In a cave at the junction of the Land of Snow and the Land of Ghosts.
The two ninjas sat cross-legged around the campfire, and the slashed Kumogakure forehead protectors proved their identity as traitorous ninjas.
"Damn, what bad luck!"
One of them frowned and complained: "As a neutral country, we actually set up such strict checkpoints... What are they guarding against?"
Moreover, there is also that unknown sensory ninjutsu...
They were just a little bit close to the border of the Kingdom of Snow when they were discovered by a guy wearing strange armor there.
This level of vigilance is really exaggerated, almost the same as in wartime.
They had no chance to sneak into the Kingdom of Snow, so they could only stay away from the Kingdom of Snow temporarily and stay at the border of the Kingdom of Ghosts.
"There's nothing we can do about it. Our current identities are rebel ninjas after all."
Another person sighed: "Besides, who knew we would suddenly encounter Xuanyuan Zhong? If it weren't for Lord Raikage at the rear, the two of us would be dead by now."
As he spoke, he punched the ground bitterly.
"Damn it! I didn't expect to become a burden to Raikage-sama! I don't know how Raikage-sama is doing now."
"Given our physical condition, it would be too dangerous to go out now. What should we do next?"
"I have already sent the news back to the village, waiting for them to come..."
The two people suddenly paused in their words, their expressions instantly became solemn, and they looked at the entrance of the cave in unison.
One of them quickly formed a seal with his hands, and immediately slapped the ground violently.
"Thunder Escape·Earth Walk!"
Zizzi!
The dense electric light broke the darkness, instantly covered the ground, and quickly spread towards the cave.
I saw, under the light of this lightning, a tall figure with a stone blade in hand standing upright.
Amidst the roar of the thunderbolt, the tall figure did not dodge, but actually broke into pieces and scattered on the ground.
"……what?"
The Kumogakure ninja frowned and asked in confusion: "A moving stone statue?"
at this time.
Kakaka!
The rocks that had been shattered all over the ground flew up strangely, and began to recover with a purple-black light mist as the center.
In just two or three seconds, the shattered stone statue stood up again.
As they got closer, under the horrified gazes of the two people, a pair of eyes gradually lit up, and stone statues appeared at the entrance of the cave.
"what!
"
………………
At the same time, in the Kazekage building.
Sunagakure's ANBU captain is giving a weekly report to Rasa.
"... According to the residents on the border of the Kingdom of Wind, there are huge footprints of unknown creatures there. I hope Lord Kazekage can pay more attention to them."
But Luo Sha seemed to be thinking about something. After listening to the report, she just waved her hands absentmindedly, as if she didn't take the matter to heart at all.
"Since you're not sure yet, just go and take a look."
Seeing this, the ANBU captain of Sunagakure sighed secretly and had no choice but to exit the Kazekage's office.
After he left, Luo Sha also stood up from his seat.
Cluck cluck...
When he felt the weakness in his legs, a gloomy look appeared on his expressionless face.
"Huh! Chiyue...where are those guys?"
In the failed battle with Amaterasu in Kawanoguni, he not only lost his "arm" as Maki, but also lost his legs and became a cripple.
With the level of medical ninjutsu in Sunagakure Village, it is not difficult to attach a prosthetic limb.
But the "shadow" of Sand Hidden Village is actually a cripple.
This alone is enough to make him lose all his reputation and even lose the face of Sunagakure Village.
But that doesn't matter anymore.
Sand Hidden Village still needs his magnetic escape, so those old guys won't do anything to kill them.
What really gives Rasa a headache is her youngest son Gaara.
Even though he is already a teenager, he still has not made any progress in controlling Ichibi Shukaku.
That monster obviously watched Gaara grow up, so why doesn't it resonate with Gaara at all?
In fact, the number of rampages was more frequent than that of the previous one-tailed jinchuriki, Fenfuku.
"Is my child no better than a monk? Did I really choose the wrong container?"
Luo Sha was extremely distressed. The foundation of Sand Ninja Village was already weak, and the idiot Daimyo of the Kingdom of Wind was an iron cock who had nothing to lose.
After the end of the Third War, the funds allocated to Sand Ninja Village were reduced year by year.
What's more, Sand Ninja Village was the loser in the Third Ninja War.
According to their agreement between Sunagakure and Konoha, part of the mission bounty must be given to Konoha every year.
The Sand Ninja Village had to increase revenue and cut expenditures, and implemented an "elite policy." He, the Kazekage, personally went into battle, using magnetic escape to pan for gold in the desert, barely maintaining the village's finances.
