Mist Ninja Camp

The Land of Whirlpools is located southeast of the Land of Fire, while the Land of Earth is to the northwest. The two are in completely opposite directions, and it took Yichen a whole day to travel there.

After all, although Yichen could fly, he dared not fly directly over the Land of Fire. That would be suicidal. Yichen circled the Land of Fire, making a large loop over the neighboring countries around it before finally reaching the Land of Whirlpools.

Having never been to the Land of Whirlpools before during missions, Yichen assumed that the Land of Whirlpools was deserted after its fall. The truth was, the Land of Whirlpools simply lacked its original rulers; the common people remained. The Land of Whirlpools had been rebuilt, only with a new ruler.

Moreover, since the jade disc that once brought them trouble has been removed, the lives of the common people of the Land of Whirlpools have actually improved in recent years.

If the Third Shinobi War hadn't broken out, Mist ninja hadn't chosen the Land of Land of Whirlpools as the battlefield, the Land of Whirlpools' rich land would have provided a life that would have been the envy of even powerful nations like the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind.

However, right now, both the Mist ninja and the Konoha Village have deployed several thousand ninjas into the Land of Whirlpools. Moreover, both sides are engaging in a prolonged war of attrition over a large area, using small teams as a unit.

The Land of Whirlpools has bid farewell to its brief period of peace and plunged into an abyss of despair.

Yichen noticed that every now and then, ordinary people would be heading towards the Land of Fire with their families.

It is estimated that the number of civilians from the Land of Whirlpools who have migrated to the Land of Fire in recent years is not small.

Iwagakure has virtually no influence in the Land of Whirlpools. In fact, apart from Konoha's influence radiating throughout the entire Ninja World, the influence of the other major nations is basically limited to their respective peripheries. For the common people of the Land of Land of Whirlpools, which is far from the Land of Earth, Iwa ninja are a rare breed.

Therefore, when operating in the Land of Whirlpools, Yichen dared not flaunt his Iwa ninja Forehead Protector in public.

Furthermore, the Hyuga is the number one reconnaissance-type ninja clan in the Ninja World. Yichen didn't know how the Mist ninja managed to ambush the Hyuga, but Yichen felt he couldn't have done it himself.

Yichen's so-called concealment methods couldn't even fool the Sharingan, let alone the Byakugan, whose reconnaissance capabilities surpass those of the Sharingan.

Therefore, although Yichen knew the location of the Hyuga Camp, he didn't dare to get close and could only observe it from a distance, more than ten miles away.

However, Yichen's eyesight was far from sufficient to see the situation more than ten miles away, and he couldn't even make out the general outline.

"Sigh, even if the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were fighting the Hyuga Main Family down there, I doubt they could see anything clearly."

"Unless the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist can cause a commotion like Kisame Hoshigaki. But according to the original work, the first Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were all only Elite Jonin, not strong enough to cause that kind of disturbance."

"Looks like we still have to go down."

Yichen returned to the ground, put on a set of Konoha Anbu uniform, and then slowly made his way towards the Mist Ninja Camp.

The Hyuga Camp was a forbidden area for Yichen, but the Mist Ninja Camp was different. Yichen felt that as long as he was careful and didn't get too close, he shouldn't be discovered.

The layout of the Mist Ninja Camp was different from what Yichen had imagined; there was actually a thick fog surrounding the Mist Ninja Camp. Looking at the Mist Ninja Camp shrouded in fog not far away, Yichen frowned slightly.

With this thick fog, it's very difficult for outsiders to find the entrances and exits of the Mist Ninja Camp.

Yichen even speculated that the Mist Ninja Camp might not even have a fixed entrance or exit. Since the fog obscures the view and no one else knows the internal structure of the Mist Ninja Camp, the Mist ninja can frequently change their entry and exit points.

Given the distance between Yichen and the Mist Ninja Camp, Yichen dared not fly into the air to observe. Although Mist ninja, like Iwa ninja, was at the bottom of the Five Great Ninja Villages in terms of combat strength, a base used for war must contain all sorts of talents, and Yichen did not feel he had any reason to be careless.

So in the end, Yichen could only circle around the Mist Ninja Camp from afar.

