Information Leak

The next day, the morning dew was still rolling on the grass of the Seventh Training Ground, and the rising sun gilded the trees at the edge of the field.

Taiichi, Yohei, Saori, and Sei appeared on time as agreed.

"Same as always, let's warm up first." Taiichi doing simple warm-up exercises, "Today's focus is still on teamwork, especially for Xu. You need to understand and integrate into our rhythm more quickly, and familiarize yourself with everyone's fighting habits and commonly used Ninjutsu."

Kaze Wafu nodded earnestly. "Understood, Captain!" He knew that this exercise was actually set up specifically for him. Taiichi and the other two were comrades-in-arms for many years and knew each other very well. Only he was a newcomer.

After warming up, the teams paired up for battles. First, Taiichi and Xu were paired up, then Yohei and Xu were paired up, and finally Saori and Xu were paired up.

In short, the goal is to make sure Xu understands each person's fighting style.

The Training Ground was ablaze with Fireball Wind Blade, fireballs, and lightning, creating a lively and exciting scene that attracted many nearby ninjas to come and watch.

"Those are Taiichi and Yohei, right? Has their team added new members?"

"I heard Captain Yamaguchi has been transferred to carry out a mission alone, which opens up a position for him!"

"Is this training a new recruit? Taiichi is truly a kind-hearted Medical Ninja!"

The discussions outside the arena did not affect the battle inside. As time went by, Kaze Wafu gradually integrated into the team's fighting style.

When Taiichi announced the training was suspended, the four of them stood in the center of the slightly messy Training Ground, catching their breath.

"How are you feeling, Xu?" Taiichi wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Kaze Wafu, panting, wore an excited smile, "Captain, I think I'm... getting a feel for it! I can now roughly grasp some of everyone's attack habits."

Yohei chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Ha! That's more like it! Next time, you won't just stand there watching!"

Saori smiled and handed him the Kettle: "You two worked together very well, Koto-kun."

Taiichi nodded, his eyes showing approval. "Very good. Remember this feeling, and review the details when you get back. Tomorrow we'll take on another mission to test it in real combat."

Everyone responded enthusiastically, showing great interest in tomorrow's task.

Just as everyone was enjoying the team's progress, a figure approached at an extremely fast speed, and then Body Flicker appeared in front of Taiichi.

If it weren't for Taiichi's sharp eyes, which allowed him to spot Taiyi's Anbu disguise early on, Taiichi would have drawn his sword and stabbed him the moment he approached so abruptly.

"Taichi Matsushita, Yohei Uchiha, Saori Furukawa, Kaze Wafu, urgent mission. You only have half an hour to prepare."

Without a word, the Anbu Ninja took out a Mission Scroll and handed it to Taiichi.

Taiichi took the Mission Scroll with suspicion. It wasn't the first time he had accepted a mission, but this was the first time he had encountered one so urgent that it needed to be delivered directly by the Anbu.

Taiichi didn't dare to be negligent. He immediately opened the Mission Scroll, checked all the coded information, and only after confirming the authenticity of the Mission Scroll did he begin to read the mission details.

The Defense Map of Konoha facing the Land of Land of Lightning was stolen by a spy from Cloud Village this morning. Now, the Hizashi Hyuga Taiichi Squad, in cooperation with Minato Namikaze, is ordered to immediately pursue and retrieve the Defense Map.

Taiichi looked at the Mission Scroll in his hand, then at the Anbu in front of him, his eyes filled with disbelief. This kind of thing actually happened in Konoha! If it were a robbery while transporting Defense Map, Taiichi could understand. But to lose it right in the village? Taiichi was utterly speechless.

The Anbu Ninja, sensing Taiichi's shock, explained, "The Defense Map is sealed; it can't be opened by ordinary means. Only spies returning to Kumogakure can break the seal. This is our chance to reclaim the Defense Map."

Taiichi understood that this was a urging for them to act quickly. Without further ado, he swiftly relayed the mission information to the team members and then immediately gave the order, "Disperse now and go back to prepare supplies. Reconvene at the village entrance in half an hour!"

The four members of the team shot off like arrows, immediately scattering and rushing towards their respective homes. The urgency of the mission overwhelmed everything else; only calm and a chilling aura remained in everyone's eyes.

Taiichi returned home as quickly as possible, not even bothering to open the door, he leaped over the wall and rushed into the supplies storage room, rummaging through everything.

Plenty of Military Ration Pill, special medicines, Kunai, Shuriken, medical kits, Sealing Scroll, Explosive Tag, spare Short Sword, and spare clothes.

The supplies that needed to be sealed were sealed into scrolls, and those that needed to be stored were put into Ninja Tool Pouch. At the same time, the possible geographical environment and enemies encountered during the mission flashed through his mind, and he considered whether there were any supplies missing.

