Chapter 107: The Worst Plan
The ninja blade in Uchiha Kei's hand lightly slid across the throat of an Iwa ninja in front of him. With just the right amount of force—neither too strong nor too weak—it was perfectly fatal. Uchiha Kei silently watched as the man collapsed without uttering a sound.
Turning his head, he met the gaze of Imai Kenta, who had already finished his fight. Uchiha Kei gave a slight nod.
His gaze then shifted toward Hyūga Ayaka, just in time to see her signal the "all clear" gesture.
Despite her past tensions with Uchiha Kei and having provoked him on more than one occasion, Ayaka was still fully aware of what needed to be done on the battlefield.
Uchiha Kei sheathed his blade, and soon, Fukuhiko Kōhei, along with Kakashi and Nohara Rin, arrived from another direction and joined up with him.
They had already ventured deep into the Land of Grass. Over the past few days, they had encountered a few Iwa ninjas along the way.
These Iwa ninjas were likely either on patrol or possibly those who had specifically come to target Konoha ninjas. However, to Uchiha Kei, they were all the same.
After accepting the mission from Minato Namikaze and following Uchiha Kei's advice, Fukuhiko Kōhei and his group had taken down every Iwa ninja they encountered.
Whether it was to frame the Mist ninjas or to send a warning, it was all a very effective choice.
"It seems everything's been taken care of," Fukuhiko Kōhei glanced over the battlefield where Uchiha Kei and the others had been, then spoke in a deep voice, "Let's move out. The mission is urgent."
"Understood," Uchiha Kei and the others nodded, then followed Fukuhiko Kōhei as they continued deeper into the forest.
They had been out for nearly three days, but aside from encountering some Iwa ninjas, they hadn't found any sign of the Mist ninja forces.
It was as if the Mist ninjas didn't even exist, leaving no traces behind. This was starting to make Fukuhiko Kōhei anxious.
The negotiations back at the village were imminent. If they couldn't figure out the Mist ninjas' intentions, everything would become much more complicated.
If the Mist ninjas were plotting something, it could lead to the collapse of the peace talks between Konoha and Iwagakure.
However, unlike Fukuhiko Kōhei's growing concern, Uchiha Kei wasn't worried about this. He knew the Mist ninjas wouldn't impact the peace talks.
Still, the fact that the Mist ninjas had effectively hidden themselves was certainly troublesome. They were born killers, especially after the implementation of the Blood Mist policy. Almost every qualified Mist ninja had been turned into a killing machine.
Their methods were often the most brutal, malicious, and extreme.
Uchiha Kei didn't have particularly strong feelings about the Mist ninjas—neither good nor bad. However, compared to other ninja villages, one particular rogue ninja from the Mist had left a significant impression on him.
That person was Kisame Hoshigaki, who had almost perfected every aspect of what a "ninja tool" could do. Even his death had been clean and efficient, leaving a lasting impact.
It was a shame that Uchiha Kei couldn't recruit him, especially since he wasn't currently planning on betraying his village.
"Captain, we've got a situation."
While Uchiha Kei was pondering the Mist ninjas, Hyūga Ayaka suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Uchiha Kei tilted his head to look at her, noticing that she had stopped and was now looking at the body of an Iwa ninja lying on the ground.
"A corpse?" Fukuhiko Kōhei also halted and walked over, though he didn't approach too closely.
The body on the ground appeared to have been dead for some time. It was an Iwa ninja.
Ninja bodies provided a wealth of information, so when possible, checking the bodies of fallen enemies was a necessary task—one that was common practice in the ninja world.
Furthermore, Uchiha Kei and his group were now deep in Iwa territory, with no information coming from Konoha. As a result, questioning and inspecting the enemy's corpses became their primary source of intelligence.
There was also a common practice: ninjas often carried dangerous items on their bodies to deal with anyone who might search them after their death. The most common of these items were poisons.
Each ninja village had its own specialized poison research departments, but within the entire ninja world, the poisons developed by Sunagakure were the most famous and most potent.
There's also another possibility: the enemy intentionally places something on the body, such as a detonator tag. Fukuhiko Kōhei was concerned about this issue as well.
"I've already checked. There's no problem," Hyūga Ayaka replied, giving Fukuhiko Kōhei a glance before speaking calmly.
In addition to assisting in combat, the Byakugan has many other useful applications! For example, in basic reconnaissance missions, it can also be utilized in medical ninjutsu, and beyond that, it can be just as effective for interrogation and corpse examination.
Having untrained people search through bodies is extremely dangerous, which is why many squads, lacking professional personnel, would rather go without intelligence than risk searching corpses.
"Is that so? What did you find?" Fukuhiko Kōhei nodded. Not being a professional, he wouldn't approach such an unfamiliar body.
"Time of death was about five days ago. The cause of death was a single, clean strike. There are no signs of a struggle," Ayaka said, her veins bulging as her eyes narrowed. She looked almost savage as she continued, "The person who killed him was skilled with a blade. The body hasn't been moved much, and this place is quite far from Konoha's patrol point."
"It's the Mist ninjas," Uchiha Kei crouched down to examine the body. He then took out a map and pointed, "I remember Captain Minato marked a circle here. This is the area where the patrol team reported the Mist ninja sightings. There's some discrepancy, but considering the Mist ninjas are on the move, this could be..."
"It seems we're in the right spot," Fukuhiko Kōhei nodded, seemingly relieved. "Any other traces?"
Fukuhiko Kōhei indeed felt some relief. After three days of no leads, it had been quite frustrating. Now that they had finally found some traces, he naturally hoped for more, hoping to uncover more information.
But unfortunately, Hyūga Ayaka shook her head at him, and Uchiha Kei shrugged his shoulders, signaling that there was no further specific information.
"The enemy is quite experienced. They didn't leave any traces behind," Uchiha Kei remarked as he activated his Sharingan and scanned the surroundings. "It seems we should prepare for the worst."
"The worst?" Fukuhiko Kōhei sighed. "Anbu? This is definitely bad."
What do ordinary ninjas fear the most?
The Anbu.
This group of ninjas might not be the strongest in every field, but they are never weak. Each of them possesses exceptional abilities in a specific area—whether it's reconnaissance, tracking, poison use, assassination, or something else.
If the Mist ninjas are really trying to sabotage the peace talks between Konoha and Iwagakure, then the Anbu would certainly be the best choice.
Just then, a series of shuriken suddenly flew through the air with the sound of cutting wind, and attached to each of them was a detonator tag.