" Mist Ninja, is that so? That's certainly very possible, but there's no need to worry too much about these issues. We've come fully prepared this time. Unless that Fuyuki Castle really hires a lot of Mist Ninja, no one can stop our Land of Whales's plan to restore its kingdom!"
Matou nodded first, then, with a resolute expression, spoke in a slightly low voice.
"You're right, aren't you, Your Excellency?"
Matou turned to look at the incredibly burly, scarred, brown-haired man who had been following closely beside him since they disembarked and said...
It was at the Matou uttered those words.
The dark clouds dispersed by the breeze gradually revealed the bright moon. Under the bright moonlight, a special Forehead Protector appeared on the forehead of the man named Jiu, displaying a thundercloud symbol. It was the exclusive Forehead Protector of Kumogakure!
This man was a ninja from Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning, and the chilling aura emanating from him proved that this Cloud Ninja was undoubtedly Jonin!
"Hehe, please rest assured, Matou, as long as the enemy doesn't employ more than two Jonin or more than three squads, I can help you eliminate all enemies and allow you to successfully complete the great task of restoring the Land of Whales!"
A sinister smile appeared on Jiu's face as he spoke with great arrogance.
As a veteran Jonin of Kumogakure, now 39 years old, he is a survivor of two Shinobi World Wars. Although he will be facing the same enemy from Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, Hato still has plenty of confidence.
Not to mention his visit this time!
They also brought eight Cloud Ninja subordinates, two Chunin and six Genin, all of whom were highly experienced in combat!
The reason why the Cloud Ninja sent out such a force configuration is twofold: firstly, Matou provided a lot of money, which was enough to match the strength of this small Cloud Ninja squad; secondly, the higher-ups of the Kumogakure intended to take this opportunity to try to establish a solid fortified stronghold in the nearby area adjacent to the Land of Water!
If all goes well, it means that in future wars, the Kumogakure will have the upper hand in the battle against the Kirigakure.
As a Jonin of the village, Kujira naturally had a clear understanding of some of the village's strategic deployments. He didn't believe that Kirigakure would send out Mist Ninja with corresponding Kirigakure ninja without any concrete intelligence. Normally, they would send a standard squad of one chu and three karuta to carry out the mission!
The dove was naturally very confident that it could complete this mission!
"Well then, I'll leave everything to you, Lord Jiu!"
Matou, who was well aware that Hato was one of the best Jonin in Kumogakure, naturally didn't think Hato was exaggerating in any way.
There is a fundamental difference between ninjas!
The thought that his great cause of restoring his country was just one final step away filled him with joy.
Matou's face also showed an undisguised excitement.
"Let's go and reclaim our homeland!"
"Yes!!"
The escalating situation and the quietly approaching final storm, as previously mentioned, meanwhile, will inevitably lead to an unexpected turn of events.
The return of the former prince of the Land of Whales intending to rebuild his country might not seem like a big deal, but the presence of nine Cloud Ninja, including a Jonin the group, posed a potentially fatal threat to Team 7.
However, at this critical juncture, none of the four members of Team 7 were able to find out in advance.
Even if they sensed something was amiss.
But no one could have predicted that it would unfold in this way.
All night long, until dawn, the four members of the Team 7 stayed by Captain Fuyuki Saemon's side, investigating the files from the past month at the island's security outpost!
They were trying to see if they could find any clues, such as whether there was any special connection between the deceased.
Qi and his companions were also focused on using the details recorded in these files to preemptively determine whether the deaths of these people were related to ninjas, even before they had gone to the scene to investigate.
This is what they consider the key point of this mission. Whether or not ninjas are involved makes a world of difference, which is also the reason why there is such a huge gap between B-Rank Mission and C-Rank Mission.
Unfortunately, these things are not so easy to judge from so-called 'paper materials'. To make a breakthrough, it is still necessary to conduct on-site investigations, especially the Yamamoto family, whose more than 20 members have just died, as the latest to be identified.
Perhaps we can find something out from this point.
The death of the first special envoy sent to investigate was also 100% related to the truth.
Yes, that needs to be investigated!
No, that needs to be investigated even more thoroughly! Because it means there are other events involved, which requires even greater caution.
This was the opinion of Captain Akita Saemon.
For Team 7, this mission seemed somewhat perplexing. After all, judging from some information in the case file, the killings were very close to being the work of ninjas, but there seemed to be a slight difference. Of course, there was no direct evidence, and it couldn't be confirmed with absolute certainty.
It was just a feeling.
To find out the specifics, we still need to go to the site to investigate.
Therefore, at dawn the following day.
The four members of the Team 7, who were guarding Captain Akita Saemon, were heading towards the location of the Yamamoto family under the guidance of the police chief.
"This is it, Akita!"
Upon arriving at the main entrance of a mansion in the Yamamoto.
Wan arrived at the main gate a step ahead, gently pushed it open, and the group filed out.
A very strong smell of blood also wafted over.
Kei Mei Terumi both frowned slightly, but Kisame Hoshigaki not only didn't care at all, but a hint of bloodlust even flickered in his eyes.
Even Qing, who was walking at the very front, had a somewhat serious expression.
The intrusion was swift and clean, leaving almost no trace of resistance. This was enough to prove that the 'murderer' was far more powerful than the murdered Yamamoto family. It would be very difficult for an ordinary person to do this unless they had an absolute numerical advantage, but even then, it would be hard to say that they could leave no trace at all!
Therefore, based on this point alone, the probability that the murderer is a ninja is extremely high!
'Are they from the other four great ninja villages? Or from those small country ninja villages? Or perhaps just some wandering ninjas!?'
As he stepped forward, a hint of contemplation flickered between his brows.