Infiltration

Rikaku had no intention of killing him. He had not attacked with the blade, only with the hilt.

Puff, puff!

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

"Both of them were clones?" Rikaku shook his head with a self-mocking smile.

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

He had actually been tricked by a boy.

However, 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 the moment he threw out the smoke bomb.

The moment he first saw Rikaku, he had known clearly that he was no match for him.

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

Rather than that, he might as well create the illusion that he had fled with Daidao, lure Rikaku away, and remain hidden in the ruins where he was.

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

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

There was a wound over an inch wide in his chest, piercing straight through and damaging his lungs. He was having trouble even breathing, and bloody foam seeped from his nose and mouth every time he exhaled.

His injuries were severe. If he was not treated 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 an injury like this, I'm afraid only Lady Tsunade and Sister Shizune can help." He sighed.

But he had snatched Daidao away in full view of everyone, exposing his identity. Sooner or later, Rikaku would find where he was staying.

Taking Daidao back with him like this would also be inappropriate.

Besides, Rikaku was no fool. If he could not find anyone anywhere, he would definitely return here again.

This was no place to stay for long!

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

Smack, smack, smack!

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

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

"I'm counting on you, buddy," Yizhe whispered to his clone.

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

Rikaku had already spread word that Daidao had been taken. Samurai searching for the two of them filled the streets.

Yizhe darted through the streets, avoiding the searching samurai as much as possible while hurrying 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 show Tsunade some respect and would not dare touch him.

Sure enough, Rikaku had already found 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. They did not pose much of an obstacle to him. Besides, infiltration and escape were a ninja's specialty; slipping 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 a direction directly facing the entrance and slowly approached 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! I ate something bad! Let me go in and use the toilet!"

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

"Are you sick or something? There's one right in front of me, and you're telling me to find somewhere else!" Yizhe squeezed his legs together and argued urgently.

"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 under his breath as he turned to leave.

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

"Do you really owe me money?" His face was full of suspicion.

"Last week, I borrowed two thousand from you at the casino. You forgot already?" Yizhe asked in return.

"Did you?" The young samurai hesitated.

"Maybe I remembered wrong? Sorry, sorry, I must have remembered wrong!" Yizhe kept his legs pressed together and grinned apologetically, looking utterly ridiculous.

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

"So it's fine if I go inside to use the toilet now?" 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, he staggered toward the inn without looking back.

"Hey! Who's that? Didn't we say no one 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 acting up, so he's just 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 giving him meaningful looks.

"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. What do you say?" the young samurai said excitedly.

"Something this good can happen?" The black-clad samurai smiled as well.

It was like pie falling from the sky. His companion had picked up two thousand yuan for nothing, and he could tag along for a good meal.

Once inside the inn, Yizhe found that no samurai were guarding it, so he returned to his true appearance.

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

He finally breathed a sigh of relief. If even Tsunade's name could not protect him, then he would really be in deep 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 room of his own.

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

As a result, Yizhe had certainly feasted his eyes during this time and gained quite a bit.

"Well, if it isn't our little hero, back at last?" The moment he entered, he heard Tsunade teasing him from inside.

It seemed they had finished treating Mifune's injuries.

"Where's Daidao?"

With such a huge commotion outside, there was no way Tsunade could have missed it. She had quickly learned that Yizhe had taken 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 and saw Rikaku leaning against the wall, staring coldly at him.