A Welcome (Extra chapter for [YF533]!)

Water Walking makes it impossible to use the technique of pausing, thus slowing down the speed considerably.

Around noon, faint black dots could be seen on the beach; those were the silhouettes of several large islands on the edge of the Land of Water.

This means they are only a few dozen kilometers away from the island. In fact, based on this number, Sakura Haruno could calculate the diameter of the Hokage planet, which is also on the order of several thousand kilometers, but the data error is relatively large.

They took a break and sat on the ice boat that Sakura had made, making do with dry rations and distilled seawater for lunch. The three students were a little tired Water Surface Walking all morning, but this was a training that Sakura had intentionally arranged for them; otherwise, she would have taken them across in the ice boat much earlier.

A moment later, the four of them set off again, and quickly covered the more than 20 kilometers of sea route. The coastline, composed of jagged rocks and reefs, unfolded before Sakura Haruno.

Several ninjas wearing Mist Ninja Forehead Protector stood on the sea in front of the island. When they saw Sakura Haruno's Team arrive, they cautiously went to greet them.

"Halt!" The leader was a ninja wearing a mask, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes. He appeared to be around twenty years old, followed by other ninjas dressed in similar black, tight-fitting combat suits. He leaped a few times and rushed in front of Sakura, loudly asking, "Who are you?"

"The Konoha Ninja have come to the Land of Water's Kirigakure on a diplomatic mission," Sakura Haruno calmly replied. "And you?"

The masked ninja nodded, his eyes showing displeasure, and said, "We are the ones ordered to welcome you. We've been waiting for you for a long time; you're a bit late!"

"They're newcomers, so they're a little slow. Please forgive them," Sakura explained, gesturing towards the students behind her.

The Mist Ninja squinted at the three students being protected by Sakura, then said nothing more. "Show me your identification," he said, producing a stamped scroll document of his own. After exchanging documents and verifying their identities, the Mist Ninja's wary gazes relaxed considerably.

Of course, Sakura Haruno could also sense that they were only relaxed on the surface. In fact, it was clear from their slightly tense steps that they had never truly let their guard down. They were just tense on the inside but relaxed on the outside.

The Mist Ninja made no attempt to conceal their strength. Judging from the quality of their Chakra, all four of them were at least Special Jōnin level or higher, making it a clear display of their power.

"Well then, welcome to the Land of Water. Please follow us." The masked ninja didn't say much, and immediately turned around to lead the way. The remaining ninjas stood guard beside Sakura Haruno's Team, half protecting and half monitoring them as they followed the masked ninja.

Isn't this a bit too rushed?

Sakura Haruno frowned slightly, sensing something was off.

Even if it's just official business, their speed is too fast. Verifying identity isn't that simple; what if Konoha's envoy was killed and replaced?

Or at least exchange a few polite words, introduce yourselves, and show the sincerity of the Mist Ninja alliance? In any case, not even exchanging names seems a bit unbecoming of a great nation.

Are the ninjas trained in the Bloody Mist Village really this strange?

"Could you slow down a bit?" After jumping over the pile of rocks and reaching the beach, Sakura deliberately slowed her pace and asked tentatively, "My subordinates are having a hard time keeping up with your speed."

She wasn't lying; she had spent the entire morning gathering Chakra and running on the sea, and her three subordinates were slightly out of breath. The masked ninja in the lead frowned and glanced back at the three ninjas who were clearly newcomers. Sakura sensed a strange anxiety in his eyes.

Is there a problem?

Before she could think any further, she saw the masked ninja's face suddenly darken, becoming terrifyingly gloomy.

"Hey, hurry up and move on, we can't linger here!" he said in a slightly urgent tone.

Sakura Haruno frowned deeply, a strange feeling rising within her. She stepped forward and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? We are envoys, not your subordinates. Please don't speak to us in such a commanding tone!"

The masked ninja sneered, "This is the Land of Water. The ninjas of Konoha must obey our orders!"

Without waiting for a response, he reached out to grab Sakura's wrist.

Snap! The Mist Ninja's outstretched hand was instantly stopped by Sakura Haruno. The girl had already quietly activated Cherry Blossom Impact, finding it utterly unbelievable that the Mist Ninja had dared to attack the messenger.

Although his actions were not aggressive, and no murderous intent was sensed...

"What do you want to do?" Sakura Haruno asked with a dark expression. She glanced around and saw the three Mist Ninja had been protecting her suddenly take a step closer.

The Mist Ninja... are they going to attack them?

Sakura's mind raced, one thought after another flashing through her mind; her first reaction was that the Mist Ninja were going to turn on her, but her second reaction immediately told her that unless the Mist Ninja's leadership had lost their minds or had been replaced, they would never do such a thing.

So, has the Mist Ninja staged another coup?

The young woman was on high alert, tightly protecting her three subordinates. Although these people showed no murderous intent, their hostility was evident, and they seemed rather unfriendly to these envoys!

"Let go!" The masked ninja tried to pull his hand away several times, but found he couldn't. The seemingly delicate girl opposite him had an unbelievable strength; his right hand felt like it was being clamped by iron pincers, held firmly, and his bones were even aching from the pressure!

Sweat beaded on the young Mist Ninja's forehead as he sternly demanded, "You dare lay a hand on me? Are you trying to sabotage the alliance between Mist Ninja and Konoha?"

