Return to the Village

After dealing with those two Iwa-nin, Kaminari Kaede immediately went to support Hyuga Kiyomi. However, when he arrived at the place where Hyuga Kiyomi was fighting, he found that a nine-year-old girl had the upper hand.

Kaminari Kaede's arrival also threw the Iwa-nin into a panic, allowing Hyuga Kiyomi to seize an opening and strike him with a full set of Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. His Chakra was sealed by Pressure Point Strikes, and even his internal organs suffered considerable damage.

Kaminari Kaede spared that Iwa-nin's life, then brought him and Hyuga Kiyomi along to support Hyuga Mirai.

What he had not expected was that Hyuga Mirai had already dealt with his opponent as well.

Moreover, neither of them was injured. It looked as though they had handled that Iwa-nin with ease.

"Captain, he's still alive. Should we keep him for interrogation?"

After stepping forward to inspect him, Hyuga Mirai turned and reported to Kaminari Kaede.

"No need. One captive is enough."

Kaminari Kaede pointed at the Iwa-nin in his grasp, then said sternly, "This outpost has been exposed. Withdraw immediately and return to the village. Hand the Iwa-nin over to the village."

They were in the Grass Country. If they did not leave quickly, they might run into Earth Country ninja afterward. Bringing along a living captive was inconvenient, but once they returned to the Land of Fire, someone would meet them.

"Yes, Captain."

After receiving the order, the three immediately cleaned up the battlefield. Hyuga Mirai ended that Iwa-nin's life with a Shuriken, then carefully checked the Iwa-nin's Ninja Tool Pouch. Only after confirming that there was no danger did he begin searching through the valuables inside.

It was not that he loved money. Rather, under the pressure of various circumstances, Hyuga Mirai had no choice but to budget carefully. As long as he had enough money, he could restore his energy by eating vast amounts of food.

This was related to the progress of his training. So even though looting valuables from corpses went against the dignity of the Hyūga Clan, Hyuga Mirai had no choice but to do it.

Hyuga Kiyomi also knew why Hyuga Mirai was collecting money. She wanted to speak up and stop him, but the words never left her mouth. Instead, she simply turned away, out of sight and out of mind.

It did not take long for the three to finish cleaning up the battlefield. As for the intelligence-gathering outpost, Kaminari Kaede did not order them to deal with it. Since the Iwa-nin had already killed its occupants and taken over the place, they had surely stripped it clean. What they needed now was to return to the village as quickly as possible and report the matter to the Third Hokage.

Because their return was so urgent, Hyuga Mirai was somewhat disappointed that he could not go look for that woman of the Uzumaki Clan. Still, now that he knew she was in the Grass Country, he could search for her again if he had the chance to take a mission there in the future.

In less than two days, the Kaminari Kaede Squad returned to the Land of Fire. After seeking assistance from the Ninja stationed at the border, they hurried back to Konoha without stopping.

"Finally, we're back!"

The moment they returned, Yuhi Kurenai stretched lazily and sighed in comfort. Carrying out a B-rank Mission had kept her nerves constantly taut, and she desperately needed to relax now.

"First, we go to the Hokage Tower. We can only disband after making our report."

Thinking that all three had performed well this time, Kaminari Kaede paused for a moment before adding, "I can give you a long break after this."

"Really?" Yuhi Kurenai asked in delight. "Thank you, Captain."

Hyuga Mirai and Hyuga Kiyomi both smiled as well. They had either been taking missions or sparring in training lately, so being able to rest for a while was naturally wonderful.

Hyuga Mirai, meanwhile, thought of applying to use the Laboratory at Konoha Hospital. If he could stay in the village a little longer, it would also benefit his research.

Then, the four brought the captured Iwa-nin to the Hokage Tower. After meeting the Third Hokage, Captain Kaminari Kaede gave a detailed account of the mission.

After listening to Kaminari Kaede's description of what had happened, the Third Hokage tapped on the desk. In an instant, two masked Anbu appeared in the room.

"Take this Iwa-nin to the Interrogation Department."

Upon receiving the order, the two Anbu silently picked up the unconscious Iwa-nin and used the Body Flicker Technique to leave the room.

Then Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, looked kindly at the Kaminari Kaede Squad and said, "Kaede, you did very well this time. The Iwa-nin attacked Konoha Ninja without cause, so they certainly had ill intentions. If we can obtain information from this Iwa-nin, we can prepare our border defenses in advance."

"Given that you encountered four Iwa-nin Chunin and brought one of them back alive, I will upgrade this mission to A-rank. The reward will also be paid according to A-rank standards."

"Of course, according to the rules, you may also exchange this for a B-rank Ninjutsu from the village. Does anyone wish to make an exchange?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen's question was entirely unnecessary. Kaminari Kaede's fighting style had already matured, and B-rank Ninjutsu would be of little use to him, so he certainly had no need for one.

As for the rest, they either belonged to the Hyūga Clan or possessed inherited Illusion Techniques. None of them would abandon abilities they had practiced for years to learn some other Ninjutsu.

At that moment, Hyuga Mirai stepped forward half a pace and said, "Hokage-sama, can I exchange it for permission to use the Konoha Hospital Laboratory?"

"The Laboratory at Konoha Hospital?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused, then asked in confusion, "Mirai, why do you want to apply to use the Laboratory at Konoha Hospital?"

"Because I developed some ideas about Yang Release Chakra while studying Medical Ninjutsu, so I want to use the equipment to verify them."

Hyuga Mirai spoke calmly. His talent for Medical Ninjutsu was famously exceptional. Before even reaching ten years old, he had already learned several kinds of Medical Ninjutsu. Aside from the most difficult A-rank Medical Ninjutsu, Hyuga Mirai had nearly mastered all Medical Ninjutsu.

"Hmm. If that is the case, then I approve."

After thinking it over for a while, Sarutobi Hiruzen ultimately decided to agree. Using the Laboratory was no great matter. If Hyuga Mirai truly made any research discoveries, it would benefit the village as well.

Besides, the Kaminari Kaede Squad had just rendered meritorious service. The other three had not made any requests, and Hyuga Mirai's sole request was not particularly difficult. If Sarutobi Hiruzen refused, it would not reflect well on his reputation if word got out.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

After receiving the approval slip, joy appeared on Hyuga Mirai's face.

With this, he could borrow the Laboratory at Konoha Hospital whenever he wanted. As long as he did not damage the equipment, he could use it as he pleased.

Could it be that Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't know the value of the equipment in the Konoha Hospital Laboratory?

Hyuga Mirai pondered inwardly. He had seen those precious devices a few times before. They were extremely difficult to acquire and very expensive. That old man had issued him an approval slip so casually; most likely, he did not understand just how valuable those devices were.

But that was none of his concern. Once he entered the Laboratory, the Yang Release Chakra Healing Tag, genetic cell research, and other projects could all be put on the agenda.

Afterward, the Kaminari Kaede Squad collected their reward and left the Hokage Tower.

This time, Hyuga Mirai did not join the group meal. Instead, he quickly returned home, packed up, and hurried toward Konoha Hospital.

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