Excellent Guards

After a single encounter, the two Chunin squads had been reduced to one. Of the two Jonin, one had also suffered serious injuries, limiting their combat strength.

On the other hand, the Genin squad assigned to odd jobs had remained inside the cabin and suffered no harm.

Still, being able to drive back the enemy this time was already quite good. The two escorting Jonin could accept the current outcome.

They had no intention of turning back to the Land of Water. Instead, they prepared to continue onward.

The main reason for this attack was actually the political struggle between the village and the ninja clans. The value of the goods was secondary, but the two Jonin could only keep that to themselves.

Moreover, once they left the Land of Water and reached the Land of Fire, the relatively prosperous and stable environment there meant no bandits who had received advance notice would be able to coordinate and set up a joint ambush.

In the eyes of the two Taketori Clan Jonin, the conflict between Kirigakure and the ninja clans was one thing. They could bash each other’s brains out for all they cared, but that insular village would never seek out forces from the Land of Fire to help deal with its own ninja clans.

On the contrary, continuing the escort now was even safer. Once the goods arrived, it would be much easier for them to return to the village unburdened.

The seriously injured Jonin had ended up in this state because he had taken the Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique head-on to protect the ship during the initial strike, after which Zabuza had kept targeting him…

Elsewhere, inside a remote seaside cave in the Land of Water.

Moist water vapor continuously condensed on the stalactites overhead before dripping down. The entire cave was dark and damp.

Yet in the open area at its center, densely packed candles had been lit.

Under the flickering candlelight, one could see that beside every candle sat a small pile of skulls.

At the center surrounded by those candles and skulls sat a gaunt figure cross-legged.

Even the loose black robe draped over him could not conceal the claw-like hand extending from its sleeve.

"Dead? What trash."

As several flames around him went out, the corpse-like figure that had remained motionless finally stirred slightly.

Within the shadow obscuring his face beneath the hood, two ghostly blue flames flickered.

The first time, only a group of Veteran Reincarnators had acted. Their failure was understandable.

But the second time, an Elite Reincarnator who had only just acquired the identity of one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had led the team, and they had somehow all been wiped out.

Utter trash!

What a waste of that excellent new identity. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen held quite a respectable position in Hidden Mist.

Hmph. He had even given that man a hand when he was fighting for the identity. His goodwill had been completely wasted.

Still, trash or not, someone capable of obtaining the title of Seven Ninja Swordsmen deserved recognition for his strength.

If not a single person had escaped under such circumstances, then they had clearly provoked the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Utakata.

Had Utakata chosen a side?

That was at least somewhat valuable information. It could make up for part of the loss. He was somewhat tied up at the moment and could not personally do anything, so he could only make use of this exclusive intelligence to arrange something and gain a few benefits…

Elsewhere, after Zabuza withdrew, a seductive figure wearing a Hidden Mist Anbu mask arrived near the waters where the battle had taken place.

After looking around for a while, she leaped onto a reef. Crouching down with her graceful figure, she reached out and touched the corroded rock. A strange glint flashed through the beautiful eyes exposed by her mask.

"So it really was Boil Release. Utakata wasn’t the one who acted…"

Utakata also possessed corrosive techniques, so when Zabuza had reported after retreating, he had been unable to determine whether Utakata had acted.

Still, in that environment, it seemed that only Utakata could have done such a thing.

Only Mei Terumi, the Anbu captain who herself possessed Boil Release, had harbored doubts after hearing the description. That was why she had come to verify it herself.

She had now determined without question that the attacker had not been Utakata, but someone else!

Someone who, like her, possessed Boil Release.

Given Mei Terumi’s understanding of the village’s current internal situation, if the perpetually neutral Utakata were framed with some crime, things would become truly troublesome.

A Jinchuriki’s importance within the village was no less than that of a Kage. Before the village reached its conclusion, she had to find the real culprit.

Most likely, the other party was a hostile force deliberately trying to drive a wedge between the Jinchuriki and the village!

Mei Terumi had yet to complete her great rebellion, and she still held a few lingering hopes for the Fourth Mizukage, who was sometimes lucid and sometimes controlled. At this moment, she wanted desperately to make amends herself.

The next instant, she vanished from the sea’s surface…

"The environment in your Land of Fire is really nice."

Xu Yue’s identity was that of a merchant who mainly did business in the Land of Fire. After the caravan reached the Land of Fire, everything went quite smoothly.

Bandits had appeared, but they were all ordinary bandits and had been used as practice targets for the Genin squad.

Later, perhaps because they learned this was a merchant caravan escorted by ninja, even the petty thieves stopped appearing. The public security here was indeed much better than in the Land of Water.

"Of course. This is the most prosperous country, after all. But precisely because the security here is good, and because it borders the Land of Water, selling the goods here may bring a profit, but it cannot maximize the returns."

Xu Yue wore a shrewdly mercenary expression, his tone carrying a merchant’s cunning and calculation.

"But selling here is safer too, isn’t it? I hear the desert along the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind is quite unsettled as well. Only because our Taketori Clan does not primarily rely on Water Release can we manage. If it were other ninja from the village, many of them would likely be countered in that environment."

The relatively uninjured Jonin casually chatted with Xu Yue.

He was somewhat resentful that this man had chosen to sell the goods so far away in one go.

"Isn’t that why I have you? The profits are enough for me to take the risk. Not only will the profit be much greater, but after selling everything, I can also purchase specialties from the Land of Wind and bring them back to the Land of Fire to sell."

Xu Yue once again instilled his penny-pinching, miserly image into the ninja. His attitude of wanting to split every coin in two had already become deeply ingrained in the eyes of the escorting ninja and drivers.

"Alright, we’re about to reach the border of the Land of Fire. We should stay alert."

Utakata, who had maintained the attitude of a sightseeing traveler the entire way, offered a timely reminder.

Though this merchant was somewhat stingy, he could be considered a local guide in the Land of Fire. With travel permits clearing the way throughout the Land of Fire, they had avoided quite a few troubles.

But once they reached the ungoverned area near the border, there would probably be some trouble.

However, no sooner had Utakata finished his ominous remark than, before they had even reached the border, the long caravan was caught and stopped from behind.

Several Anbu members dressed as Konoha ninja and wearing masks landed before the convoy.

Xu Yue could not help narrowing his eyes. Those markings… were they from Root?

He had kept his movements low-profile and had not contacted Konoha in any way. They should not have known he was here.

"Six-Tails Jinchuriki Utakata, may I ask what business brings you to our Land of Fire?"

The man at the front wore an eagle-faced mask. He compared Utakata to the portrait in a small booklet in his hand, his voice icy and devoid of emotion.

Xu Yue was left speechless once again. Well then, the guards he had hired this time were really proving their worth…

But then, the Root members whose attention had been drawn to Utakata noticed Xu Yue, who was smiling harmlessly at them with narrowed eyes. They instantly stiffened.

Others—even many people within the village—did not know what Xu Yue looked like beneath his Anbu mask these days. Many probably still remembered him as a twelve-year-old.

But Root members were not among them…

Fuck.

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Vacant eyes, blank stares. Two updates…