Land of Hot Water in the Eye of the Storm!

Land of Lightning!

A four-man squad was leaping across the mountainous terrain, heading toward the Land of Hot Water.

"Master B, what is the mission this time?"

A young girl with red hair, brown eyes, and dark skin, carrying a ninja blade, asked the figure leading the way.

A man with similarly dark skin, light yellow hair, black sunglasses, and a scarf, with a red shimenawa rope around his waist and seven ninja blades strapped to his back, turned in mid-air. While flying backward, he waved his hands and rapped:

"This master is invincible, aiming to take down the Uchiha, yeah!"

Even while jumping backward, he was still faster than the three squad members behind him.

He was Killer B!

He was not only the "B" in Kumogakure's "AB" duo, but also the Eight-Tails jinchuriki. Being a Kage-level powerhouse in his own right, combined with his status as a jinchuriki, he could be considered a high-tier Kage-level threat, especially on a large-scale battlefield where he served as a strategic weapon of mass destruction.

He had received a special mission, which was why he had secretly set out with his three disciples.

"Is the target the Uchiha?"

A tall, "ambitious" female ninja with blonde hair, green eyes, and a cold, stunning appearance suddenly spoke up, clearly having understood what Killer B was rapping about.

This beautiful woman with an explosive figure was Samui. She was a Jonin and the leader of this "Team Samui." The dark-skinned girl with red hair and brown eyes was Karui, and the last member of the squad, a lazy-looking dark-skinned boy, was Omoi.

The three-person Team Samui were not only Killer B's disciples but also the rising stars of Kumogakure.

However, there was one oddity in this team.

Their skin and looks!

Whether it was Killer B, Karui, or Omoi, they all had dark skin, but Samui's skin was as white as snow and incredibly delicate—they looked like they belonged in two different art styles.

"Yeah, mission accomplished, fame in the human world, yo, fool, ya fool!"

Killer B pointed his fingers lightly at Samui, signaling that she was correct.

The intelligence for this mission had arrived through a secret channel. They only knew it came from Konoha, but they couldn't be certain if it was a trap, which was why he had been sent out with his three disciples.

With the Raikage unable to move lightly, one high-tier Kage-level ninja, one Jonin, and two Chunin made for the strongest possible lineup.

The Cloud Ninja believed that no matter what kind of trap it was, it couldn't stop this squad.

Therefore, neither Killer B nor Team Samui felt much concern.

Besides this squad, another figure with long, jet-black hair and magatama-shaped earrings was rapidly rushing toward the Land of Hot Water from the direction of the Land of Fields.

It could only be said that the Land of Hot Water had become the eye of the storm.

As for the core of this storm, he would also arrive at the border of the Land of Hot Water in a few days.

Nearly a week!

It had taken the caravan this long to finally reach the Land of Hot Water.

And that was only because their speed was fast enough to cover "several hundred kilometers a day." Otherwise, a normal merchant caravan would have taken at least a month or more for a round trip.

One has to say, ninja world technology—you're worth it.

Actually, Konoha wasn't that far from the Land of Hot Water, but they had wasted some time "clearing" the trade routes along the way.

They had fought their way through!

Every bandit they encountered along the way had been turned into a corpse.

As for those lords who charged excessive taxes, they were also "visited" by White Dove.

He didn't want to flip the table just yet, so he couldn't kill them all, but using the "fierce reputation" of the Uchiha to issue a threat was no problem at all.

In the past, the Uchiha couldn't leave the village, so you didn't have to give them any face. But now that the Uchiha could leave, if you still didn't show respect, they were more than capable of teaching you a lesson.

As for competing merchant chambers?

He hadn't taken action against them.

After all, it was best not to involve force in commercial competition. If he really played it that way, unless he controlled Konoha—the greatest violent organization in the Land of Fire—people could just hide if they couldn't afford to offend him, and later collectively suppress the One Heart Chamber of Commerce in the market.

The only reason he didn't move against them was that these chambers were sensible; killing those bandits was just a warning.

It could be said that after this "warning," the business environment for the One Heart Chamber of Commerce would be infinitely better.

With the Uchiha under his control, if anyone dared to be insensible, a pair of "red eyes" could show up at their door to check the meters at any time. That was something no one could withstand.

White Dove controlled the Uchiha because making money required armed protection.

