Hankuang did not answer the question.
The night passed without incident.
At daybreak, Team 9 set out.
Hankuang was in a poor mood.
Because today, it was his Spirit attribute that had randomly doubled, not his Agility.
Spirit: 4(*) [Primary Immunity]
To be honest, Hankuang did not feel any sign that doubling his Spirit attribute had made him stronger.
The only difference was that his mind felt much clearer. It seemed even his concentration had improved.
Looking at the words [Primary Immunity], he made a guess.
"Primary Immunity... Could it mean immunity to low-level genjutsu?"
Forget it. No point guessing.
After a brief preparation, the team set out.
It was another calm and uneventful day.
At nightfall, Kakashi gave Team 9 its final mission briefing.
"Tomorrow, we'll enter the Land of Hot Water. If everything goes smoothly, we can reach the Daimyo Palace by tomorrow evening."
"Once we escort Miss Minako to the Daimyo Palace, our mission will be complete."
"So tomorrow will be an extremely important day."
That was indeed the case.
Tomorrow would be the final stretch of this mission.
"I hope my guess is wrong."
Hankuang sighed and muttered to himself.
Then,
he opened the ninja tool pouch on his leg and felt the more than three hundred Explosive Tags inside.
"I still brought too few."
The morning birdsong broke the silence.
After waking up, the first thing Hankuang did was check his Attribute Panel.
Name: Hankuang Age: years Strength: [Genin level] Constitution: [Chunin level] Agility: [Jonin level] Spirit: (4*) [Intermediate Immunity] Chakra Amount: Skills: None Ninjutsu: None Overall Strength Rating: Trainee Genin
He stared at the Attribute Panel in silence for a long time.
"Hankuang, get ready to set out," Obito called.
On the road, the ox cart continued its slow journey toward the border.
Team 9 was on high alert, every member fully focused.
Finally,
a river appeared faintly in their line of sight. That was the border.
Once they crossed the river, they would be in the Land of Hot Water.
"Wait!"
Hankuang suddenly spoke, his tone grave.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Are there enemies?"
At Hankuang's shout, Obito and Rin instantly went on guard.
Kakashi also jumped over, his face full of inquiry.
"We're almost at the border, so why aren't there even any border guards from Konoha?" Hankuang asked in a deep voice.
"That's normal."
Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief and replied.
He had thought Hankuang had really detected enemies. It turned out to be because of this.
"You call this normal?" Hankuang frowned.
Kakashi had said that Jonin could not enter neutral countries, and that was one thing. But now there were not even any Konoha shinobi guarding the border. How could this possibly be considered normal?
Kakashi began to explain.
"Because the village signed the Integrity Treaty with Kumogakure."
"Integrity? Treaty?" Hankuang stared at him in disbelief.
"That's right! According to the Integrity Treaty, Konoha will not station troops at the Hot Water-Fire Border, and Kumogakure will not station troops at the Lightning-Moon Border."
Kakashi stated the terms of the treaty.
Hankuang was dumbfounded.
Konoha had actually signed such a bizarre treaty?
If Kumogakure honored the treaty, that would be fine. But if they ever broke it, wouldn't this border be completely undefended?
Which idiot in the village had signed this treaty?
"This was personally drafted by the Third Hokage. The purpose was to show Kumogakure our sincerity and promote peace," Kakashi added.
Hankuang was already too speechless to complain.
Could peace really be achieved through integrity alone?
It required force.
This matter alone made it clear that Konoha's leadership had already entered a rotten phase.
Submissive to outsiders, ruthless toward its own.
Hatake Sakumo's fate was the best example.
After crossing the river, Team 9 entered the Land of Hot Water.
Of course, the ox cart had been tied up on the opposite bank, so it could not cross the river. From here on, Minako would have to continue on foot.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a red signal flare shot into the sky from the woods.
Immediately afterward, a large group of shinobi leaped out of the trees, completely blocking Team 9's retreat.
Ten, twenty, thirty, forty—
Groups of shinobi continued leaping out one after another.
Obito and Rin were completely stunned, rooted to the spot.
How could they have imagined that dozens of shinobi would suddenly appear for just a B-rank mission?
Was this some kind of joke?
At that moment, Kakashi's eyes were more solemn than ever.
More than fifty shinobi—were they all Chunin?
"I knew it!"
Hankuang cursed inwardly and immediately pulled out more than a hundred Explosive Tags.
Rustle!!!
Without a second thought, he threw them all out.
"What are you standing around for? Run!"
Before you continue