Rin Nohara

"Let's find a safer place to recover for now. Do either of you know any summoning jutsu or communication ninjutsu?"

"We definitely can't continue our mission in our current state, so we need to report our situation to Kakashi."

After reaching Might Guy and Ebisu, Ye Yuexin assessed their respective conditions and spoke.

In truth, despite his ability to still move, his chakra reserves were bottoming out.

At this point, he could barely even perform the footwork techniques that usually required minimal chakra.

What was worse, his left arm had been pierced by a kunai; although the bleeding had stopped, it would take a long time to heal.

Ebisu's condition was slightly better, but he still lacked the surplus chakra needed for combat.

Might Guy's situation was even more dire; it appeared that the muscles all over his body were strained.

Though he could still manage to move, it was clear that every action caused him immense pain.

This period could be considered the most dangerous time for them.

Especially since they were still within the borders of the Land of Rock. No one knew if they might suddenly encounter some unforeseen danger.

Therefore, they had to evacuate immediately. They needed to find a safe place to recover their chakra first.

"I don't know any such ninjutsu, nor do I have a summoning contract," Ebisu said awkwardly.

He then turned to look at Might Guy. Seeing both Ye Yuexin and Ebisu staring at him, Might Guy scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "Don't look at me. I don't know any communication ninjutsu, and I don't have a summoning animal either."

Hearing Might Guy say this, Ye Yuexin realized that he had not yet obtained the summoning turtle with the Konoha headband seen in the original story.

This left all three of them in an awkward position.

The two of them then turned their gazes toward him simultaneously.

The implication was that they would follow Ye Yuexin's lead and let him make the decision.

Ye Yuexin pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's retreat to a safe place to recover our chakra first."

When it came to choosing between their lives and the mission, Ye Yuexin decisively chose the former.

He was not a pedantic person. Besides, in their current state, even if they were to rendezvous with Kakashi and the others, they would likely only be a burden.

After speaking, Ye Yuexin took the initiative to carry Might Guy on his back, and the three of them headed toward the Land of Fire.

At the start, they walked slowly and cautiously.

As long as they weren't engaging in strenuous exercise, they could recover chakra, though the rate of recovery would be slower.

After walking for about an hour, the border between the two nations came into view.

Ye Yuexin and his companions had already recovered a small amount of chakra.

Ye Yuexin had already wrapped his left arm with medical bandages.

At this point, Might Guy was the only one with a serious injury. While muscle strain wasn't life-threatening, it severely hindered his mobility.

"Yuexin, that's enough. I've recovered some chakra, let me walk on my own," Might Guy said, feeling embarrassed to be carried by Ye Yuexin for so long.

Because Might Guy was being carried, he had been able to recover more chakra than the others.

Hearing Might Guy's bashful words, Ye Yuexin laughed, "Forget it. In your current physical state, it's easy to cause a secondary strain. We'll talk once we reach the base."

However, supporting Might Guy with one hand was becoming quite tiring, so he turned to Ebisu and said, "My arm is sore, you take a turn carrying him."

"Oh, oh, no problem. My injuries are the lightest. I should have taken him from you earlier." As he spoke, he took Might Guy over.

"You... you guys." The Blue Beast, feeling quite moved, saw his eyes well up with tears of gratitude.

Ye Yuexin's eye twitched as he watched. Why did a grown man have to be so sentimental?

"Hide!" Ye Yuexin suddenly spoke in a stern voice.

Upon hearing this, even though Ebisu hadn't sensed anything, he immediately began to conceal himself.

After recovering a bit of chakra, Ye Yuexin had activated his self-created Wind Perception.

After all, one could not afford the slightest bit of carelessness in a place like this.

Just a moment ago, he had clearly sensed two chakra fluctuations ahead.

One was large, and one was small.

Even though they were about to reach the Land of Fire, they could not lower their guard in the slightest.

Therefore, Ye Yuexin decided to hide immediately and observe the situation before making a decision.

Once hidden, Ye Yuexin used his Wind Perception to track the two points of chakra fluctuation.

It seemed his vigilance was well-placed, for under Ye Yuexin's perception, the two chakra sources—one large and one small—were clearly charging straight toward them.

The small one was in front, and the large one was behind.

By sensing the opponent's speed, Ye Yuexin made a rough estimate of their strength in his mind.

Feeling that they could still handle the situation in their current state, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

If another jōnin were to appear, it would truly be a situation of ten deaths and no life.

Watching the direction Ye Yuexin was facing, Ebisu and the others had already guessed where the opponent would emerge from.

Might Guy had already climbed down from Ebisu's back, watching the dense forest ahead with vigilance.

As they sensed the figure approaching, the presence drew closer and closer.

Ye Yuexin signaled Ebisu and the others with a hand gesture, indicating that they should prepare to attack.

Ye Yuexin had already drawn the short blade from his back.

"Woof, woof, woof!"

Suddenly, a dog dashed into their line of sight.

Through Wind Perception, he realized that the small chakra source belonged to this puppy.

But what about that massive chakra source?

"Rin Nohara!!"

Ebisu cried out in shock after seeing the figure approaching.

He never would have imagined that it was Rin Nohara coming toward them.

Might Guy also looked completely bewildered.

Could it be that Kakashi's team had learned of their crisis and come to provide support? But that would be far too slow.

Besides, even if they were sending reinforcements, they wouldn't just send Rin Nohara, the weakest girl. Ye Yuexin immediately sensed that something was unusual.

When Rin Nohara saw Ye Yuexin and the others, she was visibly overjoyed and leaped toward them at high speed.

After identifying the newcomer, Ye Yuexin and his companions jumped down from the tree branches.

As the distance closed, Ye Yuexin saw that Rin Nohara's face was covered in dust. Seeing her like this, he knew that Kakashi and the others must have run into trouble.

"Rin, what happened? Why are you rushing over here all by yourself?"

Might Guy was the first to ask.

Upon reaching their side, Rin Nohara noticed that Ye Yuexin and the others were in equally poor condition.

However, there was no time to ask about that now; she spoke directly.

"Hurry and go rescue Kakashi and the others! Kakashi is severely injured and nearing unconsciousness, and Genma Shiranui is also heavily wounded."