Smart people understand that, as the saying goes, if Sunagakure's strength declines, the Kingdom of Wind will become a lamb to be slaughtered.
But after Rasa was disabled, the daimyo of the Land of Wind used this as an excuse to cut the funding for Sunagakure by more than half, which undoubtedly made it worse for Sunagakure.
"That greedy guy will be starved to death sooner or later."
Thinking of this, Luo Sha's expression became even more ugly: "This cannot continue. Every year, the hard-earned bounty must be handed over to Konoha, but Sunagakure's power cannot turn against Konoha at all."
The perfect Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki, the Third Hokage, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi, and the guy who seems to have inherited the Wood Release...
Thinking of Konoha's luxurious lineup, Luo Sha felt powerless.
What a slap in the face!
Apart from Akazuki, the one he feared most was Konoha.
Theoretically, even if Gaara becomes a perfect Jinchuuriki, he cannot fill this huge gap in strength.
but……
At least it can bring a sense of security to the villagers of Sunagakure Village, and it can also stabilize his endangered status and power.
Just when Luo Sha made up her mind.
Katcha!
Chiyo opened the door and walked into the Kazekage's office.
Subconsciously he glanced at the puppet prosthesis on Luo Sha's leg and asked, "Have you decided?"
Luo Sha nodded without looking back: "We have to make a decision, tonight. If he can pass the test, he can survive. Otherwise, I can only kill him as a threat."
Chiyo sighed softly, and then asked: "Who did it?"
After a moment of silence, Luo Sha coldly uttered three words:
"…Yashamaru."
Chiyo's old face was startled, and he said in a weird tone: "Are you serious about sending Yashamaru to take action? He is Garura's younger brother. It's too cruel for you to do this to that child!"
"Cruel...of course I know." Luo Sha's expression darkened, then he shook his head and said, "But only in this way can we test his strength."
"If he can withstand the test, then I will do my best to train him, but if he cannot control the power of one tail... the village now has no choice."
As soon as these words came out, the office fell into silence.
Chiyo sighed and was about to say something.
A masked ANBU ninja suddenly appeared in the office.
"Kazekage-sama!"
The ANBU ninja knelt on one knee in front of Luo Sha and said in a panic: "There are two people who are forcing their way into the village's defense line!"
"They call themselves the Akatsuki Organization!"
………………
In the Hokage's office.
Metkai, Yamato and Kakashi stood in front of Sarutobi Hiruzen.
One was full of excitement, the other two were just decadent.
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the three of them, and after a moment he said, "I called you here this time because I have a task for you."
After that, he took out a scroll from the drawer and put it in Kakashi's hand.
"Oh! What kind of mission requires the three of us to work together?"
Metkai's eyes widened, and he moved closer to Kakashi and looked at the content on the scroll.
——S-level mission, assist the witches of the Kingdom of Ghosts to destroy the Underworld Sect.
"This task is a bit complicated."
Tapping his pipe on the table, Sarutobi Hiruzen continued: "The shrine maiden from the Kingdom of Demons has sent a request to us in Konoha, hoping that we can destroy the Underworld Sect who is trying to release monsters."
Kakashi's heart suddenly trembled when he heard this.
He has also heard of this legend about monsters and witches in the Kingdom of Ghosts.
"Monster?" Metkai looked at Sarutobi Hiruzen with doubtful eyes.
Sarutobi Hiruzen said in a low tone: "Monsters are special creatures similar to tailed beasts."
"Hiss! Is that monster so powerful?"
Metkai's face showed an expression of eagerness to try.
He longs to fight against powerful beings and prove his will and youth.
Yamato on the side added: "Since it is a tailed beast-like existence, as long as we use the sealing technique..."
Before Yamato could finish speaking, he was interrupted.
"The power of a monster cannot be judged from the perspective of strength."
Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at the three of them deeply: "We are human beings. If we are human beings, we will have evil thoughts and darkness, and have all kinds of desires. In that case, we will only become food in the mouths of monsters."
"To deal with monsters that have immortal characteristics similar to tailed beasts, you can only rely on the power of miko. Ninjas have no advantage in dealing with such things. They will only cause unnecessary sacrifices."
"Moreover, monsters can also control and create immortal ghost legions, which are a group of special puppet soldiers made of hard rock."
Hearing this, the three of them suddenly fell silent.
It was also the first time they had heard of such a thing.
"Does it take someone without evil intentions to seal it?"
Kakashi sighed: "If that's the case, it's really troublesome."
This monster is simply a natural disaster created to wipe out humans.
Metkai nodded in agreement.
