Chapter 86
When Sakumo saw his name appear in the black market intelligence, a faint look of surprise flashed across his eyes.
His mission with Team 9 had been a direct order from the Third Hokage, and they had left the same day. In theory, only a handful of people could have known about it.
'So how did the black market get this information?'
Suppressing his doubts, Sakumo calmly responded, "I'll take one of each."
As soon as he spoke, Haneda handed over the suitcase full of cash to the bald man.
After the black market official confirmed the payment, they received the intelligence scrolls and left immediately.
"Chiyo is going to the Land of Rain to meet with Hanzo. Her objective is to gain permission to search for someone in the Land of Rain and to attempt an alliance with Amegakure... The information comes from a Sunagakure Jonin."
"Sakumo of the White Fang is leading a secret mission to the Land of Rain to investigate Chiyo's meeting with Hanzo... This intelligence was provided by a highly credible source."
"Orochimaru is leading a military force stationed at the border of the three countries..."
Sakumo quickly scanned the scrolls and handed one to Haneda.
"The intelligence has been leaked. We leave tonight."
Hearing this, Haneda was momentarily confused.
But as soon as he read the information on the scroll, he realized what was happening.
Danzo, who commanded the Root division, might want to kill them. Or, even worse, it could be a larger scheme orchestrated by Madara and Black Zetsu, manipulating events from the shadows.
The terrifying part was that the latter seemed much more likely.
While Danzo was a villain, he wasn't foolish. He would have to be out of his mind to sell out Sakumo, Haneda, and Asuma for a mission like this.
With trembling hands, Haneda carefully stored the scroll and asked:
"Should we head back or use the pre-arranged signals to inform Asuma and the others, Uncle Sakumo?"
"Let's head back first. Hopefully, our whereabouts haven't been leaked yet," Sakumo replied.
They swiftly moved through the rain-soaked forest, reaching the inn in less than three minutes.
Seeing the light in the window and hearing voices—some chatting, others arguing—they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Climbing in through the window, Haneda glanced at Asuma, who was sitting next to Kurenai, reading a book.
"Let's go!" Haneda said.
"Where to, Haneda-bro?" Asuma asked, confused and not yet understanding the gravity of the situation.
At that moment, Sakumo entered the room.
"The intelligence has been compromised. We leave immediately," Sakumo said.
Upon hearing this, both Asuma and Kurenai realized the seriousness of the situation. Without hesitation, they followed Sakumo and Haneda out of the inn.
"Sakumo-sensei, are we abandoning the mission?" Asuma asked as they moved swiftly through the rain.
In his mind, Chiyo of Sunagakure wasn't necessarily a match for Sakumo-sensei. Plus, with Haneda on their side, even if the mission was compromised, they could still complete it.
"There may be a third-party force interfering in this mission. Besides... your lives are more important than the mission," Sakumo said quietly.
Suddenly, his expression changed, and he drew his short blade, stepping in front of Haneda, Asuma, and Kurenai to shield them.
"Who's there? Come out!"
Raindrops fell on Sakumo's silver short blade as Haneda also drew his sword.
Haneda glanced at the dark sky, realizing that fighting in the rain was a disadvantage for him.
"As expected of Konoha's White Fang, your perception is impressive."
A cold, emotionless voice came from behind a tree, and a figure with blue hair and black eyes, dressed in a gray cloak, emerged.
The moment the figure appeared, Sakumo, Asuma, and Kurenai were shocked.
It was none other than the Third Kazekage, known as the strongest Kazekage in history!
Why was he here? Was he planning to attack them? Could this be a declaration of war against Konoha?!
Before Sakumo could ask any questions, the Kazekage puppet opened its mouth, releasing a barrage of poison-coated senbon needles.
The strange sight of this attack, combined with the puppet-like behavior, only deepened their shock.
'The Third Kazekage has been turned into a puppet? What kind of sick joke is this?!'
"Earth Style—Earth Wall!"
Haneda quickly formed hand seals and pressed his hand to the ground, causing a wall of earth to rise in an attempt to block the senbon.
However, the senbon seemed to be under someone's control, curving around the earth wall to attack from above and the sides.
'Magnet Release!'
'Even a puppet could use a Kekkei Genkai?!'
Sakumo took a deep breath, suppressing his shock. He swung his short blade in a cross slash, cutting down the senbon in mid-air.
But just then, another figure appeared behind them.
It was a rogue ninja from Takigakure, with two eerie masks growing from his shoulders.
One mask spat out a high-pressure wind ball, creating a swirling storm. The other unleashed a torrent of fire that consumed everything in its path!
The combination of the Wind Style: *Pressure Damage* and the Fire Style: *Cremation* resulted in the powerful *Flame Cyclone* technique!
The raging flames, driven by the wind, devoured everything around Haneda and his team. Even the wet ground was reduced to ash upon contact.
And it wasn't over yet. From beneath their feet, countless iron spikes emerged, thrusting upward from the ground!
This was an attack with no escape, attacking from all angles. If even one direction wasn't defended, they would be consumed by both the flames and the iron sand!
Watching this from the shadows, Sasori smirked, his stiff smile showing satisfaction.
"Even the White Fang of Konoha shouldn't be able to survive that…"
Before he could finish his thought, a surge of water erupted from Haneda and his team's location.
A *Water Wall* formed in all directions, surrounding the four of them.
"Water Style?"
Sasori was momentarily stunned. According to the intel, Uchiha Haneda specialized in swordsmanship, lightning style, and genjutsu.
But here he was, using such a large-scale water defense technique!
The iron sand Sasori controlled was corroded by the water, making it too heavy to manipulate, forcing him to retract it.
Meanwhile, the raging flames were completely extinguished by the water wall.
Thick mist spread throughout the area, reducing visibility to almost nothing within a ten-meter radius.
The probing attacks had ended, and both sides tacitly agreed to pause.
"Nicely done, Haneda," Sakumo said.
"Haneda-bro, when did you learn to use such powerful Water Style?" Asuma asked, full of admiration.
"Never mind that. The important thing right now is the enemy," Haneda said, activating his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, his nerves on edge.
The two enemies in front of them were future members of the Akatsuki.
One was Sasori of the Red Sand, and the other was Kakuzu of the North Star.
Both were incredibly difficult, Kage-level opponents!
At that moment, Sakumo addressed Kakuzu, his tone carrying an unmistakable warning:
"Who are you? From the black market? We're Konoha ninjas. Does the exchange office want trouble in the Land of Fire?"
Kakuzu chuckled darkly, his tone indifferent as he replied:
"I'm a ninja who once fought the First Hokage and survived. Do you really think I care about something like that?"
Upon hearing this, everyone except Sakumo was stunned.
Someone who had fought the God of Shinobi and survived?
The power of the man before them was even more terrifying than he had let on!
Sakumo, Asuma, and Kurenai all felt a sense of foreboding—today's outcome might not be in their favor.
Kakuzu ignored the shocked reactions and continued:
"I have no fixed loyalties. I follow the money."
"And someone has offered a large sum to buy your lives."
***
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