blogombal Chapter 127 Shifting the Blame Eastward: Karin and Ishikawa
Chapter 127 Shifting the Blame Eastward: Karin and Ishikawa
In the pitch-black jungle under the cover of night, "whoosh whoosh whoosh..."
Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the ground and unleashed a barrage of shurikens, causing the pursuing squad behind to scramble for cover.
The next second, just as the pursuit team launched their counterattack, the dark figure once again vanished underground and sped towards the Land of Earth...
"Quick, he's heading towards the northern border! Just as I suspected, that guy is a ninja from Iwagakure."
"We can't let him leave with that woman. Even if it means death, we must keep them in the Land of Grass."
Upon seeing this, the Grass Ninja shouted again, his hands moving like lightning as he hurled explosive tags and kunai into the ground in front of him.
"Boom... Boom boom..."
In the blink of an eye, the ground ahead was ripped apart by explosions, leaving behind a scene of devastation...
"They escaped? Their Earth Release ninjutsu is so powerful, they really are bastards from Iwagakure! Notify those guys at the northern fortress to search thoroughly. At the same time, send out a signal flare to have the patrols along the Land of Fire's border strengthen their vigilance and keep a close eye on Konoha's movements so they don't take advantage of any openings."
After quickly checking everything, the Grass Village Jonin gave a series of orders, unleashing bursts of chakra beneath his feet as he sped towards the border of the Land of Earth.
The other two subordinates were sent as follows: one went to the northern fortress to call for reinforcements, and the other sent an emergency signal to the border of the Land of Fire.
[That should be enough! This place already belongs to the Land of Earth. No matter how you speculate, you can't possibly believe that I returned to the Land of Fire after entering the Land of Earth. So, you can continue fighting like dogs here!] At the border of the Land of Earth, Ishikawa's eyes flashed as he watched the approaching Grass Ninja. Without hesitation, he triggered the trap set by Iwagakure.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh... Boom... Rumble..."
In an instant, the peaceful border was shattered by a loud explosion and flames. The Iwagakure patrol, who had already heard the disturbances from the Grass Ninja, could no longer tolerate it and immediately signaled for battle!
Ishikawa, who did good deeds anonymously, did not linger. At the same time, he unleashed his Mayfly Technique, hurtling underground and rushing straight towards the Land of Fire.
"Kusagakure ninja, this is already the Land of Fire. If you take any further steps, it will be considered a provocation against Konoha!" As soon as Ishikawa arrived at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass, he heard a powerful, cold shout that echoed through the night sky.
"Sorry! We had no intention of causing conflict with Konoha. Today was just a routine patrol." Upon being discovered by Konoha ninja, the Grass Ninja captain stopped and hurriedly explained.
Currently, the village is engaged in a local conflict with an enemy country at the northern fortress, and he does not want to cause a misunderstanding with Konoha at this time, which would plunge the village into fighting on two fronts.
"It had better be that way! I am Hakumo Hayami, a Jonin of Konoha. Once we cross the border, you won't be able to escape unscathed." Seeing Kusagakure back down, Hakumo Hayami's stern threat was firm and resounding.
Instantly, the Grass Ninja, who had no will to fight to begin with, instinctively retreated several meters, then turned and left without a word...
"Captain, should I go to the Grass Village to check it out? It seems like something happened there?" Seeing the Grass Ninja retreat, Chunin Ryuun's eyes flashed with a strange light as he volunteered.
There must be a reason why the Grass Ninja patrol could almost enter the Land of Fire!
“No, we will strengthen border patrols to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to sneak in…” Bai Yun waved his hand in refusal, a look of helplessness flashing in his eyes.
He also wanted to know the reason for the Grass Village's unusual activity in order to prepare for a rainy day, but the Root's unusual activity left the village unable to attend to anything else at the moment! As long as the Grass Ninja did not invade the Land of Fire, he could turn a blind eye.
"Yes, Captain." Seeing that their captain had made up his mind, Liu Yun and the others nodded at the same time and led their teams away.
[Everything went smoothly, now it's time to proceed according to plan!] From the bushes, Ishikawa, who had witnessed everything, smiled with satisfaction and disappeared underground again.
