Tsunade's Clue

The Land of Water is located between the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire. Currently, the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire are at war, which has put immense pressure on the Land of Water, fearing that the flames of war might reach them one day.

Speaking of the Land of Water, one cannot help but mention its stubborn deeds. After the Warring States period ended, Hashirama distributed the Tailed Beasts according to the strength of the villages, and the Land of Water was fortunate enough to receive the Seven-Tails.

However, at that time, the higher-ups of the Land of Water, for some unknown reason, felt that since Hashirama had given other countries two Tailed Beasts while their country only received one, he was looking down on them. Furthermore, Konoha was unprecedentedly powerful then, with Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama all present, possessing the strength to unify the ninja world.

The Land of Water worried that Konoha might seek retribution after the war, so they decided to strike first and dispatched Kakuzu to assassinate Hashirama.

Naturally, the attempt failed. Hashirama was a kind-hearted man, and despite being targeted for assassination, he didn't do anything to Kakuzu. The matter should have ended there.

But Tobirama, his hot-tempered younger brother, heard about his elder brother's assassination attempt and, in a rage, took his men to the Land of Water to demand an explanation. The result was that Kakuzu was imprisoned and subsequently defected from Takigakure.

Recalling the intelligence about Takigakure, Sora Uchiha made a judgment. Since that incident, the relationship between Konoha and Takigakure had not been very good. However, there was still one thing he didn't understand: how dared Takigakure attack Tsunade?

They had been trying to keep a low profile during the Third Shinobi World War these past two years. At this critical juncture, they dared to intercept one of the Konoha Sannin? Weren't they afraid of being caught in the crossfire?

"Seven, carry out the mission, stop thinking about irrelevant things," Kazuki Utsuki, who was in front, suddenly shouted as he looked back.

Sora Uchiha shivered, realizing that he had fallen behind. If he continued to ponder, he might not even be able to see the captain and the others soon.

He smiled apologetically, cleared his mind, and sped up to follow behind the group.

After traveling all day, the group finally arrived at the border of the Land of Water before sunset. They saw shinobi on the main road in the distance.

Shinnosuke's expression turned grim. "There are shinobi here. It seems things are much more troublesome than we imagined."

"However, it also means one good thing," Kazuki Utsuki said. "At least Jonin Tsunade's current situation is good; she hasn't been discovered."

"Then how do we find her?" Sora Uchiha asked. He didn't have any sensory ninjutsu, and finding someone in another country would be difficult for him.

"Well, according to the intel, Jonin Tsunade should be in the northwest direction of Takigakure. Let's split into pairs and search separately. Once you find her, contact us via phone." As he spoke, Shinnosuke handed each person a small phone.

Sora Uchiha looked down at the phone in his hand. Technology wasn't particularly advanced in this era, and the phone he held only had one button: call. Moreover, outside the Land of Fire, there was sometimes no signal.

However, given the current circumstances, they couldn't be picky. Rapid technological development would have to wait for the golden new era after the Third Shinobi World War.

"Monkey, Seven is yours," Shinnosuke said. Kazuki Utsuki nodded and stood beside Sora Uchiha.

Every time they were assigned to groups for a mission, it was always him and Sora Uchiha together. It had been like this for a month.

Sora Uchiha thought for a moment and then asked, "Captain, if we get into an unavoidable frontal conflict with Takigakure shinobi, should we..." He made a choking gesture.

This was also the thought of most people. Killing or not killing was a problem. If they killed, it might create another enemy for Konoha during this time of war. If they didn't kill... it would be very troublesome, and many things would be done with restraint.

Shinnosuke pondered for a moment. "If possible, try not to kill. The prerequisite is that you have overwhelming strength against the enemy. If you face an evenly matched opponent, retreat first. If you can't retreat, fight with all you've got."

Sora Uchiha nodded and stepped back, having no further questions.

"In that case, let's move out."

The group split up and acted.

#

Since they had come to Takigakure, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was an unavoidable topic.

In later generations, the third Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was Fuu, but Fuu hadn't been born yet. As for the second Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, there was no relevant information.

Therefore, for this mission, they needed to be wary of the potential second Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.

Sora Uchiha thought to himself. With his current strength, his chances of winning against a Jinchuriki were... well, very slim. If it was a fully transformed Jinchuriki, he wouldn't stand a chance.

Thinking this, Sora Uchiha suddenly felt a bit weak. If only his talent for learning ninjutsu could be improved, he wouldn't have to rely so heavily on summoning and secret scrolls.

At this moment, Kazuki Utsuki, who was in front, suddenly raised his hand to stop Sora Uchiha, who was leaping through the trees.

"What..."

"Shh," Kazuki Utsuki raised his index finger, signaling him to be quiet.

At this moment, Sora Uchiha also sensed something unusual and immediately leaped onto a tree branch, perfectly blending into the environment.

Kazuki Utsuki looked at Sora Uchiha's fluid movements and nodded with satisfaction, thinking that this kid was good, noticing the anomaly before he even had to remind him.

Then, he lay flat on the ground, blending perfectly with the soil, leaving no trace of his presence.

Clearly, Kazuki Utsuki was also skilled in concealment ninjutsu.

For a moment, the surroundings fell into dead silence. Soon, the sounds of small insects could be heard.

After a while, two Takigakure shinobi arrived.

"Hmm? There seemed to be some movement over here just now," one of them asked, holding a kunai and cautiously parting the grass beside them. A rabbit was startled and fled out with a squeal.

"What is it, just a rabbit, making such a fuss?" the other said with a laugh, throwing a shuriken that accurately hit the fleeing rabbit. He walked over and picked it up. "We can have a feast tonight. Want some? I can give you a leg."

"You, be more vigilant. If that woman escapes, we'll be in trouble."

"Hmph, we've controlled all the exits from the village now. And that woman is heavily injured. How could she possibly escape?"

"Heh, did you forget how one of them got out?"

At this, the man's eyes flickered with deep apprehension. That woman, with her monstrous strength, was like a force of nature. Even though she was injured, she had punched her way out, leaving a trail of blood. If he had been closer, he would have died.

"It's fine, she's been poisoned. I don't believe she can run," the other man also fell silent, and after a long pause, he said faintly.

"Hmm, be careful. Even though she ran towards the back mountain at the end, it might have been a diversion. Let's just guard our area," he spat, grinding his saliva with his toe.

"She stole our Hero Water, how could we possibly let her go!"

Soon, the two left amidst idle chatter...

After a long while, the leaves on the tree were pushed aside, and Sora Uchiha gazed down at the rabbit's bloodstains on the ground.

Kazuki Utsuki also emerged from the soil. The two exchanged a glance and spoke in unison:

"Back mountain?"

"Hero Water?"