Bad News, Two-Tails Jinchuriki! The Madman Flees at Night!

The Hot Water Ninja's head protector bears a symbol of three water lines, resembling the character 'Chuan'.

Upon learning that Hot Water Ninja were searching ahead, Uchiha Setsuna quickly led his men to encircle them.

The abilities of ninja from great nations are naturally incomparable to those from small nations.

When he spotted the target wearing a Hot Water Ninja headband, Uchiha Ci didn't even have time to throw a shuriken for a quick combo before Great Elder Uchiha Setsuna had already leaped forward.

Uchiha Ci could only see him draw his long sword, which began to spin with blazing red flames, before he plunged down.

Like a wildfire spreading across the plains, wherever he passed, three Hot Water Ninja were cut down like grass before they could even speak.

This gave Uchiha Ci a surreal feeling of being a max-level player leveling up a low-level character.

After dealing with the three weaklings, Uchiha Setsuna placed his sword against the throat of one of the Hot Water Ninja and asked coldly:

"Who sent you?"

The Hot Water Ninja flinched fearfully, his lips moving as if to speak, but no words came out.

Seeing this, Uchiha Setsuna simply activated his Sharingan and glared at him with icy eyes.

A moment later, he deactivated his Sharingan and finished off the Hot Water Ninja before him with a single sword strike.

Uchiha Ci, standing to the side, saw the Great Elder's expression suddenly change.

Then, the Great Elder turned around and commanded:

"Depart immediately, crossing the border tonight!"

"After crossing the border pass, do not stop. Head straight for the capital of the Land of Hot Water and await rendezvous with the Head of the Guard, Fugaku."

"If you encounter enemy interception, do not engage, and retreat quickly."

"Great Elder, what happened?"

Uchiha Seiichiro swallowed, his expression tensing as he looked at the Great Elder.

Uchiha Setsuna said concisely:

"The Two-Tails Jinchuriki has appeared in the Land of Hot Water."

"Their target is most likely our clan's garrison in the Valley of Hell, and there's a high probability of ninja interception ahead."

"The situation has spiraled out of control."

"We must depart for Yugakure City, the capital of the Land of Hot Water, immediately to find the Ninja Cat Clan's contact and relay the message back to the Uchiha."

"What?!"

Uchiha Seiichiro's face contorted in shock and horror.

The Jinchuriki of Kumogakure could be used as weapons of war.

If a Jinchuriki were to reach the Valley of Hell, which currently lacked top-tier experts, it would be a devastating disaster for the clan members stationed there!

Even though this was only the eve of the Third Shinobi World War, was Kumogakure already deploying weapons like Jinchuriki on the small nation battlefields?

Meanwhile, Uchiha Ci stood to the side, a glint flashing in his eyes.

That was the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, after all.

No matter how fancy your shurikenjutsu was, one slap from them could turn you into a meat patty.

After a brief spar with Uchiha Seiichiro, he realized that even with his shurikenjutsu at a ridiculously high level of mastery, he still had a decent chance of winning against a Two-Tomoe Sharingan-wielding Uchiha Chunin.

In other words, Uchiha Ci, a Genin, actually possessed Chunin-level strength right now.

If shurikenjutsu could be considered a specialty, Uchiha Ci might even qualify for the title of Special Jonin.

It was already difficult to get by with ordinary missions.

Only by taking on more dangerous missions and fighting more dangerous enemies!

Could he achieve a dignified exit!

And now, arriving on the battlefield, to hear that there was a super-boss like the Two-Tails Jinchuriki ahead, Uchiha Ci's feelings were indescribable.

Tears were almost streaming from the corners of his eyes.

Uchiha Setsuna surveyed his two subordinates, observing their expressions, and was about to offer them some words of encouragement.

Seiichiro, that cowardly pacifist, looked fearful and evasive, like a cowardly turtle wanting to shove his head between his legs.

However, Uchiha Setsuna could understand.

After all, encountering an enemy of this caliber during a mission was comparable to an S-rank mission.

It was understandable to be a little scared.

