Rest

It seems my teammates are clean, Yusuke thought to himself.

There was no need to keep up the act any longer.

Although Terai did not understand what was said, he noticed the rapid collapse of his two subordinates, and a flash of shock and anger crossed his single eye beneath the mask.

I must end this quickly, he thought.

Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear!

He slammed his hands together in a seal, and several sharp stone spears erupted instantly from the ground beneath Yusuke's feet!

However, Yusuke's figure flickered like a ghost, dodging them with ease at a speed far exceeding what he had shown before.

He no longer held back, and the chakra fluctuations emanating from his body suddenly surged to a new level.

"What?!"

Terai was startled; the opponent's speed was like a different person entirely.

"I've played with you long enough."

Yusuke said calmly, his greatsword humming as arcs of lightning and flames suddenly coiled around the blade.

"Try my Thunder-Fire Greatsword."

As the words fell, the greatsword swung down, aiming straight for Terai's face.

Terai hastily raised his blade with both hands to block.

The weapons clashed for a split second, and in the next, Terai's blade was melted clean through.

Terror filled Terai's eyes; he only had time to take a single step back before the greatsword severed his right arm.

It was both his fortune and his misfortune that he would not bleed out from the severed limb.

The wound had been cauterized by the intense heat, sealing the blood vessels shut.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!" Terai steadied himself, unable to believe what had happened.

"How much does that old man Danzo really know about my true strength?"

Yusuke sneered and stepped forward, his speed increasing as his sword strikes became as fierce as a storm.

Every swing carried the momentum of lightning and fire, forcing Terai to retreat repeatedly, leaving him only able to parry with his left hand using the broken blade, with no room to counterattack.

Damn it, if this continues, I'm going to die.

Terai thought to himself. He threw the broken blade, attempting to weave hand seals with one hand to cast an Earth Style jutsu and escape.

But Yusuke would not give him the chance.

Yusuke casually swatted aside the incoming short sword, his chakra exploded beneath his feet, and he closed the distance in an instant.

He thrust the greatsword forward, instantly shearing off Terai's left arm, then twisted the blade, turning the thrust into a strike.

Thud.

Terai's ribs shattered and blood sprayed wildly as he was slammed to the ground like a broken sack, struggling to rise.

Yusuke walked over to Terai and pressed the greatsword against his throat.

Inuzuka Go and Hyuga Aya had also finished off their respective opponents and gathered around.

"Speak. What other plans do you have?" Yusuke asked coldly.

Terai stared fixedly at Yusuke, his eyes filled with venomous spite as he let out a cold laugh.

Suddenly, a look of agony crossed his face, and a "gurgling" sound emanated from his throat; he seemed to want to say something, but could not.

Yusuke's eyes narrowed. He moved instantly, grabbing Terai's jaw and forcing his mouth open.

On his tongue, a complex black curse mark was glowing faintly.

"Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal."

Yusuke let go, his tone icy.

Once an attempt was made to leak secrets of the Root, this seal would activate, rendering the victim unable to speak.

If they were subjected to interrogation, the seal would even destroy the brain, resulting in death.

A mocking glint flashed in Terai's eyes: "You see? You will never get any information out of me."

"Danzo's methods are as shady as ever." Yusuke stood up.

"Captain, who are they? Why would they be involved with Elder Danzo..." Inuzuka Go was confused; how did this end up involving the Hokage's advisor?

"Go clean this up." Yusuke did not explain, issuing the order directly.

Though he still had doubts, Inuzuka Go obeyed, while Hyuga Aya's eyes lit up; she turned and left without hesitation to clear the scene.

Yusuke turned back to look at Terai, and under Terai's mocking gaze, he placed his hand atop his head.

"I won't let this opportunity go to waste."

"Mind Reading Technique."

As he felt the foreign chakra preparing to invade his mind, the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on Terai's body erupted.

Amidst the miserable shrieks, Terai's eyes gradually rolled back, and drool trickled down the corner of his mouth.

Inuzuka Go felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.

He swallowed hard, lowered his voice, and said to Hyuga Aya beside him, "Whatever you do, never offend the Captain."

Hyuga Aya ignored the chatterbox and set about clearing the traces of the battlefield.

However, her expression was somewhat distracted, as if she were lost in thought.

Terai's screams lasted for two and a half minutes before his pupils dilated and he completely lost all signs of life.

Yusuke withdrew his palm and brushed it off with a look of disgust.

"Not bad, though I didn't obtain the complete intelligence."

"But I discovered other fragments of information in this guy's mind; 'Land of Whirlpools' and 'Sealing Scroll' appeared multiple times."

Does this mean one of the goals of that guy Shimura Danzō this time is the forbidden jutsu scrolls of the Land of Whirlpools?

Yusuke deduced in his heart.

With the scene now cleaned up, the three of them immediately departed.

The atmosphere was somewhat silent along the way.

Inuzuka Go wanted to speak several times, but seeing Yusuke's cold profile and Hyuga Aya's silent demeanor, he swallowed his words back down.

At this moment, Hyuga Aya, who had been silent the entire journey, spoke up for once: "Keeping your mouth shut is a skill, and even more so, an ability."

"If you want to betray the Captain, you'd better see if you have the strength to do so."

"What are you saying, you ice queen? Why would I betray the Captain!" Sparks flashed in Inuzuka Go's eyes.

"The Captain's abilities along this journey have filled me with admiration; by comparison, I'm more worried that you'll go out and blabber."

Inuzuka Go gritted his teeth and spoke; he had been completely won over by Yusuke's strength and cunning along the way, and he certainly wouldn't go out of his way to provoke such an enemy.

"Enough." Yusuke cut them off. "Let's find a few more enemy strongholds, then return to the Konoha base camp."

"Yes!" Inuzuka Go replied loudly, while Hyuga Aya nodded slightly.

Five days later, the Konoha frontline base camp was brightly lit.

Yusuke's squad had discovered six more local strongholds.

After submitting the maps of the scouted strongholds and the intelligence on enemy deployments to the mission squad, the three were granted three days of rest.

At this moment, the camp was permeated with tension and the scent of blood, with the groans of the wounded faintly audible.

The three were led to a tent, which would be their place of rest for the time being.

"Heh heh, I'm going to the supply depot to pick up some provisions."

Inuzuka Go gave a greeting and, unable to wait, rushed toward the supply depot with Haimaru, intending to improve their meals.

Hyuga Aya remained as silent as ever, walking slowly toward a corner to rest.

Yusuke found a relatively quiet spot and checked his ninja tool pouch.

Battle could arrive at any moment; for one like me who walks the path of caution, stability is the first step.

Night had completely fallen, and the campfires flickered, looking somewhat bleak.

Yusuke avoided the crowds, his figure leaping a few times until he reached a secluded clearing at the edge of the camp.

He needed to digest the fruits of the past few days of combat, and even more so, he needed to think about how to deal with Shimura Danzō's next moves.

He drew his greatsword, the blade carving a cold glint under the clear moonlight.

He took a deep breath, his chakra flowing slowly, and tiny arcs of electricity began to dance upon the blade.

He was practicing the shape transformation of his chakra, striving for greater stability and speed.

Just as he was immersed in his focus, a cold voice rang out not far behind him.

"Captain Yusuke."

Yusuke's movements paused, and the arcs of electricity on his sword dissipated with a "crackle."

"Who is it?" He turned rapidly to face the source of the voice, tapping his feet to leap backward several steps and create distance.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows: "Yusuke is truly as cautious and prudent as ever."