Information

Lin Qing scooped up the bathwater, infused it with Ripple energy, and flung it upward.

Sizzle—sizzle—

"Overdrive Ripple Hot Spring!"

A faint golden light, resembling electric currents, suddenly manifested and clung to the warm water, instantly turning the stream sharper than metal and hotter than magma, piercing toward the peeper on the roof like a barrage of blades.

Rip!

The roof was torn apart, and under the light reflecting from the room, the opponent wore no forehead protector, yet Lin Qing had seen that cold indifference in his eyes far too many times.

A ninja from Root!

"You came quite quickly."

Sato Takizo leaped into the air to dodge the water stream.

Information regarding Lin Qing was no longer a secret:

Terrifyingly dominant close-quarters combat ability, excellent battle intelligence and judgment; his weakness was a lack of mid-to-long-range combat options. As long as one kept their distance, one could escape safely.

Following the intelligence report, Sato infused chakra into his eyes, guarding against Lin Qing summoning the Evil Spirit Giant, while leaping rapidly through the air, preparing to retreat.

Just then, he heard a "buzzing" sound sweeping in from afar and looked up—

"A bird?"

Rat-tat-tat-tat.

Aero Smith's twin machine guns flashed with fire, and a dense barrage of bullets sealed off Sato's retreat.

Poof!

Sato dissipated into smoke.

Shadow Clone Technique.

This was also part of the intelligence.

Lin Qing's frontal combat power was too terrifying, and the margin for error was dreadfully low; to survive, one had to use the Clone Technique to probe as much as possible.

In the shadows a dozen meters away, a pair of eyes slowly opened.

Sato glanced at the sky with lingering fear.

"Was that a ninja beast just now?"

Whether it was a ninja beast or a ninjutsu, it only proved that in a mere two months, Lin Qing had grown stronger, becoming even more threatening.

"I must report this intelligence to Lord Danzo."

Sato lurked in the shadows and retreated quietly, his chakra still infused into his eyes, maintaining high vigilance.

With the cover of night, after walking for nearly half an hour, Sato finally returned to the local safe house. Once he closed the door, he let out a faint sigh.

"Good work."

"It was no trouble, it is my duty—"

Halfway through his sentence, Sato reacted violently, spinning around to draw his kunai.

Click.

A desk lamp turned on.

Lin Qing sat on the sofa, calmly watching the other man.

Sasuke stood to the side with his arms crossed, like a loyal bodyguard.

"How... how is this possible?!"

Sato had great confidence in his stealth techniques.

Even within Root, where "rats" were everywhere, his stealth and escape methods were among the best.

Now, like a foolish rookie, he had actually "led" the tracking enemy back to his safe house.

He accepted that he couldn't beat Lin Qing.

But to be denied in his most professional field left Sato feeling bewildered, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread toward Lin Qing.

What kind of monster is this man?!

"Mind having a chat?" Lin Qing said.

"Chat about what?" Sato was sparing with his words.

Lin Qing tossed a stack of documents onto the table.

Lin Qing had dug these out of Sato's safe house; the contents were written in a special code used within Root.

Lin Qing couldn't read it, but it came with a few photos. In the photos, a man held various strangely shaped blades, looking like a ruthless character.

Considering Sato's identity, this was a reconnaissance report.

Lin Qing had already swept away the fugitives and rogue ninjas in the surrounding area.

He needed a new target.

"Translate this for me," Lin Qing said.

Sato gripped his kunai tightly. "Why should I tell you? If I tell you, will you let me go?"

"I can do that."

Lin Qing's frank answer left Sato stunned, momentarily speechless.

In truth, from Lin Qing's perspective, killing a member of the Root organization was meaningless; the soul essence gained wouldn't be significant, so it was better used to trade for intelligence.

Lin Qing gestured for him to proceed.

"If I speak, you will really let me go?" Sato asked.

It wasn't that he feared death.

This trip to the Land of Water was not solely to track Lin Qing; in fact, Lin Qing's priority was not high enough to warrant the deployment of a jonin specialized in reconnaissance.

