Chapter 26: Returning to the Village
After Kaminari Kaede dealt with the two Stone Ninja, he immediately went to support Hyuga Kiyomi; however, when he arrived at the location where Hyuga Kiyomi was fighting, he found that a nine-year-old girl had the upper hand.
And because of Kaminari Kaede's arrival, the Stone Ninja became flustered and confused, allowing Hyuga Kiyomi to seize an opportunity. He was directly hit by a set of Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, his entire Chakra was sealed by acupressure, and his internal organs suffered serious injuries.
Kaminari Kaede spared the Stone Ninja's life, then took him and Hyuga Kiyomi to support Hyuga Mirai.
What he didn't expect was that Hyuga Mirai had also dealt with his opponent.
Moreover, neither of them was injured, and it seemed as if they had dealt with this Stone Ninja with great ease.
"Captain, he's still alive. Should we keep him for interrogation?"
After Hyuga Mirai went forward and inspected him, he turned his head and reported to Kaminari Kaede.
"No need, one living captive is enough."
Kaminari Kaede pointed to the Stone Ninja he was holding in his hand, then said with a serious expression, "The outpost here has been exposed. Immediately pull back and return to the village to hand over the Stone Ninja to the village."
This was Grass Country. If they didn't leave quickly, they might encounter ninja from the Land of Earth later; although bringing this living person was very inconvenient, as long as they returned to the Land of Fire, someone would meet them.
"Yes, Captain."
After hearing the order, the three immediately cleaned up the battlefield. Hyuga Mirai directly used a Shuriken to end the Stone Ninja's life, then cautiously checked the Stone Ninja's ninja tool pouch. After confirming there was no danger, he began to loot the valuables inside.
This was not because he loved money, but due to multiple reasons, Hyuga Mirai had to be more frugal; as long as he had enough money, he could recover his energy by eating a large amount of food.
This was related to his cultivation progress, so even though looting valuables from corpses went against the dignity of the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Mirai had no choice but to do so.
Hyuga Kiyomi also knew the reason for Hyuga Mirai's accumulation of wealth. She wanted to speak up and dissuade him, but the words got stuck in her throat, so she simply turned her head away to avoid seeing it.
It didn't take long for the three to clean up the battlefield. As for the intelligence gathering outpost, Kaminari Kaede didn't order them to bother with it; since the Stone Ninja had already killed people and occupied the area, they must have thoroughly searched the place. They now needed to return to the village as quickly as possible and report this matter to the Third Hokage.
On the way back, due to the urgency, Hyuga Mirai still regretted not being able to find that Uzumaki Clan woman; however, knowing that she was in Grass Country, if he had a chance to go on a mission in the future, he could try to find her again.
In less than two days, the Uzumaki Maple Squad returned to the Land of Fire, then sought help from the ninja stationed at the border. They rode tirelessly back to Konoha.
"Finally, we're back!"
The moment they returned, Kurenai Yuhi stretched lazily and sighed comfortably; the B-rank mission had kept her mind constantly tense, and now she desperately needed to relax.
"First, to the Hokage Building. We can only disband after reporting."
Thinking that all three of them performed well this time, Kaminari Kaede pondered for a moment before continuing, "This time, I can give you a long vacation."
"Really?" Kurenai Yuhi said with surprise upon hearing this, "Thank you, Captain."
Hyuga Mirai and Hyuga Kiyomi also smiled. During this period, they were either taking missions or training, so being able to rest for a while was naturally excellent.
Hyuga Mirai, on the other hand, thought about applying for the Konoha Hospital laboratory. If he could stay in the village for a longer period, it would also benefit his research.
Subsequently, the four of them, along with the captured Stone Ninja, arrived at the Hokage Building. After meeting the Third Hokage, Captain Kaminari Kaede began to detail the mission's specifics.
After listening to Kaminari Kaede's description of the mission, the Third Hokage tapped on the table, and instantly two masked Anbu appeared in the room.
"Send this Stone Ninja to the interrogation department."
Upon hearing the order, the two Anbu silently picked up the unconscious Stone Ninja and left the room directly using the Body Flicker Technique.
Then, the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi looked kindly at the Uzumaki Maple Squad and said, "Kaede, you all did very well this time. The Stone Ninja attacked Konoha's ninja without reason, which is definitely ill-intentioned. If we can get some information from the Stone Ninja, we can prepare early at the border."
"Given that you encountered four Stone Chunin and brought one of them back, I will upgrade this mission to A-rank, and the reward will also be issued according to A-rank standards."
"Of course, according to regulations, you also have the qualification to exchange for a B-rank Ninjutsu from the village. Does anyone want to exchange?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi's question was purely superfluous. Kaminari Kaede's combat style was already mature, and B-rank Ninjutsu was of little use to him; he certainly wouldn't need it.
The remaining ones were either from the Hyuga Clan or had inherited genjutsu, so it was impossible for them to abandon skills they had cultivated for years to cultivate other Ninjutsu.
At this moment, Hyuga Mirai stepped forward half a step and said, "Lord Hokage, can I exchange it for the opportunity to use the Konoha Hospital laboratory?"
"The Konoha Hospital laboratory?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was startled for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Mirai, why do you want to apply for the Konoha Hospital laboratory?"
"Because when I was learning Medical Ninjutsu before, I had some ideas about Yang Release Chakra, so I wanted to verify them with the help of equipment."
Hyuga Mirai spoke. His talent in Medical Ninjutsu was famously great. Before the age of ten, he had already learned several Medical Ninjutsu. Except for the most difficult A-rank Medical Ninjutsu, Hyuga Mirai had almost learned all Medical Ninjutsu.
"Hmm, if that's the case, then I approve this matter."
Hiruzen Sarutobi thought for a while, then decided to agree; using a laboratory was nothing, and if Hyuga Mirai really had any research discoveries, it would also benefit the village.
Moreover, the Uzumaki Maple Squad had just performed meritorious service, and the other three had not made any requests. The only one, Hyuga Mirai, made a request that was not difficult. If Hiruzen Sarutobi refused, it would not be good for his reputation if word got out.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Hyuga Mirai's face lit up with joy after receiving the approval slip.
With this, he could borrow the Konoha Hospital laboratory at any time. As long as he didn't damage the equipment, he could use it freely.
Surely Hiruzen Sarutobi wouldn't be unaware of the value of the equipment in the Konoha Hospital laboratory, would he?
Hyuga Mirai speculated in his heart. He had seen glimpses of that precious equipment before; it was extremely difficult to buy and very expensive. This old man gave him the approval so easily, probably because he didn't know how precious that equipment was.
But it had nothing to do with him now. Once he entered the laboratory, Yang Release Chakra Healing Tag, genetic cell research, and so on could all be put on the agenda.
Subsequently, after receiving their reward, the Uzumaki Maple Squad left the Hokage Building.
This time, Hyuga Mirai did not participate in the celebratory meal but quickly returned home, packed up, and then hurried towards the Konoha Hospital.
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