The mountain range was littered with craters and rubble, clear signs of a fierce battle. The bodies of several Stone ninja lay scattered about.
Kana leaned against a large boulder, breathing heavily. Her long red hair was matted with blood, her forehead protector had fallen off, and her combat vest was torn. Blood flowed freely from her left arm. She was using all her remaining strength to heal it with her right hand, but her chakra was nearly depleted.
She never would have imagined that a simple medical mission would turn into a trap. Not only were the accompanying Konoha ninja impostors, but the "injured" patient was also a spy. She was the only outsider in the entire team. It was like something out of a horror story.
If she hadn't been a sensory ninja and sensed that something was wrong the moment they attacked, she would have been captured.
Surrounding her, a dozen figures dressed as Konoha ninja, but who were actually Stone ninja, stared at her with empty eyes. They had her surrounded but did not attack, seemingly waiting for her to exhaust her strength. In the previous fight, she had managed to take down seven of them, but that was her limit. She was still too young.
In an inconspicuous crevice between the rocks, a shadowy figure watched everything. With a thought, the dozen Stone ninja attacked simultaneously. Shuriken blocked all her escape routes, followed by an earth-style attack.
Kana's face was filled with despair, but she did not close her eyes and wait for death. She slammed her fist on the ground, and a huge rock rose up, blocking all the attacks. She was about to use the opportunity to escape when her vision went black. It was a sign of exhaustion.
She swayed, lost her footing, and sat down hard. Two Stone ninja immediately pounced on her, trying to pin her arms. She forced herself to stay conscious by biting her tongue and, with her right hand behind her back, tapped a finger on the rock.
A black rune appeared on the rock and then vanished. It was the Finger Carving Seal, used for sending messages.
The Stone ninja captured Kana and knocked her unconscious. Only then did they revert to their White Zetsu forms. One of them pointed at the rock behind her. "This little girl seems to have left a clue. Should we destroy it?"
Black Zetsu's voice echoed in their mental network: "You idiots. You're all disguised as Stone ninja. Whatever she left is information related to the Stone. There's no need to erase it. Now, proceed with the plan."
The White Zetsu took Kana and left, leaving only the devastated battlefield behind.
At the Konoha temporary command center on the border of the Land of Fire, An Yan had been enjoying watching Koharu and Chiyo bicker. Suddenly, he frowned and looked towards the Land of Rivers. That direction... it had to be Kana.
He clearly sensed the Flying Thunder God marker on her moving rapidly, covering a great distance in a very short time. This was not normal. She was in trouble.
This method of rapid travel reminded him of the White Zetsu's Mayfly Technique.
An Yan frowned in thought. So, it's probably the White Zetsu, or rather, Black Zetsu. Why did they capture Kana?
He quickly figured it out. The pressure of the Rinnegan must be getting to Madara, so he needed someone to "nurture" his eyes for him. The Uzumaki were excellent vessels. But why didn't he target Nagato? He was on the battlefield too.
An Yan's mind raced. He came to a conclusion: he was too conspicuous and had drawn too much attention. Nagato, being with an ordinary Konoha Jonin, had escaped notice.
An Yan stood up, nodded to Koharu, and left the meeting room.
He first went to the Konoha field hospital to find Tsunade. This mission might involve a confrontation with Madara. If he didn't come back, he needed to let her know. He was a married man, after all.
"Kana has been taken by the White Zetsu. I'm going after them. The person behind them is no small fry. Tsunade, if I don't come back, you have to take care of yourself."
Tsunade was terrified and immediately hugged him, her face filled with worry.
"Then don't go, please?"
An Yan shook his head and said with sincerity, "The person behind the White Zetsu has big plans. Konoha will have to face them sooner or later. My strength is decent. I'll go scout ahead, so Konoha doesn't suffer a major loss later on."
Tsunade hugged him silently, tears streaming down her face.
An Yan felt the wetness on his chest and cursed himself for being so dramatic and making his wife cry.
He cleared his throat and tried to comfort her.
"Trust in my strength, Tsunade. You saw that even the Third Kazekage was no match for me. There are probably very few people in the ninja world who can fight me."
Tsunade finally spoke, wiping her tears. "I'll be waiting for you at home."
"Okay." An Yan nodded, gently stroked her head, and then turned to leave.
With a flash of golden light, he was in the Land of Rivers. He had left a Flying Thunder God marker there from a previous battle. He followed the trail to where Kana had fought.
The ground was littered with craters. An Yan nodded in approval. Kana's monstrous strength was well-mastered. It was a pity he hadn't had time to teach her the Sound Release Jutsu, or she wouldn't have been captured so easily.
An Yan sniffed the air. He could clearly smell the spores of the White Zetsu. He had dissected too many of them; he knew the smell.
He followed the trail of the battle to a large rock and, sure enough, found some information.
He placed his hand on it, and a seal appeared. He saw the message Kana had left: Spy, Stone Ninja, 21-person squad.
An Yan shook his head. White Zetsu was a top secret in Konoha. As a Genin, Kana wouldn't have had access to that information and had misjudged the situation, thinking they were Stone ninja.
The Third Tsuchikage was too cunning. After Konoha had repelled the Sand, why would he provoke them again? He was afraid that if he fought Konoha, the other villages would take advantage of the situation.
An Yan closed his eyes and concentrated. The Flying Thunder God marker on Kana was now in the direction of the Land of Rain. It must be Madara's old lair.
The Land of Rain also had his markers.
With a few flashes, he was there. The gloomy sky was still raining. He took a moment to rest and recover his strength. He would likely be facing Madara next. He couldn't be careless.
Following the feeling of the marker, An Yan arrived at the entrance of a cave. A cold, damp air emanated from it. He looked at the dark entrance and jumped in.
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