The Land of Water, and Kirigakure in particular, had been making a series of baffling, incompetent decisions following the Third Shinobi World War, leading many to whisper that the Fourth Mizukage—Karatachi Yagura, a grown man standing only 1.4 meters tall—had lost his mind.

For years, Danzo had been probing the internal situation of the Land of Water, and... accelerating that process.

The more chaotic other nations were, the more stable the Land of Fire remained by comparison.

One had to remember that the previous Mizukage had pursued a strategy of low-profile development, refusing to participate in the Second Shinobi World War and establishing the ninja academy, spending decades building up the once-weak Kirigakure.

Only then did the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, have the capital to squander.

From Danzo's perspective, he wished every Kage of the major nations were as incompetent as Karatachi Yagura.

Sato's mission in the Land of Water was to investigate Karatachi Yagura's actions, both those in the open and those in the shadows.

If possible, he was to add fuel to the fire, making the burning, teetering wreck that was the Land of Water burn even brighter.

The intelligence above was not exactly a secret.

The major nations were all infiltrating one another, reaching into each other's pockets; everyone was grabbing, and no one's hands were clean.

Sato had to bring the intelligence he gathered regarding the Fourth Mizukage back alive.

That was far more important than his own life.

Lin Qing said, "If you speak, I will let you go. I swear it on my soul."

Sato stared at Lin Qing, seemingly trying to discern the truth.

A moment later, Sato put away his kunai.

He was, after all, an expert at infiltrating enemy nations to steal intelligence; in Lin Qing's previous life, he would have been the equivalent of James Bond or Jason Bourne. He possessed the necessary nerve.

Sato pulled up a chair and sat down, unfolding the intelligence on the table.

"There are many details I cannot speak of."

He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

As he channeled chakra, pitch-black curse marks appeared at the base of his tongue.

The Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.

A standard feature for members of the Root organization, planted by Danzo himself to prevent them from leaking intelligence.

Lin Qing nodded. "Just tell me what you can."

Sato spoke in the most concise tone possible.

As mentioned earlier, the Fourth Mizukage had engaged in many baffling maneuvers, and change meant the shifting of interests, which involved money.

"...So-called war is fought with two things: money and manpower."

Sato said, "I discovered that the Fourth Mizukage is accumulating wealth through various channels, and the money collected is then secretly funneled toward unknown destinations.

Where exactly it goes, or who it is handed over to, I am still investigating, but I did uncover one piece of intelligence: there was a sighting of the Fourth Mizukage communicating with a Masked Man."

A Masked Man?

Lin Qing and Sasuke exchanged a glance, thinking of the Masked Man who had been with Itachi Uchiha on the night of the Uchiha clan massacre.

Could it be the same person?

Or was it just a coincidence?

Sato continued, "The authenticity of the intelligence still needs to be verified, and this."

He reached out and tapped the documents on the table.

"This is one of the ways the Fourth Mizukage is accumulating wealth. Three members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen are responsible for this operation."

The wielder of the Kubikiribōchō, Biwa Juzo.

The wielder of the Samehada, Suikazan Fuguki.

And the wielder of the Kiba, Raiga Kurosuki.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen—during his time in the Land of Water, Lin Qing had often heard their names. In his mind, they were like the Avengers or the Calabash Brothers: local heavyweights.

"That is all the intelligence I can provide."

He waited quietly for Lin Qing's reaction.

The next second—

"ORA."

Star Platinum slammed a fist into Sato's forehead.

"You motherf..."

Sato's vision went black.

Lin Qing hoisted him up with one hand.

"I said I'd let you go, but I didn't mean right now."

Having heard the intelligence, Lin Qing definitely had to make a trip; letting Sato go back now would just be giving Danzo time to set up an ambush for them.

Lin Qing planned to dump Sato with Kamihara for a while, and once the matter was concluded, he would "express deliver" him back to Konoha, which wouldn't count as Lin Qing breaking his word.

"Are we leaving now?"

Excitement flickered in Sasuke's eyes.

Always bullying small-fry was pointless; the battles were resolved entirely by Star Platinum throwing a single punch.

During this time, Sasuke had achieved minor success in the Ripple Breathing Method and was eager to hone himself through combat.

"We can't leave yet; we need to find someone."

"Who?"