The Land of Water, a unique island nation, is one of the Five Great Nations and home to the Village Hidden in the Mist. Despite being the smallest of the Five Great Nations in terms of landmass, if you exclude the vast ocean that surrounds it, the country has numerous mountains and various islands, each with distinct customs followed by the locals.
According to the intel from Nagato, the rogue ninja they were to recruit, Kyuuroku, was located in the western region of the Land of Water's main island.
Typically, rogue ninjas would avoid their home countries to escape capture. However, this rogue seemed particularly brazen, staying in the Land of Water despite the presence of the infamous Mist Village's hunter-nin squads. This suggested that Kyuuroku was quite powerful.
The quickest route from their current location to the Land of Water involved traveling through the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Waves, before taking a boat to reach the western side of the Land of Water's main island. Although the journey was long, crossing land wasn't much of an issue for ninjas—the slowest part would be the sea journey.
After trekking through the Land of Hot Water, the two arrived in the tiny Land of Waves, where they paused to rest. They would need to find a boat to reach their destination.
The Land of Waves was a small, economically poor island nation with almost no military capability or ninjas to speak of. Due to its small size and isolation, the people lived in poverty, with little contact with the outside world.
Using this impoverished island as a rest stop, Ye Zi and Sasori didn't cause any trouble. They caught a few fish to eat and sat on the shore.
"You go find a boat," Ye Zi said, tossing aside a fishbone and closing his eyes to rest.
"Got it," Sasori replied, getting up and heading toward the populated part of the island.
After Sasori left, Ye Zi slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the light mist hovering over the sea, saying nothing.
While boats weren't rare, for a poor place like the Land of Waves, a boat was a valuable asset, essential for connecting the island to the outside world. It was a tool for trade and survival, making it irreplaceable.
Sasori found a ship owner who owned a fairly large vessel. Without hesitation, Sasori bluntly demanded the boat.
"That's impossible. This boat is our lifeline. I can't give it to you," the ship owner immediately refused, without any hesitation.
"If you lose this boat, you can always build another one," Sasori replied coldly.
Standing in front of his humble wooden house, the ship owner shook his head. "I won't agree to that."
The boat wasn't just for his family; it was vital for the survival of the nearby residents as well.
"Then you leave me no choice," Sasori said, his tone still calm.
The ship owner, thinking the strange-looking man had given up, breathed a sigh of relief and cast Sasori an apologetic look as he turned to head back inside. But in that moment, a sharp pain shot through his chest.
"Ugh!" The ship owner's eyes widened in confusion. He looked down to see a large, bloodied spike protruding from his chest.
Sasori coldly withdrew his tail, and the ship owner collapsed, dead.
The noise brought a group of people out of the house. One look at the scene, and they screamed in terror. A middle-aged woman collapsed to the ground, trembling.
Sasori glanced at the terrified people indifferently before turning and walking toward the dock.
"I gave you a chance. You can rebuild a boat, but I can't bring back a life."
He boarded the boat, which wasn't too large but suitable for his needs, and cut the ropes holding it to the dock. Clumsily, he maneuvered the vessel toward Ye Zi's location.
Before long, Sasori brought the boat to the beach where Ye Zi waited. Due to his inexperience with boats, he ended up grounding it on the shore.
Sasori didn't seem to care. He jumped off the boat and walked over to Ye Zi. "Got a boat. Shall we head out?"
Ye Zi glanced at him and nodded. Suddenly, he asked, "Did you kill someone?"
"That's how I got the boat," Sasori answered nonchalantly, knowing Ye Zi had likely smelled the scent of blood. He walked to the ocean and dipped his bloodstained tail into the water to clean it.
Ye Zi stood up and walked over to Sasori. "These people are really poor," he said after a brief silence.
"And?" Sasori asked, his tail swishing through the water as the blood dispersed.
Ye Zi looked at the boat Sasori had taken by force, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "Nothing."
Sasori didn't respond and continued washing his tail.
Suddenly, both of them sensed something. They immediately leaped away in opposite directions.
In the spot they had just vacated, two pairs of hands erupted from the ground, grasping at empty air—a failed Earth Release: Head-Hunter Jutsu.
