a small amount under ordinary circumstances, but in a casino, it would not make much of a splash.
"Relax, relax. I know what I'm doing. Speaking of which, you're acting more and more like Shizune now. Not cute at all."
Tsunade rubbed Yuu's cheeks, then waved her hand and walked out of the office.
"I'm off. See you tomorrow~"
"…"
Watching Tsunade take off her white coat and leave the hospital in a whirlwind, Yuu touched his slightly warm cheeks and shook his head helplessly.
Given how unreliable Tsunade usually was, he had more or less expected this situation. So after putting away the antidote and analysis report she had given him, he turned and went downstairs, preparing to visit the training field and sharpen his swordsmanship.
However,
Yuu had only just walked out of the hospital entrance and taken a few steps when a figure wearing a cat-face mask and standard ANBU attire appeared silently before him like a ghost, blocking his path.
"Jōnin Mikami Yuu, Lord Hokage has issued an urgent summons. Please proceed to the Hokage's office immediately."
"Hm?"
Yuu stopped. He did not answer immediately. Instead, he first carefully observed the other party.
There were subtle differences between ANBU masks and Root masks. The cat-face pattern before him was clear, so this person should be ANBU, not one of Danzō's Root members.
But…
Sarutobi Hiruzen was summoning him now? Why? Had the order to deploy to the Kumogakure battlefield come down?
"I do not know."
The cat-face Anbu shook his head. "I am only responsible for relaying Lord Hokage's order. For anything else, please discuss it with Lord Hokage."
"Understood. I'll go right away."
Yuu said.
When living in Konoha, one still had to give Sarutobi Hiruzen face. Moreover, an ANBU summons usually meant some urgent matter. So Yuu did not waste time. His figure flickered, and he rushed straight toward the Hokage Building.
Along the way, Yuu's mind shifted as he considered various possibilities for this summons. Perhaps the Kumogakure front in the northeast was under pressure and needed manpower. Perhaps the negotiations with Sunagakure had fluctuated and required support. Perhaps even that old thing Danzō had been slandering him in front of the Third…
But the answer was not revealed until he pushed open the door to the Hokage's office.
"Yuu, you're here."
Sarutobi Hiruzen's steady voice came from inside.
At this moment, there were not many people in the Hokage's office. Aside from Yuu, there was only Sarutobi Hiruzen sitting behind the large desk, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the tabletop. Facing him were Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura—the standard small meeting lineup.
"Look at this first."
Sarutobi Hiruzen picked up a scroll from the desk and motioned for Yuu to step forward.
"Alright."
Yuu took the scroll as instructed, glanced at the special Anbu sealing mark on it, then opened it and began reading quickly.
"Southeastern border of the Land of Fire… suspected traces of Kirigakure ninja have appeared. They are using dense fog and night cover to investigate Konoha's border defenses. Patrol teams have repeatedly tried to track them but returned without result. Several squads even lost contact during pursuit?"
Kirigakure had entered the field?
Seeming to see Yuu's confusion, Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded.
"That's right. Judging from this intelligence, those people from the Land of Water can no longer sit still. They want to take advantage of Konoha's war with Kumogakure and profit as the fisherman. Moreover, they may have deployed quite a large number of people this time, including elite jōnin."
"Understood."
Yuu closed the scroll and took a deep breath.
"So… Lord Hokage summoned me here because you need me to investigate them?"
"Yes."
Sarutobi Hiruzen nodded. "The current situation is not especially favorable for Konoha. We know nothing about the position, objective, troop distribution, and other details of this suspected group of Kiri ninja. Before these things are investigated clearly, it is not suitable to immediately transfer a large number of jōnin to the southeast.
"Therefore, we need a small, capable, fast, and sufficiently powerful unit to immediately penetrate the southeastern border region and carry out preliminary reconnaissance and interception!"
"…"
Yuu narrowed his eyes slightly. A certain premonition was about to emerge.
Sure enough, Sarutobi Hiruzen's next words confirmed his guess.
"This squad will be commanded by you, Mikami Yuu!"
"Me?!"
Yuu pointed at himself, thought briefly, and said, "Lord Third, what I specialize in is swordsmanship and Fire Release, while Kirigakure's people specialize in Water Release. I've also heard that their Silent Killing Technique is quite refined. Wouldn't sending me against them be somewhat unsuitable…"
"Do not underestimate yourself, Yuu."
Sarutobi Hiruzen shook his head, his tone carrying a trace of expectation.
"Your strength is obvious to all. Right now, aside from the few of us and Tsunade, among the jōnin stationed in the village, your overall combat strength is the highest. As for leadership ability, that is trained through actual combat. This mission is the best tempering for you.
"Of course, Kirigakure's Water Release and assassination techniques are indeed troublesome. Especially the Hidden Mist Technique. Ordinary ninja are easily caught by it, and dōjutsu ninja are needed to break it. But most members of the Hyūga clan have gone to the Kumogakure battlefield, and the village still needs people left behind for defense…"
"That's simple."
Danzō, who was beside them, spoke coldly.
"Aren't the Uchiha dōjutsu ninja as well? Their Sharingan also possesses reconnaissance ability. Let Uchiha Fugaku lead people and go to the Kirigakure battlefield with him."