Day 3
The punitive force spent a whole day clearing the battlefield, hitting and burying the corpses of the Sound Ninja, and then removing the remaining traps to prevent civilians from stepping on them later.
Then, leading the punitive force towards the Otogakure, the group maintained their formation and remained vigilant along the way, but their expressions were much more relaxed. Having survived the ordeal, they trusted each other much more.
Hinata from the reconnaissance team ran back and stopped in front of Shikamaru: " Shikamaru- kun, we found a smooth road at the end of Venomous Snake Valley."
Tenten laughed and said, "That was made by Hongshi. It seems to be some kind of Earth Train Technique. It's very fast. Should we go find him?"
Shikamaru thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let him lead the way and we'll follow behind. Tenten, you can use your flying ninja tools to find him."
"Yes, Captain Shikamaru!"
"Alright, alright, this captain is such a pain in the neck."
Shikamaru was actually quite frustrated. His plan hadn't even reached the second step before it was completely disrupted by Hongshi.
Tenten, they are equipped with the " Blue Bird Type One " and fly directly into the sky.
Watching Tenten's rapidly departing figure, Shikamaru had an idea. " Chunin, aerial combat power? I'll have to report this to the Fifth Hokage when I get back."
"Idiot, idiot"
"Snap."
Crow in the sky dropped a white blob that landed on the Hongshi.
Hongshi jolted and sat up. "Huh? Is it raining?"
"Dead Crow!"
"Idiot, idiot..." The Crow flew away.
With Hongshi's commotion, Naruto and Gyokucha also woke up.
Naruto, contrary to his usual enthusiasm, pondered, " Hongshi-kun, I had a dream last night about my parents."
Hongshi: "Wow! Is that amazing?!"
Naruto looked at Hongshi's exaggerated expression. "(_), I have a feeling you know something."
Gyokucha said slowly, "Boss, Naruto, Tenten is here."
Sure enough, Tenten, following the road cleared by the Earth Train, soon found Hongshi and the others.
The land within a fifty-meter radius in front of the three was in ruins, filled with upturned Kitsuchi and broken trees, as if it had been the site of an extremely fierce battle.
It landed gently in front of the Hongshi, but the Chakra Furnace on its chest suddenly cracked open, and the mechanical wings behind it fell to the ground.
Tenten: "Huh? Oh no!"
Hongshi laughed and said, " Tenten Tian, it's alright. I'm quite familiar with that shopkeeper from the Land of Spring. I'll just buy a few more when I get back to Konoha."
The Blue Bird Type One flying ninja tool can maintain a total flight time of 24 hours. Of course, for a weapon of Hongshi's weight, its durability is consumed many times over.
Tenten removes her body parts. " Hongshi, Naruto, Gyokucha- neechan, Shikamaru wants you back in the team."
Hongshi turned her head away. "Tch! He abandoned me before, so I'm not going back."
Tenten grabbed Hongshi's strong right hand. "Oh dear, Hongshi-kun, Shikamaru is the Captain-Commander. The situation was very urgent. Besides, you were walking so slowly."
Hongshi, after being pulled by Tenten's hand, said, "Hmph! Since you've put it that way, I'll give you face."
Naruto: "(_) I think I know your fatal weakness."
Gyokucha: "What is it!"
The scene of the two being surrounded and attacked by fifty Impure World Reincarnation Sound Ninja in the Earth Prison was still vivid in their minds; how could they easily forget it?
"Watch this! Multiple Shadow Clone Technique - Transformation, Harem Technique!"
"Uh-huh~"
Naruto surrounded the Hongshi with hundreds of clones, and at the same time, he used the Transformation Technique, transforming into beautiful women.
Tenten: "Why is it this kind of boring Ninjutsu again!"
Gyokucha: "With this level of Ninjutsu, you can just close your eyes, right?"
Hongshi stood Immobility, seemingly having no effect whatsoever.
" Hongshi-kun, we like you so much!"
All the concubines huddled around Hongshi, and several even embraced him.
Hongshi remained Immobility until Naruto gave up and deactivated the Transformation Technique and Shadow Clone: "What's wrong with you! Such a powerful Ninjutsu as the Harem Technique is useless against you, what are you..."
"Ah!"
Hongshi's body trembled violently, and he coughed up a large amount of blood from his mouth and nose. He collapsed to the ground, his fingers twitched twice, and then he fell silent.
Tenten rushed forward and checked Hongshi's pulse. "Σ()! Ah! Hongshi-kun is coughing up blood! It's over, he has no heartbeat!"
Gyokucha clearly didn't believe that Hongshi could be defeated by such Ninjutsu: "Tch, if that's the case, then bury him."
Naruto: "Yay! I finally defeated Hongshi!"
Hongshi's "corpse" stood up straight. "You're dreaming. I'm just vomiting blood as part of normal detoxification."
"Alright, let's go find Shikamaru. Stand still! Earth Release: Earth Train!"
"Boom!"
A square clod of earth rose from the ground. "I am! Fire..."
Gyokucha: "Shut up!"
Tenten: "Shut up!"
After Hongshi left, Jue's figure slowly rose from where the three of them were, looking at the pool of blood Hongshi had spat out on the ground.
Black Zetsu: "Quickly collect this blood and give it to Hidan; it might be very useful later."
A moment later, Hongshi arrived at the place where Shikamaru and the others were. Standing on a clod of earth, hands on his hips, he laughed heartily, "Hahaha. My little minions, I'm back!"
Everyone stared at the Hongshi in silence, an awkward atmosphere filling the air.
Naruto and Gyokucha jumped off the clod of earth and joined the ninja extermination army.
" Naruto, what powerful Ninjutsu have you learned this time? I heard it's even stronger than the Flying Thunder God? Does such a technique exist?"
