Secretly Watching! Seizing Hero Water!

The Land of Waterfalls lay between the Lands of Fire and Earth, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

Yet this land was encircled by countless massive waterfalls.

The roaring curtains of water resembled natural city walls, forming the first line of defense.

Behind the waterfalls lay a tangled network of water caves and underground lakes, a natural labyrinth.

Takigakure Village had been built beneath one of the main waterfalls.

The merchant caravan Lin Hai was traveling with did not enter Takigakure Village. Instead, they settled in an open village called Straightwater.

Upon entering the village, Lin Hai was amazed.

A colossal tree that blotted out the sky enveloped the entire village.

Beneath its canopy, lakes surrounded small islands connected by wooden bridges, like a paradise beyond the world.

The caravan owner went to find the black-market intermediary who was supposed to meet them, while the rest of the team waited at the inn.

Lin Hai was full of curiosity and had just been about to sneak out for a look around.

Akimichi Torifu grabbed him. "Captain Danzo said we can move freely now. But I have to stay behind and guard the goods. You can go sightseeing, but you have to bring me twenty skewers of grilled meat and three huge portions of rice balls, or I'll beat you up!"

Lin Hai agreed with a smile and headed into the village.

By the lakeside, children played in the water while women washed clothes and chatted on the shore, peaceful smiles filling their faces.

If I hadn't known in advance that Takigakure was preparing for war, I never would have guessed this place was about to be swept into it. There isn't even a trace of war's gloom on the civilians' faces, Lin Hai thought to himself.

Just then, a furtive-looking man bumped into Lin Hai, muttered, "Sorry," and hurried toward a house by the lake.

Lin Hai had not paid much attention at first, but the instant they collided, his two-tomoe Sharingan activated instinctively.

He clearly saw chakra flowing through the man's body, nearly at the level of a chunin, yet he wore no ninja village forehead protector.

"Curiosity killed the cat..." Lin Hai muttered, but his body honestly followed after him.

After the man entered the house, Lin Hai refined chakra and adhered it to the soles of his feet, silently climbing onto the roof.

He slipped in through a half-open second-floor window. Hearing footsteps from below, he immediately leaped onto a beam and used the Transformation Technique to blend into it.

Before long, three men came up to the second floor.

One of them was the man who had bumped into Lin Hai earlier.

After another man sat down, he spoke in a deep voice. "Lord Takikage has ordered us to hand over the 'Hero Water.' What do you think?"

The man who had bumped into Lin Hai was named Jinpachiro. He slammed a hand on the table and roared, "Takikage has been recruiting troops like mad lately. He's clearly planning to start a war! That goes against our village's ideals of peace! Hero Water is meant to protect the village. We absolutely cannot hand it over for him to wage war!"

"That's right!" another man echoed. "Using Hero Water drains one's lifespan. Harano, you didn't call us here because you want us to hand over the sacred water, did you?"

Harano, the first man to speak, gave a bitter smile. "I understand what you're thinking. But Takikage means it this time. If we refuse, he'll wipe out Straightwater Village!"

"Bullshit!" Jinpachiro cursed. "Our Land of Waterfalls never had a 'Kage' to begin with! He's just a self-proclaimed one backed by the daimyo. Does he really think we're made of clay? If he wants to fight, then we'll fight!"

The man who had remained silent was named Tamafuji.

After a long silence, he turned to look at the towering tree outside the window and sighed.

"Give it up. The village's survival matters more than anything. As long as that sacred tree remains, there will eventually be more Hero Water. But if the village is gone, then everything is gone."

Tamafuji was the village's only jonin.

His words set the tone for the matter.

He took out a worn strip of cloth from his robes and tossed it to Harano.

Jinpachiro gritted his teeth and threw over a strip of cloth as well.

"I know you all look down on me." Harano put away the cloth strips. "But for the village's peace, I'll bear this infamy. I suggest that we seal off the village in the future and stop opening it to outsiders."

With that, Harano turned and went downstairs. The other two men also left with sighs.

On the beam, Lin Hai released his Transformation Technique.

"Hero Water? A secret medicine that can greatly increase someone's strength? Something this good would be much safer in Konoha!"

Lin Hai climbed out the window, immediately released ninja bees to notify Danzo, then activated his Sharingan and trailed Harano from a distance.

As he followed Harano deep into the forest, Lin Hai sensed a large number of chakra signatures ahead. He immediately leaped into a tree and used the Transformation Technique to conceal himself.

In the clearing ahead, ten ninjas wearing Takigakure forehead protectors were waiting for Harano.

Harano asked coldly, "As long as I hand over the map, Lord Takikage will really exempt our village from taxes and military service for ten years?"

The leading Takigakure jonin sneered. "Lord Takikage's word is as good as gold. Hand it over."

Up in the tree, Lin Hai calculated silently. One jonin, three chunin, and six genin. Snatching it by force definitely won't work. The map is on those cloth strips. How am I supposed to handle this?

Just then, the ninja bees returned. Two figures appeared silently beside Lin Hai, none other than Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Kagami.

"What's going on? Didn't I tell you not to stir up trouble?" Danzo reprimanded in a low voice.

Lin Hai quickly explained the intelligence about Hero Water. "Captain Danzo, whether this water is as miraculous as the rumors claim or not, this kind of strategic resource absolutely cannot fall into the hands of an enemy nation preparing for war!"

A flash of greed and killing intent passed through Danzo's eyes as he stared at the Takigakure ninjas below. "The map was on that man called Harano?"

"He just handed it over." Lin Hai nodded.

Kagami hesitated somewhat. "Making a move now will alert them. We don't have enough people. If our Konoha identities are exposed, the mission will be ruined."

"Who said Konoha did it?" A cold, vicious curve lifted at Danzo's lips. "Kumogakure has been acting up at the border lately. If Takigakure gets attacked by Kumogakure, what does that have to do with Konoha?"

"We'll make our move after they find Hero Water! We're unfamiliar with this place, so we might search the wrong location otherwise!"

After handing over the map, Harano left despondently. The Takigakure squad followed the map deeper inside.

Half an hour later, the Takigakure squad arrived before a hidden underground lake.

"It's around here. Spread out and stay on guard!" the Takigakure jonin ordered.

Hidden in the treetop, Danzo's gaze turned cold. "Move!"

Wind Style: Peacock Whirlwind Slash!

Danzo struck first.

With a fierce sweep of both hands, hundreds of visible, razor-sharp wind blades erupted like a peacock spreading its tail, shrieking through the air as they tore toward the Takigakure ninjas below!

As the enemy formation descended into chaos, Danzo drew a kunai and charged straight at the enemy jonin!

Phoenix Flower Fire Technique!

Uchiha Kagami followed closely behind. A rain of fire crashed down like meteors upon the chunin below.

Shuriken Manipulation Technique!

Lin Hai coordinated perfectly, instantly hurling more than a dozen shuriken connected by steel wires.

The wires threaded through the fiery net of Phoenix Flower Fire, instantly igniting and carving the ground into countless burning zones of death.

"Cut off their wings first!"

Lin Hai gripped his short blade tightly. His Sharingan blazed crimson as, like a grim reaper harvesting lives, he charged straight at the six panicked genin!