Ambush

As for the rest, there was no need for Qingyun to hold back.

"30 Million Volts: Thunder Bird!" Qingyun did not want to waste time; these guys, whose overall strength barely reached the level of a Chunin, were not worth him using his full power.

Utilizing the terrifying lightning power of the Goro Goro no Mi, Qingyun instantly defeated the dozen or so rogue ninjas before him.

They twitched on the ground; whether they lived or died was irrelevant, for they had already been crippled.

Qingyun subsequently used a discharge to finish off one enemy, then interrogated two others alongside Yoshihime.

"Where is that red-haired girl!? How did you know we would pass through here!?" Qingyun demanded.

If the two gave different answers, at least one was lying; if they gave the same answer, it was likely the truth. Of course, the possibility of both telling the same lie was slim.

"There is a rogue ninja from Konoha among us who deciphered the meaning of the code, so we were waiting here for a rabbit to run into the tree," a rogue ninja looked at Qingyun in sheer terror.

That such a small child possessed strength capable of crushing him made him feel as if he were dreaming.

"I ask you, where are that red-haired girl and the blond boy?!" Qingyun questioned again, his tone becoming significantly more menacing this time.

In the end, the two rogue ninjas gave Qingyun the correct answer: the Bounty Exchange.

"Someone in the Bounty Exchange actually put a high-priced bounty on Kushina Uzumaki, and they want her captured alive." Qingyun frowned and said to Yoshihime.

"Bounty Exchange? What kind of place is that?" Yoshihime was young, and although she was mature for her age, she seemed unable to grasp such concepts.

"It's also called the Bounty Office, right? Basically, it's a place where people post bounties, others take the job, and then they cut off the target's head to exchange for money."

"It's a place similar to a contract killing agency; because it can't see the light of day, it's hidden in the underground world."

"However, the exact location of the Bounty Exchange remains a mystery."

"If that's the case, how are we supposed to find them? We're following the marks Minato left behind, but will there be more people ambushing us?" Yoshihime asked with a frown.

"This? I'm not sure, but we must move forward because this is our only lead. Those people seemed to have been hit by some kind of ninjutsu; just as they were about to reveal the location of the Bounty Exchange, they died instantly."

Qingyun was also completely baffled. Looking at the Konoha mark on the tree, he had no other choice but to continue rushing toward the next marker with Yoshihime.

At this moment, Qingyun's sensory abilities proved incredibly useful. Combining perception, chakra vision, and the Sharingan, Qingyun easily discovered the next mark, and this time, Minato Namikaze's forehead protector was attached to it.

"Minato's forehead protector? Minato didn't continue leaving marks? Instead, he left his own forehead protector here. Why would he do that?"

Qingyun and Yoshihime exchanged glances, neither understanding Minato's intention.

Suddenly, Qingyun saw Yoshihime beside him get sent flying with a thud, collapsing under a tree.

"Yoshihime!" Qingyun felt a surge of anxiety; he didn't know why he cared about this person, but he suddenly realized that the technique used to strike Yoshihime was familiar.

"This is the Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!? What is going on? Why would the Hyuga Clan attack Yoshihime!?"

Qingyun rushed toward Yoshihime, discovering that although she had been hit, she wasn't severely injured, likely due to the resilience of the Senju Clan's cells.

Qingyun turned back and discovered that the tree hanging Minato's forehead protector had transformed into a person, and this person was wearing a mask.

Dressed in a ninja uniform, it was clear that the person before him was from Konoha's Hyuga Clan.

"Anbu? There's an Anbu here ambushing us? Why?" Qingyun stood beside Yoshihime and demanded.

"Because you provoked someone you shouldn't have? Is that a sufficient explanation? Or perhaps, your appearance is a threat to us." The Cat-Mask Anbu seemed unwilling to waste words with Qingyun.

"Regardless, this time, both you, Qingyun, and Yoshihime will die here. Wind Style: Wind Cutter Technique!"

The Cat-Mask Anbu performed hand seals rapidly. As an Anbu, his strength was definitely at the Jonin level, and the Wind Cutter Technique was clearly a staple of his, given how skillfully he executed it.

The Wind Cutter Technique could not be blocked head-on, and with Yoshihime behind him, Qingyun also performed hand seals rapidly.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

A tall wall of earth blocked the wind blades, but the crisis was not averted. The opponent was clearly a master of Wind Style, and he used a Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Qingyun.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

Qingyun performed a backflip, instantly turning his body around.

"Boom!" Qingyun slammed his fist heavily into the ground. The Anbu initially thought Qingyun was foolish, but when the earth cracked and his own body began to sway, forcing him to stop his ninjutsu, the Anbu realized that the Qingyun before him was definitely not as easy to kill as he looked.

"To possess such immense power! No wonder someone wants you dead." The Anbu smiled slightly and used the Body Flicker Technique to land on a tree branch.

"Summoning Technique!" The Anbu bit his finger and slammed it onto the branch, immediately summoning a Dream Eater Beast.

Yoshihime, lying on the ground, was also stunned; she hadn't expected the opponent to be this powerful.

"This guy!? He uses Wind Style and can summon a Dream Eater Beast? Could it be..."

Unconsciously, Qingyun associated this person with Danzo.

"That's not right. If she is a subordinate of Danzo, why does she possess the Byakugan?!" Qingyun could clearly see that the person's eyes were unusual.

He had never heard of a member of the Hyuga Clan being able to use such flashy Wind Style, let alone summon a Dream Eater Beast.

What on earth was going on?

Qingyun was completely bewildered.

However, the giant Baku before him gave Qingyun no time to pause. It opened its massive maw, and an incredibly powerful hurricane erupted from within, causing even Qingyun to be dragged involuntarily toward its mouth.

Yoshihime had no strength left; her injuries from the previous attack had not yet healed, and she was clearly on the verge of being swallowed.

"Teleport!" At the critical moment, Qingyun teleported to Yoshihime's side and used teleportation again to move her to a safe location.

"Where did they go!? How did they suddenly disappear!?" Qingyun's sudden disappearance left the Cat-Mask Anbu shocked.

"Be careful!" Yoshihime knew Qingyun still had to fight, so she immediately cautioned him.

"I know! I will definitely defeat this guy!" Qingyun replied with absolute confidence.