The Mizukage Never Fails to Surprise

In the southern part of the Land of Fire, in front of the Mist Village Camp.

Fallen leaves danced in the air, mud and water splashed everywhere, and all sorts of attacks engulfed the place where Taiichi stood.

Silence fell over the surroundings. Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the center of the attack, awaiting the final outcome.

When the wind died down and the leaves fell, and visibility improved, gasps of surprise rose and fell all around.

Where are they?

When did they disappear?

"His Ninjutsu is so fast, can he do it just by thinking about it?"

Amidst the gasps of surprise and doubt, the Third Mizukage walked step by step Earth Flow the edge of the swamp, looking at the place that had been blasted open by Lightning Style and was about to be filled in again.

The place was completely empty; there wasn't a single person, not even a scrap of clothing.

The mockery of Taichi Matsushita still seemed to echo in my ears—"Why did Mizukage also flee?"

If I had risked keeping him occupied, wouldn't he have had no time to escape?

A thought of regret crossed Mizukage's mind, but he immediately and decisively erased it.

Such a large-scale attack could result in instant death with the slightest carelessness; how could they possibly stay indefinitely?

If anyone's to blame, it's Matsushita Taichi Matsushita too fast; his Flying Thunder God can be activated almost instantly.

Having figured these things out, Mizukage's frustration dissipated considerably, and he loudly gave instructions to the people around him.

"Be careful, Taichi Matsushita might not have left yet—"

Before he could finish speaking, a pitiful scream shattered the tranquility.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Taiichi's figure slowly rising from the ground behind a Jonin.

The Jonin was impaled from bottom to top by an Earth Spear. Even so, he was not dead; his limbs twitched uncontrollably, and he was still making unconscious groans.

Everyone who witnessed this scene, whether Jonin or Genin, felt a tightness in their lower body. This way of dying was far too cruel, and none of them wanted to become a second victim.

"The Mizukage's habit is not good. It's one thing to run away halfway through a fight, but to let a bunch of people gang up on you is another. It seems that Mist Village's credibility is only this much."

"However, I am a magnanimous person and will only impose a slight punishment. I wonder if everyone is satisfied with this punishment?"

As he spoke, Taiichi lightly stomped his right foot, and the stone spear beside him immediately extended and lengthened, carrying the corpses of the Mist Village on it, and stretched out in front of the Mizukage.

It then snapped with a "crack," and the corpse, along with a stone spear from beneath its buttocks, fell to the ground.

This was blatant humiliation, especially in front of all the Mist Ninja, a complete and utter disgrace to the Mizukage.

"Go! Kill him!"

Mizukage the first move, the water around him transforming into a water whip that lashed out at Taiichi. This time he had learned his lesson and no longer engaged Taiichi in close combat.

The Mizukage the Jonin were quick to react. Two Taijutsu -type Jonin approached rapidly, attempting to engage in close combat, while the others formed Hand Seals to prepare to unleash Ninjutsu.

Taiichi wasn't stupid; he wouldn't fight them head-on. Seeing that they were about to rush up to him, he clapped his hands together.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

A Bright Gold Fireball was fired head-on, and using the Fireball as cover, he spread his wings and soared into the sky.

"You rats from Mist Village, I'm not playing with you anymore! Just wait here for my Konoha army!"

Taiichi's arrogant declaration echoed from the sky, but the people of Mist Village below could only sigh in vain.

"Lord Mizukage, what should we do now?"

Karatachi Yagura carefully stepped forward and secretly glanced at the Mizukage who was looking up at the sky, only to be surprised to find that his Mizukage did not seem as lively as he had imagined.

Seeing that Mizukage was about to look away, he quickly lowered his head to cover up his earlier lapse in composure.

"Go back and summon all Jonin for a meeting!"

The Mizukage's orders were simple and direct; after speaking, he went straight to the Central Army Tent.

Behind him, Karatachi Yagura seemed lost in thought, but he still relayed the Mizukage's orders immediately.

Three kilometers away in the sky, this was the farthest distance that Taiichi's Chakra Perception. He used Wind Style to levitate here, and the places in the Mist Village Camp that were not covered by the Barrier were clearly reflected in Taiichi's mind.

This is Taiichi's hardcore investigative skill; even if you know he's watching you, you can't do anything about it.

The Central Army Tent Mist Village.

Silence fell. Everyone was still reeling from what had just happened. So many people had attacked one person, yet he had not only escaped easily but had also instantly killed a Jonin.

The people of Mist Village no longer feel only hatred towards Taiichi; there is also a faint sense of fear.

