Sand Shinobi Spotted

When Kyosuke woke again, he found that the squad was already not far from the border of the Land of Fire.

According to the intelligence report, it would still take at least another two hours of travel to intercept the Sand Shinobi squad, but that was enough to stop them before their reinforcements arrived.

Before long, the rested Rescue Team set off once more in pursuit of the enemy.

After advancing for only about an hour, they discovered traces left behind by the enemy.

Fugaku stepped forward to inspect them with practiced ease. After circling the area once, he said with certainty, "The enemy is already close. Everyone, stay alert."

As he spoke, he turned and signaled Kyosuke.

Kyosuke nodded, jumped down from the ninja carrying him, and formed hand seals.

"Summoning Technique."

Bang. A cloud of smoke burst forth, and the group of Small Snakes from before was summoned again by Kyosuke.

He lightly stimulated them with his Chakra, and the Small Snakes scattered in all directions.

As soon as they discovered the enemy's whereabouts, the snakes would immediately alert Kyosuke with a special Chakra fluctuation.

All that remained was the long wait.

According to Fugaku's assessment, the enemy was currently resting, so they could only halt as well.

The task of searching for the enemy was left to Kyosuke's Summoning Animals.

That was the advantage of having a sensor ninja in a team.

Without Kyosuke, the Rescue Team could only have advanced in a spread-out formation.

While that would not have made the chances of finding the enemy low, it would also have greatly increased the risk of being ambushed.

One careless mistake could easily lead to casualties.

With the Uchiha gradually declining, ten jonin already represented a significant portion of their fighting strength. They could not afford to lose them lightly.

What was more, the group included the future clan head and Kyosuke, whose potential was boundless.

Thus, Fugaku felt that no amount of caution was excessive.

Half an hour passed amid the Rescue Team's anxious anticipation.

Finally, a small snake five kilometers away sent Kyosuke a special signal.

Kyosuke's tightly shut eyes suddenly flew open. After nodding to Fugaku, he took the lead and headed toward that location.

A distance of five kilometers was nothing for jonin. Even Kyosuke could reach it in no time.

But when they were less than a kilometer from the enemy, Fugaku suddenly grabbed him, assigned a jonin to protect him without further discussion, and ordered him to remain where he was.

The person assigned to protect him was Fugaku's girlfriend, Uchiha Ikezi.

Kyosuke helplessly shrugged at Ikezi, and the two watched the Rescue Team leave.

Less than a few minutes later, they suddenly heard earth-shaking explosions in the distance.

That meant the Rescue Team had already engaged the enemy.

Yet Kyosuke could only remain here and wait. Although he understood Fugaku's good intentions and knew this was the best course of action,

he still could not sit still.

Seeing Kyosuke pacing in circles, Ikezi smiled gently and comforted him, saying, "Kyosuke, don't worry. Believe in Fugaku and the others. They will save Princess Nagisa."

Kyosuke could only nod helplessly, then began chatting with her.

As they talked, the topic turned to marriage.

"By the way, when are you and Fugaku planning to get married? Make sure to invite me when the time comes," Kyosuke asked tentatively.

Ikezi blushed slightly, then chuckled. "Fugaku and I have already agreed. Once this mission is over, we'll go home and get married."

Hey, hey, don't go around jinxing things just because you said it. Aren't you afraid you won't make it back? Kyosuke's mouth twitched as he grumbled inwardly.

Hm? Wait.

Ikezi, who had never appeared in the original story.

This sudden kidnapping.

Fugaku's Mangekyo, which had appeared in the original story for unknown reasons.

Three originally unrelated matters suddenly connected in Kyosuke's mind.

No way... Kyosuke cast Ikezi a strange look, silently praying that his guess was wrong.

But just as Murphy's Law said, the more a person worried about something, the more likely it was to happen.

And the battle sounds in the distance, which had stopped at some point, made Kyosuke feel even more uneasy.

Suddenly, the Summoning Animals that had yet to be recalled told Kyosuke that two people were rushing toward them at high speed.

Upon receiving this information, Kyosuke's heart sank.

No matter who they were, their arrival would likely bring no good news.

If they were enemies, there was no need to say more. They would have to fight.

If they were members of the Rescue Team, the situation would be even worse.

Very quickly, Kyosuke's fears became reality.

The one who arrived was Fugaku Uchiha, covered in blood.

In his arms, he held the unconscious Uchiha Nagisa.

"Fugaku... the others...?" Ikezi stared at the scene before her in shock. After taking the unconscious Nagisa from him, she finally could not help asking in a trembling voice.

Fugaku's face darkened. He said nothing, merely nodded to confirm that she was right.

Ikezi and Kyosuke's expressions immediately sank.

Recalling the clansmen who had taken good care of him along the way, Kyosuke clenched his fists tightly.

"What exactly happened?" Kyosuke forced the words through gritted teeth.

"On the way." Fugaku looked back, then removed his blood-soaked outer robe and took the lead in running toward Konoha.

"There are pursuers too?!" Kyosuke's pupils contracted sharply as he quickly followed.

This time, he could only rely on his own legs to keep up.

Along the way, after Fugaku explained what had happened, he finally understood the cause of it all.

Although the enemy had not discovered the Rescue Team's trail, they had still cautiously laid traps.

Those traps were the Puppet Technique, a technique in which the Sand Shinobi held unrivaled dominance in the Shinobi World.

Using flawless disguises that even the Sharingan could not see through, the cunning enemies hid several puppets around themselves.

When the Rescue Team launched their sudden attack, they immediately controlled those puppets to retaliate.

Though Fugaku and the others were powerful, they still suffered heavy casualties in the face of traps that filled the sky.

There was no helping it. That was the advantage of waiting in comfort for an exhausted enemy.

Not only did the enemy have the advantage in stamina, but the traps laid by Puppet Masters were also far beyond Kyosuke's amateur trap-setting skills.

Even so, Fugaku and the others still killed every one of them and rescued the unconscious Nagisa.

They had thought that although the mission had resulted in some casualties, they had at least preserved the Uchiha's prestige and prevented the enemy from escaping.

But then another unexpected development occurred.

The Sand Shinobi reinforcements had arrived half a day earlier than expected.

Now, the Rescue Team, having just endured a bitter battle, could only brace themselves and face the Sand Shinobi reinforcements once more.