"Sigh~"
With another sigh, Shin'un banished the jumbled thoughts from his mind and looked down at the dozen or so Konoha Ninja under the tree.
This mission was indeed very difficult, but fortunately Nara Shikahito sent him an assistant.
Shin'un silently leaped down from the branch and hid in the grass under the tree, crouching in front of more than a dozen Konoha Ninja.
"Let's do it here." Shin'un glanced at the Sand Ninja outpost in the distance and said, " Jonin Katō, get ready."
"Okay." Dan Katō nodded, changed from squatting to sitting, formed hand Hand Seals, Chakra fluctuations appeared, and his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.
Then, Shen Kumogakure felt a gentle breeze brushing against his face, drifting towards the Sand Ninja stronghold not far away.
Shin'un knew that this breeze might be the soul of Dan Katō, which had left his physical body due to the Spirit Transformation Technique.
Turning around, Shin'un looked at the dozen or so Konoha Ninja behind him.
"Stay vigilant."
Upon hearing Shin'un's words, the dozen or so Konoha Ninja immediately maintained a state of alert, centering on the incapacitated Dan Katō, and waited quietly.
"Phew~"
Looking at Kato Dan who collapsed on the ground, Shen Yun let out a breath and sighed in his heart.
This Spirit Transformation Technique is indeed impressive. It can activate the soul and separate it from the body, allowing it to travel across distances and kill enemies. It can also control the opponent's body and enter their mental world. The effects are very comprehensive, enabling remote stealth, support, attack, and perception.
Unfortunately, it also has significant drawbacks. Once the soul leaves the body, the body without the soul is completely out of control, like a fragile, oversized doll that can only rely on its companions for protection. Otherwise, Shin'un would definitely have to study it in the future.
Thinking about it, Shin'un glanced again at Dan Katō, who was lying on the ground.
Hopefully, this ninja specially sent by Nara Shikahito can actually steal the information directly using his Spirit Transformation Technique; otherwise, this mission will have to be completed in a real fight, just like the previous ones.
"Snort!"
Suddenly, a muffled groan rang out, catching Shin'un's attention.
Turning his gaze to the direction from which the muffled groan came, Shin'un was surprised to find that it was Dan Katō's voice.
Shin'un quickened his pace and walked to Dan Katō's side. At a glance, he noticed that Dan Katō was bleeding from the corner of his mouth for some unknown reason.
What's going on?
Since he didn't understand the Spirit Transformation Technique, Shin'un couldn't figure out why Dan Katō was injured, so he simply turned to ask the two teammates next to Dan Katō.
Upon hearing Shin'un's question, Dan Katō's two Chunin teammates examined his injuries and, after a moment's thought, explained the reason for Dan Katō's injury.
"This has happened a few times before, mostly because Dan Katō's spirit soul, which had separated from his body during his Spirit Transformation Technique, was injured outside."
"Injured?" Shin'un narrowed his eyes upon hearing the responses Chunin the two Chunin.
Does damage to the soul directly affect the physical body?
"Is it serious?" Shin'un asked the two Chunin again.
The two Chunin exchanged a glance and said:
"It should be alright. According to Dan Katō, the soul separated from the body by the Spirit Transformation Technique moves extremely fast, capable of traversing a kilometer in an instant, and can evade any attack."
Shin'un nodded, relieved that nothing bad would happen.
Standing up, Shin'un looked at Dan Katō, who was slumped on the ground, and pondered.
"A wounded soul?"
"Was it attacked by Sand Ninja?"
Looking up, Shin'un saw the Sand Ninja stronghold not far away, which remained calm and unchanged.
"It doesn't seem like they've discovered Dan Katō's soul infiltrating."
After pondering for a moment without reaching a conclusion, Shin'un simply stopped thinking about it...
Anyway, the Sand Ninja haven't discovered their group yet, which is a good thing.
"Um?"
Suddenly, Shin'un felt a sudden breeze blowing past him. This familiar feeling made Shen Cloud Ninja turn around and look at Dan Katō, who was lying on the ground behind him.
Sure enough, Dan Katō had already slowly woken up, presumably his soul had returned to its place.
"Hiss~"
Perhaps because of the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, Dan Katō, who had just sat up from the ground, couldn't help but gasp softly.
"You're awake?"
How are you feeling?
Upon seeing that Dan Katō had regained consciousness, Shin'un quickly inquired about his condition.
Raising his head, Dan Katō looked at Shin'un and said apologetically:
"I feel okay, just a slight dip in my form."
"But... I'm sorry, my intelligence-stealing operation failed."
"It's alright." Shin'un reached out and patted Dan Katō on the shoulder to comfort him.
"Tell me the details," Shin'un asked, looking at Dan Katō.
Nodding, Dan Katō began to describe in detail.
"At first, my operation went smoothly; not a single Sand Ninja in this Sand Ninja stronghold noticed my infiltration, until my soul collided with a barrier."
"The soul is fragile; I was injured because I bumped into the barrier."
As he spoke, Dan Katō raised his arm and wiped away the blood that was flowing from the corner of his mouth again.
"A barrier?" Shin'un asked, puzzled.
Nodding, Dan Katō stepped forward and pointed to a camp in the center of the Sand Ninja Village stronghold.
"That's the camp. It's surrounded by an invisible barrier, probably set up to prevent anyone from stealing information using secret techniques."
"Based on my observation, the barrier has no blind spots and cannot be penetrated; it can only be broken through with a powerful attack."
After saying that, Dan Katō added a sentence.
"Furthermore, I believe the intelligence we need is being protected in that tent."
Shin'un narrowed his eyes as he looked at the Sand Ninja camp that Dan Katō was pointing to.
Are you sure?
"I'm sure." Dan Katō nodded firmly, confirming his decision.
"After hitting that barrier, I quickly searched the entire Sand Ninja outpost but found nothing of note."
"Right now, only that tent shrouded in a barrier hasn't been searched by me; the intelligence could only be hidden there."
Shin'un nodded, staring at the Sand Ninja tent.
It seems that Dan Katō's infiltration wasn't entirely fruitless; at least he identified the most important location within this base.
Observing the Sand Ninja stronghold before him, Shin'un fell into thought, while the dozen or so Konoha Ninja behind him quietly waited for Shin'un to make a decision.
It didn't take long; a few seconds later, Shin'un made his decision.
Turning around, Shin'un looked at the dozen or so Konoha Ninja behind him.
"Get ready, prepare for a full-scale attack!"
"Yes!"
The squads that Nara Shikahito had selected for Shin'un were clearly elites. When they heard that Shin'un wanted to attack the Sand Ninja Village stronghold with hundreds of Sunagakure with just a dozen Konoha Ninja ninjas, they immediately agreed without any hesitation.
Nodding in satisfaction, Shin'un then swept his gaze across the dozen or so Konoha Ninja in front of him and Jonin the Jonin of Nawaki's squad.
Shin'un pulled out several blank sealing scrolls that he had specially obtained from the logistics department and handed them to the Jonin.
"In a moment, I will use Ninjutsu to destroy the barrier outside that tent. You will lead your squad and, as quickly as possible, pack all the information from that tent into these scrolls. Understand?"
"Clear!"
The Jonin turned and glanced at Nawaki behind him, then immediately agreed.