To avoid leaving any footprints or other traces, Yichen used the Light-Weight Rock Technique. He carefully avoided various traps while also keeping an eye out for patrolling ninjas who might pass by at any moment.

This is where Mind's Eye comes into play.

The terrain of the Land of Land of Whirlpools is similar to that of the Land of Fire, and there are also many tall trees near the Mist Ninja Camp. Yichen slowly wandered around the Mist Ninja Camp.

"This is a good opportunity to hone my Mind's Eye," Yichen thought to himself. Just then, he sensed several Chakra fluctuations a hundred meters away, and quickly floated to a dense foliage area to hide.

Fortunately, the group of Mist ninja did not head in Yichen's direction, but instead went in a direction away from the Mist Ninja Camp.

"This is the fourth group of ninjas we've encountered. The Mist ninja are quite active in this area." Yichen pondered the Mist ninja's deployment as he cautiously moved forward once more.

Yichen's Mind's Eye Ninjutsu theoretically allows him to perceive objects up to 200 meters away, but Yichen is far from mastering it. Even if a ninja appeared 200 meters away, or even 100 meters away, Yichen wouldn't be able to notice them in time.

The reason Yichen was able to detect an enemy's Chakra a hundred meters away was mainly because he knew there was danger nearby. Therefore, as he slowly advanced, Yichen sacrificed some of the attention he originally focused on visual perception and concentrated more of his mind on the Mind's Eye's Eye Ninjutsu.

That's why Yichen was able to barely spot the enemy from a hundred meters away.

After walking a while longer, three more Chakra fluctuations appeared in the perception of the Mind's Eye's Eye, and Yichen concealed himself as usual.

"Huh? There are four people?" Just as he finished hiding, Yichen noticed that the Chakra fluctuations in the distance had increased from three to four.

"Clone Technique? No, the four Chakra fluctuations are completely different." Thanks to the Sensory Ninjutsu he had learned before and his ability to use it skillfully, Yichen was very good at distinguishing the enemy's Chakra attributes.

"This is... Ice Release!" After careful observation, Yichen frowned. The Chakra that had initially escaped Yichen's Mind's Eye was none other than the Ice Release that Yichen had encountered before.

"However, this Ice Release technique doesn't seem very strong." Now that Yichen himself has Kekkei Genkai, his perspective has naturally changed. In Yichen's judgment, this Ice Release ninja he sensed is the kind who, although possessing a bloodline limit, should be at the bottom among Bloodline Ninja.

This bottom ranking isn't based on strength, but rather on the level of one's bloodline limit. While there are no rankings for bloodlines in the Ninja World, there are definitely differences in strength within the same bloodline. The most direct example is Kimimaro, whose Shikotsumyaku Pulse) far surpasses that of other clan members who have awakened Shikotsumyaku.

However, the Shikotsumyaku has no ranking system.

Of all bloodlines, only one has a clear hierarchy: the Sharingan. The Sharingan has Single-Tomoe, Two-Tomoe, Three Tomoe, and later Mangekyo and Eternal Mangekyo.

While other bloodline limits do not have a clear ranking system, there are still differences in strength.

This Ice Release felt far less impactful to Yichen than the one he encountered a few years ago with Yuki Kagami.

"This person must be the unlucky fellow from the Bloodline Limit families mentioned in the intelligence report who was conscripted."

"It seems that the Mind's Eye is less effective at sensing Kekkei Genkai than regular Chakra. I'll have to be more careful in the future, lest I become a target."

"However, we can't go any further now. The Mist ninja are coming and going more and more frequently, and the Mist ninja and exit they usually use should be just ahead."

Yichen tried his best to suppress his Chakra fluctuations and began searching for a suitable hiding place in the surrounding woods. Yichen needed to find the whereabouts of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in order to make targeted plans.

After all, the original work did not describe in detail how the Byakugan was lost, so there was no advantage in the plot, and all the information had to be found by oneself.

For the rest of the day, Yichen searched for traces of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist the Mist near the Mist Ninja Camp, but unfortunately, Yichen found nothing.

Many ninjas entered and exited the foggy area, but most were Genin and lower; very few reached the Elite Jonin level. Throughout the day, Yichen only encountered two people, and based on his assessment, neither of them were members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Yichen.

