Amegakure

Whoosh, whoosh—!

The team of more than thirty moved without a sound.

Even the birds they passed showed no reaction, as if they did not exist.

Goenji scanned his surroundings, occasionally activating his Sharingan to observe the area.

They concealed their presence completely.

For a ninja, concealing one's presence was one of the most basic abilities.

The Ninja Academy taught it.

That was also why the birds in the forest had not taken flight as they passed.

Because they had hidden their presence so well.

As a team carrying out a secret mission, their abilities were beyond question. Every one of them was excellent at concealing their presence.

"This is what a ninja should be."

As Goenji traveled, he could not help letting his mind wander.

Compared to the hot-blooded scenes in the original work, those really did not feel ninja-like at all.

They were practically warriors.

Moreover, there were relatively few scenes of assassination and espionage in the original work. Most of it was just fighting, fighting, and more fighting.

It looked exciting, but it did not fully reveal the true essence of ninja.

Screech!

Just then, a hawk appeared in the sky.

After circling above them, it slowly descended.

Danzo pulled out a blank scroll. The hawk darted into it, and a string of information appeared across the empty surface.

"Everyone, once we leave the Land of Fire's border, transform into Iwagakure ninja. Do not use any of Konoha's distinctive ninjutsu. Remember not to expose yourselves."

After reading the intelligence within, Danzo addressed the ninja present.

Everyone nodded.

Goenji did the same. The efficiency was truly astonishing.

Danzo's ability to execute.

In such a short time, he could clearly explain what needed to be done, make a swift judgment, and put pressure on the team.

It was hard to imagine that Danzo would become that kind of person in the future.

As a ninja, Danzo was more than qualified.

"If we can't use distinctive ninjutsu, that means the enemy can't know Konoha was behind this. It looks like Danzo already has enough intelligence and is preparing to strike Amegakure directly."

That made sense.

Since the mission had already been assigned in such detail, how could Konoha possibly be unprepared?

Konoha probably already had all the intelligence it needed. There was no way there could be such a massive intelligence gap.

This was merely a confirmation.

Amegakure was truly pitiful.

As a small country caught between three great nations, it had it far too hard.

Even Hanzō could not change that.

One man alone could not support an entire country.

Unless he was someone like the First Five Kage.

Hanzō was strong, but he was not enough.

If he could not use Konoha's distinctive ninjutsu, then he would use techniques from other villages.

He could not use the Sharingan carelessly either. He could only rely on other methods.

Kunai, Taijutsu, Shuriken, traps, Explosive Tags, swordsmanship, the Body Flicker Technique...

Fortunately, he knew many things, and his progress over the past month had not been limited to Fire Release.

Although his brain had the greatest talent for Fire Release.

That did not mean his talent for other ninjutsu was poor.

According to his experiments, he ranked above average among all ninja in every aspect. His talent for other ninjutsu was excellent as well.

It simply was not as terrifying as his talent for Fire Release.

He had even improved greatly in subjects like mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

Even without the Sharingan's assistance, he could now use the Uchiha's Shuriken Throwing Technique.

Using mathematics, aerodynamics, and other knowledge, his powerful mind could directly analyze exactly what he needed to do. It was simply too easy.

That was where his confidence came from.

Even without the Sharingan's power, he would not become much weaker.

The Sharingan was merely an incredibly powerful dōjutsu that could spy on others' ninjutsu and aid his learning. Those other forms of knowledge could hardly accomplish that.

There was nothing he could do about that.

Whoosh, whoosh—!

Everyone was on high alert. Two days later, they arrived at the Land of Fire's border.

Looking at the endless rain in the distance, forming a completely different scene from Konoha's side, Goenji could not help but sigh.

From the border of the Land of Rain onward, dark clouds constantly appeared in the sky, with a fine drizzle falling nonstop.

Puddles dotted the ground, and every raindrop sent tiny ripples across their surfaces.

Behind them lay the Land of Fire, still bright and sunny, filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers.

Only when the sun moved to the Land of Rain's side would the Land of Fire's border be cast into shadow.

Under Danzo's leadership, they passed through the defended border of the Land of Rain and entered its interior.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!

All thirty-plus people used the Transformation Technique, then put on the rain gear Danzo had prepared in advance.

Goenji transformed into a ninja who clearly looked like he came from Iwagakure, with his mouth pursed upward.

He looked at his face in a puddle and chuckled.

This was the Transformation Technique, one of the ninja's most commonly used techniques.

It was completely different from the original work. It was far too practical.

Even a simple Transformation Technique was basically a low-end version of the Seventy-Two Transformations.

"Everyone, follow orders. Any disobedience will be treated as defection."

Shimura Danzō spoke again, displaying his iron-blooded nature.

He also adhered to his own beliefs: aside from himself, Konoha's ninja should put missions above all else.

To be fair, aside from his selfishness, Danzo's capabilities were beyond doubt. He gave people an overwhelming sense of security.

But Goenji knew that was only an illusion.

That sense of security only meant Danzo had made sufficient arrangements in this regard.

The unsafe part was that he might sacrifice his own people at any moment to complete the mission.

They crossed the interior of the Land of Rain, advancing from the southeast until they reached the direction of the Land of Rain's border with Iwagakure.

Everyone concealed themselves thoroughly.

Even beneath the rain curtain, their figures remained hidden in different places.

"I wonder what the Akatsuki looks like now."

Following Danzo's orders, Goenji hid beside a rock, using a special color-changing cloth to conceal himself as he watched the distance.

As he waited for the mission target Danzo had mentioned to appear, he could not help thinking about the Land of Rain.

The Land of Rain was currently under Hanzō's rule.

A small organization like the Akatsuki was still in its infancy.

Judging from the timeline, they were probably still spreading their ideals of peace throughout the Land of Rain, attracting like-minded companions and expanding the Akatsuki's strength.

Tap, tap, tap—!

Suddenly.

An unusual sound caught Goenji's attention.

More than a dozen figures appeared in the distance.

They wore Amegakure clothing, their hats and straw rain capes obvious. Judging by their hurried footsteps, they were heading out on a mission.

Their route should have been toward the border between Iwagakure and Amegakure.

Splat, splat!

Their footsteps landed in the puddles, producing soft splashing sounds.

Goenji silently calculated the distance between them, a Shuriken clenched in his hand.

The other Konoha ninja did the same.

"Not good, there are enemies."

At that moment, one of the Amegakure ninja suddenly shouted.

Whoosh—!

The moment he finished speaking, every Amegakure ninja went on guard.

[She called me baby again. I went out for a walk because I was in a bad mood, and she still cared about me, telling me to take my medicine. Sigh, I feel so happy!]