A promise must not be lightly abandoned

Deep in the Yellow Stone Mountain Range, a man in a black cloak stands atop a high Rock, a gust of wind lifting a corner of his robe.

Rustling...

The landscape is a dull, earthy yellow, devoid of life.

The Yellow Stone Mountain Range of the Land of Earth are filled with an aura of deathly stillness. People who can establish villages and survive in such places will have a character as resolute and tenacious as the earth and stone.

"You must be the employer. We are a team sent by Iwagakure to carry out a mission," he said in a Chinese voice, neither humble nor arrogant.

Ten million taels of cash have been deposited into the treasury of Iwagakure.

Even when faced with such a generous employer, Han remained perfectly composed, showing no trace of obsequiousness or affectation.

Beneath his cheerful and straightforward exterior, Han is actually a cautious and meticulous person.

"As expected of Elite Squad from Iwagakure." The Black-Robed Man chuckled softly, his low, husky voice betraying a deliberate attempt at flattery.

Han's eyes One Flash slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

On the other hand, the little girl Kurotsuchi showed a proud look on her face, Akatsuchi touched the back of her head honestly, while Deidara turned his face away coldly, but his tense expression became much more relaxed.

The Black-Robed Man's lips curled slightly, a cold smile passing across his face without leaving a trace.

A bunch of simple-minded guys...

"Let's go." Seeing that the Black-Robed Man was completely concealed from head to toe, Han Mingzhi chose not to ask any questions.

The group then left Iwagakure.

Deep within a primeval forest on the border of Kusagakure, Tōka silently gazed at the Box of Paradise, half-submerged in the Swamp.

Long-duration spatial jumps are bound to make mistakes.

The Tenseigan controls the power of space and time, and must be used in conjunction with Tenseigan perception to determine the landing point of the teleportation exit.

While crossing the jungle of the Land of Grass, Tōka panicked and failed to notice that this "grassland" was actually a huge Swamp.

"Never mind, I bet White Zetsu is coming over with Deidara soon." Tōka glanced at the azure sky, with fluffy white clouds floating overhead.

On sunny days, the chirping of summer insects can be heard from time to time.

Hiding in the shade of the tree, Tōka felt warm and cozy. She lazily stretched out her body, then leaned against the tree trunk and closed her eyes.

The direction of the Land of Earth.

The group of five leaped swiftly among the earthen-yellow rocks.

The closer you get to the Land of Grass, the more clearly you can feel the ground beneath your feet gradually becoming softer.

The yellowish-brown rocks gradually thinned out, while the Dark Green grassland became denser.

About half an hour after Tōka appeared at the border of the Land of Grass with the Box of Paradise, Han's team also arrived at the border of the Land of Earth.

"Where are the boxes being transported?" Han had already treated the mission as S-rank Mission when he learned about it.

At this moment, his eyes scanned the surroundings warily; the border between two countries was often the most turbulent place.

"Isn't that it?" White Zetsu felt a special quality about Tōka's aura.

Although it cannot match the insight of Tōka's Tenseigan, it can still detect Tōka's presence from a great distance.

This is on the premise that Tōka did not deliberately hide it.

Upon hearing this, Han, Deidara, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi all looked up and gazed into the distance, following White Zetsu's line of sight.

Really!

A boy dressed casually stood on a treetop, a gentle breeze lifting a corner of his shirt.

Quiet and upright, it stands there like a pine tree.

"The contact person..." Han hesitated for a moment, then gave Deidara and the other two a look, signaling them to be careful.

After all, this was the border between the two countries, and even though it was sparsely populated and one might not encounter a single person for months, Han's calm and composed nature made him extremely cautious.

Deidara, Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi also couldn't help but show serious expressions.

Whoosh whoosh!!

With a burst of energy, the group leaped high and swiftly disappeared into the depths of the primeval jungle of the Land of Grass.

Unlike the lush forests of the Land of Fire, which give a fresh and verdant feeling, the Forest of the Land of Grass have more of a primeval jungle feel, with dark green shadows that completely block out the sunlight.

Rustling...

A group of five people leaped through the jungle.

The sound of leaves rustling constantly filled my ears, mixed with the rush of wind generated by my rapid movement.

"Huh? They're here!" Tōka, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. A glint of light flashed in his dark pupils. One of the five chakra streams was White Zetsu, the others...

Huh?

This massive amount of chakra...

Could it be Tailed Beast?

