Infiltration

Rikaku had no intention of killing anyone. He had not used the blade, only the hilt.

Puff, puff!

Yizhe's figures in the field turned into two wisps of green smoke.

"Both were clones?" Rikaku shook his head and mocked himself.

He looked up at the sky, somewhat annoyed. After chasing for so long, he had not expected both of them to be clones.

He had actually been tricked by a teenager.

Still, Rikaku was no ordinary man. He quickly composed himself and began arranging his next move.

As the saying went, the most dangerous place was the safest place.

Yizhe had begun planning this the moment he threw the smoke bomb.

When he first saw Rikaku, he had known full well that he was no match for him.

Even if he managed to rescue Daidao amid the chaos, they probably would not get far before being caught again.

Rather than that, he might as well make Rikaku believe he had fled with Daidao, lure the tiger away from the mountain, and remain hidden in the ruins where he had been all along.

Just as he had expected, he successfully drew Rikaku and the many samurai away with two Shadow Clones.

Only after everyone had left did he have a chance to inspect Daidao's condition.

There was a wound over an inch wide in Daidao's chest, piercing straight through him and damaging his lungs. Even breathing was difficult, and every exhale brought bloody foam from his nose and mouth.

His injuries were severe. Without treatment soon, he likely would not survive the night.

But Yizhe only knew how to treat ordinary wounds. He had no idea how to handle an injury like this.

"For a wound like this, I'm afraid only Lady Tsunade and Sister Shizune can help." He sighed.

But he had kidnapped Daidao in full view of everyone and exposed his identity. Sooner or later, Rikaku would find where he was staying.

Bringing Daidao back directly would be inappropriate as well.

Besides, Rikaku was no fool. If he could not find them anywhere, he would definitely come back to search again.

They could not stay here for long!

As he analyzed the situation, Yizhe used the Blood-Stopping Technique to stop the bleeding from Daidao's wound.

Slap, slap, slap!

He used the Gentle Fist on Daidao's vital acupuncture points, intending to control the flow of his chakra and completely eliminate any possibility of resistance.

"Shadow Clone Technique."

"Please, buddy," Yizhe whispered to his clone.

"Mm." The clone nodded and silently vanished from the spot.

Rikaku had already spread the news of Daidao's kidnapping, and samurai searching for the two of them filled the streets.

Yizhe moved swiftly through the streets, avoiding the samurai conducting searches wherever possible as he hurried back toward the inn where Tsunade and the others were staying.

As long as he returned to Tsunade's side, he would be safe. No matter what, Rikaku would have to give Tsunade some face and would not dare lay a finger on him.

Sure enough, Rikaku had already traced him to the inn where he was staying.

A dark mass of samurai stood in the snow outside, surrounding the place so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Unfortunately for them, these samurai were only so strong and posed little obstacle to him. Besides, infiltration and escape were what ninjas excelled at. Getting into the inn would not be difficult.

Yizhe quietly landed in a corner and used the Transformation Technique, turning himself into a black-clad samurai.

He chose the direction directly facing the entrance and slowly headed toward the inn, pushing through the crowd as he tried to squeeze inside.

"Hey! Where did you come from? How come I've never seen you before?" A young samurai stopped him.

Yizhe clutched his stomach, pretending to be in pain as he gritted out, "Move, move! Something I ate disagreed with me! Let me go in and use the toilet!"

"No, no! Lord Rikaku said no one is allowed in or out now! Find somewhere else!" the young samurai refused righteously.

"Are you sick in the head? There's one right in front of me, and you want me to find somewhere else?" Yizhe squeezed his legs together and retorted anxiously.

"No!" The young samurai still shook his head.

"Fine, you win! Don't expect me to pay back those two thousand yuan I owe you!" Yizhe bent over, cursing as he turned to leave.

"Wait!" At the mention of money, the young samurai's eyes lit up and he hurriedly called Yizhe back.

"Do you really owe me money?" Suspicion filled his face.

"Last week, I borrowed two thousand from you at the gambling house. You already forgot?" Yizhe asked.

"Did you?" The young samurai hesitated.

"Maybe I remembered wrong? Sorry, sorry, maybe I got it mixed up!" He kept his legs pressed together and smiled apologetically, looking utterly ridiculous.

"No, no, no! Right, I lent you two thousand yuan last week. You remembered correctly!" Seeing the money practically in hand about to fly away, the young samurai hurriedly agreed.

"So I can go in and use the toilet now, right?" Yizhe pointed at the inn and asked carefully.

"It's fine, go in! Remember to pay me back when you come out!" the young samurai reminded him.

"Got it, got it!" he answered casually, clutching his stomach as he staggered toward the inn without looking back.

"Hey! Who's that? Didn't we say nobody was allowed in or out?" Another black-clad samurai called out to Yizhe.

"Brother Ozawa, it's fine! He's my friend. His stomach's upset, so he's going in to use the toilet!" the young samurai loudly explained to the black-clad man who had stopped Yizhe.

"Is he really someone you know?" the later-arriving black-clad samurai asked suspiciously.

The two had known each other for a long time, yet he did not remember his companion having such a friend.

"He really is my friend!" The young samurai kept winking at him.

"Oh—oh—oh! If you know him, then it's fine! Go on in!" The black-clad samurai stopped blocking him and watched Yizhe slowly enter the inn.

"What are you playing at?" the later-arriving black-clad samurai demanded of the young samurai.

"I ran into an idiot. He got his accounts mixed up and says he owes me two thousand yuan! When he comes back, we'll make him pay up. Then I'll treat you to a drink. How about it?" the young samurai said excitedly.

"Something that good?" The black-clad samurai also showed a faint smile.

It was like pie falling from the sky. His companion had picked up two thousand yuan for nothing, and he would get a free meal out of it too.

After entering the inn, Yizhe found that there were no samurai guarding the inside, so he returned to his true form.

It seemed these samurai truly feared Tsunade's presence and had not gone too far.

He finally let out a breath of relief. If even Tsunade's name could not protect him, then they would really be in serious trouble!

Creak!

He pushed open the door and entered a large room.

Because Tsunade often gambled, she was frequently short on money. To save money, she had not rented Yizhe a separate room.

And since Yizhe was only ten years old, she had not thought much of it. She simply had him sleep on the floor and squeeze into the same room with the two of them.

Thus, during this time, Yizhe had enjoyed quite the view and benefited greatly.

"Oh! The little hero's back?" The moment he entered, he heard Tsunade teasing him from inside.

It seemed they had finished treating Mifune's injuries.

"Where's Daidao?"

With so much commotion outside, there was no way she could have missed it. She had soon learned that Yizhe had kidnapped Daidao. When she saw only Yizhe enter, without the person she had expected behind him, she was somewhat puzzled.

"I hid him! In a very safe place!" Yizhe answered confidently.

"Oh? And where did you hide him?" A somewhat familiar voice came from behind him.

Yizhe hurriedly turned around. Rikaku was leaning against the wall, staring coldly at him.