As Yoru emerged from Tōzanshō that night, a bandage had appeared around his right eye.
The sight made everyone present tense, especially Yurui and Yukiko. They nearly rushed over to check on Yoru, but his imposing presence held them back. Instead, they pulled Yumi aside and whispered their questions.
"What happened to Lord Yoru's eye?"
"Yumi, did you even treat Lord Yoru? Why is his eye still bandaged?"
As their teammate, they knew Yumi's abilities well.
The thirteen-year-old girl had not only mastered excellent medical ninjutsu, but also had an exceptional grasp of Sealing Techniques and chakra control—so exceptional that few in all of Kirigakure could match her.
Most importantly, Yumi had an extremely unusual constitution.
No matter how severe the injury, as long as the person wasn't dead on the spot, one bite from her could heal them completely.
However...
So far, only Yoru had been allowed to enjoy this ability. No matter how badly anyone else was injured, Yumi wouldn't let them take a bite.
Don't ask. She was just a germophobe.
"Uh..."
Faced with her companions' questions, Yumi didn't know how to answer. Even though they were friends, Lord Yoru clearly didn't want anyone to know he'd received a transplanted Sharingan, and she didn't feel she could say anything.
"Don't worry."
Yoru waved a hand. "It was just a little experiment. There's nothing wrong with my eye."
At his words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Yurui and Yukiko still kept glancing at the bandage over Yoru's eye.
Especially Yukiko.
A bandage like that could never obstruct her.
Her Red Eye could see right through it and clearly make out the changes in Yoru's eye.
She was surprised that Yoru had replaced his own eye with a Sharingan, but since he didn't want to say more, she wouldn't pry.
The others were tactful enough not to ask either.
Boom!
Before they could resume their preparations, a strange firework suddenly burst in the distant sky.
"An emergency signal?"
Yurui looked stunned. "Is it Mangetsu?"
"It's definitely our squad's special distress signal."
Yoru furrowed his brow and looked at Yukiko.
Yukiko understood at once. She activated her Red Eye and immediately gazed toward the spot where the Signal Flare had burst.
The Signal Flare had gone off not far away, still within the range of her Red Eye.
But the instant she looked, her lovely face filled with shock.
"Th-that chakra is terrifying!"
"That amount of chakra... it's like a monster!"
A look of fear appeared on Yukiko's face. "Even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen can't compare. The strength of that chakra is practically on par with Mizukage-sama!"
"What?!"
Fine beads of cold sweat appeared on Yukiko's forehead. The person fighting Mangetsu was far more powerful than she'd expected.
Mangetsu couldn't hold out against an enemy like that!
"Looks like he's run into someone formidable."
Yoru murmured, then spoke in a grave voice. "Yurui, Yukiko, Yumi—plans have changed. Take your respective squads and head to Tsunan Town to rendezvous with Lord Yagura."
"But, Lord Yoru..."
Whoosh!
Before Yurui and the others could say another word, Yoru vanished in a Shunpo.
Yurui and the others looked at one another.
"Damn it! Lord Yoru must've gone to save that idiot Mangetsu!" Yurui fumed. "He can't even deliver a message properly. What a useless moron!"
But Yurui knew it wasn't really Mangetsu's fault.
If he'd run into a monster on par with the Mizukage, there was no escaping. His only option would've been to fight to the death.
The people of the Village Hidden in the Mist weren't afraid of dying, but Mangetsu was carrying the Konoha Frontline Troop Deployment Details that Yoru had just intercepted.
It could affect the course of the coming battle, so Mangetsu had to bring it back. That was why he'd fired the distress signal.
But Yurui didn't care about any of those reasons. Lord Yoru was now going up against a monster on par with the Mizukage. If anyone was in danger, it would be him!
"We should go help... No, we can't."
Yurui took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
They'd be no help at all against a monster like that. Yukiko was a scout and support-type ninja, and although Yumi knew some Sealing Techniques, she was ultimately a medical ninja. Yurui was the only one among them who could fight.
But if she went, how much help could she really give Yoru and Mangetsu?
She'd only be a burden!
Yurui weighed the possibilities in her mind. Within seconds, she'd made up her mind.
"Tsunan Town isn't far from here. At full speed, we can get there in just over ten minutes! We'll go to Tsunan Town and meet up with Lord Yagura first. Then we'll have him go help Lord Yoru!"
"All right!"
Yukiko and Yumi exchanged a glance and nodded solemnly. In an instant, they all used the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared.
Elsewhere.
Mangetsu had followed Yoru's orders and was on his way to deliver the Konoha Frontline Troop Deployment Details to Yagura. But now he'd run into a dire crisis.
As he headed toward Tsunan Town, a rustling sound suddenly came from the trees behind him.
The next moment, a swarm of insects burst from the trees like a whirlwind and rushed at Mangetsu!
"Secret Technique: Insect Tornado!"
The fluttering of the insects' wings gave Mangetsu just enough time to react.
As the swarm surged toward him, Mangetsu's body had already turned into a puddle of water, allowing him to evade the attack.
Before he could reform, a cool voice sounded from the trees once more. A vast swarm of insects poured out like locusts and hurtled toward him.
"Secret Technique: Parasitic Insects!"
"An Aburame, huh?"
A grave look crossed Mangetsu's eyes.
The Hozuki Clan's Water Transformation Technique was exceptionally powerful. It let the user turn their body into liquid, rendering them almost completely immune to physical attacks.
Its weakness was Lightning Release Ninjutsu. The paralysis effect of lightning made it impossible to liquefy fully, but certain secret techniques could also pose a serious problem.
Clearly, this Aburame was exactly the kind of opponent Mangetsu dreaded.
The Aburame Clan's Kikaichū could consume an opponent's chakra until none remained.
These creatures fed on chakra, making them natural enemies of the Water Transformation Technique. After all, without chakra, the technique would stop working.
However, Mangetsu wasn't going to stand still and let himself be attacked.
As the Kikaichū flooded toward him, he clenched his palm. His entire arm swelled in an instant as he leapt high into the air, fist clenched, and punched with all his might!
"Great Water Arm: Water Gun Fist!"
In an instant,
A surging column of water erupted from Mangetsu's fist like a cannonball and slammed into the swarm.
The insects had no time to dodge. The Water Iron Cannon fist blasted them apart.
But in the next instant, Mangetsu realized he was bound by some unknown force and couldn't move at all.
At some point, a shadow had stretched out from beneath Mangetsu's feet all the way to the trees.
As the shadow connected them, several figures slowly emerged from the trees.
A low voice followed.
"Shadow Imitation Technique."
"Success!"
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