Return to Camp

After resting for a few minutes, Hinata Tianyi forced himself to endure the weakness and dizziness from vomiting as his gaze swept over the wreckage.

He couldn't stay here!

The two explosions had made far too much noise. They would inevitably draw scouts, whether from the Hidden Rain Village or other ninja villages. It was too dangerous.

He gritted his teeth and braced himself against a tree trunk with his nearly numb right hand. The wound on his left shoulder had split open again from the violent vomiting and movement, sending a piercing, dull pain through him.

Tianyi frowned and swiftly searched the Rain ninja whose corpse remained intact, finding several damp soldier pills, a small roll of relatively clean bandages, and two kunai.

His movements were quick, carrying a proficiency and coldness belonging to a battlefield survivor that even he himself had not noticed.

He stuffed the mud- and blood-stained supplies haphazardly into his ninja tool pouch. After taking one last look at the two Rain ninja corpses, there was little emotion left in his eyes, only profound exhaustion.

Then he turned and plunged into the depths of the rain curtain without looking back.

The rain was his best cover at the moment. Its crashing sound concealed his far-from-light footsteps, while the flowing water continuously washed away his footprints and bloodstains.

Every five minutes, he activated his Byakugan and kept it at the lowest possible level, ensuring only his vision and chakra perception within one kilometer ahead while conserving chakra.

Throughout the night, he used the Byakugan several times to detect hostile chakra signatures wandering in the distance in advance. He hid early in cracks between rocks or dense treetops, holding his breath until the danger had passed.

After a night of highly tense travel, Tianyi finally stopped when the first faint ray of dawn pierced the clouds and illuminated a relatively open slope in the forest ahead.

The shape of the slope and the arrangement of several particular distant rocks... gradually overlapped with a corner of his memories.

That's right... this was the place. About five more kilometers ahead was the forward reconnaissance camp designated "B-7," established by Leaf Village at the border of the Land of Fire in his memories!

His spirits lifted, and despite his left arm being nearly numb, he quickened his pace.

Suddenly, just as he entered this seemingly ordinary stretch of forest!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two figures descended soundlessly from the dense canopy like ghosts, one in front and one behind, perfectly blocking both his path forward and his retreat.

Both wore Leaf Village forehead protectors and standard Chunin vests. Their eyes were sharp, their hands already resting on their ninja tool pouches, and they radiated the capable vigilance of those tempered by war.

"Stop!" The Leaf ninja in front spoke in a low, oppressive voice. "Password? What unit are you assigned to? Who is your commanding Chunin? Identification number!"

Tianyi did not frantically try to explain himself. He merely slowly raised his right hand to show that he meant no harm.

His face was pale, his entire body soaked and covered in mud. The blood seeping from the bandage on his left shoulder was particularly glaring in the morning light. Anyone could see that he had gone through a brutal battle and was in terrible condition.

Yet he did his best to keep his eyes clear as he looked directly at the ninja questioning him.

"...The patrol squad I was in... was ambushed by the Hidden Rain Village to the northwest yesterday. The entire squad was wiped out." His voice was hoarse and dry, but he made every effort to speak clearly. At the same time, his gaze swept over the Leaf Village symbols on the two ninjas' forehead protectors. Finally, he took a deep breath and shouted, "Is this... proof enough?"

Before his words had faded, his hands formed seals. His eyes closed slightly, then snapped open!

"Alert!!!" The two Leaf ninjas immediately drew their kunai and prepared to attack.

Bzz!

"Byakugan!" The two Leaf ninjas exclaimed almost simultaneously. The vigilance in their eyes was instantly replaced by surprise. Judging from the news sent back yesterday, his squad had been ambushed by a large enemy force and should have been completely wiped out. It was truly lucky that he had made it back.

Moreover, in Leaf Village, the Byakugan was the best proof of identity and nearly impossible to fake. Still, this kid had formed hand seals right in front of them—he had nearly gotten himself killed by the two of them!

"A member of the Hyuga Clan!" The questioning ninja's tone softened somewhat.

"Name? Squad designation?"

"Hinata Tianyi... assigned to the Border Regular Reconnaissance Seventh Squad. My commanding Chunin is Teacher Tetsuya." Tianyi accurately reported the information from his memories, then deactivated the Byakugan. Keeping it active was too great a burden in his current state. His vision darkened, and his body swayed.

Seeing his reaction, the questioning ninja finally confirmed both his identity and condition.

He stepped forward, his tone softening slightly. "Hang in there, Hyuga. You're lucky. This is the perimeter of the B-7 camp. Aoki, take him in and bring him straight to the medical tent! I'll continue standing watch!"

The ninja named Aoki responded and quickly stepped forward, supporting the swaying Tianyi.

"Come with me. Watch your step."

Supported by Aoki, Tianyi staggered through the last stretch of woods, and the view before him suddenly opened up.

Dozens of tents of varying sizes were arranged in orderly rows across a cleared forest clearing, surrounded by simple traps and warning barriers.