"Could it be that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have already made their move?" Yichen couldn't help but wonder. Five days had passed since the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist started making their moves when Yichen left the village. Yichen had spent a day on the road, and now he had wasted another whole day near the Mist Ninja Camp.

Judging from the timeliness of the ninja's actions, it is highly likely that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist have already made their move.

"We can't wait any longer." Yichen decided to leave this area and risk scouting the Hyuga Camp. The Hyuga mostly close-combat ninjas, and Yichen felt that even if he was discovered, escaping wouldn't be a big problem.

However, if Yichen uses Flying Ninjutsu to escape, his identity might be exposed. There are very few ninjas in the entire Ninja World who can fly without relying on Summoning Beast.

My identity being exposed would trigger a conflict between the Lands of Fire and Earth, especially since Konoha and Iwa ninja have already ceased hostilities.

When Yichen had slowly retreated about several tens of meters from his original position, a sudden change occurred.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" A dense Kunai, accompanied by the sound of air being torn apart, attacked Yichen.

"What's going on? I didn't trigger any traps." Although startled, Yichen remained calm. With the help of the Light-Weight Rock Technique, Yichen easily avoided the traps designed for ground ninjas.

But with this commotion, Yichen's whereabouts have definitely been exposed.

Sure enough, according to his Mind's Eye perception, several Chakra sources were approaching Yichen's direction without any attempt to conceal their presence.

Yichen's gaze sharpened. Since that's the case, then he'd have to resort to force. He then ran away from the Yichen Mist Ninja Camp while dodging the Mist ninja who were closing in.

That's right, Yichen used running. Although Yichen did not release the Light-Weight Rock Technique, in order not to expose the information too early, Yichen pretended to escape using Taijutsu.

Although Yichen was very fast, there were too many Mist ninja nearby, and soon a squad of ninjas appeared directly in front of Yichen.

"They've come at the perfect time." In Yichen's Mind's Eye perception, this group of ninjas consisted of a Jonin leading three Genin.

The opponent had clearly noticed Yichen's rapid approach and did not rush in rashly. Instead, under the cover of the opponent's Jonin Captain, they began a ranged attack.

"Hmm?" Yichen was slightly surprised. Two members of a Mist ninja squad actually knew Ninjutsu?

However, with Yichen's current strength, the speed at which two Genin used Ninjutsu was no longer a threat. As he advanced, Yichen used the Lightning Release Stimulation Method, which he was still not very proficient at.

The Light-Weight Rock Technique is incredibly fast for long-range travel, but it offers little advantage in head-on combat. The best way to achieve this short-range burst damage is through taijutsu enhanced with Body Flicker Technique and Lightning Release Stimulation Method: Stimulation Taijutsu.

Yichen's acceleration caught the opposing team off guard. Seeing that they couldn't complete their Ninjutsu release before Yichen got close, the opposing Jonin Captain chose to engage in close combat.

However, Yichen's sudden advance was too unexpected, catching his opponent off guard. So when Yichen unleashed a Sword Qi at close range, it was too late for his opponent to mount an effective counterattack.

The Jonin only had time to hurriedly block the path of the Sword Qi with Kunai.

Then, unsurprisingly, the Jonin was sent flying, along with the Kunai in his hand. But this intervention was effective; at least he shielded his subordinate from a fatal attack.

But that was all the effect it had. Without the cover of Jonin, the three Genin were nothing more than lambs to the slaughter in Yichen's eyes.

Easily dodging the Senbon thrown at him at close range, Yichen Body Flicker Technique beside him, then slashed horizontally with his longsword, leaving a huge wound on the Genin's neck.

After dealing with the genin Genin Taijutsu, Yichen did not sheath his longsword. Instead, he unexpectedly slashed backward with a Sword Qi of energy, Jonin the Yichen who was trying to attack from behind him.

However, at this moment, one of the two Genin had finished the Hand Seals and was about to use Ninjutsu.

Unfortunately, Yichen had been observing the Hand Seals of the two, so even before the man released his Ninjutsu, Yichen knew what Ninjutsu he was about to use.

"Heh, Water Style: Water Wave? A familiar Ninjutsu, isn't it?" Yichen chuckled inwardly. Then, to the astonishment of the other party, Yichen slashed at the starting point of the Genin's Water Style: Water Wave, shattering it before it could Ninjutsu shape.