"Hey, are you Elder Izumi of Yugakure?"
Once she caught her breath, Hagoromo turned to the woman who was still curled up and asked her a question.
"Yes, that's me. You are... Konoha ninjas?" Izumi only came to his senses after hearing Hagoromo's voice.
"Okay, let's leave here first, otherwise more monsters will come later."
Hagoromo nodded and looked into the thick fog, sensing a group of monsters approaching.
"Okay." Quan nodded and tried to get up, but found that his legs were numb, so he looked at Hagoromo.
Hagoromo:...
"Yutoshi, you take her with you."
Hagoromo turned around abruptly and said.
"Yes, Captain!" The Yutoshi, wearing a protective mask, appeared beside Izumi, helped her up, and quickly left.
No sooner had Hagoromo and the others left than a dozen monsters arrived at the location.
Its ears and nose twitched incessantly, trying to find traces of Hagoromo and the others.
--
Inside a hidden cave entrance, Hagoromo watched as Aburame Muta and Yamanaka Kokone blocked the entrance with stones.
Only then did he use Fire Style to set the pile of firewood in front of him ablaze.
Under the Kakkō, Quan gradually calmed down.
But then she saw Hagoromo and the others looking at her, and she couldn't help but blink.
"Are you an elder of Yugakure?"
Hagoromo asked again, not because he wanted to be nosy and ask once more.
But the woman in front of him, even though she was older than him, was only in her early twenties.
Is that all it takes to become an elder of a village?
There's no reason why a small ninja village would be this bad, right?
Perhaps guessing what Hagoromo was thinking, Izumi nodded and said, "Yes, but I am succeeding my mother."
"The Yugakure is hereditary, but one must also master the skills of the previous elder to be qualified."
Her words made it clear to Hagoromo that she hadn't actually become an elder by virtue of her family's wealth and connections.
Hagoromo stroked her chin, seemingly unconcerned about the person before her, and asked:
"Could you elaborate on what happened between these monsters and Yugakure?"
The reason Hagoromo first learned about these monsters was because she felt that if things continued like this...
And if the number is large...
Honestly, the Shinobi World could very well face annihilation.
"The monster we just encountered should actually be called Blood Beast; it's a failed attempt at modification by an ancient sect in Yugakure."
"They were all captured and experimented on by lower-level believers and some tourists who came to Yugakure for tourism."
Really--
Hagoromo lowered her eyes and remained silent, her thoughts being roughly the same as her own.
After all, when he was dealing with these Blood Beasts, one or two of them were still wearing the Forehead Protector from Yugakure on their foreheads.
"What experiment?"
The Yutoshi spoke up from the side, after all, as a medical-nin, she understood even better.
What makes these monsters so terrifying...
"Immortality." Quan's face darkened as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, even Aburame Muta and Yamanaka Kokone, who were standing guard at the cave entrance, couldn't help but turn their heads to look.
After all, the so-called immortality has fundamentally overturned the common sense about ninjas.
"Have you ever succeeded?" Hagoromo knelt down in front of Izumi and asked.
After hearing this, Izumi remained silent for a long time, then shook his head and said, "I don't know."
"Elder of Yugakure, I hope you understand that Konoha is taking risks when sending a team in."
"A simple 'I don't know' would allow us to cancel this mission immediately."
Hagoromo said bluntly that this woman really used favors as a panacea.
"No! If you leave, Yugakure will be truly finished!"
Upon hearing Hagoromo's words, Izumi immediately looked up and exclaimed in disbelief.
"First of all, whether or not Yugakure exists is not something Konoha should concern itself with."
"We came from the previous generation, through your mother's connections, and out of humanitarian considerations."
As Hagoromo spoke, she stood up.
"Furthermore, if you want us to continue this mission, you must explain what happened in your village."
"I need to take responsibility for the lives of my teammates."
Upon hearing this Aburame Muta and the others all turned to look at Hagoromo.
After all, the mission to Yugakure is definitely related to some kind of vested interest.
Ultimately, their lives depend on whether they can complete this mission and gain benefits.
It's also within an acceptable range.
And that is reality.
"I said..." Izumi remained silent for a long time, until Hagoromo was about to lose his patience before he finally spoke.
--
Through the lengthy narration, Hagoromo and the others learned about what had happened in Yugakure.
The leader of this ancient sect was someone who lost the opportunity to become an elder of Yugakure, just like Izumi.
Frustrated and unfulfilled, this Chunin named 'Takase' Chunin upon an ancient text by chance.
They then secretly developed a sect by taking advantage of some Yugakure who also disdained the pacifist ideals upheld by Yugakure.
This sect has a resounding name: Orthodox Cult.
Hagoromo was speechless; so it's true that what you lack is what you crave most?
The doctrine of this sect is to inflict extreme pain and sacrifices to please a so-called Jashin in order to obtain 'gifts'.
The person in front of us, Izumi, who sent a distress call to Konoha, is none other than Takase, who seems to have made a breakthrough recently.
They hope to attract more tourists by taking advantage of the hot Hot Spring Festival in Yugakure.
Therefore, he began a large-scale blood sacrifice, preparing to become the earthly representative of this Jashin.
"That's really crazy..."
Hagoromo shook her head and said, "According to Izumi's account."
Many villagers and tourists have lost their lives in Yugakure to this day.
The reason why Yugakure is searching for Elder Izumi is because the higher-ups have been crippled by this sect.
Those in high positions were assassinated or intimidated into submission, while lower-ranking ninjas who wanted to rebel were 'reformed'.
In other words, it's brainwashing, or a form of sacrifice.
The current peace in the Land of Hot Water is just an illusion, created to attract more people to the upcoming Hot Spring Festival.
Hagoromo stood up, ignoring the pleading look in Elder Quan's eyes.
"Now that the specific tasks are clear, let's vote on whether to proceed."
"Of course, you should go back first."
Hagoromo slowly said that the mission was too risky, so she could only send her teammates back while she continued the Hagoromo.
At the same time, a request for help should also be sent to the old man.
Tell him to send someone over.
"Captain, please don't say such things," Aburame Muta was the first to speak.
"Although this is our first time forming a team for a mission, I hope the captain can truly recognize me as a team member."
"That's right, Captain, and if I dared to abandon you and go back, the chieftain would probably kill me."
Yamanaka Kokone spoke with a smile, thus expressing her attitude.
"Captain, I'm not a weak woman," the Yutoshi said without looking up.
Have to--
Hagoromo shook her head helplessly and said, "Alright then."
"Regarding the risks of this mission, based on the current situation assessment, I will report the details to the village via message later."
"The specific changes to the mission level will be decided by the Lord Hokage."
"I am now exercising the on-site commander's discretionary authority. The mission objective has been changed to prevent this cult's blood sacrifice."
"Keep the battlefield in Yugakure to prevent it from escalating to the borders of the Land of Fire."
"This objective is of the highest priority, understand?"
"Understood, Captain!" the three Yutoshi replied, standing up straight.