"An ambush? But there shouldn't be any ninjas in this country, let alone ones skilled in the Head-Hunter Jutsu," Sasori remarked coldly.
In the next moment, several figures appeared on the beach, joining the two who had attacked from underground, bringing the total number of enemies to seven.
Ye Zi scanned the group, noticing the standard-issue masks and gear typical of Root members. His gaze settled on one woman whose figure he recognized.
"It's you. I see Danzo couldn't hold back. But to send just the seven of you to your deaths?" Ye Zi's voice was cold as he looked at the woman.
This woman had been a messenger for Danzo, often relaying information to Ye Zi. He recognized her instantly. But even if she hadn't been there, he would have known this was a Root squad. After all, the moment his survival was confirmed, there were plenty of people who wanted him dead—Danzo being at the top of that list.
"So they're after you. I'll stay out of it, then," Sasori said, stepping back.
"Doesn't matter," Ye Zi replied indifferently. Just seven Root members—they posed no threat.
The Root members didn't say a word. They drew their weapons and spread out, attacking Ye Zi from multiple directions with practiced synchronization.
Sizzle.
Lightning chakra surged across Ye Zi's body. Without even drawing his sword, he extended his hands, firing beams of lightning from his fingertips. In the blink of an eye, the lightning pierced the hearts of all seven attackers, killing them instantly.
Poof!
The seven bodies vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Shadow clones? Typical of Root," Ye Zi muttered. His cold gaze swept across the beach, his senses picking up on faint chakra signatures. He took ten steps forward and slammed his foot into the ground. The impact sent sand flying in all directions, and beneath his foot was the crushed body of one of the real Root members.
"One down," Ye Zi's cold voice echoed as he vanished from his previous position. A wind blade suddenly sliced through the air, cutting the body he'd just killed cleanly in half, exposing a mess of indistinguishable flesh.
Tracking the direction the wind blade had come from, Ye Zi swiftly drew Chijin and, using his Lightning Release: Body Flicker Technique, instantly appeared before the Root member. The ninja's eyes widened in shock as Ye Zi's sword instantly decapitated the next Root member, sending their head flying into the air.
"Two."
Before the words left his mouth, Ye Zi turned and thrust his blade into thin air. Blood dripped from the sword as the body of an invisible Root member slowly materialized.
"Using the Stone Village Hidden Camouflage Technique? So, that makes three," Ye Zi remarked, pulling his blade from the corpse as it crumpled to the ground.
Root's stealthy tactics were a waste of time in Ye Zi's eyes. If they had attacked directly in a coordinated assault, they might have stood a better chance. But sneaky approaches only delayed the inevitable.
With a hand seal, Ye Zi created two shadow clones. The clones went after the remaining enemies, while the original dashed into the nearby woods. Three of the remaining Root members, realizing their stealth tactics were ineffective, revealed themselves. But they still stood no chance. Ye Zi and his clones dispatched them swiftly.
Although these Root members were at least on the level of jōnin, they were no match for Ye Zi.
"One more left," Ye Zi said, coldly staring at a nearby tree.
The final Root member, a woman, leapt down from the tree. Even through her mask, Ye Zi could feel her seething hatred.
"Next time, Danzo should send more people. But you won't have the chance to report back," Ye Zi said, his tone ice-cold.
Shink!
Before the woman could react, the bloodied tip of Chijin pierced through her chest.
"Wha..." She gasped, looking down at the blade in shock. As her strength ebbed away, she glanced up at Ye Zi in confusion, only to see that the figure in front of her was transforming into a wooden log.
"A wood clone. You never saw it coming," Ye Zi whispered in her ear, his words the last she would ever hear.
"A Wood Clone. Not something you'd notice," Ye Zi whispered in her ear, his voice the last thing she would hear in her lifetime.
With a firm yank, Ye Zi pulled his blade free, and the woman collapsed, lifeless.
"So, Root has already caught up to me. It seems Danzo's intelligence network is expanding faster than I thought," Ye Zi muttered, his cold gaze dropping to the body at his feet. He summoned Shokui.
"Ah, time for a meal again?" Shokui grinned widely as he emerged through a cross-shaped light.
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Currently on Chapter 268 - Expanding the Battlefield and Imminent Peril