The immortal nature of the tailed beast is okay, but if it can only be restrained by the power of a miko, then the monster will indeed be very troublesome for ninjas.
However, in this case, the shrine maiden actually has no evil intentions?
Is that miko really human?
"Then what do we need to do?" Yamato asked expressionlessly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen took a long puff of cigarette and said slowly: "Sealing monsters is the job of a miko, you just need to destroy the Underworld Sect.
He was not worried at all that the three of them would not be able to complete their mission.
It is the duty of the witches of the Ghost Country to seal the monsters. This is why the five major countries allow the Ghost Country to exist as a neutral country.
Although the ninjas cannot defeat the monsters, there is still no big problem in annihilating the Huangquan sect that worships the monsters.
"As a neutral country, the Kingdom of Oni may have sent requests to other ninja villages, so this mission may encounter ninjas from other villages."
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up, turned around and looked at the village outside the window, and warned: "You must be careful and try not to conflict with ninjas from other villages."
The three of them looked at each other and said in unison: "Yes!"
However, after the response.
"Hokage-sama, I have one more thing to ask for."
Metkai scratched his head and asked bluntly: "Can I bring Neji, Li, and Tenten with me?"
"Whether they are up to the task or not is up to you, the guiding jounin, to judge."
"Don't worry! They are all excellent children!"
After confirming the mission requirements, the three of them did not dare to delay any longer.
After leaving the Hokage's office, they picked up Neji and the three of them went straight out of the village and headed towards the Kingdom of Demons.
"Kakashi."
Along the way, Kai bared his teeth and gave Kakashi a thumbs up: "This time, I'll let you see my proud student!"
Kakashi responded feebly: "Yes, yes, yes~"
Kai didn't notice Kakashi's impatience at all and continued to say cheerfully: "Kakashi, this is the real youth. When I think about the growth of Neji's three children, I feel very motivated! Hoho! "
Kakashi turned his head and glanced at Neji and the other three who were slightly behind the team. At the same time, he continued to deal with Gai: "Yes, yes, yes."
He is indeed a little suspicious now.
After all, the last time he left the village for a mission, he met Chi Yue's group.
Under the guidance of Tsunade-sama, the wood escape cells in Yamato's body were barely suppressed, and one of his arms is still a prosthetic limb.
His injuries had just healed a little before he was sent to the Kingdom of Ghosts to perform a mission.
This made Kakashi, who was always cautious, feel vaguely uneasy.
The second half of the team.
Realizing that Ningci seemed a little uneasy, Xiao Li asked curiously: "Ningci, what's wrong with you?"
Neji came to his senses and shook his head: "It's nothing."
Seeing that Neci was still distracted, Tiantian on the side asked: "Neji, what do you think of this mission?"
Ningci, who was thinking about something on his mind, casually replied: "The Kingdom of Ghosts is sandwiched between the Kingdom of Wind and the Kingdom of Earth. This time the matter involves monsters, and the miko will definitely ask for help from other ninja villages, so this mission It will inevitably involve multiple ninja villages."
"Anyway, it will definitely be very troublesome."
Xiao Li was a little curious: "I don't know what kind of monster that monster is."
"At least it must be at the tailed beast level, otherwise, Hokage-sama would not designate the mission as S-level."
"Tailed beast?" After pondering for a moment, Xiao Li's face suddenly showed a touch of excitement, and he lowered his voice and whispered: "Neji, I can barely open the six doors now, but after opening them, I basically lose my combat effectiveness."
Neji was startled, and then said: "I already felt it during the competition yesterday."
Xiao Li smiled and said: "As expected, I also felt that you didn't use your full strength yesterday!"
The few people were walking at a slow pace, even as they were talking.
Soon we crossed the border and entered the land of rain.
In a cave.
Several people were warming themselves by the fire while studying the next route of travel.
Between the Country of Ghosts and the Country of Fire, there are several small countries such as the Country of Rain, the Country of Birds, and the Country of Bears. There are currently a large number of wandering ninjas in these small countries. If you are not careful, you may encounter a fierce battle, so the choice of travel route must be Be cautious.
After a while of discussion, Kakashi, who had determined the route of travel, put away the map.
At this time, Tiantian complained softly: "The weather in the Kingdom of Rain is really bad. It rains all day long, making people's bodies sticky."
"Hold on for a while longer and rest until you reach a neutral country."
As the captain, Kakashi dutifully gave instructions: "Although the Land of Rain is small, it is also a country with shinobi villages. The man known as the 'demigod' is the leader of the Rain Hidden Village here, so we must pay special attention here. careful."
