Ten minutes later.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have killed an elite jōnin and received 500,000 ryō to spend.]
Uchiha Mikoto and Nawaki had successfully taken down the Sunagakure jōnin. Aside from stealing the kill, Bai Lin hadn't interfered in the fight.
"We did it!" Nawaki shouted excitedly. His face was covered in sweat, but he couldn't hide his exhilaration.
It was the first time he'd teamed up with Mikoto in a real battle to defeat a jōnin. It was a huge breakthrough for him.
Uchiha Mikoto also breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to Bai Lin, anticipation in her eyes. "Lin, how did we do?"
"Great! You both have my full support!" Bai Lin ruffled Uchiha Mikoto's smooth, long hair, his voice unmistakably gentle.
"All that training these past few days paid off. You've completely adapted to the rhythm of the battlefield, and you've earned my approval."
He turned to look at the two unconscious Sunagakure Genin, his eyes instantly turning cold. "Wake them up and find out what this squad is really here for."
Nawaki immediately stepped forward and woke the two of them.
They slowly came to. When they saw the cold stares from Bai Lin and the others, along with the jōnin's body nearby, they were so terrified that their souls nearly left their bodies. They trembled uncontrollably.
"Talk! What's your squad here for? Are there reinforcements behind you?" Nawaki demanded.
A few minutes later.
"Useless," Bai Lin said flatly, not a trace of warmth in his eyes.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have killed a Genin and received 50,000 ryō to spend.] [Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have killed a Genin and received 50,000 ryō to spend.]
The two system notifications rang out one after the other. The Genin hadn't even had time to beg before Bai Lin dispatched them cleanly.
After seeing the jōnin in their squad die, the two Genin had completely broken down and revealed everything they knew to Bai Lin and the others.
But they weren't high-ranking members, after all, so they didn't know much.
What Bai Lin learned was that the men belonged to a reconnaissance unit. Behind them was a Sunagakure force nearly a hundred strong, which had slipped past Konoha's shinobi forces and was planning something.
"Lin, what should we do now? There's a hundred-strong Sunagakure force behind us. You mustn't act rashly," Mikoto asked worriedly.
The scene of Bai Lin charging alone into an Amegakure unit was still fresh in her mind. She was afraid he might get carried away and take on the hundred-strong Sunagakure force by himself.
"Relax. I may be reckless, but I'm not stupid!"
Bai Lin tapped Uchiha Mikoto on the forehead and replied with a smile.
"Then should we head to the front lines and notify our teacher, Orochimaru?" Hearing this, Nawaki also breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Lin frowned. His destination was Takigakure, the village where Hero Water could be found.
After several days of rushing along, they were already close. By his rough estimate, they would reach it in about half a day.
Drinking Hero Water could multiply a shinobi's Chakra several dozen times, allowing an ordinary jōnin to attain Kage Level strength.
Although its side effects would consume a large part of the user's life and shorten their lifespan,
taking too much at once could also cause the body to burst from being unable to withstand the swelling Chakra.
But Bai Lin was focused on its effectiveness. It could make up for the limitations of his own Chakra reserves to a great extent.
Like the Cursed Seal and Sharingan, it could serve as a trump card and give him another way to stay alive on the battlefield.
The three of them had set out from Konoha, traveling straight toward Takigakure. Their route only slightly diverged from Orochimaru's. If they changed direction now, they could meet up with him quickly.
"Should I change the plan?" Bai Lin fell into thought. They still didn't know what the Sunagakure force was planning. On one hand was his own plan; on the other was intelligence that could benefit Konoha.
"You don't necessarily have to choose between two good things." After a moment, a decisive glint flashed in Bai Lin's eyes, and a defiant smile tugged at his lips. "Mikoto, Nawaki, we're splitting up here."
"You're going to report to Orochimaru. I'll be acting alone from here on."
After all these days of training, there was no way Nawaki could still end up blown to pieces under Orochimaru's command.
If that happened, Bai Lin could only say there was definitely someone's hand in it.
If it was part of someone else's scheme, Bai Lin couldn't stay by Nawaki's side to protect him every moment.
He might as well use this as a test. Even if Nawaki got killed again, Bai Lin would definitely bring him back to life.
"Split up?" They both froze, their faces full of surprise.
"Go report to Orochimaru and tell him about the hundred-strong Sunagakure force," Bai Lin said firmly, his gaze sweeping over Nawaki with a hint of warning.
"Nawaki, follow Orochimaru's lead. Don't act recklessly like you used to. Keep your wits about you—some traps can't be avoided just by being strong."
He naturally couldn't tell Nawaki what fate had in store for him, so he could only hint at it.
"What about you?" Mikoto asked urgently, worry filling her eyes. "Are you going to fight the Sunagakure force alone? It's too dangerous!"
"Relax. I'm not planning to do that." Bai Lin ruffled her hair, his voice softening a little. Then he turned to Nawaki. "Protect Mikoto. If she loses even a single hair, I'll hold you responsible."
Nawaki wanted to say something else, but Bai Lin cut him off. "Don't argue. Follow the order. Finding Orochimaru quickly and getting the intel to him is the biggest help you can give me."
"Understood!" Nawaki nodded firmly, his expression serious.
The three of them didn't waste any more time. They split up at a fork in the road through the dense forest.
Mikoto and Nawaki raced off toward Orochimaru's unit, while Bai Lin turned around and dashed toward Takigakure like a streak of blue lightning.
Half a day later, in the woods before a waterfall.
Bai Lin was hiding behind a tree, calmly observing his surroundings.
The rushing waterfall plunged from a cliff dozens of meters high, sending spray everywhere and filling the air with mist. It completely concealed the mountainside behind it.
If he hadn't been a transmigrator who knew that Takigakure's hidden entrance lay behind the waterfall, he might not have found the place even after searching for days.
"So this is where Takigakure is hidden?"
A hint of approval flashed in Bai Lin's eyes.
"Not bad! Using nature as a natural barrier. No wonder they've managed to protect Hero Water for so long amid all this chaos."
"Going in during the day is too risky." Bai Lin concealed his presence and waited patiently for the right moment.
Night fell, and all was silent.
Only the roar of the waterfall continued to echo through the valley.
Bai Lin had been quietly watching from behind the tree. Suddenly, his figure vanished.
There were no guards outside. Takigakure didn't seem to want anyone to notice this place.
Bai Lin quickly found the entrance behind the waterfall. After looking it over carefully and spotting no one, he walked straight inside.
The space inside was vast, and numerous pools dotted the ground. This was the secret waterway that led straight to Takigakure.
He took a deep breath, leaped into a pool, and swam along the waterway.