Calling for Reinforcements

Tobirama Senju left, and his departure made Yuzhen so sad that he felt regret for a long time.

To Yuzhen, it wasn't just Tobirama Senju leaving; it was as if a living "Sealing Book" had abandoned him. Unfortunately, Tobirama Senju belonged to the Senju Clan, and Yuzhen couldn't keep him for personal use for too long.

For the next month, the camp remained peaceful.

No other ninja intruded upon them. Taking advantage of this rare peace, Yuzhen poured almost all his energy into practicing new ninjutsu.

It had to be said that Tobirama Senju's help was immense. After mastering Water Style ninjutsu, Yuzhen's combat style became richer, his attack power increased, and his practical combat ability improved by more than just a little.

Thanks to Tobirama Senju's guidance on Water Style, Yuzhen had basically learned the introductory Water Style ninjutsu over the past month.

His mastery of the Rasengan had also reached the "beginner level of a twelve-year-old Naruto," meaning he could use it in combat with the help of clones.

This was already quite good; further progress with the Rasengan would be quite difficult.

In addition, Yuzhen hadn't slacked off on his basic training. However, compared to his progress in ninjutsu, his basic training yielded very little...

The quality and quantity of his Chakra had hardly increased; it wasn't even a case of getting half the results for twice the effort.

This was limited by his bloodline, and relying solely on his own efforts was basically impossible. Yuzhen could only hope for White Zetsu, wishing for a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with one someday.

On this day, after finishing his training, Yuzhen began to seriously consider whether it was time to leave this primeval forest.

On one hand, his strength had improved to a certain extent. As long as they didn't encounter large-scale conflicts or unexpected powerful enemies, they had at least some ability to protect themselves.

On the other hand, winter was approaching. Their supplies would only become scarcer, and the temperature would become an expected enemy. In such a situation, continuing to stay in the deep forest to "passively avoid the world" was definitely not a good idea.

However, just as he was about to make up his mind, the surprised shouts of several clan members suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Yuzhen looked in the direction of the sounds and saw that two people were already running towards him in a panic.

"Clan Leader, we have news of another clan member!"

"It's Chihori, we found Chihori's Summoning Beast!"

Perhaps due to panic, or perhaps due to excitement, someone mistakenly called "Captain" "Clan Leader."

But now was not the time to dwell on such things. Yuzhen quickly followed the two, and soon they led him to the base of a large tree not far from the camp.

A small Ninja Dog Summoning Beast lay there on its side, covered in many gruesome and exposed wounds. Its overall condition was very poor, and its breathing was unusually rapid.

"Just now, the ninja on duty discovered it. He recognized it as Hagane Chihori's Summoning Beast. After notifying the camp, others also confirmed this," someone quickly explained.

This Summoning Ninja Dog was named Beji, and even Yuzhen recognized the dog.

"Can it be saved?" he asked.

This Ninja Dog must have been attacked by enemies during its escape, enduring a painful experience. It was imaginable how difficult it was for it to find its way here.

Yet, it had still completed its mission.

Facing Yuzhen's question, everyone fell silent. This question didn't need an answer... everyone could see that the Ninja Dog had no chance of survival.

Yuzhen approached the Ninja Dog, crouched down, and gently stroked its head.

The Ninja Dog Beji seemed to remember Yuzhen's scent. It struggled to lift its neck and gently nudged Yuzhen's palm with its nose.

Then, it uncurled its tongue and spat out a small scroll.

Yuzhen picked up the scroll and, upon unfolding it, found a coordinate written on it.

"It's a message left by Chihori," Yuzhen said with certainty after reading the scroll.

This was because the information on the scroll was written in Morse Code, a code he had taught to some of the clan members.

"Chihori, is it really Chihori?"

"There's only one coordinate, what does that mean?"

"Do I even need to ask? It's a request for help, of course."

"It's a request for help, that's right. Chihori is still alive."

"So... what should we do?"

This question silenced the chaotic crowd. Yes, even if the Ninja Dog had delivered Chihori's plea for help, did they have the ability to carry out a rescue?

Everyone looked at Yuzhen in unison.

Yuzhen remained silent. He placed his hand on the Ninja Dog's head, and its breathing gradually weakened.

A ninja beside him had been frantically bandaging the Ninja Dog's wounds, but his movements gradually stopped.

The Ninja Dog's chest no longer rose and fell; it had lost all signs of life.

"Let's discuss it back at camp. Beji... rest in peace here," Yuzhen said.

It was somewhat ironic that in this chaotic era, the death of a Ninja Dog often touched people more than the death of a human.

"Captain, this matter might be a trap set by an unknown enemy... at least, we can't rule out that possibility."

After returning to the camp, everyone began to discuss the rescue.

Of course, everyone was eager to rescue their clan member, but they couldn't lose their heads, nor could they ignore the risks involved.

"The code isn't reliable. If Chihori was controlled by an enemy's Genjutsu, the code could have been leaked," another ninja said.

"Don't forget, it's been several months since we lost our village. This plea for help... it's a bit too late, isn't it?"

When their village was overrun by enemies, most of their kin were slaughtered, and a small portion broke through and scattered. If anyone had survived besides the people at the camp, they would have sent word by now.

"Perhaps they only just managed to contact us."

Maybe they didn't not contact us, but rather they couldn't contact us... that was also a possibility.

Most people seemed to be against responding to this plea for help, as it carried some doubts.

But Yuzhen knew their thoughts were the opposite of what they said, or rather, their emotions contradicted their logic.

People are emotional beings, and the more difficult the circumstances, the more precious certain things become.

Yuzhen stopped everyone's argument. He gestured for them to quiet down, then said, "Regardless, the plea for help did come from Chihori. We can't just ignore it."

"I've decided... to carry out a rescue operation."