Uchiha Akaishi Tour

Akaishi's "Mirror Clone" previously discovered that during Hiruko's first seven disappearances, she was not only not in Konoha Village, but the missions she carried out were also ones where she could temporarily separate from her teammates without being suspected, or where she had already completed her mission and was enjoying herself elsewhere, and where she was neither too close nor too far from the missing person...

Not so close that it would arouse suspicion, nor so far that it would be impossible to reach!

If he were to go to the Temple of Fire now, with the same purpose...

"No way? That Hiruko is just an ordinary Chunin. The ones he attacked before were all small teams led by ordinary Chunin. As for Murakumo..." Lan Wu realized that Kurama Murakumo was not an ordinary Chunin. He just hadn't been promoted because he didn't have the opportunity to make merit.

How could Hiruko be his match?

Judging from the previously missing squad, there wasn't anyone as skilled as Kurama Murakumo!

"However, there are indeed no other ninjas from major ninja clans nearby." The "major ninja clans" that Akaishi mentioned refer to ninja clans that have at least some "bloodline," not just a few ninjas from one family.

Akaishi then added, "Furthermore, judging from the locations of the attacks by the missing persons, they are mostly in the northern part of the country... I guess that guy's hideout is probably also in the north. If the attack was launched in the south, it would be difficult to transport the victims back to his hideout afterwards."

Lan Wu did not object.

Although I'm eager to see him, it's always good to be on the safe side and go see Kurama Murakumo first...

"That's right, the safety of our companions is more important. If the mastermind is really this Hiruko, then he won't be able to escape either!" Lanwu suppressed her worry for Xingjian and nodded.

If the missing ninja was captured for experiments, then he might still be alive...

Akaishi remained silent—it was indeed for safety, but… it wasn't entirely for Kurama and the others' safety!

If Hiruko were kicked to death, then finding those missing people would be a real challenge...

Akaishi was also unsure how much strength Hiruko had hidden before daring to attack Kurama Murakumo.

but……

Hiruko certainly didn't know the true strength of Might Guy in the squad.

……

The Fire Temple is not a ninja village, but it does have chakra practitioners, somewhat similar to "shrine maidens," who are called "monks." They are also skilled in sealing techniques, and their style is closer to that of the Sand Village's sealing techniques. Since the Warring States period, they have cooperated with the nobles of the Fire City, and throughout history, the guardian ninjas of the Fire City have included practitioners from the Fire Temple.

Konoha and the Fire Temple often keep in touch. This time, Hiruko is also escorting a large-scale transaction. He will stay at the Fire Temple for a few days during the trip. He can easily find an excuse to leave at this time, since he doesn't have to worry about safety issues at the Fire Temple, and the goods from Konoha have already been delivered!

If we disregard strength, Hiruko is indeed very likely to attack Kurama Murakumo.

However, to Akaishi's surprise...

On October 31, Akaishi and his two companions arrived at the Valley of the End and made a discovery without much effort.

"Hmm? This is..." Lan Wu was taken aback when she noticed the marks carved on a tree near a battle site—it was a distress signal from a Konoha ninja.

This is different from previous disappearances!

This time, there wasn't a complete disappearance...

"The signal was just left a short time ago!" Akaishi said after making his assessment.

"Signs of a battle here..." Lan Wu looked around with some confusion—this commotion was quite significant!

Such massive actual damage doesn't seem to be caused by an illusion battle... So Hiruko is really that strong?

but……

"Two ninjas with strong taijutsu are fighting here... Even if one of them is Hiruko who is hiding his strength, then the other one..." Nono was also puzzled at this moment.

"Might Guy is strong, but not for long... Chase!" Akaishi immediately chased after the direction indicated by the distress message.

Judging from the wild traces at the scene, Akaishi could basically confirm that the side that left the traces of battle included Might Guy!

"Who? Dai?" Lan Wu was taken aback upon hearing this.

If Lanwu looked closely, she would have noticed some traces that were clearly caused by the Leaf Whirlwind, Leaf Giant Whirlwind, and other basic Leaf Fluid Techniques that Might Guy usually practiced. However, the power of these techniques was completely unfamiliar to Lanwu!

However, Akaishi saw it at a glance...

Matt Day has opened the door!

This also suggests that if the enemy is Hiruko, he is likely hiding considerable strength...

Following the direction of the distress signal, Akaishi soon heard the sounds of battle.

A figure in white was suddenly kicked away by Might Guy...

This is the very person they are looking for, Biljukhu!

However, Hiruko's appearance at this moment was completely different from his usual Chunin attire. His white robe was tattered from the battle, and his exposed body was covered with tangled bandages.

Of course, even more "abnormal" than Hiruko was Mighty...

Matt Damon's entire body was now flushed red, billowing hot steam, and only the whites of his eyes were visible; his facial features were twisted and grotesque...