After completing the inspection, Taiichi suddenly remembered that his Ice Release fusion training, which had just begun to show promise, would now be delayed again. However, it wasn't too bad, as his main techniques were swordsmanship and Fire Style, and his other abilities were only supplementary, so there was no rush.

Finally, after closing the door, Taiichi leaped onto the roof and sped towards the village entrance.

At the entrance to Konoha, four figures arrived almost simultaneously. They exchanged glances, confirming each other's readiness without needing to say much.

Taiichi glanced at the time; only a few minutes remained until the mission's deadline. Just as Taiichi turned back—

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two figures suddenly landed in front of Taiichi Squad.

The man on the left has dazzling blond hair, and his face, which should be warm, is now serious. He is none other than Minato Namikaze, who has recently gained considerable fame in the Ninja World.

The person on the right, however, had long, straight black hair, and his Byakugan gave off a chilling aura; it was none other than the long-absent Hizashi Hyuga.

"Is everyone ready?" Minato's voice was gentle yet solemn as he glanced at each member of the team, giving a particular nod of respect to Taiichi and Hizashi.

"Yes, Captain!" everyone answered in unison, which was also everyone's recognition of Minato.

"Good! The situation is urgent. The Defense Map is of utmost importance to us. We must not let the enemy crack it." Minato spoke very quickly, but every word was clear and distinct.

"The objective of this pursuit mission is to catch up with the target and retrieve the Defense Map as quickly as possible, before they can rendezvous with any potential reinforcements."

"Any more questions?"

Everyone shook their heads, indicating that they understood everything.

Minato didn't waste any more words. With a wave of his hand, he led the way out of Konoha. "According to the intelligence the Anbu sent earlier, the spy is heading towards the Land of Lightning in the shortest distance. We'll follow in that direction. Hizashi, use your Byakugan to observe the situation in the distance. Taiichi, use your sensory abilities to collect any traces nearby to make sure we're not going in the wrong direction."

As soon as the words were spoken, the Six Paths figures of the team, like Six Paths streams of light of different colors, advanced towards the Land of Lightning in the Northern Front at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary people.

"No trace of the enemy within 8 kilometers." Hizashi rolled his Byakugan and scanned the area ahead, confirming that the squad was still far away from the enemy.

This is a comprehensive test of skill, endurance, and patience. The spy has been on the run for so long, even with intelligence from the Anbu, catching up will not be easy.

"There are indeed signs of ninjas running quickly in this direction, and the tracks were all left today, so the direction shouldn't be wrong." Taiichi also Chakra Perception to the fullest, scanning everything nearby and making full use of the technique of tracking tracks.

The two worked together, one at a distance and the other at close range, controlling everything around them and saving the team a lot of time for Scout.

After running for about two hours, the group's speed noticeably decreased. Minato raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Taiichi looked at his teammate, Kaze Wafu a puzzled expression.

Exhausted so quickly is not the level Chunin. Even if this Chunin was promoted in a hurry, it's still too weak.

"I... I trained too hard this morning, and I'm a bit exhausted now." Kaze Wafu looked troubled. After all, the four members of the team had trained together all morning, and they had expended just as much energy as him, if not more!

Taiichi was speechless, not expecting things to go wrong at this crucial moment. He silently took out a small bottle from his Ninja Tool Pouch, poured out a few pills, and handed them to everyone.

"These Special Military Ration Pill that can quickly restore stamina and Chakra, with no side effects. However, they are difficult to make and store, so everyone should eat them sparingly." Taiichi joked, easing the tense atmosphere. Finally, he shoved the bottle into Kaze Wafu's hand.

"Eat one quickly to replenish your energy!" Taiichi instructed, "Note: do not chew, just swallow it directly."

Upon hearing Taiichi's instructions, all the members except Kaze Wafu wore expressions of unbearable sorrow, leaving Kaze Wafu a head full of questions.

But thinking that Taiichi would never harm him, he still poured out a Special Military Ration Pill the size of a longan.

Looking at the dark pill, several times larger than a regular Military Ration Pill, Kaze Wafu swallowed it in one gulp, completely unaware of the amused looks on everyone's faces around her.

Sure enough, just as Kaze Wafu was about to vomit, Yohei sped up from behind and slapped him on the back, making him swallow the pill with a "gulp".

"Hahaha." A burst of good-natured laughter rang out from around them.

"Taiichi, your medicine is still as special as ever." Minato Namikaze looked at him with a smile.

Taiichi remained silent, but took out a water pouch Kaze Wafu.

