Fierce Battle, Direct Base Swap

Water-Fire Fusion transformed into a sky full of mist.

Unlike the actively released Hidden Mist Technique, this was scalding hot steam carrying intense heat, instantly engulfing Kushimaru Kuriarare at its center.

His skin sizzled as it burned, while his most vulnerable eyes were wracked by unbearable pain, forcing him to squeeze them shut.

The extreme heat did not last long. Through Namikaze Yoru's precise perception with the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Kushimaru Kuriarare had not completely lost his ability to fight.

More troublesome still, the disturbance caused by this ninjutsu had already drawn the attention of the Mist Ninja in the Core Area. His senses detected quite a few people rapidly approaching.

As the temperature began to recede but the mist had yet to disperse, Namikaze Yoru flashed inside. Like teleportation, he appeared behind and to the side of Kushimaru Kuriarare, slashing viciously with a kunai in hand.

Kushimaru Kuriarare had yet to recover, but driven by battle instinct, he forcibly raised Nuibari and thrust it straight out, attempting to use offense as defense and force back his attacker.

"Puchi—Puchi—"

The sound of blades piercing flesh was exceptionally clear. Kushimaru Kuriarare's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the person before him. He had not expected his strike to succeed so easily—Nuibari had pierced straight through Namikaze Yoru's heart without resistance.

At the same time, Namikaze Yoru did not stop moving. He allowed Nuibari to pass through his body until it was fully embedded, while his own kunai mercilessly pierced through Kushimaru Kuriarare's throat. Blood spurted forth like a fountain.

Kushimaru Kuriarare released Nuibari and pressed both hands against his neck, seemingly trying to delay the arrival of death.

Namikaze Yoru's face was also twisted in pain, but relying on his powerful physique, he forcibly kept his wavering body upright. At the same time, he murmured softly.

"Exchange for 'Body Rapid Repair.'"

"Pawn it."

[500 Points deducted from the system panel. The puncture wound in Namikaze Yoru's chest healed at a visible rate, leaving only bloodstains as proof of the brutal scene moments ago.]

[Scan complete. Pawnable items discovered as follows:]

[Ding! Dying elite jonin... Valuation: 50]

[Ding! Unrecorded ninjutsu (extractable)... Valuation: 200]

[Ding! Special Ninja Sword "Nuibari"... Valuation: 200]

"Pawn everything."

A flash of light passed, and both the formidable enemy and the deadly weapon vanished. Not only had his chest been pierced in this battle, he had even lost 50 Points overall. At that thought, Namikaze Yoru felt a faint ache in his chest again.

After all, this operation had been far too risky. It was only because Nuibari's trait was piercing damage that Namikaze Yoru had dared to gamble like this. Had it been any other ninja sword, he would never have taken such a risk.

The approaching enemies were now only a few kilometers away. Namikaze Yoru did not dare delay and flashed over to Jonin Ito.

Namikaze Yoru felt nothing but respect for this Konoha jonin, who had refused to abandon his subordinates even unto death.

After killing the Mist Ninja and learning Water Clone, he had left a backup clone in the cabin to receive them while his real body went outside to collect corpses.

Had Jonin Ito not returned as promised, he would never have gone back to care whether those two traitors lived or died. Taking care of himself was what mattered most.

Even that forced exchange of attacks had been a contingency Namikaze Yoru had arranged after changing his plan on the fly.

"Jonin Ito." Namikaze Yoru hesitated as he looked at Makoto Ito, who was slipping into unconsciousness from excessive blood loss.

Hearing the sound, Makoto Ito struggled to open his eyes. His gaze was complicated, holding both relief and shock.

Using the last of his strength, he pointed to his chest and said:

"Genin Namikaze... take the scroll in my clothes... the intelligence on the Land of Whirlpools... back to Konoha..."

"I really want... to see the village once more."

His voice gradually faded until it fell silent.

Namikaze Yoru silently took the scroll from his clothes, then used a storage scroll he had found to put away the body.

"Take us with you! Save us!"

Kiyomizu Kenjin's pleading rang out at the most inappropriate moment, shattering the somber mood.

The two of them were covered in wounds. Although they had not completely lost the ability to move, in their current state, they were powerless to escape on their own.

A cold glint flashed through Hadō Kyūya's eyes as he said:

"I nearly forgot about you two."

"Trash not even qualified to be pawned. Go repent in hell."

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet."

Before the two could react, scorching flames swallowed them. In an instant, they were reduced to charred corpses.

After dealing with everything, Namikaze Yoru expanded the range of his Mind's Eye of the Kagura to its limit, then turned without hesitation and sped toward the Land of Fire.

Konoha, Hokage's Office

The Hokage's Office was filled with smoke. Hiruzen Sarutobi, still in his prime, stared at the frontline reports before him with a deeply troubled expression.

Konoha had only just beaten the ambitious Hanzo of the Salamander into retreat, yet it was now single-handedly standing against the two major ninja villages of Iwagakure and the Sand Village. They were nearly fighting each other to the death.

Although Konoha was brimming with talent at this time, with Kage-level powerhouses such as the Legendary Sannin and Konoha's White Fang capable of holding their own, war was not merely a matter of combat. It was also a test of logistics and reserves, and Konoha was under tremendous pressure.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi considered and issued order after order, an Anbu Ninja suddenly appeared before him and bowed in report:

"One member of the Ito Squad, assigned to the Land of Whirlpools reconnaissance mission, has returned."

"Who?"

"Namikaze Yoru."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi paused in the middle of issuing orders, seemingly trying to recall who that was. He then instructed an Anbu Ninja to bring him in to report.

Dusty and travel-worn, Namikaze Yoru had not stopped once on his way back. Even after entering the Land of Fire, he had not gone to report to any outpost. Instead, he had rushed straight back to the village and headed directly for the Hokage Building.

The doors to the Hokage's Office stood open. Only after an Anbu Ninja announced him was Namikaze Yoru allowed inside.

As Namikaze Yoru entered, the two men in the office met each other's eyes.

Namikaze Yoru gave Hiruzen Sarutobi the explanation he had prepared long ago on the road.

"Namikaze Yoru of the Ito Squad has completed the infiltration mission."

"Infiltration mission?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately sensed that something was wrong. Though Namikaze Yoru was exhausted, he had placed deliberate emphasis on the word "infiltration."

"Where are the rest of your squad?"

"Everyone but me was killed."

Namikaze Yoru then recounted how the squad members had infiltrated Uzushiogakure and, according to their orders, brought back a Sealing Technique Scroll.

After speaking, he placed the Secret Technique Scroll taken from Makoto Ito's chest, along with the scroll containing Makoto Ito's corpse, on the desk.

Seeing the two scrolls still stained with blood, Hiruzen Sarutobi fell silent for a long while.

"Repeat the orders you received."

"The orders instructed us to infiltrate Uzushiogakure, retrieve a sealing secret technique scroll, and scout out the enemy situation regarding the Mist Village's invasion."

"Go back and rest first. You exceeded the mission requirements. Konoha will not let its heroes bleed and shed tears."

"Yes."

Without saying anything further, Namikaze Yoru recalled the mission during his journey and had also sensed something subtle about the orders. He did not dare delay any longer, which was why he had rushed straight back to Konoha.