Grass Village Was Already on the Brink of Collapse

Anyone who could become a Jonin, or even an elite Jonin, was never truly simple.

Might Guy was straightforward by nature, but that didn't mean he couldn't think.

Playing the fool to fish for information was an easy way to fool people.

Even if he really did breach some taboo, people wouldn't take it too seriously after turning him down.

Of course, he was fishing for Grass Village's secrets. What did that have to do with Mo Chen?

"This is a difficult matter to talk about, but you're honored guests from Konoha. I can tell you quietly, as long as you promise not to let it get out."

Mo Chen glanced around furtively, looking as if he couldn't resist sharing some gossip but was afraid someone might catch him.

Rock Lee, Neji, and the others exchanged glances and immediately promised they wouldn't tell anyone.

Mo Chen then explained everything about the "human-shaped pills," down to the last detail.

Karin and her mother were from the Uzumaki Clan and had unusual constitutions. The chakra within their bodies was brimming with vitality.

Grass Village had discovered this by chance. All they had to do was bite into their flesh and absorb their chakra, and they could transfer that vitality into their own bodies, healing their injuries and illnesses.

Simply put, if you were injured, you could bite them and be healed.

No matter how severe the injury, as long as you weren't dead, they could save you and quickly restore you to full health.

The price Karin and her mother paid was a loss of chakra, which meant practically nothing to a ninja.

But lately, the war had taken a terrible toll on Grass Village, and countless people had been injured or left gravely wounded and on the brink of death.

The more serious the injury, the more chakra they had to absorb from the human-shaped pills to recover.

Karin's mother, Kana, was constantly bitten and never given time to rest and recover. In the end, they sucked her dry and killed her.

Fortunately, Karin had inherited her mother's constitution. With Kana dead, Karin could take her place.

Who could have known that someone so powerful would suddenly appear, abduct Karin, and take her mother's "corpse" as well?

"This has nothing to do with the neighboring countries!" Mo Chen continued to speak cautiously, peering around as he said, "That person must have learned about it through some unknown channel and come to the village to take them."

"Grass Village has lost its human-shaped pills, and that person also wounded and killed so many of our people. We'll probably lose this war. If you hear anything about the human-shaped pills, please notify Grass Village as soon as possible. We'll reward you handsomely."

By then, the group had reached the entrance to Grass Village.

Mo Chen waved to them. "I'll see you off here. Safe travels, and I hope we get the chance to meet again."

But after hearing Mo Chen's account, the members of Guy's team were in turmoil.

Grass Village had secretly detained members of the Uzumaki Clan and raised them as human-shaped pills. It was simply horrifying.

Even Might Guy, who had witnessed the cruelty of war and knew how dark the ninja world could be, had his whole worldview turned upside down.

Tenten had already known all this, but hearing Mo Chen describe it firsthand still filled her with rage.

It was a pity they were there as representatives of Konoha, and had to uphold the village's reputation. Otherwise, they would have made the people of Grass Village taste the same suffering they had inflicted on Karin and her mother.

The members of Guy's team were too troubled to keep chatting with Mo Chen. After a few brief pleasantries, they left with heavy hearts.

But before they could even leave Mo Chen's sight, a petite figure suddenly burst out of the woods beside them and attacked them.

The person was about the same size as Tenten and wore the uniform of Grass Village's Anbu. At a glance, she seemed to have the strength of a Genin or Chunin.

As soon as she appeared, she hurled a volley of ninja tools at Guy's team, then charged at them with a kunai in hand.

Even if several people of her caliber had attacked at once, taking them by surprise, they still wouldn't have stood a chance.

Seeing this from a distance, Mo Chen couldn't help but pause in surprise.

What was going on?

"Grass Village's Anbu?" Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and easily knocked away several projectiles with Gentle Fist.

Rock Lee punched and kicked away several more. "Why? And why did she charge in alone?"

"Why worry about that? Let's capture her first!" Tenten unfurled a scroll, sending a flood of swords, spears, and staffs flying from it to intercept all the remaining ninja tools.

Judging by the person's build, she was a little girl about the same age as Tenten.

But whatever the reason, she had attacked them. That made her an enemy!

Guy blurred forward and appeared behind her in an instant. He struck the back of her neck with the edge of his hand, and she immediately crumpled to the ground.

With skills like that, she had actually dared to try to assassinate them?

Mo Chen and several Grass Village ninjas who had witnessed the scene from the entrance rushed over.

Tenten and the others immediately went on guard. Neji said gravely, "What does Grass Village mean by this? Are you trying to declare war on Konoha?"

One of the Grass Village ninjas hastily called out, "It's a misunderstanding! We don't know what happened either, but Grass Village would never try to harm you or make an enemy of Konoha."

Rock Lee remained on guard. "Then how do you explain her actions? She's one of your Anbu, isn't she?"

After Mo Chen's explanation about the "human-shaped pills," they were already hostile toward Grass Village.

In a situation like this, even the slightest conflict could spark a fight.

Mo Chen stood to the side, watching coldly. He even hoped the two sides would start fighting.

Might Guy carried the unconscious Grass Village Anbu back and tossed her down in front of the Grass Village ninjas. "We need an explanation!"

"Wait, please! Give us a moment. I'll find out what happened as soon as I can!" The Grass Village ninja was sweating profusely.

Grass Village could never afford to offend Konoha, especially at such a critical time.

He hurried forward and pulled off the Anbu's mask, revealing a delicate face.

"Ryūsetsu?!"

Several Grass Village ninjas exclaimed, completely at a loss.

They had assumed someone else was impersonating Grass Village's ninjas and attacking Konoha's shinobi, hoping to provoke a conflict between the two countries.

But Ryūsetsu was one of their own!

Mo Chen raised an eyebrow. She was a character from the Blood Prison movie, with the forbidden technique Dragon Life Reincarnation, which could trade one life for another. She was still too inexperienced at this point, though.

Ryūsetsu didn't seem like the kind of person who would deliberately provoke a conflict. Why would she do something so foolish?

Soon, the Grass Village ninjas woke Ryūsetsu.

When they questioned her, she turned her face away, looking stubborn. "I have nothing to say. The mission failed, so kill me or do whatever you want."

"Do you know what you're doing?" The Grass Village ninja in charge was furious. He roared, "You'll bring disaster down on Grass Village! Tell us the truth! Or have you already betrayed the village?!"

"Disaster? You have the nerve to bring that up?" Ryūsetsu seemed to take offense and leapt to her feet, furious as well. "You're the ones who forced Aunt Kana to become a human-shaped pill. That's what caused all this!"

"Even without my mission, how long do you think Grass Village would last? Ten days? Half a month? Grass Village is already on the brink of collapse, and you brought it on yourselves!"

"What did you say?!" Every Grass Village ninja there except Mo Chen erupted in anger.