---
Judging from the time Team Haori spent on their mission and the distance they covered, it seemed disproportionate. But this was enemy territory, and they had to be more careful with every step they took.
So, they spent three days and four nights covering this short distance of 50 kilometers before approaching their target.
On the fourth day, the heavens, whether intentionally helping or deliberately messing things up, stopped the rain.
The change in weather had its pros and cons. The good news was that the weather improved after the rain stopped, which was beneficial for Team Haori, who were about to conduct long-distance reconnaissance.
The bad news was the same. The lighting conditions were equal for both sides, making it easier for the enemy to spot Team Haori. Also, the team had to be even more careful when moving. The convenience of the rain, which could help destroy their tracks, was gone. Instead, the muddy ground after the rain was more likely to leave traces, making it easier to be tracked and discovered.
The first point was relatively easy to overcome. They just had to hide in a more solid place. But the second point was extremely unfavorable.
Considering the higher priority of the mission, no matter how dangerous it was, the mission had to be carried out. Considering the preciousness of life, Team Haori stopped three kilometers away from the enemy's base.
They wouldn't, and couldn't, go any further.
Considering the enemy's density and unpredictable detection methods, going any further would be like walking into the enemy's gun barrel, a suicidal act.
But to see the enemy's actions from this distance, Haori couldn't do it alone. So, the next mission would mainly be carried out by Yamanaka Aoba.
He was also a ninja who could use summoning jutsu, and his summoning beast wasn't as flashy as Haori's. It was ordinary and quite inconspicuous—a crow.
"Are you ready? Summoning jutsu?"
Aoba made a gesture indicating that everything was fine.
Team Haori was now divided into pairs, hiding in two large trees. Haori and Yamanaka Aoba were in a group, responsible for reconnaissance of the base. Yūhi Kurenai and Asuma were together, responsible for close-range vigilance.
To conceal the chakra fluctuations caused by using ninjutsu, Yamanaka Aoba had already used summoning jutsu to summon dozens of crows that looked no different from ordinary crows, when they were still quite a distance away.
After responding to Haori's words, Yamanaka Aoba released the first crow according to the established method.
Summoning jutsu, plus a simple possession jutsu, constituted Yamanaka Aoba's entire reconnaissance method. He would attach his spirit to the crow for simple control, and the two would share vision.
This crow flew over the Amegakure base from the air, but to avoid any suspicion, it wouldn't stay there. It would at most circle above for a while.
At this time, Yamanaka Aoba had a blank piece of paper on his lap, one hand covering his left eye, and the other holding a pen, quickly recording what flashed through the crow's vision.
Multitasking. If Haori were to do this, it would be a piece of cake for him, with his brain capacity and brain utilization rate. But for a young ninja like Yamanaka Aoba, who didn't have any buffs, it would undoubtedly cause a significant mental burden.
After all, a single crow could only see so much. To ensure the accuracy of the reconnaissance, they had to fly over multiple times. But to avoid suspicion, they couldn't be too rhythmic. They had to release them from time to time. A regular behavior like "flying every half hour" was unacceptable.
If you were talking about efficiency, it would be best to have several crows fly together in each group. But considering the mental burden on Aoba, they had to take it slow.
The process wasn't difficult to describe, but for this, Team Haori had to stay here for a whole day.
When it was the last crow's turn, Yamanaka Aoba wanted to make it land in the Amegakure base, using the excuse of "a crow is thirsty and wants to find water to drink," to do a close-up observation at the closest distance.
But just as the crow was descending, an accident happened. A kunai, seemingly thrown haphazardly, came flying from somewhere.
Fortunately, the throw wasn't serious. It seemed like it was just for the purpose of driving it away, like a ninja school student practicing.
And the kunai happened to be seen by Aoba. So, he controlled the crow to make a last-minute dodge, then turned around and flew away.
This small incident almost made Aoba jump out of his skin.
It was too dangerous.
You know, if an ordinary crow were to be hit by a kunai, it would probably just spray blood everywhere and lose a few feathers. But what about a summoned crow? It would "poof" and disappear.
A summoning beast appearing stealthily above the base. Any ninja could figure out what was going on.
