"See you later."
Ren stood on the ice, happily watching the Kirigakure Ninja gradually shrink into the distance, while secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
The strength of these guys was indeed worthy of elites; a small squad of twenty people had forced him into such a dangerous situation.
If the fight had continued, even with the power of the Three-Tails, Ren would have had less than a twenty percent chance of winning, with the best outcome being a wounded escape.
"Ren, are you alright?"
Several whooshing sounds came. Ren came back to his senses and noticed that Yusuke Uchiha had already arrived beside him, with hundreds of Ninja following him, all standing on the ice, guarding the surroundings while looking at him with concern.
"I'm fine, everyone, don't worry."
Ren dispersed the laser of the Thunder God Sword and returned it to his waist. Then he nodded to Yusuke Uchiha.
"Let's go back, Yūsuke Uncle. After this, those Kirigakure guys should be honest for a while."
When it came to this, even Yusuke Uchiha could not maintain his usual serious expression.
He patted Ren's shoulder with his left hand, a smile appearing on his face.
"Kirigakure's losses this time are not small. We killed two members of the Kaguya Clan and two members of the Hozuki Clan, plus several other strong guys. Their Commander should be unable to sit still."
"Indeed."
...
Kirigakure Main Camp.
Inside the Commander's tent, Yagura sat in the main seat, looking at Ao, who was kneeling before him, quietly listening to his report.
"That's how it is, Lord Yagura."
After Ao finished speaking, he immediately lowered his head, feeling a bit uneasy.
As the captain, not only had he failed to complete the mission, but he had also lost nearly half of his men, including five Bloodline Limit clan members. At this moment, the clan leader of the Hozuki Clan stood aside, eyes closed in contemplation, and no one knew what he was thinking.
"Ahahaha, Ao, I didn't expect you to have this day."
Before Yagura could speak, Suikazan Fuguki, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but jump out and mock him.
"Don't you usually say we are reckless? It seems you are nothing more than that."
Jinpachi also chimed in, a look of satisfaction on his face.
Ao usually didn't get along with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. For Ao, who always followed rules, the violent nature of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, who didn't follow rules and even killed their comrades, made them unworthy of wielding Ninja Swords.
And the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and others were also quite annoyed with Ao, but because he was from the Mizukage line, with the Third Mizukage and Yagura behind him, they didn't dare to act rashly.
But for Ao's mission failure this time, which resulted in the loss of many elites, they would not miss the opportunity to kick him while he was down.
"You!"
Ao clenched his fists, staring intently at the two, but due to Yagura still sitting there, he could only suppress his anger, lower his head, and wait for Yagura to speak.
"Enough."
Yagura spoke, and everyone fell silent, focusing their attention on him.
"You were at fault in this matter, but it cannot be entirely blamed on you. The current situation requires manpower, so your punishment will be deferred until after the war..."
Before Yagura could finish, Munashi Jinpachi, standing nearby, jumped out and interrupted him impatiently.
"Commander, isn't that inappropriate? Because of this guy, several elites with Bloodline Limits in the Village were lost. It's not right to just dismiss it with 'it requires manpower'."
Suikazan Fuguki, seeing Jinpachi jump out and his subsequent remarks, immediately changed his expression, subtly stepping back two paces to distance himself from this idiot.
And Yagura, after being interrupted by Munashi Jinpachi, a hint of gloom instantly flashed in his eyes, but it was fleeting. He quickly reverted to his expressionless demeanor.
After listening to Munashi Jinpachi's words, Yagura turned to Mangetsu Hozuki, who was meditating with his eyes closed, and softly inquired.
"What do you think, Clan Leader Mangetsu?"
Mangetsu Hozuki opened his eyes, looked at Yagura, and nodded.
"I support the Commander's decision. This incident cannot be entirely attributed to him. And at this time of war, we should utilize every bit of strength."
After hearing Mangetsu Hozuki's statement, Munashi Jinpachi's expression immediately turned somewhat ugly.
After all, the clan leader himself wasn't pursuing the matter, so continuing to speak would be tactless.
Munashi Jinpachi had no choice but to give up, standing aside with some reluctance, remaining silent.
"Since there are no objections, it's decided. Everyone, you may leave. I also need to continue working."
Yagura looked around, then unceremoniously dismissed them. He then sat down and began to review the documents on his desk, no longer paying attention to anyone.
Suikazan Fuguki was the first to leave the tent, followed by a disgruntled Munashi Jinpachi. As for the other Ninja Swords, they had been sent out on missions.
"This guy really got off easy this time."
Munashi Jinpachi gritted his teeth, watching Ao's receding figure.
Suikazan Fuguki, standing nearby, glanced at him and then sneered.
"Do you really think such a small matter can get that guy punished?"
"Hmm?"
Munashi Jinpachi looked at him with some confusion, but quickly continued on his own.
"Why not? That old man Mangetsu Hozuki, too, didn't pursue it even after his own clan members died.
It's just that the Kaguya Clan leader, that reckless brute, isn't here, or else he would have definitely killed that bastard."
"Tsk."
Suikazan Fuguki took one last look at him, then turned and left. At the same time, he made up his mind to stay away from Munashi Jinpachi in the future.
Anyone with eyes could see that Yagura was protecting Ao, and although the Hozuki Clan was considered neutral in the Village, they subtly seemed to be leaning towards the Mizukage line.
Munashi Jinpachi, acting smart, tried to use the Bloodline Limit families as a weapon against Ao, but he didn't realize that he was the so-called clown.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were crazy, not stupid.
Munashi Jinpachi's actions today were self-destructive. Having offended both the Mizukage line and the Bloodline Limit families, it wouldn't be long before the Exploding Blade would change hands.
He also needed to make plans soon...
Meanwhile, inside the tent, Mangetsu Hozuki had not left, but was talking with Yagura in front of a map.
"The main reason for the failure of this mission was that Konoha genius."
Yagura stood with his arms crossed, looking at the map and speaking in a deep voice.
"Hoshimi Ren, huh..."
This so-called genius not only caused the mission to fail but also killed one of his powerful clan members.
Mangetsu Hozuki's expression was calm, but a hint of killing intent was revealed in his eyes.
It seemed that this genius needed to pay a price for his actions!
On the other side, the person in question was completely unaware of all this.