In this regard, no matter how high his personal strength was, he was only one person and couldn't follow the caravan every day, so the Uchiha were the best protectors. Just for this function alone, he was willing to spend heavily on them.

As long as the One Heart Chamber of Commerce could develop, the money the Uchiha needed was nothing.

After crossing the border into the Land of Hot Water.

"We'll part ways here!"

White Dove instructed the caravan and the two Uchiha squads.

Yes, his mission for coming here was to clear out intelligence strongholds, not to escort the caravan. This was a private mission he had set up to bait a trap, so naturally, they had to split up.

"Yes, Lord White Dove!"

The caravan and the two Uchiha squads responded in unison.

With these two Uchiha squads providing protection, there was absolutely no need to worry about the caravan encountering any danger.

After all, with a force consisting of two Jonin and four Chunin, it was impossible to run into trouble unless one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages intervened.

White Dove naturally took Tekka, Inabi, and Izumi with him, heading toward that Cloud Hidden intelligence outpost under the guidance of Kakashi.

The week spent on the road had merely been a leisurely relaxation activity for this mission; the main course was about to begin.

In terms of ninja speed, once the caravan that had been dragging them down was gone, their pace increased by more than just a single level.

It took them only a little over an hour to arrive at the Cloud Hidden intelligence outpost located on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water.

It was a small valley enveloped by a forest.

"Lord White Dove, this is the intelligence outpost!"

Kakashi pointed toward the valley in the distance and reported to White Dove and the others behind him.

"Mm, thank you for the trouble, Kakashi!"

White Dove's tone was gentle.

"This is the duty of the Anbu!"

Kakashi's reply was devoid of any emotion.

At this moment, he remained mired in despair and depression, completely lacking any vitality; he was the true "Scarecrow" Kakashi.

"However, it is also time for your other mission to be completed!"

White Dove's voice carried a hint of mockery.

Since the other party's "guiding" mission was finished, it was naturally time for him to make his move.

Throughout the journey, he had already made the other party inhale a special "Jixi Pollen."

Jixi Pollen!

It was the very same auxiliary powder White Dove had used to deal with Danzo, a substance whose effects were praised by everyone who had used it.

"You..."

As an elite Jonin, Kakashi's ability to earn the moniker "Copy Ninja" in the shinobi world spoke volumes about his strength.

Furthermore, when it came to combat, he was the type to grow stronger the tougher his opponent became.

He could fight for hundreds of rounds against a water-grade elite Jonin like Zabuza, and he could fight for hundreds of rounds against the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki Obito, so White Dove had no intention of fighting him openly—he went straight for the underhanded approach.

"Sharingan!"

White Dove's pupils suddenly turned blood-red, and then his eyes shifted into a pattern resembling a shuriken.

Mangekyo!

White Dove was not foolish enough to compete with him in ninjutsu or taijutsu, as that would only give the other party a chance to turn the tables, so he used the Mangekyo immediately.

Compared to the incident in Golden Deer Town, where he only made the other party subconsciously alter a few memories, he had more to do this time, which was why he needed to use the Mangekyo state.

Facing White Dove's meticulously designed genjutsu ambush, Kakashi fell into the illusion without the slightest resistance.

White Dove then began to weave memories for him.

The other party would only remember that after they arrived at the intelligence outpost, they encountered a powerful enemy, and his vision went black before he collapsed.

The subsequent details could naturally be fabricated however White Dove and his team pleased.

In any case, the higher-ups would not investigate deeply, so the genjutsu did not need to be overly meticulous or flawless.

A few minutes later.

"Alright, take him away for the surgery!"

White Dove closed his Mangekyo and rubbed his eyes, incidentally wiping away a smear of blood.

Pain, it was too painful!

His eyes felt as if they were being sliced by countless razor blades.

One must know that White Dove had not "reached the heavens in a single step"; he had already been at the quasi-Kage level, and his taijutsu was not weak either.

Yet even so, using the Mangekyo still felt like an immense burden.

The squad carried the unconscious Kakashi to a flat cave a few kilometers away before finally stopping.

Swish!

Izumi quickly pulled out a folding surgical bed.

Tekka and Inabi also brought out the disinfectant and nutrient solution they had prepared in advance.

Yes, what followed next was the "eye transplant surgery."