Late on the night of the 4th, a carriage left the Senju compound.
Its doors and windows were tightly shut.
Inside the carriage were only two people: the aged Uzumaki Mito and the young Uzumaki Princess, Kushina.
Senju Rinoki, Tsunade, and all the Jonin of the Senju clan followed in the darkness.
Behind the Senju procession were the Konoha Anbu.
So the transfer of the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki is finally beginning? Yōkō thought.
To prevent the Nine-Tails from rampaging and destroying the village, the higher-ups and the Senju clan had decided to perform the crucial sealing transfer on Ushiga Mountain, ten kilometers northwest of the village.
Yōkō looked at the carriage in the middle of the road.
If he died by Uzumaki Mito's hand, would he draw some heaven-defying abilities?
Uzumaki Sage Body? Uzumaki Sealing Secret Techniques? Or even some of the Nine-Tails' abilities?
The thought was a little exciting.
Today was the 4th. The full moon on the 15th was still 11 days away. If he actively sought death now, his next resurrection would require him to survive for 11 days.
Given the current tense atmosphere in the Anbu, surviving 11 days wouldn't be easy. If he died on some Anbu mission, that would be bad.
Living long was the hard truth; it was best not to take risks.
While Yōkō was letting his thoughts wander, the Black Gorilla Squadron Leader retreated from the front of the Anbu column, turned, and gestured to the three squads behind him.
The Black Gorilla Squadron left the main force, accelerating towards the due north.
Yōkō looked back puzzled at Uzumaki Mito's carriage. What was their squadron going to do?
Not just the Black Gorilla Squadron; two other squadrons were also dispatched, disappearing in different directions.
After traveling several kilometers, the Black Gorilla Squadron Leader gathered the squad leaders and said:
"Your three squads were all involved in secretly leaking the intelligence that the Senju clan would hold Uzumaki Mito's funeral tomorrow.
According to border intelligence, an extremely powerful force has broken through the Land of Fire's border defenses and penetrated deep into the country.
Our squadron's mission is to find that force, identify them, and determine if their target is Uzumaki Mito.
White Ram, your squad is the main reconnaissance force. The other two squads are responsible for combat."
The ninja wearing the White Ram mask was from the Hyūga clan, a reconnaissance ninja the Black Gorilla Squadron Leader had worked hard to acquire.
The Black Gorilla Squadron arrived at Ushiga Mountain earlier and began scouting the surrounding area from there.
An hour later, White Ram suddenly gave a signal.
Four suspicious individuals spotted at 9 o'clock!
Massive chakra levels, moving fast.
The Black Gorilla Squadron hurried to identify the suspicious individuals.
When a large ninja force moved, it often deployed many intelligence-gathering ninja to collect information and detect enemies early.
Those four suspicious individuals were likely the reconnaissance team for the invading main force.
The Black Gorilla Squadron quickly closed in.
The White Ram Squad took the rear, the Fox Squad and Leaf Monkey Squad on the flanks, with the Black Gorilla Squadron Leader in the center.
White Ram shouted: "The enemy has spotted us! They're changing direction, coming straight for us!"
Black Gorilla said:
"This is the heart of the Land of Fire. Don't delay, fight with full force, crush them in one go!
Purple Cat, get ready! Gather intelligence from their brains after death!"
The named Purple Cat felt nervous.
This was her first encounter with a powerful enemy since joining the Anbu.
Enemies capable of breaking through the border defenses and penetrating this deep into the Land of Fire must be strong.
"They're here! It's Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon!"
An earthen dragon charged forward with great momentum, smashing over a dozen large trees in its path.
A terrifying jutsu.
This single technique proved that the other side had a Jonin!
Aside from the Jonin directly loyal to the higher-ups, most Jonin had personal ambitions and wouldn't remain anonymous in the Anbu for long.
Jonin preferred to operate in the open, accumulating mission records and reputation.
The Anbu were absolutely loyal, but their number of Jonin was not high.
Facing a Jonin, even Black Gorilla felt apprehensive. He was a Tokubetsu Jonin, still some distance from a full Jonin.
Apprehensive or not, he couldn't retreat.
They jumped to either side, dodging the Earth and Stone Dragon charging from a distance.
The Black Gorilla Squadron was split by the earthen dragon.
