As he gave chase, Yotaka threw Kunai and Shuriken at Aoki Tsuki from behind, trying to disrupt his rhythm.
But Aoki Tsuki relied on his extraordinarily sharp sensory perception to evade them with precision time and again, as though he had eyes in the back of his head.
Even as they raced along, neither forgot to trade insults.
"Hmph, brat, you seem to be slowing down. Have you run out of Chakra?"
"Captain Yotaka, you don't have much Chakra left either, do you? Otherwise, why haven't you sped up and caught me?"
"Keep talking. You'll be dead soon enough."
True to his words, Yotaka sped up.
Aoki Tsuki squeezed every last bit of energy from his body and picked up speed as well.
Seeing the distance between them shrink again, Yotaka seized the opportunity to use the Body Flicker Technique, appearing behind Aoki Tsuki and attacking.
Clang, clang, clang...
Kunai and long blade clashed, sending sparks flying.
Aoki Tsuki was ultimately a notch weaker. Yotaka seized an opening and slashed his arm, then kicked him flying and sent him skidding a long way across the ground.
Covered in mud, he looked utterly miserable.
"Whew... I finally caught you, you damn bastard."
Yotaka walked up to him, blood dripping from his Kunai.
Aoki Tsuki sneered. "Heh... a rogue ninja from the Land of Rain wouldn't be as strong as you, skilled in both Earth Release and Wind Release."
"What good does saying that do you now? Even if you know who I am... you won't have a chance to get the information out!"
Yotaka had no intention of wasting words with Aoki Tsuki. Knowing he was stalling for time, Yotaka intended to finish him off with his Kunai.
"Hm? What's this..."
Yotaka's hand stopped. He saw a small black insect on the Kunai he was holding.
"Why would insects be flying around in weather this rainy? Damn..."
But it was too late. A black cloud had already enveloped him.
"Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"
Countless Kikaichū swarmed around Yotaka, and no matter how he rolled on the ground, he couldn't shake them off.
They crawled all over him, devouring what little Chakra he had left.
Aoki Tsuki watched from the side, a chill in his heart. Though they were the same Kikaichū, Aburame Ryoma's skill at controlling them was far beyond that of the guy he had killed before.
Their speed, technique, and numbers were on an entirely different level.
He took the opportunity to quickly tend to his wound and recover his strength.
In moments, the Kikaichū had sucked Yotaka dry, killing him beyond any doubt.
Once the Kikaichū had drunk their fill of Chakra, they quickly gathered into Aburame Ryoma's form.
"Thanks."
Aoki Tsuki's thanks were heartfelt. He had thought he was about to die just now.
"You look like a mess," Aburame Ryoma said mildly.
But inwardly, his opinion of Aoki Tsuki rose yet again. After all, holding his own against a Jonin to that extent was already impressive.
"Don't remind me. I only went through that to get evidence of the Iron Fang Group's collusion with Iwagakure."
"In such a hurry? Don't you have confidence in our ability to get things done?"
They had already reached an agreement, and he couldn't understand why Aoki Tsuki had risked himself to do something so unnecessary.
"I am in a hurry. Time waits for no one, after all! But I made another important discovery this time..."
"Oh? Do you have some information for me?"
"Let me see what I asked for first."
Hearing this, Aburame Ryoma reached out and tossed him a red scroll. "These are correspondence documents our intelligence agents obtained from Iwagakure at great cost. They should be enough for you to report back."
Aoki Tsuki caught it, opened it, and began to read. One glance was enough to tell him the scroll was genuine.
Not only did it bear the Iron Fang Group's mark, but more importantly, its contents showed that Iwagakure had asked the Iron Fang Group to help gather supplies to support the war.
Carefully putting the scroll away, he said, "Haha... I can always trust you to get things done. In that case, I'll give you an important piece of information too."
"Hm. Name your price." Aburame Ryoma didn't want to beat around the bush either.
But Aoki Tsuki waved a hand. "Come on, no need to be like that. You just saved my life. To tell you the truth, when I went out this time..."
Aoki Tsuki then told him what he had discovered.
Aburame Ryoma was startled. "You're saying a shipment of supplies is going to be delivered to the people from Iwagakure at Izushi Mine today? Are you sure?"
"I can't guarantee it, but I'm fairly certain. I followed them for a while, and they were indeed heading toward the Land of Grass. Whether you act on it is up to you."
"All right, I'll verify it myself. If it's true, you'll be rewarded afterward."
With this unexpected information in hand, Aburame Ryoma hurried away.
He had come to deliver information today, never expecting to receive such important news in return.
If what Aoki Tsuki said was true, he didn't have much time left. Infiltrating and sabotaging local logistics systems was one of Root's missions to begin with.
"Tch! You said I was in a hurry, but look at you."
Aoki Tsuki carefully examined the scroll. He was worried it might have a hidden formula or something on it, which would land him in trouble.
Finding nothing, he didn't linger and quietly returned to the daimyō's residence.
He had barely entered his room and caught his breath when Jonin Shinonome walked in and immediately asked, "Well? Did you get it?"
He completely ignored Aoki Tsuki's injuries.
"Yes, sir. I infiltrated the Iron Fang Group's base and happened to get my hands on this..."