If you can't win a fight and can't escape, and you're targeted and alone, you're likely to die. Anyone would be afraid of that.

The Third Mizukage, though he had expected this reaction, was still furious.

"What? One Taichi Matsushita has scared you all like this?"

The Mizukage Shadow spoke angrily, and everyone bowed their heads to listen respectfully, as if to say that he was right.

Mizukage, Shuiying's anger not only did not subside but surged even more fiercely. Fortunately, he still had his rationality and thought of his plan, so he could not provoke these guys unnecessarily.

The Third Mizukage tried his best to calm himself down and speak in a neutral tone.

"I plan to abandon the war against Konoha and refocus my attention on Sunagakure."

The words "earth-shattering" and "utterly dumbfounded" are insufficient to describe the feelings of all the Jonin present. After three months of fighting and so many deaths, they were now being told to stop fighting just like that. How could they possibly accept this?

"Mizukage, you mustn't!" These are mindless people speaking only out of instinct.

"Lord Mizukage, Konoha killed many of our comrades!" This person has a grudge against Konoha.

"If we restart the battle with Sunagakure, the village probably won't be able to explain itself!" This shows that they know how to analyze the pros and cons.

The Third Mizukage watched the incessant chatter below without saying a word, simply observing their conversation.

Gradually, the discussion subsided, and everyone turned their attention to the Third Mizukage, who sat at the head of the table.

"Originally, I wanted to fight Konoha again here to see which side was stronger and which side was weaker before making a further decision."

The Third Mizukage surveyed his surroundings, his tone revealing utter helplessness.

"But as you all saw, just Taichi Matsushita alone completely demoralized you. How can you fight against the main force of Konoha in this state?"

Everyone lowered their heads, becoming silent lambs.

"What the village wants is profit. Since we can't get any profit from Konoha, we'll change our target."

After a series of battles, Sunagakure's strength is now at its lowest point in history, making it the perfect target for our attack. Cloud Village was able to launch a surprise attack and reap significant rewards, so can we!

Everyone's eyes gradually lit up. Upon reflection, Mizukage's words made perfect sense.

Why are they so fixated on Konoha, trying to gnaw on it when there's a much more appealing piece of meat right next to them? Aren't they just going to take the long way around?

Having figured it out, the group didn't need the Mizukage's instructions; they immediately analyzed the feasibility of the plan, and the conclusion was quite encouraging.

"Mizukage is wise; we will obey Mizukage orders."

The Mist Village acted swiftly. After the meeting made its decision, they didn't delay and immediately began packing up their Camp to prepare for departure.

Taiichi, in the sky, quickly noticed the unusual activity at the Mist Village Camp. Everyone in Mist Village was packing their belongings; were they preparing to continue their advance into the Land of Fire?

Taiichi lowered its altitude and closed the distance to gain a clearer perception.

Half an hour later, the answer appeared, but it puzzled Taiichi even more. Mist Village not only did not venture deep into the Land of Fire, but instead retreated towards the coast.

After going through such a long and winding journey, they had retreated back to the sea. Taiichi never imagined that this was a consequence of his previous First Shinobi World War.

However, Taiichi's purpose for this trip was reconnaissance. Since Mist Village did not make any offensive moves, he continued to follow from a distance and keep an eye on things.

The march was swift, and given their proximity to the sea, the Mist Village soon arrived at the coast and boarded their warship.

Taiichi watched from the sky as all the Mist Village members boarded the ship, and then the warship set sail, heading south.

They were about to cross the sea border of the Land of Fire and enter the territorial waters of the Land of Rivers.

Does Mist Village no longer want to fight Konoha?

The idea suddenly popped into Taiichi's mind and lingered there for a long time.

Taiichi immediately Hand Seals, creating a Shadow Clone to send back and report, while he himself remained to monitor the movements of Mist Village.

The Shadow Clone used the Flying Thunder God to return directly to Tsunade's side.

At this moment, the entire Konoha army was marching at a rapid pace, and Taiichi's arrival immediately attracted the attention of Tsunade and the ninjas around her.

"What, Taiichi, you have new information so soon?"

Tsunade's words were clearly full of teasing, intended to ease the tense atmosphere around her.

To everyone's surprise, Taiichi actually nodded seriously.

"Teacher, big news." Taiichi's expression was solemn, with no hint of joking.

Tsunade turned around in surprise, and upon seeing Taiichi's expression, immediately slowed her pace.

She gave an order to Nara Kaoru beside her, "Order the troops to rest in place."

Then he turned his gaze to Taiichi, "Tell me, what exactly did you discover?"

