An Unusual Encounter

"What about my mission?" Shuichi easily understood the current situation. It was similar to the demolition missions in shooting games he played in his previous life. If Konoha, as the attacking side, wanted to attack Sunagakure's point A or point B, they needed to control the middle lane to gain the initiative.

"You and Minato already have arrangements," Orochimaru said in a deep voice. "You are now listed as high-priority targets in Sunagakure. The last operation also revealed that some characteristics of your team members are too similar, leading to a lack of diversity in your methods. Therefore, you will be assigned tasks according to your original team structure."

Nara Shikaku added, "A week from now, we will launch a full-scale attack; the first and second phases will proceed simultaneously."

"Minato will participate in the great battle as the main force on the front lines, while Shuichi-kun, your task is a bit more complicated. We need to find out the details of the northern stronghold of Sunagakure."

"Because your squad's reconnaissance capabilities are outstanding, and they are able to promptly relay intelligence to Lord Orochimaru, you will be departing ahead of schedule..."

Shuichi listened attentively to the mission requirements; this would be a major test for him.

He will set off in a few days, first heading north to the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain, then traveling westward along the northern border until he reaches a point not far from the border of the Land of Wind.

At this time, the Konoha Ninja will launch a full-scale attack and engage in battle with the Sunagakure in the central region, which will correspondingly weaken the defensive forces on the north and south sides of the Sunagakure.

His squad was to seize this opportunity to penetrate deeper into the south. Orochimaru demanded that the intelligence be as detailed as possible, ideally covering all controlled areas in the northwestern part of Sunagakure, and discovering the north-south control range, central strongholds, and troop distribution.

Many other ninjas in Konoha also undertake this mission, though their direction may differ from Shuichi's, and overall it is extremely dangerous.

"Okay, I understand," Shuichi replied calmly.

The Third Hokage configured this kind of squad so that he could complete highly difficult reconnaissance missions during the war; otherwise, if they wanted to penetrate deep behind enemy lines to obtain intelligence, Konoha Ninja would inevitably suffer heavy casualties.

Orochimaru, as the commander, would not let such an ability pass him by, nor would he allow Shuichi Shuichi's disciple. To become an excellent ninja, one must have this kind of awareness.

Since he enjoys the rights of the Hokage lineage, he must bear the corresponding responsibilities. If he is really killed by the Explosive Tag, it means he is just an ordinary man.

A few days later, at dawn, many ninjas could be seen busy at the Konoha camp. Teams were constantly heading to the logistics department to prepare supplies, and temporary training grounds had been set up in the surrounding open space. Everyone was making preparations for battle.

However, a few people had already left the stronghold, and the battle between Konoha and Sand Village had begun silently.

Shuichi's squad set off at dawn, and from now on, they may not return to their base for a long time.

As planned, the three headed ahead to the border between the Land of Rivers and the Land of Rain. The terrain didn't change much for the first few hours, but the further north they went, the more complex the terrain became. This area could no longer be described as hills; it would be more accurate to describe it as a mountain range.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock..."

Shuichi frowned as he looked at the weather. The sky was covered with dark clouds, accompanied by light rain that looked like it was about to get heavier.

"Is it just bad luck, or is it the same for all directions near the Land of Rain?"

Rainy days are not good for their team. Shuichi's Super Beast Imitation Drawing is unusable, Aburame Shihei's insect perception range is also greatly reduced.

Because they need to spend long periods of time gathering intelligence, Hyuga Akiha's Byakugan usage must be carefully chosen. Given that they are currently far from the danger zone, she is generally not allowed to expend chakra to use the Byakugan.

As the rain intensified, a small bird flew down towards Shuichi's direction.

"Splash!" The Ink Bird stumbled and crashed into his hand, turning into a puddle of water. Shuichi immediately began to accept the vision and experience that the bird had witnessed.

This is his improved version of the Super Beast Imitation Drawing. It incorporates high-intensity chakra and references the principles of Shadow Clone, greatly enhancing the technique's effectiveness and making it one of the key methods for the success of this mission.

However, this technique still has some drawbacks. First, it greatly increases chakra consumption. The consumption of this bird is comparable to three times that of the original Super Beast Imitation Drawing. Only someone like Shuichi, who has enough chakra, can afford to use it.

Secondly, the user needs to have a very high level of chakra concentration to simultaneously complete aerial reconnaissance and record viewing. Moreover, unlike Shadow Clone, which can be dispersed to obtain the experience, the clones must fly back to the user to transmit the complete image; otherwise, the transmitted information will be intermittent or extremely unclear.

Shuichi's improvement was essentially a combination of Shadow Clone and Super Beast Imitation Drawing, raising the difficulty of the Ninjutsu to A-rank.

There weren't many people in Konoha who used this technique to begin with, and after this modification, it became even more exclusive to him.

No abnormalities reported at this time.

Their current location is near the border of three countries, relatively far from strategic locations, so it's perfectly normal that they haven't found any enemies.

"Akiha, activate your Byakugan!" After thinking for a while, Shuichi decided to be cautious. They weren't in a rush, so they could just adjust their route a little.

"Byakugan, open!"

With the Byakugan as cover, the three of them didn't need to slow down their march even in the rain, and they continued on their way through the desolate area.

"Captain, target spotted 900 meters ahead at 1 o'clock!" Hyuga Akiha suddenly announced.

"Huh?" Shuichi looked a little surprised.

For ordinary people, the Byakugan actually requires a closer distance to detect them, because in that Genin's chakra is like the brightness of a light bulb; the stronger the chakra, the easier it is to detect, and vice versa.

"The opponent's chakra strength is relatively weak, and they consist of 3 people."

"Let's give chase."

Shuichi had memorized the general distribution of Konoha Ninja before setting off, and it was definitely abnormal for them to be active in such a remote location at this time.

"Swish, swish, swish..."

The three of them suppressed their chakra and made their footsteps as soft as possible, matching the sound of the rain. They did not let their guard down despite the enemy's weak strength.

When they were about 200 meters away from the enemy, Hyuga Akiha suddenly spoke up, "Captain, the three enemies are wearing Konoha Forehead Protector, but they look very different from the people in the village. They might be imposters."

"That makes it even stranger, let's just take action!"

A hundred meters away, three simply dressed ninjas wearing straw hats and black half-length cloaks walked straight in one direction. From their bulging backs, it could be seen that each of them was carrying a large pack.

Just as they were maintaining their speed, a large flash of silver light came from their side, which was difficult to spot even with close inspection in the rainy conditions.

"Whoosh..."

What's that sound...?

"Ah, ah..."

By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late. A large number of Senbon were inserted into various parts of their bodies, and the intense pain broke their momentum, causing them to fall to the ground and roll around.

Approaching footsteps sounded in their ears, and the people kneeling on the ground immediately looked up and saw three young Konoha Ninja.

"We... we are also Konoha Ninja, why... are you attacking us?" A middle-aged man with a small mustache asked intermittently, as the Senbon had almost locked all the pressure points in his body, making him completely unable to move.

"If Konoha had trashy ninjas like you, it would have been wiped out long ago," Shuichi retorted mercilessly, while quickly Hand Seals Genjutsu. He didn't want to waste time slowly interrogating her.