A gust of wind whistled past, causing the grass to tremble slightly, adding a touch of solemn hostility to the surroundings. At the same time, this seemed to signify that the raging fires of war would eventually scorch this land.
A group of Ninja on the ground, holding Kunai, senbon, and other Ninja tools, were cautiously patrolling the mountain forest.
These Ninja wore red headbands and were dressed not in the standard Ninja vests, but in gray and red combat uniforms. Their Forehead Protectors were embedded in the red headbands, and the symbol in the center of the protector was formed by two large mountains.
These people were Iwagakure Ninja.
The group consisted of about twenty people, the size of a small squad.
Most of them were Chunin and Genin. On the battlefield, units of this size are generally used for gathering intelligence and scouting enemy movements.
Their mission was simply to ascertain the general situation on the front lines and ensure safe passage for the troops behind them.
Even if they encountered a heavy ambush by the enemy, the loss of twenty-plus Chunin and Genin was acceptable to Iwagakure, one of the Five Great Hidden Villages.
The squad leader, a Chunin, waved his hand. The surrounding members immediately bent their knees and half-squatted on the ground, and with a slight push of their legs, they flickered and disappeared from the spot.
About twenty minutes later, all the Iwagakure Ninja returned to their original positions and reported to the commanding Chunin.
"Captain, we thoroughly searched the dense forest to the west, but found no sign of anyone."
"The south side we checked was the same."
"On the east side, there were some traces of scorched charcoal fire. Someone must have built a fire here, but judging by the softness of the charcoal, it must have been four or five days ago."
"Apart from traces of burning by a large fire and washing away by water flow, nothing else was found in the north."
Listening to the reports from his subordinates, the commanding Chunin stroked his chin, his tightly furrowed brows forming the shape of the character 'Chuan' (river).
"Strange. A massive fire broke out here just a few hours ago, yet now there isn't a single trace of human presence. Was it really just an accident?"
The commanding Chunin was utterly baffled. Even if the Ninja in this dense forest had noticed their arrival and fled ahead of time, there should still be some sign of their escape.
Why had his squad searched for so long without catching any trace whatsoever?
Unable to figure out the reason, the commanding Chunin stopped dwelling on it.
"Go back and report this matter to headquarters first. Just say that this dense forest is suspicious but no Ninja traces were found. If further reconnaissance is needed, request that stronger reconnaissance Ninja be dispatched."
The Iwagakure Chunin waved his hand and led his squad in a collective retreat.
Without the Ninja, the dense forest once again fell into silence.
Only the sounds of the wind rustling the grass and the sparse trees remained.
After twenty minutes of silence, and confirming that the Iwagakure Ninja had indeed left, on the bucket-thick trunk of a towering ancient tree…
First, a transparent light screen flickered, and a humanoid pattern appeared.
Kirito moved his arms, detached himself directly from the tree, and shook his head while looking in the direction the Iwagakure unit had departed.
"It seems my Wood Release is quite perfect. At least people at the Chunin level can't find any flaws."
The Wood Release aspect of the Five Elements Dao Arts displayed vibrant vitality and a strong affinity for trees, allowing the user to merge into the wood itself.
This technique reminded Kirito of Black Zetsu, the greatest schemer in the Naruto World.
Couldn't Black Zetsu also freely travel between the underground and the trees? And Black Zetsu did this often.
If he ever happened to run into Black Zetsu while hiding inside a tree, Kirito felt embarrassed just thinking about the scene.
However, Kirito quickly dismissed this baseless thought.
He had heard the words of those Iwagakure Ninja clearly while merged into the tree.
The commotion caused by the elementalized Great Fire Annihilation and Water Dragon Bullet Technique was too great, ultimately alarming the Iwagakure forces across the mountain.
To prevent unnecessary accidents, this mountain forest was definitely a point of focus for the Iwagakure Ninja.
Kirito didn't know how many Iwagakure Ninja were stationed nearby, but they would likely send people back to scout again.
The most important point was that Kirito truly wasn't in the mood to duel with these Iwagakure Ninja right now.
He hadn't finished learning the Ninjutsu in his notebook yet, and the capabilities of the Five Elements Dao Arts needed further strengthening.
Before he became completely strong, Kirito stated he absolutely did not want to get involved in these matters; his mission was to cultivate properly.
He must find a quiet place again.
Kirito stretched his muscles and bones, and his entire skeleton crackled.
He gazed into the distance. He wanted to find a quiet place to cultivate, but in this time of war, where could he find peace?
Perhaps the Village was the safest place.
Kirito thought of the Hidden Cloud Village, where his current body was born. With the Third Raikage, General Ai, Killer Bee, and Nii Yugito holding the line at the front, the fires of war surely wouldn't reach there.
Acting immediately, Kirito followed the route stored in his memory, put his hands back, and used the standard Ninja running posture. He shot out like an arrow leaving a bow, traversing the mountains and forests like a cheetah weaving through the woods.
Since the direction was toward the Hidden Cloud Village, it was the opposite direction from the battlefield.
After running frantically for an hour, the path ahead had been smooth, but Kirito didn't expect to run straight into a group of people when passing a corner.
Looking at the six people in front of him, Kirito quickly stopped his steps. Once again, he had unexpectedly encountered people of unknown identity, but this time, Kirito was not overly panicked. Instead, he calmly observed them before they could approach.
This lack of panic stemmed from his increased strength, and also from Kirito's rational thinking.
Since he was heading toward the Hidden Cloud Village, the people he encountered were most likely Kumogakure Ninja.
A quick glance was enough to confirm that these people wore single shoulder pads and black and white clothing. This combat uniform was identical to the one Kirito was wearing.
The symbol on their Forehead Protectors resembled an artistic version of the character "Gong" (engineering), with a cloud-like circular pattern beside it.
Seeing this, Kirito felt relieved. After all, the other party belonged to Kumogakure; they wouldn't try to kill a fellow Villager, right?
Oh, wait.
He might need to consider one problem: Kirito's current identity was that of a Kumogakure Genin. Why was he running away from the battlefield instead of being on it? Was he deserting?
If that accusation were proven true, he would definitely face death by a thousand cuts in the Hidden Cloud Village. This was a problem he had to avoid… Kirito's mind raced, and he quickly devised a countermeasure.
Although a Ninja shouldn't flee away from the battlefield, then again, this was a time of war. Rules, regulations, and order were completely chaotic.
He could easily fabricate an excuse, saying he got separated from his unit or was chased by the enemy during a mission, which was why he ended up here. These things could be easily glossed over.
Kirito felt confident. Just as the six people reached him, and Kirito opened his mouth to deliver his speech, a voice came from the opposite side.
"You are… Kirito? What are you doing here?"
End of the chapter.
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