Traitorous Ninja

Qingshui then checked Ide Hiroya's injuries and found that the problem was not serious and he only needed to recuperate slowly.

After all, he had already been treated before, so there was no need to spend more time on medical treatment.

It was just that Ide Juuhachirou loved his son very much and requested to bring a Medical Ninja along in case of any accidents.

After everything was ready, the caravan officially departed from Konoha and set off towards the Land of Rain.

Two days later, the caravan entered the territory of the Land of Rain.

The weather also changed drastically.

The originally clear sky was covered by dense dark clouds, and the heavy rain seemed to fall without end.

This kind of weather made Sasaki Ayami, who had come to the Land of Rain for the first time, very confused.

Having grown up in Konoha, she found it difficult to understand the environment and weather of the Land of Rain.

"Does it rain non-stop in the Land of Rain?"

"It doesn't rain non-stop, it just rarely stops, and even when the rain stops, it's mostly cloudy, and you rarely see the sun."

In response to her question, Ide Juuhachirou, a local of the Land of Rain, provided the answer.

Actually, Qingshui also found this difficult to understand.

Such strange weather was beyond his knowledge and not scientific at all.

In the end, he could only attribute it to the strangeness of the ninja world.

"There's a situation, there are a large number of ninjas ahead!"

As Mikoto, the captain, spoke, the caravan immediately stopped in place, and Qingshui and the others were all on high alert.

"Uncle Ide, you should get into the carriage quickly and absolutely do not come out later."

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

Ide Juuhachirou also knew that he would be a burden if he stayed outside, so he quickly hid in the carriage.

Soon, the group of ninjas surrounded the caravan. Qingshui scanned the surroundings and found that there were twenty of them.

Their side only had five people, putting them at a significant disadvantage.

If a battle broke out, they would have to fight one against four.

Unless the strength was overwhelmingly superior, it was difficult for ninjas to ignore the numerical disadvantage in combat.

"We are Konoha ninjas, on a mission to the Land of Rain. Who are you?"

Mikoto didn't act rashly, and was the first to state her identity.

Konoha was, after all, the head of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, with immense prestige in the ninja world. Few ninjas would refuse to give face to a Konoha ninja.

As expected, after hearing Mikoto's words, there was a clear stir of panic among the opposing group.

Among the three leaders, the female ninja looked at the person in the middle.

"Seiji, they're Konoha ninjas. Why don't we just retreat?"

"But we don't have enough food. If we miss this chance, everyone will go hungry for the next few days."

The male ninja on the other side retorted.

Of course, even though he said that, there was hesitation on his face.

Don't be fooled by their numbers; they were just a group of rogue ninjas huddling together for warmth.

They had come here because the Land of Rain had been in a state of chaos since the end of the Second Shinobi World War.

Unexpectedly, the environment here was extremely harsh, making it difficult to obtain food normally, forcing them to resort to stealing.

Furthermore, with their large numbers, their demand for food was naturally high.

They could only survive by robbing merchant caravans.

This time, they were truly unlucky to have chosen a target escorted by Konoha ninjas.

After the two finished speaking, everyone looked towards Seiji.

He was the strongest among them, and naturally, he was their leader.

Under everyone's gaze, Seiji took a step forward and looked at Mikoto, slowly saying:

"We have no intention of being enemies with Konoha ninjas. As long as you are willing to let us pass, you can leave here safely."

As the leader, he had to be responsible for his companions and subordinates.

And as rogue ninjas, it was best not to provoke Konoha.

Of course, if combat was unavoidable, he would not flinch.

He didn't believe that his group would be no match for the five ninjas on the other side.

Even if they were Konoha ninjas.

After all, he was formerly a ninja from Kirigakure, and also a Jonin.

The two who had spoken earlier were rogue ninjas from Kirigakure like him. Although their strength was slightly inferior to his, they were also Jonin.

The remaining individuals were all from smaller ninja villages, possessing strength generally equivalent to that of a Chunin.

Such a team of rogue ninjas would be a force to be reckoned with anywhere.

Mikoto naturally could not agree to his demands.

Although they had only accepted a C-Rank mission, encountering ninjas typically meant a B-Rank mission at least.

However, this was not due to the client withholding information; it was purely an unexpected encounter.

They absolutely could not abandon the mission just like that.

Ninjas do not engage in production; they rely on missions for income. If they abandoned their clients at the first sign of danger, who would dare to entrust Konoha with missions in the future?

"You're delusional!"

Before the words even finished, Mikoto had already activated her Sharingan.

Looking at her eyes, Seiji's expression changed drastically, and he quickly averted his gaze.

"Sharingan! You're an Uchiha! Everyone, don't look at her eyes, you'll fall under Genjutsu!"

As a ninja from Kirigakure, he naturally understood the Sharingan.

Upon hearing his words, everyone quickly averted their sight.

While shouting, Seiji was the first to unleash his ninjutsu.

The environment, which had been constantly raining, was instantly filled with thick fog, obscuring everyone's vision.

Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique!

Although it was only a D-Rank ninjutsu, it was a technique used by Kirigakure to counter the Sharingan.

As long as they couldn't see, the Sharingan's effectiveness would be greatly reduced.

As for the Mist Ninjas themselves, they had been trained to fight in such environments and were thus unaffected.

Of course, Seiji had also conducted similar training for his companions from the smaller ninja villages.

Therefore, they could also fight in this environment.

"Why can't I see anything all of a sudden?"

Mukai Yuki's tone was panicked, unsure of what to do.

But Mikoto's voice rang out in time, calming him down.

"This is the enemy's ninjutsu. Form a swastika formation and do not act rashly."

As she gave instructions, Mikoto quickly formed hand seals and used the Shadow Clone Technique.

Bang!

Suddenly, three more Mikotos appeared on the scene, guarding against enemy attacks from four directions.

Minato and the other two immediately acted according to Mikoto's instructions.

Qingshui, on the other hand, immediately formed hand seals and used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

This was a C-Rank ninjutsu he had obtained from a Golden Orb. It allowed him to exhale a strong wind from his mouth, with its power depending on the amount of Chakra used.

To ensure the dense fog could be dispersed, Qingshui did not hold back on his Chakra.

Bang!

In an instant, a fierce wind howled, directly dispersing the dense fog that had troubled Mikoto, restoring their line of sight.

"How is this possible!"

Seiji, who had already rushed near Mikoto's main body, turned pale.

His ninjutsu had been countered so quickly!

And seeing Mikoto's surprised expression, he knew it wasn't her who had done it.

This gave Seiji a bad premonition.

He had initially thought that besides Mikoto, the leading Jonin, the remaining Leaf ninjas should all be Genin and pose no threat.

Now, it seemed his judgment was clearly mistaken.

After all, a Genin would not have the ability to disperse the Mist Technique he, a Jonin, had used.

However, the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired. As long as he could eliminate this female Uchiha first, the rest should not be able to make any waves.