As he spoke, several Mist Ninja beside him also glared fiercely at Sakura Haruno.

Outwardly fierce but inwardly weak.

Sakura Haruno coldly swept her gaze over the group of people, and she saw that word on their faces.

While expressing hostility, they hesitated and dared not use force; they shouted loudly, but when their wrists were restrained, they dared not draw their weapons to threaten, much less retaliate.

Recalling their strange behavior earlier, Sakura became increasingly aware that there was something wrong with these people.

Only.

What exactly is wrong? Are they genuine Mist Ninja, or imposters?

Without clarifying the situation, Sakura Haruno was also hesitant to act rashly.

Although she was confident she could defeat these people in an instant, Sakura didn't know how things would go after things escalated. Just like that person, she shouldn't act rashly before understanding the situation, lest she disrupt the path to peace between the two villages.

Moreover, Sakura has three burdens to protect.

Of course, her temporary restraint in using force against these people doesn't mean she'll obediently listen to that person and let go.

Sakura gripped his hand even tighter, making him unable to budge no matter how much he struggled. Ignoring his increasingly stern warnings, she simply asked, "Who exactly are you people?"

"I told you," the young masked ninja said through gritted teeth, his forehead covered in sweat from the pain, "I came to welcome you..."

He was halfway through his sentence when his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he turned to look.

Sakura then sensed something was wrong: another group of ninjas was arriving!

With a few swift movements, several ninjas appeared Body Flicker Technique in front of Sakura Haruno.

They were also ninjas from the Mist Ninja, dressed identically in uninspired black bodysuits; the leader wore a white vest and appeared to be a Jonin.

So this guy in front of me is an imposter after all? Sakura felt a chill run down her spine, Chakra!

In an instant, she prepared for battle: a counterfeit versus the genuine article—wouldn't a fight break out immediately?

This location is by the sea, and no matter how strong the opponents are, Sakura Haruno is not afraid of them at all!

However, that is not the case.

"Tomoaki Aono," the ninja who appeared later didn't attack as Sakura had expected. Instead, he called out his name and asked sharply, "What are you doing here?"

What's going on? How do they know each other?

Sakura Haruno frowned.

"Can't you see?" The ninja named Tomoaki Aono practically gave up, scoffing, "I'm welcoming the so-called friendly Konoha Ninja!"

Mist Ninja Kirigakure Jonin in the white vest Jonin at him, his gaze sweeping over the latter's swollen, purple wrist, before asking Sakura Haruno, "Are you envoys from Konoha?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded in agreement.

The Jonin face grim, said, "Please put Tomoaki Aono's hand down. He may have been a little rude, but he's not a bad person. We are Mist Ninja, sent to greet the Konoha envoy. This is my identification."

Sakura loosened her grip slightly, but still didn't let go. She glanced at the other person's diplomatic credentials and documents, and asked calmly, "Then what about him? This person also has the same credentials, and the seal is exactly the same as the one you have!"

Upon Mist Ninja Kirigakure Jonin's expression Jonin darkened even further; Sakura Haruno could almost hear the grinding of his teeth, and the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.

"I'm so sorry you had to see this..." He took a deep breath and said, "We are the real ones, sent by the Fifth Mizukage to welcome you."

He emphasized the words "Fifth Mizukage," then glanced coldly at the ninja in front of Sakura, and continued, "As for Tomoaki Aono, he..."

After hesitating for a moment, the Kirigakure Jonin, unsure how to explain the situation, simply repeated his earlier statement, "He is also a Kirigakure ninja. I vouch for him in the name of Kirigakure Jonin Pakura; he harbors no ill will towards you. Please release him."

Sakura Haruno just wanted to sneer. Who even knows this Pakura? And what makes you think he has no ill intentions?

If there was no malicious intent, why would you reach out and grab her?

However, seeing that his tone was almost humble, even using the honorific "you," Sakura still frowned and released the ninja's hand.

She was, after all, an envoy, coming with an olive branch from Konoha, not to cause trouble.

Otherwise, Sakura would definitely give this guy a good beating.

The ninja named Tomoaki Aono, having just gained his freedom, dodged back a few steps, his expression shifting between anger and fear as he stared at Sakura Haruno.

"Take your people and get out of here!" Seeing that the pink-haired girl had let go of his hand, Pakura immediately shouted at Tomoaki Aono without even glancing at him.

Tomoaki Aono's face stiffened, and the words he was about to say suddenly got stuck in his throat, and he dared not utter them.

He gave a low snort, and with his three subordinates, they vanished Body Flicker Technique a flash.

"I'm sorry you had an unpleasant experience..." Pakura Jonin sighed and slowly walked over, saying, "Are you envoys from Konoha? Please allow me to check your identification."

Sakura Haruno stared at him for a few seconds before taking out a scroll from her package and handing it to him.

After carefully examining the area, Pakura nodded, extended his hand to Sakura, and forced a smile, saying, "I am Pakura Mist Ninja of the Jonin. Welcome to the Land of Water."

"I am Konoha Jonin, a Jonin of Sakura Haruno, and I come with the goodwill of Konoha." Sakura shook his hand politely, then asked without any politeness, "Could you explain why your village has greeted us twice?"

Pakura's smile froze on his face.

(Third update! Bonus chapter for [YF5]! That's all for today's three updates! Not enough time to write another chapter...)

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