blogombal Chapter 125 White Clouds at Dawn, Infiltrating Kusagakure Village
Chapter 125 White Clouds at Dawn, Infiltrating Kusagakure Village
"Halt, you intruder..."
Following the Chunin Ryuun at breakneck speed, the three of them had just passed through a dense area of traps when they heard a deep, powerful shout in their ears.
Instinctively, the three of them stopped and looked in the direction of the sound...
Ishikawa looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a ponytail standing on a tree branch in front of him, wearing a standard ninja combat uniform and a dark green Jonin chainmail.
What was particularly striking about the other person was the scar on his right lip and the long, black-sheathed sword slung across his waist.
[So it was him! No wonder the name sounded familiar.] Upon seeing this person, Ishikawa suddenly realized and composed himself.
Although this Shirayuki was relatively unknown and didn't stand out among the Konoha Jonin, his true strength surpassed that of special Jonin like Genma, making him a genuine Konoha Jonin.
“Captain Morning, they are here to deliver a message on the orders of the Third Hokage. This is Chunin Mitarashi Ishikawa.” Almost the instant Ishikawa’s thoughts began to race, Ryuun stepped forward and introduced him.
"Deliver a letter?" Shirakumo Hayato nodded calmly, then leaped down to the ground in front of Ishikawa and the other two. "I am Shirakumo Hayato, the outpost captain. Ishikawa Chunin, just hand the letter to me!"
Upon hearing the man introduce himself in the morning, Ishikawa didn't waste any words and immediately took out the letter and handed it over. This was also a request from the third generation, to personally deliver the letter to the recipient.
Upon receiving the letter, Bai Yun quickly read it in front of everyone that morning after breaking the seal, then raised an eyebrow with a meaningful look in his eyes…
"I have read the contents of the letter! It's getting late, so you should rest at the outpost tonight and deliver my reply to Lord Hokage tomorrow." Baiyun said to the three of them, glancing at the afterglow of the setting sun.
Nights at the border are quite different from those back home, and he was a little worried about sending Ishikawa and the other two back overnight. Besides…
"Okay, Morning Captain." Ishikawa sighed inwardly and nodded in agreement. He had originally planned to use getting lost at night as an excuse to sneak into the Land of Grass after delivering the letter.
Baiyun had already asked them to stay earlier, so it would seem a bit abrupt to say that they had returned to the village overnight and were up to something now.
Now it seems he has to change his plans! Perhaps he can use this opportunity to let Karin openly and legitimately obtain the identity of a Konoha ninja.
"Liu Yun, go and gather all the squads back. I have a mission to assign." Seeing that Shi Chuan had agreed, Bai Yun didn't waste any more words and immediately gave the order.
After saying that, he waved his hand and led the three of them back to the outpost.
[It seems he didn't just want us to rest for the night; he might also be worried about intelligence leaks or be busy tonight working on the contents of the Third Generation's letter!]
A knowing glint flashed in Ishikawa's eyes as he watched Baiyun's departing figure. He then stopped thinking about it and began to devise a new plan to abduct the nanny.
They traveled in silence, and after passing through several tight security checkpoints, Ishikawa and his companions finally arrived at the border post.
At first glance, this outpost is not much different from the central tower in the Death Forest. The only difference is that the outpost is smaller and more hidden, and the exterior of the tower is covered with the marks of time.
Soon, Shikikawa and his two companions were arranged by Shirakumo to rest in a corner room on the first floor. Their meals were provided by the sentry post, but they were not allowed to leave the area freely!
"The roots are acting strangely. The Third Hokage has ordered me to raise the alert level at the border to prevent any possible accidents. What is Lord Danzo trying to do?" On a treetop, Hakuun sighed with complex emotions as he looked at his assembled subordinates.
Only four years have passed since the Uchiha incident, and the border situation has stabilized somewhat. At this time, the village absolutely cannot afford to have any more trouble!
If anything changes happen in Konoha, enemy ninjas will certainly not miss this opportunity to invade and probe, and the pressure on their outposts will increase exponentially.
"Ah! I didn't expect to find food and lodging here. I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight..."
"Is this what life on the border is like? It's not as bad as I imagined!"
As soon as Baiyun left in the morning, Tarojiro looked around and exclaimed that he was full of curiosity about everything here.
"Really? Don't you think about why there aren't many people at this outpost? They're usually out patrolling and setting traps; they're very busy. Don't forget, the northern border stretches over a hundred kilometers from east to west." Ishikawa shook his head, clearly not believing that real border life could be easy!
Border lines are never truly safe, whether in times of peace or war. Just look at how the Sound and Sand ninjas infiltrated deep into Konoha during the next Chunin Exams; the hidden dangers there are unimaginable.
"Alright, you guys take a break, I'm going to the bathroom." Seeing his two underlings' sudden realization, Ishikawa made an excuse and simply went to the bathroom.
Arriving at the storage room, Ishikawa, seeing no one around, immediately activated his red-eye vision to observe the surroundings.
"That is……"
As soon as he activated his Red Eye, Ishikawa saw Shirakumo giving instructions to the various squads half a kilometer away. Although he couldn't hear her voice, he could roughly confirm what she was saying based on her lip movements and the movements of the squads.
[Strengthen vigilance to prevent enemy invasion? The opportunity has arrived!] A glint flashed in his eyes, and after confirming that no one was paying attention nearby, Ishikawa immediately bit his finger and formed hand seals.
'Spiritual communication techniques...'
With a bang, the one-armed White Zetsu appeared instantly as Ishikawa summoned it. After hiding the White Zetsu underground using Earth Release, Ishikawa left and headed straight for the bathroom.
"I'm a little tired, I'll rest first. Keep your voices down." After returning to his room, Ishikawa told his two underlings and then fell asleep.
He only had one night to find Karin and divert the trouble, so he needed to conserve his energy and restore his chakra.
It wasn't surprising to see Ishikawa and his two underlings go to sleep so early, since Ishikawa had expended the most energy on the journey, as he had to be on the front lines to guard against any unexpected situations that might arise.
The two exchanged a glance and silently left the room to leave Ishikawa a quiet sleeping environment!
"So cooperative?" The moment the door closed, Ishikawa, who had just fallen asleep, suddenly opened his eyes. After thinking for a moment, Ishikawa, no longer in the mood to rest, took out a soldier's ration pill and stuffed it into his mouth.
'Spiritual Transformation Technique...' A few minutes later, feeling his chakra fully restored, Ishikawa formed hand seals and transformed into a blue-white spirit, disappearing into the body of White Zetsu.
The next instant, the severed-armed White Jue on the ground suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze gleaming.
According to the storyline, Karin was sent to the northern battlefield of the Land of Grass after failing the Chunin Exams. There, she was ruthlessly exploited by the Grass Ninja before being discovered and kidnapped by Orochimaru. This means Karin is currently still in the Grass Ninja Village!
Having sorted out his thoughts, Ishikawa immediately controlled the White Zetsu to use the Mayfly Technique to travel from underground to Kusagakure.
Although he was at the border of the Land of Grass at this time, the Land of Grass itself is a small country with a small area. With the help of the White Zetsu's Ephemeral Technique, Ishikawa arrived at the Grass Village in less than half an hour.
"Next, we just have to search slowly! I hope Karin hasn't left the village on a mission, otherwise things will get complicated..." Peeking out from the top of the tree trunk, Ishikawa looked down at Kusagakure and disappeared back into the tree trunk.