"Haha, Xu, you'll have to get used to it. Taiichi's medicine is incredibly effective, but the taste is just awful. How are you feeling? Are you regaining your strength?" Yohei laughed as well, but didn't forget to explain the reason to Kaze Wafu.

While rinsing her mouth Kaze Wafu hadn't noticed anything amiss until Yohei reminded her, at which point she immediately felt the difference. In just that short time, her strength had recovered somewhat, and her abdomen felt like a small furnace, continuously providing energy to her body.

"Alright, everyone's taken their medicine. Let's hurry and get going." Taiichi finally spoke up with a serious expression, reminding everyone that they were still on a mission.

The squad's speed noticeably increased. During this time, thanks to Taiichi's special Military Ration Pill, the squad maintained this high speed and continued the pursuit until nightfall. Minato then called a halt to the group, allowing them to rest and recover.

"Judging from the traces left around us, we've shortened the distance between us from three hours to just one hour." As he spoke, Taiichi pointed to a broken tree branch beside him, which must have been broken by the spy an hour ago when he passed by.

Yohei, the restless fellow, immediately ran over and retrieved the branch that Taiichi had pointed to, showing it to everyone.

Minato and Hizashi were both experienced ninjas, and they could tell at a glance that Taiichi's analysis was correct from the broken branches.

Combining the time it took for the spies to steal the Defense Map with the time they set off, it's not hard to conclude that Taiichi was right.

"This is all thanks to Taiichi's special Military Ration Pill, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to catch up so quickly," Minato praised, though his expression was anything but cheerful.

"Hey, what's with all those expressions? Is that how you praise someone?" Taiichi wasn't going to let them get away with it. They all looked like they'd eaten rat droppings, which made Taiichi's fists harden.

"Hahaha!" Everyone laughed. It was a rare sight to see Taiyi look Taiichi embarrassed.

After a few laughs and jokes, Minato decisively stopped them. During the mission, a little lightheartedness was fine, but everyone should prioritize the mission and take a break.

Just after midnight, the team resumed their pursuit. Taking turns on night watch, each person could rest for 3 hours, which was much more comfortable than that of the spy.

In the pitch-black, cold night, even ordinary ninjas would find it impossible to conduct reconnaissance and tracking, but Taiichi and Hizashi did not rely on their naked eyes to check for traces, so they were naturally unaffected.

The only thing the team needs to be careful about is the poor visibility at night; they shouldn't accidentally fall from the tree.

Sure enough, with a "thud," some unlucky fellow lost his footing and fell from the tree. After a series of "crash" sounds, a flock of sleeping Asuka were startled into flight.

Everyone turned their attention to the source of the sound and found that Kaze Wafu was getting up from the bushes, looking embarrassed.

Taiichi could clearly sense the faint smiles in Minato and Hizashi's eyes, as if to say: These are your teammates!

He himself was completely exasperated, and thankfully it was nighttime, so no one could see his flushed face.

At this moment, Yohei jumped down Kaze Wafu out of the bushes, complaining, "I've never seen you this clumsy before, what's wrong with you?"

Kaze Wafu apologized repeatedly, but there was no time to waste for him now. With a call from Minato, the team members quickly set off again.

The chase lasted until seven or eight in the morning, when, at Taiichi's signal, the group stopped at a certain location where traces had been found.

"Taiichi, what's wrong? Did you make any other discovery?" Minato asked, taking the initiative to speak.

"The opponent must have used clones to distract them." Taiichi pointed in three directions ahead. "There are signs of people passing by in all three directions."

"Then what should we do? How about we split up?" Kaze Wafu suddenly spoke up, offering her opinion.

Taiichi glanced at him curiously. What kind of strange suggestion was this? Divide the troops now? What if the enemy attacks again? Will you still have people to divide them up?

Minato remained silent, simply looking at Taiichi, awaiting his opinion.

Taiichi did not disappoint. He took two steps forward, Hand Seals in front of his chest, and then his eyes seemed to turn into two balls of fire, which then collapsed into rubies and were set in his eyes.

"Holy crap, Taiichi, what kind of Ninjutsu is that? I've never seen you use it before." Yohei looked completely astonished, as if he had seen a ghost.

Minato and Hizashi also looked over curiously, but they didn't ask any questions. Ninjutsu was a secret of every ninja, and it wasn't something to be asked about casually.

Taiichi didn't speak either. These were his eyes when he was fully Flame Transformation, but now they were being used separately.

These eyes can perform thermal vision. After all, the clone is not the original body, so it can't maintain the same body temperature as the original. Moreover, these marks were left only half an hour ago, so they are clearly visible under thermal vision.

"This way." Taiichi pointed in a direction where the traces left by the other party's actions were still clearly visible, tinged with a striking pale red.