Cast a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish

After verifying his identity, Mahiru quickly stepped forward to check Ryotaro's injuries. A brief examination revealed nothing more than physical exhaustion.

His brows knit tightly together as he asked, "What happened? You were supposed to be with Higashi Shito's squad, so why have you ended up here?"

Ryotaro dared not conceal the truth and gave a concise account of the events: "While we were carrying out our mission, a man in white named Luo... Luo... Luo Yongxin suddenly appeared, claiming that this region was the territory of their Celestial organization. After negotiations failed, he simply flicked his hand and instantly killed three chunin. Captain Higashi Shito realized we were outmatched and stayed behind to cover our retreat, saying that perhaps only a jonin could stall him for a few dozen seconds to buy me enough time to relay this information to you and Captain Gari."

Hiss~

Upon hearing this, the group collectively sucked in a breath of cold air—each person contributing a mouthful to global warming—causing even the campfire to flicker violently.

To kill three chunin with a casual flick of the hand in a direct confrontation—even accounting for the possibility of them being caught off guard—was a feat beyond the capabilities of an ordinary jonin. Even within Iwagakure, only a handful of people could achieve such a thing: the Tsuchikage and the two jinchuriki. Regardless of whether Luo Yongxin was weaker or stronger than those three, his threat level to the special operations squad was lethal based on this display alone.

"Tell me the details of his abilities," Mahiru said, bowing his head. In truth, ninjas had little choice. In a situation like this, knowing the enemy's baseline strength was high, abandoning the mission would still result in punishment. At the very least, Mahiru could not shirk his responsibility as the primary commander of the special operations squad. Therefore, he still wanted to gamble.

"He is very young and excels at long-range Lightning Release. With a wave of his hand, he releases lightning; it flashes by in an instant, unassuming, but it causes immense damage to the human body. Unfortunately, Captain Higashi Shito saw the situation was dire and ordered me to flee the scene to deliver the intelligence, so I didn't see anything else."

As he spoke, Ryotaro's expression grew even more mournful. If there were no surprises, Captain Higashi Shito had likely sacrificed his life in the line of duty.

Mahiru's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fist, veins bulging on the back of his hand. Strictly speaking, the special operations squad's mission was an invasion; to the Land of Wind, they were the aggressors. But one's perspective is dictated by their position, and Mahiru did not want to consider any moral stance. He only knew that his teammates were dead and an entire detachment had been nearly wiped out.

What could he do now? He had collected no intelligence, and just after entering the Land of Wind, a mysterious organization had appeared out of nowhere to destroy one of his squads. If he were to be scared out of his wits and slink back to the village, reporting to the Tsuchikage that the enemy was too strong and that this was a disaster sent by heaven rather than a failure of combat, he would surely become the laughingstock of the entire village. He would be the talk of the town, with even genin pointing at him: "Look, that's the legendary useless ninja who gave up on a special mission because he was scared by a mysterious person."

What was a "special mission"? A mission entrusted by the Tsuchikage that could affect the fate of the entire village was a special mission. The implications of coming to scout the Land of Wind at this time were self-evident. I will never allow myself to become a burden to the village!

Having made up his mind, Mahiru extracted his chakra, turning the sand into a pile to extinguish the campfire, and drew his sword, pointing it forward: "All units, stay alert and prepare for combat. We must reach the squad led by Gari as quickly as possible. Continuing to split our forces is too dangerous!"

"Captain Mahiru, are you planning to avenge Captain Higashi Shito?" Ryotaro asked with a glimmer of hope. Whenever he thought that Captain Higashi Shito's death was due to his own incompetence, Ryotaro felt immense self-reproach. If he had only been a little stronger, perhaps everyone could have escaped.

A trace of awkwardness flashed in Mahiru's eyes. He fell silent for a moment before apologizing: "I am sorry, but I do not intend to avenge Higashi Shito. Our mission is to gather intelligence regarding the unrest in the Land of Wind. Once we link up, we will quickly withdraw from this region to avoid the enemy's edge. Of course, if the opportunity arises, we will also gather intelligence on this Celestial organization to make Higashi Shito's death more meaningful."

Once combined, two elite jonin and over twenty chunin would form a force that no Kage-level powerhouse could afford to ignore. At the very least, if everyone was committed to fleeing, it would be impossible for an ordinary Kage-level powerhouse to wipe everyone out in an instant.

"I understand." Ryotaro's expression turned despondent. A ninja's life was always beyond their own control.

The group buried the campfire, destroyed the traces of their stay, and set off under the cover of night.

The bright moon hung in the sky.

A few minutes later, Rasa walked over from the distance, treading on the yellow sand. Scorpions crawling out from the depths of the earth attempted to approach him, only to be struck down instantly by electricity appearing out of thin air. He glanced toward the spot where the campfire had been buried, shook his head slightly, and sighed: "A futile effort. Their direction of movement is not toward the Land of Earth. Very good. Flee, link up—it is not yet time to close the net."

Any object above absolute zero emits electromagnetic waves. The rock ninjas could bury the campfire, but they could not make the temperature of the embers match the surrounding environment. In Rasa's perception, these rock ninjas had nowhere to hide. He did not strike immediately because he wanted to see if they would choose to link up, return directly to the Land of Earth, or continue with their original plan. Fortunately, Mahiru did not disappoint Rasa's expectations.

The long night was endless, and there was no heart for sleep. After several hours of forced marching, Mahiru finally located the position of the other squad. The environment in this area was far worse than where they had been.

Hearing the commotion, the captain Gari, whose hairstyle bore a striking resemblance to a Saiyan, jolted awake from his slumber and launched himself out of the tent in a flash.

He scanned the front with vigilance and demanded in a loud voice while rousing all his subordinates: "Who's there?"

"It's me, Mahiru."

Mahiru looked flustered, and behind him followed a dozen ninjas, all of whom appeared to be in poor spirits.

After confirming their identities, Gari cast a puzzled glance at Mahiru and asked, "What happened? Didn't we agree to split up to increase the efficiency of our intelligence gathering? Why have you all regrouped?"

"In short, we must evacuate this area immediately. A Kage-level powerhouse is prowling nearby, claiming this territory belongs to their organization. Higashi Shito sacrificed his life to hold him off, which was the only way this intelligence could be relayed."

Mahiru gave a rough summary before moving to command everyone for a strategic withdrawal; having combined their forces, he was now the commander-in-chief, holding a rank half a level higher than Gari.

Ryotaro suddenly froze in place, trembling all over. He gripped the kunai in his hand tightly, his expression complex as he stared behind Mahiru.

"What's wrong?"

Mahiru turned to look, also stunned for a brief moment, before realizing the situation—too late for regret. Damn it, he had spent his whole life hunting geese only to be pecked by one; having lost his composure upon hearing of Higashi Shito's death, he had only verified his identity without checking if there were any pursuers behind him.

A young man with slicked-back hair, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a white lab coat, walked slowly toward them, treading through the moonlight.