Before long, a large group of red-haired people hurried over from nearby.
"Have you dealt with all the enemies here?" an elderly voice called out.
"Phew." At the sight of the newcomers, the two red-haired men breathed sighs of relief.
"It's Lady Mito..."
The two immediately straightened up and said respectfully, "Lady Mito, the fighting here is over."
"And we owe it to these two young ladies. They saved our lives!"
Mito nodded slightly, then turned to Yui and Nai Hyuga, her eyes full of gratitude.
"Miss Yui, Miss Nai, thank you..." Mito said softly. "Thank you for everything you've done for the Land of Whirlpools."
Yui shook her head. "Lady Mito, this is what I promised you I would do."
Then she changed the subject, glancing back at the ninja frozen into blocks of ice behind her.
"Lady Mito, these ninja were very skilled at water release ninjutsu, and they could also use the Hidden Mist Technique unique to the Land of Water. I suspect they're most likely from Kirigakure."
"Yui, my thoughts are much the same as yours..."
Mito sighed, her gaze darkening as she surveyed the bodies on the ground. Then her eyes shifted slightly, pausing on the ninja who had been frozen into blocks of ice. She seemed a little surprised.
She gave Nai Hyuga a thoughtful look, then collected herself and addressed everyone. "There weren't many ninja in today's invasion. Including the ones here, there were no more than forty-four."
"And every single one of them was from Kirigakure..." Her expression grew grave. "Today's invasion may have been nothing more than a probe to test our strength."
"From now on, more and more ninja will invade the Land of Whirlpools, wearing away what little strength we have left!"
Worry lingered in her eyes. Finally, she