As he spoke, Aoki Tsuki handed Shinonome the red scroll.
Shinonome eagerly opened it and read through it. A faint smile appeared on his lips. "Well done. We've finally got something on those bastards. Thanks for your hard work. Get some rest."
After that dry word of encouragement, he hurried away, apparently to pass on the information.
He made no mention whatsoever of what he had promised.
"That bastard."
Aside from being a little annoyed, Aoki Tsuki didn't think much of it. That was simply how things were in the Shinobi World, where the strong preyed on the weak.
He wasn't in a position to bargain.
"Fortunately, I still have my income from my side job."
He couldn't put all his eggs in one basket; the risk was too great.
Knock, knock, knock...
"Captain, you're back?" Mieko's voice came from outside the door.
"Yeah, come in."
After coming in, Mieko looked Aoki Tsuki over and noticed his hastily treated wounds. "Let me heal you."
Green Chakra glowed around her hands, and when she held them close to his wounds, they healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Aoki Tsuki's eyes lit up. "That's the Healing Technique, right? When did you learn it?"
"I only mastered it a few days ago. I'm still not very good at it."
Mieko's voice was full of pride. She really had exhausted her savings and poured all her effort into learning a Medical Ninjutsu technique.
Even the simplest Medical Ninjutsu started at B-rank in difficulty and required a high degree of Chakra control.
It also took patience and a great deal of practice. It really wasn't something just anyone could learn.
"Congratulations. Once this mission is over, I'll report your progress to the higher-ups. Changing your assignment shouldn't be a problem."
The village might have been reluctant before, but now that Mieko had mastered Medical Ninjutsu, she was a valuable asset. They couldn't keep sending her out to risk herself on missions.
"Haha... thank you, Captain. I won't charge you whenever you come to me for treatment from now on."
"All right, I'll remember you said that. By the way, I heard medical ninja usually use fish to practice their skills. You could try that too."
After all, there weren't enough injured ninja around for her to gain experience on.
"Oh? I hadn't thought of that. It sounds like a good idea!" Mieko said delightedly.
This was a teaching method used by a medical master, proven through practice. How could it not be good?
After half an hour of treatment, all of Aoki Tsuki's wounds had been healed, and Mieko had used up a great deal of Chakra.
"Thanks for your hard work. Go back and rest today. I'll take the shift."
"Okay, I'll go back and rest."
Mieko wiped the sweat from her forehead and left happily. It was her first time treating someone, and though she had been nervous, the results were quite good.
Aoki Tsuki rested for a short while, then went out on patrol.
As long as Konoha didn't stir up trouble, very few ninja would actually do something like attack a daimyō.
"The village should have received the information by now. What will they do?"
It was certain they would send people to seize the chance to wipe out the Iron Fang Group's base in Nagano City. The troublesome part was the newly arrived Haibi Squad at the daimyō's side.
Aoki Tsuki was very curious to see how the village would deal with them.
The village moved faster than he had expected. Just two hours after he submitted the information, Jonin Shinonome appeared before Aoki Tsuki again, with everyone present.
"Is this...?"
Jonin Shinonome's eyes were filled with killing intent as he said in a low voice, "The Iron Fang Group colluded with Iwagakure and betrayed our country's interests. By Lord Hanzō's order, execute them all."
"Yes, sir!"
Aoki Tsuki quickly gathered his squad and passed on the order.
No one was surprised. They had long expected this day to come.
At the daimyō's bedchamber, members of the Haibi Squad were standing guard when the squad member named Ginjirō suddenly opened his eyes.
"What is it?" Captain Haibi asked.
Ginjirō hurriedly said, "Captain, something's wrong. Those Rain Ninja have gathered and are closing in on us."
Haibi's brows knitted tightly. As a senior member of the Iron Fang Group, he naturally knew the organization's true nature.
Yotaka and the others only went back last night, and the Rain Ninja are already making a move today. Could we have been exposed?
At that thought, Haibi's expression grew grave. "This is bad. The Rain Ninja are coming for us. Prepare to fight."
"Yes, Captain. We were prepared to die in battle long ago, fighting for the Land of Rain," Ginjirō said resolutely.
Little did he know that he was actually a beast of burden for Iwagakure.
The Iron Fang Group's message, both within and outside the organization, was that they were working for the Land of Rain, presenting themselves as saviors.
Those disillusioned young people all thought they had found a beacon and joined up one after another.
In just a few years, they had gathered into a force capable of standing against Amegakure.
"Well said. We fight for the Land of Rain!" Haibi echoed loudly, silently adding, For Iwagakure, I can only sacrifice you.
The Rain Ninja were bearing down on them with force, and the squad members under him couldn't possibly survive.
He was already thinking about how to escape.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
Under cover of the night, more than a dozen Shuriken flew straight at the Haibi Squad. The members immediately leaped apart in all directions to evade them.
The squad scattered in an instant, and the Rain Ninja charging in split them up and surrounded them. Relying on their superior numbers, they planned to pick them off one by one.
Jonin Shinonome went straight for Haibi.
Aoki Tsuki had always thought Shinonome specialized in Water Release, but to his surprise, he used Lightning Release.
It was completely beyond his expectations.