Prepare for Death

Anbu Mission Room!

"Let's go!"

Ye Liangnai had barely arrived when Eagle and White Wolf showed up as well. The group immediately set off.

On the way, Tian Jia explained, "This mission is to eliminate a pirate stronghold somewhere around the Land of Water. Relatively speaking, it's fairly easy!"

Hearing that, Ye Liangnai thought, This is the kind of mission we should be carrying out. Hunting rogue ninja is seriously way beyond our level!

In inland countries like the Land of Fire, there were bandits. Around island nations like the Land of Water, naturally, there were pirates.

Dealing with a band of pirates posed no difficulty for Ye Liangnai and the others. They completed the mission with ease.

When they returned to the village, they happened to run into Ringo Ameyuri's group, who had also just returned!

"Ye Liangnai, prepare yourself."

"It won't be long before I repay the humiliation you gave me tenfold!" Ringo Ameyuri said with an exceedingly hostile expression.

Hozuki Suigetsu and Shima Isshin also wore dangerous looks, their sharp gazes terrifying.

Ye Liangnai could not help but smile. "Then I'll be waiting!"

"I just hope the blades in your hands are sharp and strong enough. Otherwise, you'll only humiliate yourselves!"

He was still full of arrogance, not taking Ringo Ameyuri and the others seriously at all.

That only made Ringo Ameyuri and the others even angrier.

It was precisely that arrogant, condescending attitude that made people extremely unhappy.

Naturally, their arranged battle drew the attention of quite a few people.

"Hehe, who will win and who will lose? I'm really looking forward to it!"

"They really are young people—so full of energy!" Some Mist Ninja said excitedly.

Ringo Ameyuri, huh? She really puts a lot of pressure on me. But I won't give her a chance to surpass me!

Though he had acted so arrogantly just now, that was merely his outward attitude.

As the saying went, despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically. Ye Liangnai did not dare let his guard down.

He understood that pride led to regression.

The next day, Ye Liangnai was summoned once again.

"Follow me at full speed to the Land of Fire and rescue the Land of Water's spies. Move with all your strength!"

Without giving Ye Liangnai and the others even the slightest chance to prepare, the group set off immediately.

Several other Anbu squads were traveling with them as well. Clearly, that alone showed this mission would not be simple.

"Cold Light, Eagle, White Wolf, you three should prepare yourselves for possible sacrifice!"

During a brief rest, Tian Jia told the three, "Among the enemies you'll be facing is the Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake!"

"What? Kakashi is there too? Come on, this is way beyond our level!"

Hearing Tian Jia's words, Ye Liangnai felt his scalp tingle.

Kakashi might have fought everyone to a draw in the original story.

But that was because the enemies he faced were generally jonin-level or even stronger.

Naturally, he could not gain an obvious advantage in a short period of time.

Yet for them as they were now, Kakashi was unquestionably a formidable enemy.

Even if he did not yet possess elite jonin strength, he was probably not far from it.

Not to mention that Konoha's pursuers certainly consisted of more than just Kakashi.

The weakest members of Konoha's Anbu were all at least chunin-level.

Preparing for sacrifice was entirely reasonable.

The expressions of all three immediately became much more solemn. They all knew Kakashi's strength!

After resting for fifteen minutes, the group set off again.

They traveled by ship through the Land of Waves and the Land of Tides, landed in the Land of Whirlpools, then hurried toward the southern border of the Land of Fire.

Their target this time was there!

"Damn Konoha ninja, they really are relentless!"

In a forest somewhere in the Land of Fire, two Mist Ninja cursed with exhausted faces.

"I wonder if the people in the village received our distress signal! Don't force us to take the final step!"

The final step was to kill each other, leaving the enemy without even a scrap of their intelligence.

Whoosh!

Just then, a cold glint tore through the air—it was a kunai with an Explosive Tag tied to it.

"Scatter!"

The two hurriedly dodged, but the moment they sprang away, a group of black shadows appeared around them and swept past their sides!

Rip!

Rip!

Tearing sounds rang out in quick succession as the two Mist Ninja screamed and fell to the ground.

Their bodies were now covered in numerous crimson wounds.

"This ends here, gentlemen. Hand over Konoha's intelligence, and I can grant you dignified deaths!"

At this time, Kakashi was not yet the popular mentor from the original story.

He was merely a cold assassin, an indifferent killing machine.

"Heh, do you think that's possible, Kakashi Hatake?"

"This medical intelligence is far too important. Don't think we'll hand it over so easily!"

The Mist Ninja on the left grinned, his face filled with determination to die.

"That's right, don't think we'll hand it over just like that!"

The Mist Ninja on the right wore the same expression. "We were prepared to sacrifice ourselves long ago!"

"It's only death. What is there to fear? For those of us born in the Blood Mist Village, death is nothing more than an everyday occurrence!"

"Then that's truly regrettable!"

At those words, Kakashi's gaze instantly turned incomparably sharp, and the short blade in his hand thrust forward.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

But at that critical instant, a roaring water dragon tore through the air, forcing Kakashi and the other Konoha Anbu to retreat.

"Sorry, but you can't take the people of Kirigakure from us, Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake!"

After the water dragon dispersed, a group of Kirigakure Anbu had appeared before the two Mist Ninja.

"You came quite quickly, Mist Ninja," Kakashi said, narrowing his eyes at the group before him.

"However, taking away information that belongs to Konoha will not be so easy. Move!"

The instant he finished speaking, Kakashi charged toward the leading Mist Ninja.

That leader was none other than Tian Jia.

And this was also the first time Ye Liangnai saw Tian Jia make a move.

Clang!

Short blade against short blade!

Tian Jia looked at Kakashi, who was right before him, and grinned. "Perhaps I'm not as strong as you, but defeating me won't be so easy either!"

Then, the two each retreated before clashing once more.

At the same time, Tian Jia commanded, "End this quickly! Rescuing them is the priority!"

"Don't get dragged into a prolonged battle with them. We don't have the advantage in numbers!"

Yet as he spoke, a Konoha Anbu had already appeared behind the stunned Ye Liangnai and beheaded him with a single slash.

"Mist Ninja really have no one left, huh? Even trash like this gets sent on missions!"

The Konoha Anbu sneered disdainfully and was about to turn and deal with the others.

But then he saw Eagle and White Wolf looking at him as though he were an idiot, and he immediately sensed that something was wrong.