They were almost exposed...
Fortunately, it was a close call.
The reconnaissance results were still fruitful. Originally, according to Leaf Village intelligence, there were 600 to 800 Amegakure ninjas stationed at this base. But from what they saw now, a large part of them had disappeared. The number of ninjas here was now below 200.
This meant that Amegakure might be planning something. And the target of their actions probably wasn't Konoha—otherwise, the number of ninjas at this base would have increased, not decreased.
As for what Hanzō was up to, that was something for the Leaf Village higher-ups to consider. As for Team Haori, the intelligence they brought back from this reconnaissance was still timely.
After nightfall, Team Haori began to slowly retreat along their predetermined route. The mission was half complete. Now, all they had to do was return to the Land of Fire safely.
Compared to when they came, their speed was undoubtedly faster. After all, they were returning on the same route. They were familiar with the surrounding terrain and the enemy's activity patterns. They weren't completely unfamiliar anymore.
However, as they retreated and got further away from the Amegakure base, Haori realized something different.
The Amegakure reconnaissance teams had all disappeared.
What was going on? Haori signaled the team to be extra careful.
Two hours later, they suddenly stopped.
The four huddled together. Because of the special situation, Haori simply spoke directly: "Did you hear that?"
The three nodded, then said in unison, "I heard it."
In the quiet of the night, the crisp sound of kunai and shuriken clashing echoed far away.
This meant that there was a battle ahead, and one of the sides was probably Amegakure. The missing Amegakure reconnaissance teams had probably gone to pursue this enemy.
After considering for a few minutes, Haori still decided to go take a look. Figuring out what happened was secondary. More importantly, if possible, he didn't want to change their retreat route, and the battle ahead was undoubtedly blocking their way.
The four cautiously walked forward.
Gradually, there was light ahead, probably from trees that had been set ablaze by fire jutsu.
Then, they saw the bodies of Amegakure ninjas.
Not one, but a pile of them.
After confirming that there were no enemies in the area, Haori bent down and examined the bodies closely.
The Amegakure ninjas were in a terrible state. Their bodies were dry and withered, like mummies. Their mouths were stretched open to the limit, forming three empty cavities along with their empty eye sockets.
After examining several bodies, they all had the same death throes. It reminded Haori of a certain jutsu.
This was the work of a very powerful ninja.
Haori had seen many different kinds of dead ninjas. He considered himself mentally strong, but he was still shocked. However, it wasn't the enemy's bodies that shocked him, but his teammates.
This made him realize that he was still not as good as the natives in certain aspects.
Yūhi Kurenai also examined the bodies.
At this time, she wasn't the cold-hearted female ninja she would become later. She could still be considered a kid.
Although no one paid attention, her face was unusually clear in the firelight. He saw her twitch her small nose and then blink her big, doe eyes.
Then, she looked at the bodies in front of her and muttered to herself:
"The smell of malt..."
With her cute voice, Haori automatically imagined the next line:
"Expert, come and try this new dish I invented, Candied Ninja!"
He felt that Yūhi Kurenai was about to plate these corpses, while they were still hot…
What kind of girl could say such a thing in front of a gruesome corpse?
Well, there was one in this team who could.
In any case, Haori was speechless.
Yūhi Kurenai, I, Shiraishi Haori, salute you as a man!
---
PATREON UPDATE
You get 3 Fanfics when you join.
One payment for 3 fics.
patreon(.)com/ShixT9
CURRENT PATREON CHAPTER : Chapter 158
=> If you join as a FREE MEMBER you'll get +3 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
=> TIER 1 you'll get +10 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
=> TIER 2 you'll get +20 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
=> TIER 3 you'll get +40 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
=> TIER 4 you'll get +60 ADVANCE CHAPTERS
THE PAID TIERS DOES'NT INCLUDE THE FREE CHAPTERS SO IT'S A BONUS +3 CHAPTERS FOR EACH TIER
EXTRA BENEFITS FOR ALL TIERS
>DISCORD ACCESS
>VOTE AND SUGGEST FUTURE FICS
>FEET PICS 0.0