Leaving the Village

The next morning.

Kusagakure was under a state of high alert, with patrols of ninja squads moving back and forth along the main streets.

A horse-drawn carriage slowly pulled out from the back door of the inn.

"Neji, can we do this?"

Yugito pulled aside the curtain and glanced at the ninjas on the street, feeling a little uneasy.

According to Yugito's plan, she would be the one to attract the attention of the Kusagakure ninja by killing a few people in the village, creating an opportunity for Neji and the other two to escape.

But Neji was planning to drive a carriage and brazenly walk out of the village entrance.

Yugito felt it was a bit unreliable, but after much thought, she decided it was worth a try.

If they could slip out, that would be best. If their identities were discovered by the Kusagakure ninja, they would just fight their way out.

"Don't panic, just watch my show."

Neji was as steady as an old dog. He flicked the reins, and the carriage quickly headed towards the village entrance.

At the village entrance, more than ten Kusagakure ninja were meticulously checking the pedestrians leaving the village.

Neji glanced at Katsushiro, who was standing at the gate, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Get out of the carriage."

A Kusagakure ninja quickly reached Neji and shouted loudly.

"Heh."

Neji jumped off the carriage, walked up to the ninja, and with a snap, raised his hand and slapped him across the face.

"Ah!" The Kusagakure ninja fell to the ground, his head ringing.

"Idiot!"

Neji pointed at the forehead protector on his head, like a "taijun" throwing a tantrum in a TV drama, and cursed fiercely, "You're telling me to get out? Are you blind, you don't recognize this?"

The gate ninja was both angry and wronged.

He did recognize the Cloud ninja forehead protector, but he hadn't expected this Cloud ninja to be so hot-tempered.

"This is too much, how could you hit someone?" Another Kusagakure ninja quickly helped his companion up and questioned Neji angrily.

Neji picked up a pebble and threw it, shouting, "This is how we Cloud ninja do things. What, you're not satisfied?"

"What are you arguing about?"

At this moment, Katsushiro heard the commotion and walked over.

"Captain, you're here just in time. This Cloud ninja hit me."

The gate ninja said, covering his face, his voice full of grievance.

Katsushiro first carefully examined Neji, then turned around and reprimanded, "It takes two to clap. Why did he only hit you and not others? Look for the reason within yourself."

"..."

The Kusagakure ninja's mouth twitched, and he was speechless.

Katsushiro forced a smile and said politely to Neji, "Little brother, he's ignorant. Please don't take it to heart."

"Now that's what a person should say." Neji's expression softened slightly.

"Little brother, may I ask why you are here in Kusagakure?"

"By rights, someone of your status wouldn't be allowed to see it."

Neji said arrogantly, then expressionlessly showed the mission credentials he had prepared beforehand. He opened it for Katsushiro to glance at before quickly closing it.

Katsushiro pondered for a moment and said with some difficulty, "Little brother, to be honest, last night our Kusagakure village was infiltrated by unknown foreign ninjas. To prevent the villains from disguising themselves and sneaking away, we'll have to trouble you... to let us inspect the carriage."

As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling person.

Seeing the smiling Katsushiro, Neji found it difficult to refuse.

"It's good to be cautious. Go ahead and look."

Neji directly pulled open the curtain.

Katsushiro squinted and looked inside.

The interior of the carriage was spacious.

But the Kusagakure ninja only saw a beautiful, long-haired woman lounging on a bench. Besides her, there was no one else.

Neji lowered the curtain and asked loudly, "Are there any suspects you're looking for in there?"

"No."

"Little brother, sorry to have bothered you. Please be on your way."

Katsushiro shook his head and waved his hand, signaling them to let them pass.

After the carriage had driven further away, the Kusagakure ninja who had been slapped by Neji spoke up, "Captain, according to the rules, we should have gone up to search and ensured everything was foolproof before letting them go."

"You're absolutely right."

Katsushiro narrowed his eyes and nodded, then changed the subject.

"But rules are dead, people are alive. There's an old saying in the ninja world: the dancing Wei Junjie, we can't afford to offend that Cloud ninja from your village."

"And besides..."

He lowered his voice and continued, "There are some things you don't understand. The infiltrator is definitely not a Cloud ninja."

The Kusagakure ninja pondered this.

Katsushiro patted his shoulder. "Alright, that's in the past. Guard the gate well."

Meanwhile, after the carriage had sped away, Kana and her mother emerged from a hidden compartment behind it.

Kana patted her ample chest, looking relieved. "That was close. I was really afraid those Kusagakure ninja would find us."

Neji, flicking the reins, chuckled smugly. "Madam, I told you to relax. My plan was flawless."

"Hmph!"

Yugito crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at Neji. "Flawless? It's just that those Kusagakure ninja weren't professional enough. If it were us Cloud ninja, we would have seen through it long ago."

Neji didn't argue with her. He turned and called out to Karin, "Karin, come sit on your brother's lap. I'll teach you how to drive."

After several days of searching, no suspicious individuals were found.

Ryurin realized that the infiltrator had likely already escaped with Kana and her mother.

However, with the entire Kusagakure under high alert, he couldn't figure out how the infiltrator had left.

"To leave with a pair of defenseless mother and daughter under these circumstances... impressive. Konohagakure truly has many talents."

Ryurin mused.

Although he had his doubts, he didn't dwell on it.

After all, there were too many strange and unusual abilities in the ninja world.

Chirp!

Just then, an eagle's cry echoed from the sky.

Looking up, he saw five eagles with wingspans exceeding three meters circling overhead.

Ryurin's eyebrows twitched slightly. Mui was back.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sounds of air being torn apart filled the air as five figures descended from the sky, landing on the open ground.

Among them was a stern-faced young man with a calm demeanor.

This was an elite Jonin of Kusagakure, the leader of the Kusagakure branch, Mui.

The other four ninja, wearing masks resembling a monkey, ox, sheep, and dog, were elders of Kusagakure.

Katsushiro walked up to Mui and said respectfully, "Mui, you're finally back."

"I was away when the village faced this crisis. I relied on all of you."

Mui's expression was cold, giving the impression of someone unapproachable. However, those who had interacted with him knew him to be an easygoing and gentle man.

Ryurin glanced at Mui and chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Ryūsetsu was pestering me to train her, so I'll be heading back."

The Kusagakure branch and the Kusagakure branch had always been at odds.

In this situation, it was not appropriate for Ryurin, the leader of the Kusagakure branch, to get involved.

"Lord Ryurin."

Mui took out a paper lantern from his ninja pouch. "This is a small gift from Muku for Ryūsetsu!"

While the Kusagakure branch and the Kusagakure branch had deep-seated conflicts, it was a clash of ideologies. Mui and Ryurin, as leaders of their respective branches, maintained friendly relations in private, and their children were childhood sweethearts.

"This... I thank Muku on Ryūsetsu's behalf."

Ryurin took the paper lantern and took his leave.