"How should I know? He can use the Flying Thunder God Technique; he could appear in front of us at any moment!" Jinin Akebino retorted irritably.
"If that's the case, we're safe for now," Fuguki Suikazan said, startled, before letting out a long sigh of relief.
Jinin Akebino was right; with the opponent's mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique, they couldn't possibly escape using the Body Flicker Technique.
If he wanted to pursue them, he would have already caught up, and they wouldn't have escaped until now. Since he hadn't appeared for so long, it meant he had let them go.
"To think that Konoha would have such a terrifying figure!"
Jinin Akebino also breathed a sigh of relief after escaping death, wiping the sweat from his brow. "We, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, have dominated the ninja world, yet we lost five members in Konoha!"
"Yes... that person... was terrifying! I never want to see him again in my life," Fuguki Suikazan echoed, his voice filled with lingering fear.
The two exchanged a look, seeing the same question reflected in each other's eyes.
"But who exactly was that person?"
They had realized that the mysterious figure was unlikely to be Minato Namikaze; it made no sense. Minato wouldn't use a Transformation Jutsu to fight them, would he?
Besides, if Minato truly possessed such terrifying black flames, why hadn't he used them during the Third Great Ninja War?
Clearly, the mysterious person was someone else entirely!
"We lost five swordsmen trying to capture one girl. That's a huge loss! We must return to the village immediately and report this to the Mizukage!"
Fuguki Suikazan said gravely.
As for whether the mission to capture the ninja named Rin had succeeded or failed, the two were still unsure. However, they were too terrified by Kouki's power to dare return to Konoha.
…
Although the Seven Ninja Swordsmen had been repelled by Kouki, Konoha remained uneasy. During the fog, many Kirigakure ninjas had infiltrated the village.
These ninjas moved stealthily throughout Konoha, avoiding important locations, key figures, and civilians. They were like shadows, unseen and unheard.
Even when discovered by Konoha ninjas, they avoided confrontation, immediately escaping.
After a time, the Kirigakure ninjas began a hasty retreat!
This left Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others completely baffled. They couldn't understand what Kirigakure's intentions had been.
Hokage's Office.
Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his seat, with Shikaku Nara, and two senior advisors before him. They were clearly discussing the Kirigakure invasion.
"Kirigakure's invasion was strange from the start. They deployed a significant number of shinobi, even the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, to Konoha."
"But after creating such a large-scale disturbance, they seemed to do nothing, seemingly making a hasty retreat after a brief visit to Konoha!"
"Shikaku , you're known for your intelligence. Analyze this: what was Kirigakure's scheme?"
After a period of deliberation without reaching a conclusion, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Shikaku Nara.
"Kirigakure's Anbu secretly infiltrated Konoha for covert operations, acting in the shadows, but the Seven Ninja Swordsmen made a high-profile appearance, all together."
"Judging by the actions of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and the Kirigakure's Anbu, it seems the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were deliberately acting high-profile to draw Konoha's attention, facilitating the Kirigakure's Anbu's covert operations."
"Clearly, Kirigakure's Anbu were undertaking a very important mission, but the current intelligence is insufficient to determine the specifics."
Shikaku Nara also couldn't determine the details, as the available information was indeed limited.
The group deliberated further, but to no avail.
"Hokage-sama, here is the casualty report!"
As their discussion concluded, an Anbu member delivered the village's casualty report.
Sarutobi Hiruzen reviewed it. Konoha's losses were surprisingly minimal considering the scale of Kirigakure's invasion. Building damage was negligible. Sixteen ninjas were dead, twenty-three injured, and one missing.
Hiruzen glanced at the list of deceased ninjas, noting them but not dwelling on them.
However, he paused at the entry for the missing ninja, as it was Rin Nohara, Minato Namikaze's student.
After reviewing the casualty report, Hiruzen passed it to the other high-ranking officials in the office. Finally, it reached Shikaku Nara.
"A missing chunin? This seems suspicious,"Shikaku Nara mused, forming a hypothesis.
"This battle took place in Konoha. Even if someone died, a body would remain. How could someone simply disappear?"
"Rin Nohara was most likely abducted by Kirigakure."
"Could Kirigakure's elaborate plan have been for this single chunin?"
Everyone's brows furrowed. They had deployed so many shinobi, only to target a single chunin? What was so special about this chunin?
The situation was urgent, leaving no time for extensive deliberation.
Of course, there was another possibility: it was a coincidence. Rin Nohara may have gone missing before the attack, only to be discovered missing during the casualty count.
While this possibility was extremely small, it wasn't impossible. The truth remained unclear.
Shikaku Nara immediately advised Hiruzen to investigate Rin Nohara's disappearance. Given Minato Namikaze's absence, pursuing the numerous Kirigakure ninjas was inadvisable.
"Bring Kakashi, and Kimura Kunan," Hiruzen instructed casually, pausing before adding another name, "And… Uchiha Kouki!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
An Anbu member responded, using the Body Flicker Technique to disappear.
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