The air was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs, cooking smoke, and sweat. Quite a few exhausted-looking ninjas were moving about, while the groans of the wounded drifted faintly from the distance.

Finally... safe for now.

The moment he stepped within the camp's boundaries, the breath he had been holding finally gave out. Boundless darkness, accompanied by utter weakness, swept over him.

Just before he completely lost consciousness, Tianyi vaguely felt himself being swiftly lifted and carried toward the medical tent. The clamor of the camp still seemed to linger in his ears.

In the depths of his fading consciousness, his final thought flickered:

I survived... The next contact... is at ten tonight...

City Police Bureau, Director's Office.

It was already past one in the morning. The ashtray on the desk had long since overflowed with burnt cigarette butts, and the air was so stale it was choking.

Director Wang Jianguo sat behind his desk, his back against the sofa. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fingers tapped unconsciously against the desktop, producing dull, rhythmic clicks.

Old Li stood by the window, looking at the sleeping city outside. His back was rigid, and he did not notice that the cigarette in his hand had burned down to his fingertips.

In the corner, the young officer who had spent the whole night running around with Old Li could no longer resist the onslaught of fatigue.

Slumped in his chair, he let out soft snores. Yet even asleep, his brows remained tightly furrowed, as though he could find no peace even in his dreams.

1:10 a.m.

On the outskirts of H City, at a military base.

The deep night sky was torn apart by the roar of enormous engines. A massive Y-20 transport aircraft with a hard, imposing silhouette landed steadily on the heavily guarded runway under the escort of two fighter jets.

Flanking it were a J-16D dedicated to electromagnetic suppression and a J-20 stealth fighter representing the most advanced aerial power on the planet!

The transport's hatch opened, revealing a combat squad clad head to toe in special operations gear, their faces painted with camouflage.

They moved swiftly and silently, instantly spreading out to occupy every crucial tactical position around the runway. Their cold gun barrels pointed into the darkness beyond the perimeter, forming an absolute security line.

Only then did a lieutenant colonel in a crisp military uniform, with two bars and two stars on his epaulets, step steadily out of the hatch. His features were resolute, making his age impossible to determine. Most strikingly, a pair of handcuffs was locked around his left wrist, the other end attached to a pitch-black, unmarked briefcase.

Without any pleasantries, the lieutenant colonel returned the base commander's salute briefly, then quickly boarded one of three military vehicles already waiting nearby, surrounded by the combat squad.

The convoy left the airfield and merged onto the empty suburban roads before dawn.

At that moment, traffic police in reflective vests had already appeared at every intersection along the route to the City Police Bureau.

They intercepted the few vehicles on the roads.

Every traffic light along the convoy's route had been switched to green.

The convoy sped along silently, moving extremely fast yet with remarkable steadiness. Outside the windows, the city's nightscape raced backward.

At an intersection where the roadblock had just been withdrawn, two young traffic officers rubbed their reddened, frozen hands as they watched the convoy's taillights disappear into the distance, unable to stop themselves from speaking quietly.

"My god... what a show of force!" The younger officer lowered his voice, his eyes full of shock. "It's the first time I've ever seen anything like this! Just what level of person is arriving? Or are they transporting something unbelievably important?"

The older officer quickly jabbed him and warily looked around. "Shh! Didn't you see the captain's expression? This is a top-secret operation! Pretend you saw nothing, and keep what you know buried in your gut! Hurry up and pack up, we're leaving... It's freezing in the middle of the night. At least we can finally go back and catch a little sleep."

The two hastily withdrew their post, and the intersection returned to silence.

1:50 a.m.

"They're here!" Old Li, who had been watching outside the window the entire time, suddenly turned around and said in a low voice.

Moments later, clear, forceful, synchronized footsteps sounded from the corridor, drawing nearer and nearer.

Director Wang Jianguo immediately rose and quickly straightened his appearance. The drowsing officer in the corner was startled awake and hurriedly stood at attention.

There came a knock on the office door, neither too heavy nor too light—exactly three times.

"Come in," Director Wang said solemnly.

The door opened. Two special forces soldiers with sharp eyes and crisp movements entered first. After swiftly scanning the room, they stepped aside.

Then the lieutenant colonel carrying the black case strode inside.

His gaze fell first on Director Wang Jianguo, then swept over Old Li, before finally settling on the conspicuous evidence bag on the desk.

Without unnecessary introductions, the lieutenant colonel gave Director Wang Jianguo a standard military salute. His voice was steady and grave. "Comrade Wang Jianguo, Comrade Li Xianghua. I have been ordered to assume full control of Incident 'Dragon City,' as well as all related physical evidence, personnel, and information. This is the transfer order."

With his right hand, he took a document bearing a top-secret seal from inside his uniform and handed it over.

Director Wang Jianguo took a deep breath, accepted it with both hands, and quickly reviewed it. His expression became even more solemn.

He returned the salute with gravity:

"Understood! Everything is ready. Please give your orders!"