Tōka's brow twitched, revealing a look of surprise and uncertainty. The Tailed Beast of the Land of Earth are the Four-Tails Son Goku and the Five-Tails Kokuō.

The Four-Tails' ability is Lava Release; even from a great distance, one can feel its scorching heat.

However, Tōka did not feel any heat coming at him, so the person who came was definitely not the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.

Besides the Four-Tails, the only other one is the Five-Tails Jinchuriki —Han!

"Han hasn't appeared much, so I don't know much about him!" Tōka reached out and wiped his face, and chakra formed a magical energy film on his face following the movement of his palm.

Six Harmonies Divine Technique: Disguise!

By minimizing their presence, they prevent others from seeing their true face.

Similar to Transformation Technique, it is actually a type of Genjutsu.

Swish swish swish!!

Just as Tōka activated his Genjutsu, several dark figures descended one after another, standing ten steps away from him.

"You are the real employer?" Han knew that the man in Black-Robed Man was just a messenger; a guy who didn't even dare to show his face wouldn't be respected.

The young man before them exuded an air of nobility and possessed a confident gaze.

All these feelings that arose from his heart told Han that the boy in front of him was the real employer.

"The mission item is that box, to be transported to the Land of Earth..." Tōka paused, his gaze sweeping over the four Stone Ninja before finally settling on Deidara.

You should know the location by now.

"Yes, leave the rest to us."

Han responded and glanced at Deidara, his meaning clear: he wanted Deidara to create a giant bird to drag the enormous box out.

Deidara, his face dark, reached into the bag containing Explosive Clay. "They actually made me, the great one, do the carrying? Unforgivable... um."

Bang!

Deidara casually flicked the Explosive Clay he was chewing out of his palm, then clasped his hands together in a hand Hand Seals.

Buzz!

A surge of powerful Earth Element chakra erupted, forming a seal to activate the Jutsu Formula!

With a bang, a cloud of white mist exploded in the air, followed by a giant white bird bursting out of the mist.

Explosive Clay Giant Bird: A large bird created by activating Explosive Clay using Earth Release Jutsu Formula. It can be ridden for reconnaissance and can also be detonated remotely.

"I'm afraid a single bird can't lift it..." Tōka kindly reminded him, but Deidara glared at him coldly.

"Don't underestimate my art! Hmm!" Deidara changed his hand seals, controlling the giant bird to plunge down, its wings flapping and creating a gust of wind.

The storm swept through, making everyone squint.

The Forest rise and fall, like waves rippling across a green ocean, stretching from near to far.

Click!

The giant bird grabbed a grotesque face from the Box of Paradise with its claws, then flapped its wings, intending to pull it out of the mud.

Huffing and puffing...

Two enormous wings flapped incessantly, the force generated by the wind.

The Box of Paradise, stuck in the Swamp, began to move. With each flap of the giant bird's wings, the Box of Paradise moved an inch upward.

However, the giant bird's flapping of its wings had gaps; it had just pulled the Box of Paradise out a little when it sank back down during the gaps in its wing flapping.

Deidara's face darkened; he really wanted to see that ugly box.

"That box is very heavy; it would be best to use four large birds." Tōka's voice rang out at the right time, without a trace of sarcasm, simply reminding Deidara.

However, Deidara's face darkened even more upon hearing this.

He glared at Tōka unhappily, too lazy to even say a word, and suddenly reached into the bag of Explosive Clay.

Bang bang!!

Two more muffled thuds followed, and two huge clouds of white mist exploded in the air.

Three giant birds lined up in a triangular formation, each grasping a corner of the Box of Paradise was protruding from the Swamp.

With a whoosh, all three pairs of enormous wings exerted force together.

Glug glug...

The Box of Paradise, which was stuck in the Swamp, was quickly pulled out.

The mud covered it, obscuring the four sides of the ghostly gate, but the invisible evil aura remained.

The cool sensation stimulated his skin, and Deidara felt a tingling sensation on his face.

"What exactly is inside? Why do I feel scared?" Deidara cracked his knuckles, forcing himself to calm down.

As the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han felt the evil aura emanating from the Box of Paradise even more deeply.

The moment the Box of Paradise was pulled from the mud, a strange, unsettling feeling welled up inside me, and an overwhelming sense of negativity materialized into a tangible aura.

Han's heart tightened, and he watched Tōka, his eyes showing even more vigilance.