North of the dragon were the Black Gorilla Squadron Leader and the Leaf Monkey Squad. South were the Fox Squad and White Ram Squad.
"Not good!"
Three enemies suddenly appeared on the other side of the earth dragon, charging towards the Black Gorilla Squadron Leader.
A full squadron had strong combat power, but half a squadron fighting a squad led by a Jonin was very dangerous.
Yōkō and White Ram simultaneously jumped, leading their respective squads over to the other side of the earth dragon.
The back of the long earth dragon suddenly arched, throwing the Fox and White Ram Squads into the air.
The ninja of the two squads tumbled through the air.
Yōkō and White Ram adjusted their posture mid-air, landing steadily in the end, while the slightly weaker squad members fell to the ground in disarray.
White Ram stared at the relaxed-standing Iwa-nin Jonin, his gaze resolute as he said:
"Fox, your close-combat skills are the strongest. All of us will fight to the death to create one opening for you to strike."
"Understood."
The Black Gorilla Squadron Leader and the Leaf Monkey Squad were engaged with the three Iwa-nin on the other side.
They had to reunite with the Squadron Leader, or they would be picked off one by one.
Purple Cat and another Anbu member were responsible for long-range kunai throws, while White Ram charged out first.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Rising Spears!"
The Iwa-nin Jonin formed hand signs, and four stone spears instantly shot up from the ground.
"Rotation!"
White Ram was strong, using the Hyūga clan's secret technique, Rotation.
The Earth-Style Rising Spears collided with the chakra hemisphere of the Rotation, shattering one after another.
The Iwa-nin Jonin became very interested, not expecting to encounter a quite capable Hyūga ninja.
He kept his hand seals active, sending wave after wave of Earth-Style Rising Spears piercing forth.
The ground instantly became like a hedgehog, covered in protruding stone spears or spears waiting to emerge from the ground like bamboo shoots.
White Ram quickened his pace, using Rotation again, shattering several more Earth-Style Rising Spears.
However, a Jonin's jutsu wasn't easy to break. Using Rotation twice consecutively had left White Ram panting heavily.
Facing the relentless Earth-Style Rising Spears, White Ram mustered his chakra once more, struggling to perform a third Rotation.
This time, an Earth-Style Rising Spear pierced through the Rotation and impaled White Ram's abdomen.
"Keep charging!"
An Anbu squad member stepped on White Ram's shoulder, leaping towards the Iwa-nin Jonin.
He hadn't flown far in the air before an Earth-Style Rising Spear pierced his abdomen.
Yōkō immediately jumped after him, stepping on the back of the Anbu member's corpse mid-air, continuing his charge towards the Iwa-nin Jonin.
Seizing the gap in the Iwa-nin Jonin's jutsu, Yōkō finally closed in on him.
He brought his ninjato down in a fierce slash.
The Iwa-nin Jonin finally released his hand seals, raising his arm to block the ninjato, a metal vambrace on his forearm.
"Cloud-Style Sword Technique!"
At the very last moment of his downward slash, Yōkō's blade abruptly changed to a diagonal cut, aiming for the Iwa-nin Jonin's neck.
The essence of the Cloud-Style Sword Technique was to change the move late, so late that others simply couldn't predict or react.
His eyes shone brightly!
The ninjato struck the Iwa-nin Jonin's neck.
Long-range kunai interference, White Ram exhausting his chakra, an Anbu member used as a stepping stone – they had finally bought one chance to strike.
However, Yōkō immediately experienced what despair felt like.
The feel was wrong!
Hitting a throat shouldn't give that kind of feedback.
The Iwa-nin Jonin suddenly went limp, collapsing into a puddle of mud.
Earth Clone!
The A-rank substitution technique even the Third Hokage Sarutobi Hiruzen favored!
The Iwa-nin Jonin's figure abruptly appeared behind Yōkō.
Yōkō sharply arched his back, dodging the kunai the Iwa-nin Jonin thrust towards his kidney.
That level of reaction ability was already夸张 exaggerated.
However, Yōkō could dodge the Jonin's first strike, but not the second.
An Earth-Style Rising Spear shot up from the ground, piercing through Yōkō's chest.
[Host death detected. Mochizuki's Arc activating...]
Dying in a peripheral reconnaissance mission... what about the main battlefield?
(End of Chapter)