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After the Sunagakure ninjas were eliminated, Sakumo appeared beside Jin.
"That was quick?"
Jin was surprised at how fast Sakumo had dealt with the Sunagakure ninjas, not just in clearing them out but also in the speed at which he used Shunpo.
It was as if he was cutting through them like they were nothing.
The speed at which Sakumo used Shunpo was also astonishing. Even with just the basics of Shunpo, he moved at a pace that Jin couldn't keep up with.
Maybe if he activated his Sharingan, he could follow.
But he was taken aback when Sakumo looked at him with a deep gaze.
"A man should never be called ''quick'!"
"You're such a perverted jōnin! Be serious!"
Jin never expected Sakumo to be this cheeky.
Mushihime, who had reformed from her insects, blushed and looked down.
Jin: ...
As someone who considers himself upright, he really couldn't get along with these two unorthodox people.
"Let's move on."
Sakumo sheathed his sword and began moving quickly through the forest again.
Jin and Mushihime followed closely behind.
They leaped from branch to branch, moving at incredible speed.
Jin could feel the strong wind whipping past them.
Though it seemed like Sakumo was leading the way, in reality, it was Mushihime who was controlling her insects to scout the area.
Jin felt like a useless tagalong in the team.
Suddenly, the sound of insects buzzing reached his ears, causing his pupils to contract. His previously relaxed expression quickly turned serious.
He glanced at Mushihime beside him, who soon returned to her usual calm demeanor.
The three of them stopped moving and quickly hid.
This was a warning of enemy ninjas.
But when had she put insects in his ear?
If she wanted to kill him, could she do it just as easily?
But since they were teammates, he suppressed his unease for the time being.
Sakumo glanced at Jin as if he hadn't noticed anything and peered through the dense foliage.
A small three-man team of Sunagakure ninjas was moving through the forest.
The insects in his ear transmitted information through vibrations.
"They're bait. Five more ninja teams are hidden and following behind them."
This confused Jin. Hadn't Sakumo wiped out the lookout post without leaving anyone alive? What were they testing?
This wasn't the time to ask.
They watched as the three-man Sunagakure team leaped from branch to branch and disappeared into the distance.
Sakumo, Jin, and Mushihime remained patient, waiting.
Nearly an hour passed.
The Sunagakure team that had left earlier suddenly returned from the ground.
The next moment, a group of about fifteen Sunagakure ninjas emerged from their hiding spots.
The Sunagakure ninjas didn't communicate verbally but rather through a series of quick hand signals—a unique form of communication.
"How cautious."
But it was futile.
White Fang silently drew his sword.
Now that their numbers were confirmed...
In an instant, Sakumo appeared among the fifteen ninjas.
"Who!?"
"A Konoha ninja!?"
"You're the one who took out the lookout post!?"
The Sunagakure ninjas shouted in anger, but the next moment, fear overtook them as Sakumo's sword began to emit a faint white light.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a white crescent moon and passed through them.
Sakumo flicked the blood off his sword and sheathed it behind his back.
The next moment, the heads of five Sunagakure ninjas separated from their bodies.
They didn't even have a chance to resist.
Only then did Jin and Mushihime, the two tagalongs, emerge.
"Is Sunagakure's communication that fast?"
"Never underestimate the Five Great Shinobi Villages."
Sakumo reminded Jin. "Konoha also has methods to immediately detect when a lookout post goes down. Naturally, Sunagakure does too."
Jin awkwardly scratched his nose. He didn't know Konoha had such methods.
The three continued deeper into the forest.
However, the frequency of encountering Sunagakure ninjas increased.
If their numbers were small, Sakumo would wipe them out; if they were large, the three would hide.
The three of them used a camouflage technique to hide in a cave.
"Should we keep going?"
Jin now felt like the forest was teeming with Sunagakure ninjas. Every few steps, they would encounter another team.
If they continued, they might run into the main Sunagakure force in the Land of Rivers.
Sakumo leaned against the stone wall and closed his eyes.
"We'll rest here for now."
"The road ahead will be even more dangerous."
Sakumo didn't respond directly, but his silence was an answer in itself. He had no intention of retreating.
This confirmed Jin's suspicion that Sakumo was heading straight for the main Sunagakure force.
...
Meanwhile...
Tsunade awoke from her coma.
The moment she sat up, she saw her reflection in a nearby mirror, revealing the changes in her face.
Her entire face was covered in purplish-black marks.
The next moment, she sat cross-legged and began to focus on the seal in her hands.
After using it extensively, she had gained a deep understanding of the technique, "A Thousand Spiders, Ten Thousand Poisons Hand." Soon, the black marks on her face started to shrink, as if being absorbed by something, and gradually disappeared from her face.
Her youthful and beautiful appearance was restored.
"What an incredible technique."
Tsunade knew she owed Jin a huge favor.
In the Warring States period, this kind of technique could have established a secret clan.
This wasn't something that could be repaid by just one viewing of the Scroll of Seals.
Tsunade sighed, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
She took out a scroll, bit her finger, and pressed it against the paper. As the smoke cleared, a large pile of medical tools appeared before her.
She needed to develop a new antidote.
After completing her research, Tsunade immediately sought out Sakumo.
But she received news that made her frown.
"Sakumo took Jin and Mushihime into the Land of Rivers?"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama." The bespectacled kunoichi nodded expressionlessly.
"Sakumo-sama has handed over command of the camp to me."
The kunoichi's words made Tsunade, who had been planning to lead a rescue mission, stop in her tracks.
She narrowed her eyes and looked at the kunoichi in front of her.
"Are you sure?"
The kunoichi didn't hesitate to respond.
"Yes, I'm sure."
The next moment, Tsunade suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the kunoichi by the throat and lifting her off the ground.
"Tsunade-sama."
The kunoichi struggled desperately, but how could she possibly match the strength of Tsunade, who had mastered the monstrous strength technique?
Then, Tsunade's arm began to secrete a purple liquid that started to corrode the kunoichi. Just as the kunoichi was about to lose consciousness and her mouth involuntarily opened, Tsunade threw her to the ground.
"As I suspected, a Root Tongue Eradication Seal."
She had been checking for the mark on the kunoichi's tongue, which was the symbol of Root.
The kunoichi lay on the ground, coughing violently.
"Go back and tell Danzō that the front lines are off-limits to him."
"Yes."
The kunoichi could only grit her teeth. She hadn't expected the plan to fail so easily, but she didn't dare harbor thoughts of revenge against Tsunade.
"And one more thing."
Tsunade began putting on her armor again.
"Tell everyone in the camp who can still fight."
"Follow me, and we'll take back what's ours!!"
(End of Chapter)