"Something's wrong. These Mist Village ninja are only hanging back, like they're trying to drive us back to the village. What happened? Could it be..."
Baiyun Zaojian's face darkened. Though he was not a genius ninja like Hatake Kakashi, anyone who had survived on the battlefield until now was no slouch.
The Mist Village ninja's intentions were almost obvious at a glance, but the truth beneath them was like a fog, leaving them bewildered.
Suddenly, a piercing shriek shattered the air. The elite ninja hawk, renowned for its silence, dove straight toward Kakashi's team below.
"This is Ninja Hawk Number Three, practically the finest ninja hawk in the village. Why is it here all of a sudden? Emergency intelligence?"
Hyuga Yun hurriedly reached out and caught it. Upon seeing this, the distant Mist Village ninja's expressions changed drastically, and their barrage of shuriken became even fiercer.
"I'll cover you. Hurry and see what the intelligence says. Deciphering a code at a time like this won't be easy."
When Hyuga Yun opened the message, what met his eyes was not the expected coded intelligence, but a single simple sentence.
Yet that one sentence made cold sweat stream down Hyuga Yun's back. He looked with difficulty at Kakashi, who was bringing up the rear and covering the group, before finally turning his gaze upon the panicked Rin and speaking softly.
"Word from headquarters. They intercepted an anonymous report. They... the Mist Village ninja... implanted the legendary demon, the aggregate of chakra, the Three-Tails, into someone else."
"To use a talisman to control the Three-Tails upon reaching the village and destroy the entire Konoha ninja village, that person is..."
With a crack, lightning flashed and startled the bewildered Rin awake. Those eyes filled with killing intent were now fixed tightly on her, while