"Oh, not at all. It's a technique similar to Sasuke's Sharingan. Sakura, your Wood Release is amazing too."
" Tenten, where's your flying ninja tool?"
"It's broken. I'll buy a few more as spares when I get back to Konoha."
" Ino, you've recovered too."
My wife gave birth to a son.
"What a coincidence, my wife also gave birth to a son."
"Hahaha..."
" The Tenten..."
Hongshi maintained his posture of hands on hips and looking up, but no one paid him any attention.
Hongshi: "This is kind of awkward..."
The Lord God: "Serves you right!"
Hongshi turned around and sat on the ground, hugging her knees, instantly becoming withdrawn.
Hinata, seeing that Hongshi had become completely withdrawn, said to everyone, "Alright, everyone, stop teasing him."
Just as Hongshi was feeling down, twelve people suddenly appeared before him: Shikamaru and his two companions, Hinata and her two companions, Sakura Naruto, Tenten Rock Lee, and Gyokucha and Hanabi Kosuke.
Hinata and Hanabi stepped forward and took Hongshi's hand. "Red... Hongshi-kun, don't be angry."
Hanabi pulled Hongshi up, her face slightly flushed. "We... we were just teasing you!"
Looking at the smiling crowd before him, Hongshi felt a surge of emotion. "You... you all."
Shikamaru still acted indifferent. "Thank you for helping me solve such a big problem."
"Oh! Shikamaru."
" Hongshi-kun is such a gentle person!"
"Oh! Sakura, oh! Ino, oh! Choji."
"Thank you for teaching me such powerful Ninjutsu."
"Oh! Naruto, oh! Yuhan."
"My youth burned even brighter because of you!"
Oh! Li!
Everyone likes you!
"Oh! Hinata, oh! Kiba... Oh, Shino, so you're here too. When did you get here?"
Shino: "..."
Looking at everyone, Hongshi finally couldn't hold back any longer...
"Hmph! I knew it from the start. You all like me! Oh well, there's nothing I can do about being too handsome."
Everyone: "(°ー°)?? Let's go, let's go, we can't connect with him."
The Konoha extermination force under the clod of earth. "Ugh!"
The Lord God: "You actually managed to ruin such an emotional scene in a second? You're a real genius!"
After some awkward small talk, Hongshi successfully disgusted everyone, making them form a long snake formation and using his Chakra to attract the soil from the ground.
Hongshi and Shikamaru stood on the clod of earth, their hands Hand Seals: "Everyone, hold on tight! Earth Release: Earth Train!"
"Boom boom boom!"
The ground where everyone was standing cracked open, and a 30-meter-long mound of earth rose up, which, under the control of Hongshi, began to head towards the Otogakure.
Feeling the wind rushing past their ears and the scenery rushing by, the ninja soldiers couldn't help but sigh in amazement.
In just two short hours, Hongshi had led everyone to the entrance of Otogakure.
Because of the Byakugan, it has been confirmed that not only are there no ninjas left in the Otogakure, but there are no people left either.
With Orochimaru's memories, Hongshi naturally knew about the situation in Otogakure. Gyokucha was originally from Otogakure, and while investigating Otogakure with Shikamaru and others, she "accidentally" found all the secret doors to the hidden underground laboratory, successfully rescuing the imprisoned Daimyo and his important retainers from the Land of Rice Fields.
Just then, five people stepped out from the Konoha expeditionary force, approached Shikamaru, and handed him a scroll. "Captain Shikamaru, you've had a long journey. We five are actually members of the Anbu."
" The Anbu?"
Seeing the Fifth Hokage's mark on the scroll in his hand, Shikamaru had already guessed most of it. "I see, the Otogakure didn't have a thousand prisoners in the first place, did it?"
The Anbu Captain nodded and said, "It's not that there isn't any, it's that we simply don't know if there is. We're just saying this to reassure the Land of Fire and the surrounding countries."
Shikamaru gave a wry smile, looking at the unaware ninjas in the Otogakure: " Lady Tsunade is truly brilliant, but what about our fallen comrades?"
The Anbu Captain, "Children, your generation is indeed talented, but you don't yet understand what war is. Compared to that, this expedition is nothing more than children's games. The Memorial Stone in Konoha bear the names of those people, but there are no corpses, not even names."
Shikamaru struggled to accept it at first, but he eventually grasped the gravity of the situation. "Does the prosperity of a village always have to come at the cost of lives?"
Anbu Captain: "Unfortunately, that's how it is."
Shikamaru was very clever; even though some things weren't explicitly stated, he understood. He opened the scroll and looked at it for a while. "I see, I understand."
The Anbu Captain patted Shikamaru on the shoulder. "Kid, you'll probably become the Hokage's right-hand man someday. Good luck."
Ten days later
After the Konoha expeditionary force returned to Konoha, they were greeted with cheers and congratulations from everyone. After Shikamaru and the five members of the Anbu spoke with the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields, they concluded that the Land of Fire and the Land of Rice Fields had formed an alliance, with the Land of Rice Fields becoming dependent on the Land of Fire, Land of Fire providing protection to the Land of Rice Fields.
The Land of Rice Fields is located northeast of Konoha, bordering the Land of Iron and the Land of Hot Water. Its strategic position is not important, but if you want to get to the North Blue, passing through the Land of Rice Fields is the most convenient way.
Tobirama's plan made Konoha the biggest winner, not only giving the new generation of ninjas valuable combat experience and deeply rooting the Will of Fire in their hearts, but also awakening several extremely powerful combatants.
Through their cooperation in dire circumstances, the Hyuga Clan realized that their usual infighting was nothing but childish trickery, and the new generation of the Main Family and Branch Family began to show signs of merging.