29. Chapter 29, They're Elite Too, Aren't They

Through the layers of tree canopy, the moon now hung high in the night sky.

Ye Yuexin gauged the height of the moon, sensing it was likely around midnight.

Fortunately, they were just about to reach the border defense base.

Otherwise, having spent a day and a half traveling while constantly using chakra—especially after Ye Yuexin had participated in an assist—the three of them were now completely exhausted and barely holding on.

As the distance closed, the surrounding trees began to thin out; this was clearly intentional.

It was a terrain modification made to prevent enemies from sneaking in to attack the base.

Continuing forward, wooden structures finally came into view.

Just then, a sound like an eagle's cry rang out from ahead.

Upon hearing this, Might Guy and Ebisu immediately stopped in their tracks.

This struck Ye Yuexin as quite strange.

Might Guy whispered an explanation: they were exchanging passwords.

Five seconds later, a "Cuckoo!"—the call of a cuckoo bird—sounded from the front.

Hearing this, Ye Yuexin realized the signal exchange was not yet complete.

He watched as Might Guy and Ebisu simultaneously took three steps forward, then stopped again.

Only now did it seem the code had been fully verified.

Because Ye Yuexin saw a figure running toward them.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Ebisu seemed quite familiar with him. "Senior Yage!" he called out to the man.

"Ebisu? Why are you here? Where is Jonin Minato?" The newcomer was a refined-looking young ninja.

"This is Chunin Yage; we've executed missions together before," Ebisu explained, noticing Ye Yuexin's confusion.

Ye Yuexin nodded and said, "Senior Yage, we were sent by Captain Minato. We have important intelligence to report. Could you please relay that for us?"

Yage glanced at Ye Yuexin and said, "Then come along. You're all on our side anyway."

After speaking, he addressed the empty air beside them. "Dashan, hold the position a bit longer. I'll come relieve you once I've escorted them in."

"Understood."

The three, who had been feeling puzzled, were suddenly startled by the voice that appeared out of nowhere.

The sound had come from underground, only five or six meters away from them.

Ye Yuexin had not expected that they would have remained completely oblivious.

Was it a matter of experience? No.

Ye Yuexin felt it was a matter of intelligence.

Because all his attention had been focused on guarding the perimeter, he truly hadn't considered that someone might be underground.

He had completely forgotten that in this world, Earth Style existed.

Fortunately, this was their own base. If this mission had been to annihilate a Rock Ninja outpost, they would have already been surrounded by now.

And he was the captain of this three-man squad.

If that were the case, wouldn't it be...

Ye Yuexin didn't continue that line of thought, but he took this experience—or rather, this lesson—to heart.

He would not make the same mistake again. The world of a ninja was just like this.

It wasn't some power-fantasy novel; it was a world truly fraught with peril.

Any mistake would be paid for with a bloody lesson.

It seemed that ninja missions really had to be taken from low to high difficulty. Otherwise, things like experience would absolutely have to be compensated for with one's life.

Afterward, the three followed Yage into the fortified base.

The base appeared quite large, filled with many rooms, but they were all empty. It didn't feel like there were many people around.

At this moment, Yage pressed a mechanism on the wall.

Unexpectedly, a space resembling a basement appeared. After descending with Yage, many figures suddenly appeared before Ye Yuexin.

It seemed they had gathered due to the arrival of Ye Yuexin and his group; some had red eyes, looking as if they had been woken from their sleep.

Ye Yuexin silently counted about thirty-five people standing in the spacious underground area.

It appeared the space beneath the base was much larger than the surface.

"Captain Akamichi Shima, these brats were sent by Jonin Minato. They say they have important intelligence."

Yage spoke to a stout man among the group.

It seemed this man was the captain here. Ye Yuexin took a look; he estimated the man weighed at least four or five hundred pounds.

However, despite his size, he gave off a strangely harmonious impression.

In Konoha, one must never judge a person by their appearance, especially those surnamed Akamichi.

Within their clan, it can truly be said that body weight is directly proportional to strength.

Looking at the physique of the captain before him, Ye Yuexin felt that even within the entire Akamichi clan, he was an elite existence.

"Alright, I understand. You go and take your shift. Dashan has been lying in wait for several hours now; these are special times, and we cannot afford the slightest bit of negligence," Akamichi Shima said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Captain." After Yage finished speaking, he walked out.

Afterward, Akamichi Shima turned to Ye Yuexin and the others and said, "You may now disclose whatever intelligence you have."

The moon was exceptionally round tonight, and because there were no dense trees around the base, the moonlight spilled down without reservation.

The ground even appeared to be shimmering.

However, the base would not be as quiet tonight as it usually was.

Not long after Yage had arrived at his post, lights suddenly began to appear throughout the base.

It made Yage think that the enemy had already infiltrated the base without him noticing.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

But then he felt it was strange, as there seemed to be no sounds of fighting.

Subsequently, everyone inside the base walked out.

On the open ground in front of the base, everyone was fully prepared. Following an order from Akamichi Shima, they all sprinted toward the distance, with the Sand Ninja Defense Base as their target.

After hearing the information reported by Ye Yuexin, none of them doubted it, and they immediately began to organize their personnel.

Except for Yage, who was still acting as a hidden sentry, and three other hidden sentries facing different directions.

Of the remaining people, Akamichi Shima left behind four as replacements.

Afterward, everyone else headed toward the Sand Ninja Defense Base at the border.

Ye Yuexin and his group had now arrived at the spot where the hidden sentry had just been.

This time, Ye Yuexin's perception clearly sensed that the original hidden sentry position had been filled in with dirt.

And Yage had dug a new hidden hole not far away.

Ye Yuexin and the others walked directly over.

"Are you looking for me?" Seeing Ye Yuexin and the others approach, Yage spoke first.

"Yes, Senior Yage. I have some instructions from Captain Akamichi Shima that need to be relayed." Ye Yuexin then conveyed what Akamichi Shima had said.

After listening, Yage went to relay the message to the other hidden sentries.

Ye Yuexin helped him stand guard for a while. Once Yage returned, Ye Yuexin and his group began to head into the woods. He felt he should do something; he couldn't just wait for Kakashi and the others to arrive.

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