"The Mist Village broke camp and left the Land of Fire; they boarded their warships and headed south."

Taiichi recounted in detail how he discovered the Mist Village Camp, fought with them, and then, not long after, the Mist Village camp broke up and left.

Everyone looked completely bewildered, not understanding what Mist Village was up to.

"Could they be planning to bypass the Land of Rivers and invade the Land of Fire?"

"How could that be? Not only have they already landed, making it easy for them to invade the interior, but the Southern Front troops stationed in the Land of Rivers are also beyond their capabilities."

A silence fell over the group. There were too few clues available, and all they could do was speculate wildly.

"Do you think that Mist Village might team up with Sunagakure again and attack us together?"

Everyone was shaken. They looked at each other, and for a moment, they felt that the possibility of this guess was extremely high.

After all, Mist Village had previously cooperated with Sunagakure in attacking the Southern Front.

"Lady Tsunade, shall we go and help Lord Jiraiya?"

All eyes turned to Tsunade; such a cross-war zone mobilization required her approval as the Commander.

However, at this moment, Tsunade appeared more composed than the rest of them. She crossed her left arm over her chest, exuding an air of pride, and touched her chin with her right hand, her mind racing.

"Bring me the map."

Upon receiving the order, a ninja immediately produced a huge map.

Upon seeing this, Taiichi didn't need to Hand Seals; he simply stomped his foot, and a stone table, about one meter square, rose from the ground.

Tsunade glanced at Taiichi with surprise, her eyes clearly saying, "When did you become so skilled with Earth Style, kid!"

However, she was only surprised; she had become somewhat immune to Taiichi's teachings due to their sheer number.

Everyone stood around the stone table, watching Tsunade gesture on the map, her slender white fingers constantly measuring back and forth between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.

"Here, let's go here."

She pointed to the map and said decisively.

Everyone looked in that direction and, according to the map, it was a ruined hill, situated on higher ground within the Land of Fire, about 100 kilometers from the Land of Rivers.

Judging from their location, everyone knew they intended to observe from nearby.

Tsunade's subsequent explanation confirmed everyone's suspicions.

"We don't know the purpose of the Mist Village. Perhaps they will come back in a big circle to continue attacking the Land of Fire. We must be on guard."

This position allows us to quickly support Jiraiya while also providing maximum coverage of the Land of Fire's coastline, achieving two goals at once.

Everyone stared at the map and estimated the distance between the two sides, and just as Tsunade had said, they all nodded in agreement with Tsunade's decision.

"Nara Kaoru, go Jiraiya now in the name of the East Front. Tell him not only to be wary of Mist Village's landing in the Land of Rivers, but also to prevent Mist Village from joining forces with Sunagakure to attack him. At the same time, inform him of our position so that he can ask us for help if needed."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade!" Nara Kaoru immediately stood up straight to accept the order and took out paper and pen to start writing.

"Taiichi, your Flying Thunder God is the fastest. Deliver the letter to Jiraiya later, and then continue to monitor Mist Village to see what Mist Village 're up to."

"No problem, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Taiichi fingers on his temples and gave a salute.

"The rest of you, arrange for the troops to rest for half an hour, then continue your journey."

On the vast ocean.

The spatial fluctuations immediately caught Taiichi's attention, and as his gaze moved in that direction, his Shadow Clone appeared.

Before Taiichi could express his doubts, the Shadow Clone flicked out a letter, which then turned into white smoke and disappeared with a "bang".

This is truly a wonderful way to communicate, without even needing to say a word.

Taiichi took the letter and learned about Tsunade's arrangements from the Shadow Clone's memories.

He naturally had no objection to this.

Looking at the Mist Village warships speeding across the distant sea with their sails fully unfurled, he was also very curious about what the Mist Village were planning.

We have now entered the waters of the Land of Rivers, but judging from the ship's trajectory, it is still heading straight south with no sign of approaching the shore. If it continues like this, it will reach the waters of the Land of Wind in less than a day.

Taiichi shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore since he couldn't figure it out. He created a Shadow Clone to continue monitoring, while his main body disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was at the closest Flying Thunder God coordinates to Jiraiya's Camp, according to his memory.

This is still the Flying Thunder God Mark Taiichi planted on the Southern Front, and it's coming in handy now.

Chakra Perception spread out, and thankfully, the Konoha Camp on the Southern Front, two kilometers to the east, still stood there, not having been moved elsewhere over time.

This also shows how stable the situation has been on the Southern Front recently. No wonder Minato and Yohei have been transferred away one after another. There probably isn't much fighting happening here now.