"Shall we set off now?" Tōka looked at Han calmly; the other party seemed to have changed his mind.

"What exactly is this? If you can't explain it, this mission..." Han paused for a moment, then finally uttered a sentence.

We will choose to give up.

Upon hearing this, the trio, including Deidara, stared at Han in utter bewilderment.

Abandoning a mission is an absolute taboo word for ninjas.

Among the Five Great Nations, including the Land of Earth, villages like this stand at the pinnacle of the Ninja World partly due to their strength and partly due to their reputation.

"So you're a bunch of idiots who take money and do nothing, huh? And you call yourselves ninjas from Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Nations." White Zetsu chimed in at the opportune moment to mock him.

The flippant voice was extremely grating, and the three hot-blooded youngsters were immediately displeased upon hearing it.

The first one to pop out wasn't Deidara, but rather the chubby, good-natured Akatsuchi.

"We ninjas of Iwagakure always keep our word! Even if they all abandon the mission, I will complete it by myself!" Akatsuchi roared, his thick neck bulging, his fat face turning bright red.

"That's right, now that we've accepted the mission, we'll definitely complete it!" Kurotsuchi stepped forward and stood beside Akatsuchi, her serious expression telling everyone that she was serious.

As the granddaughter of the Third Tsuchikage, I absolutely cannot disgrace the Stone Ninja!

Deidara stood to the side with a cold expression. Although he didn't say a word, his expression clearly told everyone that he would definitely complete the mission.

"It seems your subordinates don't agree with you." Tōka raised an eyebrow, looking directly at Han.

It's not time to take the Five-Tails Kokuō Kokuo away yet.

The thought flashed through Tōka's mind and he made a decision. Although he couldn't capture the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Tōka decided to test how Five-Tails Jinchuriki really was.

Kokuō's Chakra Nature is fire and water, and his ability is Boil Release, which is derived from water and fire.

Han himself was tall and strong, with powerful Taijutsu, and most importantly...

Among the many Jinchūriki, Han is the most mysterious.

Tōka knew almost nothing about this person.

"The mission isn't everything for a ninja. This person is very strong, you shouldn't..." Han's words were interrupted coldly by Kurotsuchi.

"Lord Han, this is absolutely no reason to abandon the mission."

Akatsuchi nodded vigorously, indicating that he was on Kurotsuchi's side.

Han remained silent, his face tense. The young man before him gave off an extremely dangerous feeling, and Han felt an urge to turn around and run away.

The three kids were unaware of the crucial point; this mission was far more complex than they had imagined.

Putting aside the fact that all three little ones are disciples of the deceased Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi is the biological daughter of the acting Tsuchikage, Kitsuchi.

That is why he was assigned to this mission.

The meaning of "Kitsuchi" is clear: do your best to complete the task as far as possible, but the lives of the three little devils must be guaranteed!

Silence signifies acquiescence.

Tōka, who was about to make a move, suddenly felt bored. Had they really compromised so easily?

Immediately, Tōka glanced at White Zetsu beside her.

"It seems you've made up your minds. Shall we set off?" With a single glance, White Zetsu immediately understood; it was time for him to speak again.

"Deliver the quest item to the foot of the first mountain peak leading Return to the Deep Valley... Hmm!" Deidara leaped onto the back of a giant bird and called out loudly as he looked down.

Tōka smiled faintly and nodded slightly.

Deidara glanced at Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, and the two immediately jumped onto the giant bird's back, standing behind Deidara.

Finally, all three of them turned their gaze to Han.

Although Han is the team leader for this operation, given the current situation, he is no longer able to make decisions about the team's actions.

With a whoosh!

A gust of wind swept through the Forest, and Han's figure had already landed on the back of another giant bird.

He reached out and pulled down his straw hat to cover his eyes, making it impossible to see what Han was thinking.

Whoosh!

Three giant birds, with six pairs of wings flapping in unison, stirred up a gust of wind in the jungle, pressing down the dense canopy of trees.

Call!

The Box of Paradise was seized by three giant birds, which flapped their wings and flew away, gradually shrinking into a black dot.

"Don't we need to follow?" White Zetsu hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been bothering him.

"Tell Pain that the owner of the Blue Ring has been found." Tōka left without looking back, leaving only a faint sentence behind.

The Box of Paradise has been equipped with a sensing Jutsu Formula, so no matter how far away it is, Tōka can easily find Box of Paradise location.