The desert stretched endlessly, with the scorching sun beating down on the earth, and not a whisper of wind to offer relief.
Hydrangea spoke with determination, "Listen, our mission is to gather as much information as possible. We don't need to engage with the enemy unless necessary..."
Sasuke nodded subtly, acknowledging the sound judgment. But why was the Akatsuki organization collecting information about the Jinchūriki? He recalled that three years ago, Itachi had appeared in Konoha Village for the Nine-Tails within Naruto. Could there be a connection...
Suddenly, Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten approached them. In fact, Neji and the others were participating in the Chunin Exam to help "Kazekage" Gaara find a traitor within the Sand Village. There were rumors that the traitor planned to assassinate Gaara during the exam! Therefore, Neji and his team were searching for clues about the traitor.
Sasuke felt a wave of emotion seeing Neji and the others.
Hydrangea's face lit up, "Perfect timing, go ahead and gather their intelligence."
On the other side, Tenten asked, "Neji, they're Rain Ninja. What should we do?"
Neji replied, "Test their skills to see if they're disguised assassins."
Tenten gave a thumbs up, "As expected of Neji, your mind is really sharp."
The battle commenced.
Hydrangea engaged Tenten, while Neji quickly subdued the Rain Ninja. Rock Lee flashed in front of Sasuke, "Watch out, Konoha Whirlwind!" he shouted, leaping up to deliver a kick.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, impressed. Lee's speed had increased since three years ago, and his strength had improved significantly. Let's see how his reaction speed fares...
Instantly, Sasuke released a murderous aura to pressure Lee. Lee's eyes widened in shock, "What an incredible aura, even more intense than when Guy-sensei is serious! Oh no, I'm going to be counterattacked..."
Hydrangea noticed Sasuke was in danger and quickly summoned a psychic card to block Tenten, then turned to support him.
Huh!
At that moment, Lee suddenly retracted his attack. After landing, he stared at Sasuke. This man was a formidable opponent! But it was strange—why hadn't the other party attacked just now?
Sasuke secretly praised Lee's impressive reaction.
Hydrangea arrived, "Ogawa, we've got the information. Go quickly, I'll cover you!"
Sasuke nodded, deciding not to reveal his true identity for now.
Lee's eyes were stern, "Where do you think you're going? Take this, Konoha's Great Whirlwind!"
Hydrangea hurriedly bit her thumb, drawing a line of blood. The next second, she formed hand seals: Hai, Xu, You, Shen, and Wei.
"Summoning Technique: Rainwater Gate!"
As she spoke, a wooden door as tall as a person appeared, transforming into a shield.
Bang!
The Rainwater Gate shattered under Lee's kick. Hydrangea's face changed.
Sasuke wasn't surprised. Lee's move could shatter rocks, let alone a mere wooden door.
Lee wanted to test Sasuke's true strength, so he used all his power. "Try this move again, Konoha Gale!" Lee smashed the ground with a downward strike.
Boom!
The ground collapsed, and quicksand swirled. Hydrangea, Sasuke, and Tenten were sucked into the ground. Lee was dumbfounded.
Neji activated his Byakugan, "I see, there's a ruin below. The exit... is in that direction. Let's go save them!"
Meanwhile, in the underground ruins, the vision was dim.
Hydrangea apologized, "I'm sorry, Sasuke. If I hadn't held onto you, you wouldn't be trapped here."
Sasuke shook his head. In moments of life and death, people instinctively grab onto whatever is around them. It's a survival instinct and shouldn't be blamed.
Suddenly, a ray of light appeared. Tenten took out a glow stick, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I think we should work together to find a way out now."
Hydrangea objected, "Impossible, we won't cooperate with ninjas from the Great Nations!"
Tenten was speechless, "Why?"
Hydrangea replied coldly, "Because you people from the Great Nations don't understand what pain is!"
Tenten was at a loss for words. She felt that talking to Hydrangea was quite frustrating, wasn't it?
Sasuke brushed off the dust on his clothes. It wouldn't be easy to free Hydrangea from the Akatsuki's brainwashing, but if successful, it would greatly aid in investigating Itachi's whereabouts...
Suddenly, Sasuke's ears twitched. Something was approaching, and it sounded like a reptile!
Hydrangea refused to cooperate. Tenten didn't force it and was about to leave when—
Bang!
A large ant, as tall as a person, emerged from the ground, its iron-like jaws snapping at Hydrangea. Hydrangea was shocked, unable to react in time.
Sasuke was about to intervene but changed his mind. He thought this was a good opportunity to change Hydrangea's perspective.
Tenten shouted, "Danger!" and leaped to save Hydrangea at the last moment.
Hydrangea couldn't believe it, "Why did you save me?"
Tenten replied, annoyed, "Sorry, we ninjas from the Great Nations like to do thankless things."
Hydrangea's face turned a mix of emotions.
Sasuke interrupted, "Excuse me, but don't you think we should work together to deal with this 'little' ant first?"
Hydrangea and Tenten exchanged glances, confirming their intentions, and both attacked the ant monster. The two cooperated seamlessly, pushing the ant monster back step by step.
Finally, Tenten summoned a large axe and smashed the ant monster's head.
Tenten was excited, "Great, happy cooperation!"
Hydrangea hesitated, "Well, happy cooperation."
In fact, this mission was Hydrangea's first outside the village. She had always heard the "Angel" say how arrogant the Great Nation ninjas were and that they didn't know what "pain" was. But after actual contact, Hydrangea found that Tenten, a ninja from a Great Nation, was unexpectedly kind. Could it be that the "Angel" was wrong?
As soon as this thought arose, Hydrangea was immediately scared and broke into a cold sweat. In the Rain Village, the words of the "Angel" were the will of the "God," and no one was allowed to question it!
Time passed quickly, and the exit was in sight. Unfortunately, the exit was blocked by mud and sand, making it impassable.
Misfortunes never come alone. A large number of ant monsters swarmed through the passage, their sheer numbers making one's scalp tingle at the sight.
Hydrangea was shocked and angry, "Damn it, take this, Summoning Technique: Panda!"
Then she turned to Tenten, "Quick, while the panda is blocking the passage, let's dig a way out together."
Tenten said nothing and rolled up her sleeves to work.
Sasuke's lips curled up. Hydrangea taking the initiative to cooperate with Tenten showed that her thoughts were beginning to change. Now, the seeds of freedom had been planted, just waiting for the right time to take root and sprout...
Boom!
The panda was knocked down by the ant monsters and disappeared. Hydrangea and Tenten were exhausted, but their way out was still blocked by mud and sand.
Rustle—ant monsters swarmed, their tentacles and iron jaws clearly visible.
Hydrangea was unwilling, "Damn it, is there no way out?"
She didn't want to die; she really didn't want to die! She still wanted to contribute to the Rain Country. She still wanted to see the people of the Rain Country have enough food and clothing one day!
Seeing the ant monsters swarming in, Hydrangea and Tenten's faces were filled with despair.
At this moment, Sasuke said lightly, "There's really no way out now..."