Akaishi realized that Dai had already opened the sixth gate!

Upon seeing Akaishi and the other two arrive, Hiruko's face lit up with joy, but he immediately switched to a panicked expression, saying, "Be careful! This genin... he's hiding his strength; he might be a spy from an enemy country!"

Lan Wu was about to rush up and stop Hiruko the moment she saw him, but Akashi stopped her without making a sound.

When faced with Hiruko's plea for help, Akaishi said, "Leave this to us. You take the wounded to a safe place."

"Alright! Be careful!" Hiruko said, hoisting the unconscious Kurama Murakumo onto his back and leaving.

"We can't let him go! Akaishi..." Might Guy immediately tried to stop him.

However, Akaishi then blocked his way and... gave him a meaningful look.

Seeing this, Might Guy seemed to realize something as well, and shouted in a daze, "Get out of the way! Don't stop me!"

"Come help! This guy isn't afraid of genjutsu!" Akaishi said, looking like his Sharingan genjutsu had failed.

Lanwu and Nonou exchanged a glance, vaguely understanding Akaishi's meaning. They then joined the "siege" of Might Guy, while Hiruko carried Kurama Murakumo away.

Hiruko had no doubt that the reinforcements and Mighty were fighting—no matter how you looked at it, that guy was more suspicious than himself, right?

Hiruko had never imagined that a mere genin would possess such hidden power...

It seems he's also conducting some kind of forbidden research?

Everyone's harboring malicious intentions!

Beiliu Hujiang Maitdai regarded him as one of his own.

even……

If one's own talent is merely "mediocre," then Might Guy's talent is "inferior."

Therefore, Hiruko naturally believed that Mighty's strength, especially since it had not been discovered by anyone, must be hiding a secret.

At first, he even tried to persuade the other party to cooperate...

However, Mighty was furious because Hiruko had ambushed Kurama Murakumo, and refused to let him take the unconscious Kurama Murakumo away, chasing after him all the way!

Although Hiruko has made some progress in "Oni-Garaku" recently, he is no match for Might Guy's "overpowering all techniques with sheer force" and was almost kicked to death—it was he who left the distress signal.

Given the situation just now, Hiruko and Akaishi would definitely think that Mighty was the "culprit," and indeed Akaishi's behavior was just as he expected.

but……

A moment later, Akaishi stopped and said to Dai, "Stop now, he's gone far away."

Dai then extinguished his secret technique and collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted...

"Red Stone! That Hiruko..." Dai gritted his teeth, tears welling in his eyes.

"Follow him first." Akashi nodded, indicating that he understood, and then summoned the white tiger-shaped raccoon, asking it to carry the exhausted Dai.

Then the four of them followed the direction in which Hiruko had left.

"This guy cleaned up his tracks after leaving," Nono said with a grim expression.

Clearly, Hiruko was not simply running away, but had planned from the beginning to shake off her pursuers!

"It's alright, he can't escape," Akaishi said matter-of-factly.

Although Hiruko was very cautious, she began erasing all traces of herself not far from the scene, but...

From the very beginning, Akaishi had secretly communicated with the King of Hell. Without Hiruko's sight, the King of Hell's tongue was already wrapped around Kurama Murakumo!

How could he possibly shake off Chi Shi's pursuit while dragging the King of Hell along?

Lanwu and Nonou immediately understood what Akaishi meant...

From the beginning, the two were wary of Hiruko. Although they were shocked by Might Guy's condition, they did not have too many doubts because of what Akaishi had said before, and at most they just thought "good".

However, seeing that Akaishi was pretending to know nothing, the two immediately understood that Akaishi was going to follow Hiruko to his lair!

How can interrogate him after capturing him compare to letting him lead the way himself?

Pretending to let things go might arouse suspicion, but in the situation just now, Hiruko wouldn't find anything strange at all, and would only think that his treacherous scheme had succeeded.

On the way, Matt Day also talked about what had just happened...

His words surprised even Akaishi.

When Kurama Murakumo invited Might Guy to team up, he mentioned that he wanted to lure out the enemy ninja who had been attacking his Konoha comrades!

Because Akaishi had taken Might Guy on several missions before, Kurama Murakumo knew Might Guy, had teamed up with him, and knew some of his strength.

This time, they specifically sought out Matt Day...

Kurama Murakumo wasn't just doing the mission; he also deduced that the enemy ninjas who had infiltrated were likely operating in the north and targeting ninja clans, which is why he deliberately accepted the mission.

From the very beginning, his intention was to lure out the so-called "enemy ninja." To prevent the enemy from being too afraid to act because he was too strong, he approached Dai, who was obviously very weak, and under the pretext of a shortage of ninjas in the village, he carried out the border patrol mission "one-on-one," making the enemy think he was very weak to the greatest extent possible...