And when Uchiha Setsuna saw Uchiha Ci, the corners of his eyes twitched uncontrollably.

What the hell was up with this kid?

The eager glint in his eyes, the tears streaming down his face, and the expression of manic excitement, as if he'd been injected with a stimulant.

He was even muttering under his breath, "Tatakai! Tatakai! Tatakai!"

It was as if the words "I want to fight!" were literally carved onto his face.

Uchiha Setsuna's brow twitched. What is this nonsense?! he thought.

You scared the life out of me!

Uchiha Setsuna shook his head, swallowing back the words of encouragement that were about to escape his lips.

With a cold face and icy gaze, he drew his sword and pointed it into the pitch-black darkness ahead.

"Move out!"

Sinking into the darkness, they pressed on.

In the lightless night, the mountains lay low like slumbering dragons, eerily silent.

Thanks to Uchiha Setsuna's decisive action in eliminating the Hot Water Ninjas who were patrolling and keeping watch for the three Kumogakure ninja, the Uchiha squad crossed the border of the Land of Hot Water without incident.

Meanwhile, The night passed in a blur.

A gap opened in the clouds shrouding the full moon, and the cold moonlight spilled down, illuminating the valley.

Ramii, a Jonin from Kumogakure who had been dozing with his Ninja Sword in his arms, suddenly opened his eyes.

He frowned abruptly and muttered, "Something's wrong, it's too quiet."

He then leaned over to ask his teammate who was on watch, "Moroi, has the Hot Water Ninja who's supposed to report back at scheduled times returned?"

Moroi, while wiping his Ninja Sword, also frowned slightly and replied, "No."

"It's been over half an hour."

Ramii knitted his brows, pondered for a moment, and immediately gave an order:

"Immediately send word to our scouts in the border villages on both sides and ask them for information."

As Moroi heard this and was about to use a summoning jutsu, he suddenly looked up.

A carrier pigeon flew down under the moonlight. He reached out and caught it, then pulled a rolled-up scroll from its leg.

"Senior Ramii, the message has arrived."

"Uchiha operatives have entered the Land of Hot Water. They're not far ahead of us. They've changed their direction of advance, heading towards Yugakure City instead of the Valley of Hell."

Ramii was startled and immediately woke up Dodai, who was still resting.

"Something's wrong, we need to hurry and catch up!"

"Uchiha Setsuna might already know our plan."

Returning to the Uchiha squad.

At this moment, The squad had already crossed the border of the Land of Hot Water and passed through three villages, not daring to stop for a moment.

The moon was now setting in the west, the sky faintly glowing, and the chirping of monkeys echoed through the high mountains and deep valleys.

The three of them had been advancing since eight in the morning yesterday. After reaching the border, they hadn't rested at all. They crossed the border of the Land of Hot Water at night and had been marching non-stop for another night.

They were utterly exhausted.

Although Uchiha Ci had gained high-level skills and possessed considerable combat power, his chakra reserves were a different matter.

He was also drenched in sweat, leaning on his legs and panting heavily.

Coincidentally, there was an abandoned village nearby where they could rest.

Uchiha Seiichiro cried out that he couldn't walk any further. Uchiha Setsuna frowned slightly and had no choice but to order a halt.

He first instructed the still-able Seiichiro to clear a space, then he strung tripwires around the village, hanging explosive tags and bells, taking on the tasks that should have been theirs.

As for Uchiha Ci, he was too exhausted to even move, but he still tried to force himself up to help.

The Great Elder smacked him on the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.

Uchiha Setsuna summoned a Ninja Crow for reconnaissance, then let out a sigh and said grimly to Seiichiro, "It will take another half a day to reach Yugakure City. We'll rest here for two hours, then we depart immediately."

With that, Uchiha Setsuna closed his eyes, and his snores thundered like thunder.

Uchiha Seiichiro also couldn't hold on any longer and collapsed onto the ground, sleeping like a little pig.

The three of them found a moment of respite.

Unbeknownst to them, danger was rapidly approaching from behind.

Next Chapter: Roar! The Battle Begins!

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