After venturing another two kilometers into the heart of the Land of Fire, Ishikawa finally felt at ease and settled the unconscious Karin before dispelling the spirit transformation technique.
The next day, early in the morning.
"Ishikawa Chunin, you can go back now! This is the reply letter I prepared. Please present it to the Hokage." Early in the morning, the three Ishikawas had just finished breakfast when Shirokumo called them out.
Ishikawa wasn't surprised by this. He also wanted to leave quickly and take Karin away as planned. Shiraku was just helping him out of his sleep this morning.
After nodding and exchanging a few pleasantries, Ishikawa and his two underlings followed Chunin Ryuun away from the outpost.
"Alright, I'll see you off here. From now on, be careful on your way back to the village quickly to hand in your mission." Liu Yun said with a smile as he walked out of the trap area.
Although no intrusion was detected last night, we should still try to avoid any unforeseen complications at times like this.
"Thank you." Ishikawa said his thanks, beckoned Tarojiro, turned and left, quickly disappearing from Ryuun's sight.
"Big brother, I heard there was a commotion in Kusagakure last night. Do you think something might have happened?"
"Yeah, yeah, is that why the team leader is sending us away so early in the morning...?"
After walking a few hundred meters, Tarojiro turned his head and asked each of them, his voice tinged with worry.
If they were to accidentally encounter enemy ninjas at the border, their small bodies wouldn't be able to withstand it!
"You two, really..." Ishikawa was about to scold them, feigning helplessness, when his expression suddenly changed and he reached out to stop them.
"Big brother, you..." The two underlings were about to ask something when they saw a red-haired girl staggering through the woods ahead.
"What is that?" "An enemy ninja??" Tarojiro exclaimed instinctively, his eyes filled with vigilance.
Ordinary people wouldn't linger near the border, and the Kusaka riots last night made the two of them realize this instantly.
"Idiots, didn't you see she doesn't have a headband? You two wait here, I'll go check on her." Ishikawa feigned a scolding, telling the two to hide while he went forward alone.
Taro and Jiro exchanged a glance, each gripping their long swords and concealing themselves on either side, ready to strike!
"You, you..." With a whoosh, just as Ishikawa arrived in front of the girl, the girl's tense nerves relaxed and she exclaimed with joy.
But when she saw the Konoha headband on Ishikawa's forehead, the surprise on her face turned into wariness in an instant, and she stared at Ishikawa stammering and uneasy.
"As long as you cooperate well, I will give you a new identity and a fresh start. From now on, you will no longer be a medical tool, nor will you be bullied anymore!"
"By the way, my name is Mitarashi Ishikawa, a Chunin from Konoha." Ishikawa looked at Karin with sincere and bright eyes.
Instantly, the already handsome young man's face became even warmer under the sunlight, causing Karin's face to flush red in front of her savior...
"I...can I?" Karin asked timidly, exhaling several heavy breaths as she looked at Ishikawa.
Waking up to find herself in the forest made her feel a little lost and worried, thinking that her savior had encountered danger or abandoned her!
Unexpectedly, the surprise came so quickly.
"Of course. But you have to keep what happened last night a secret, otherwise I won't be able to take you back to Konoha to see the Hokage. Remember, today is our first meeting, and you escaped in the chaos!" Ishikawa whispered in Karin's ear, making Karin's face flush red and her heart race again.
"Yes, I understand! Ishikawa-kun, my name is Karin." Suppressing the emotions in her heart, Karin, who was already at a loss and didn't know where to go, nodded hurriedly.
Seeing this, Ishikawa nodded in satisfaction and beckoned his two underlings to come over and assemble.
As long as Konoha doesn't search Karin's memories, no one will discover his actions last night. Given the Third Hokage's personality and Karin's own value, the possibility of him searching her memories is extremely low. She's a backup Jinchuriki vessel; the Third Hokage, unless he's foolish, will definitely adopt a conciliatory approach!
Even if something unexpected happens, he can simply send out White Zetsu again to secretly take Karin away. To give Karin a legitimate identity to join the team, Ishikawa has to take this risk!