Konoha: Who's the good guy?

In December, the Land of Lightning had already experienced several light snowfalls.

Unlike the Land of Iron, where the land is completely covered by ice and snow in winter, this place is not like the Land of Iron.

However, the temperature is undoubtedly much lower than that of the Land of Fire.

Ordinary people would never start a war during this season unless absolutely necessary.

But ninjas are not ordinary people.

Because of the presence of chakra, even a genin who has just graduated from the ninja academy can easily cope with most extreme weather conditions.

Therefore, neither the Third Raikage A nor other high-ranking officials of Kumogakure ever considered the weather issue.

Braving the chilly sea breeze.

The four members of the Trojan squad, including Yamanaka Kei, along with another standard squad led by a Jonin.

The eight of them set off together by boat from the southeastern port of the Land of Lightning.

They searched for all the islands along the route to the Land of Water.

It took more than ten days to complete the search of the Land of Lightning's waters and enter the Land of the Sea, preparing to land on an island near the Land of Water and leave the island.

The Land of the Sea is located between the two great nations, the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water.

Once the Hidden Clouds and the Hidden Mist go to war.

Unless one side can launch a decisive attack and penetrate the other's territory.

Otherwise, the Land of the Sea would likely become a battleground between the two, much like the Land of Rain during the Second Shinobi World War.

The outlying islands, with their extremely important geographical location, will also become a battleground for both sides!

The ship approaches the port of the outlying island.

When they were still about a nautical mile apart, the Chunin on the lookout tower spotted the Kirigakure ninja warships hidden among the many ships in the harbor.

Yamanaka Kei, who had been eagerly awaiting the enemy's appearance, breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing the news.

The outlying island was the last stop on their mission.

If no enemies appear, he'll have to pretend to be one and log off for himself!

He glanced at the group of Cloud Village ninjas on the ship who were beginning to use transformation techniques to disguise themselves as sailors, fishermen, and other similar figures.

Yamanaka Kei relied on the fact that there were no ninjas with keen senses in his team.

With his hands forming hand seals, he silently used sensory ninjutsu while performing the transformation technique.

With a diameter of ten kilometers and the ability to see up to five kilometers away, it can quickly scan the port.

There were fifteen chakra auras above the port, which made him raise an eyebrow in surprise.

Looking out over the still relatively bustling port.

Yamanaka Kei leaned against the gunwale, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

Of these fifteen chakra auras, fourteen were completely unfamiliar.

The last dish, however, left a very deep impression on him!

Gloomy, dark, and bloody!

This is undoubtedly the same Blood Dragon Eye ninja who attacked Yugito more than half a month ago!

"Blood dragon eye! Tsk~"

Yamanaka glanced at the location on his chest where the scroll containing the three-tomoe Sharingan seal was kept.

My hands are just a tiny bit itchy!

The trip to Kumogakure yielded very little, so how could we not bring back some local specialties after coming all this way?

The ship slowly approached the shore and stopped in an empty space in the harbor.

Having discussed the details of the operation in advance, apart from the two Chunin guarding the ship...

The six people, including Yamanaka Kei, disembarked while maintaining their transformations, preparing to go ashore first to scout out the situation.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the seemingly calm sea.

Yamanaka followed the lead of Troy and headed towards the town behind the port.

On the small port, dozens of ordinary people dressed as sailors and porters were busily loading and unloading cargo.

There seemed to be nothing unusual.

However, they were faintly enveloped by the unique Yin energy of the Blood Dragon Eye.

A group of people walked by in the mountains.

These people stiffened slightly, and a faint red light flashed in their eyes. Some of them, seemingly unintentionally, moved a few more steps toward the group.

One of the burly men carrying wooden crates appeared to be unsteady on his feet.

He staggered and fell toward the leader of the Trojans.

"Something's not right!"

Troy scanned his surroundings warily and said something urgently to the squad member beside him.

With a swift movement, he dodged his opponent and simultaneously created a distance of more than ten meters behind him.

Seeing this, Yamanaka Kei and the others followed Troy's footsteps and dodged.

The burly man who fell to the ground did not explode. He apologized to the group of people repeatedly while bending down to pick up the scattered goods.

Clearly, the mastermind behind the scenes doesn't want to expose their secrets so quickly.

However, some people don't seem to have much patience.

Boom!

A deafening roar came from behind them.

The ship that Yamanaka Kei and the others had arrived on was shattered by the impact of the towering explosion.

A Hidden Mist ninja with a cloth wrapped around his head and a white mask on his face swept his strange large sword across two Chunin guarding the ship who were scrambling to their feet after the explosion.

The next moment, another explosion was heard.

The two Chunin wielding kunai to defend themselves had their arms blown into countless pieces of flesh.

It plummeted towards the sea due to the impact of the explosion.

Swish~

A weapon resembling a steel shovel bursts forth from the water, weaving back and forth like a nimble snake under the control of a slender steel wire.

They stitched the two falling Chunin together.

The steel shovel fell into the water.

The thin steel wire tightened instantly, and the two bodies were immediately torn to pieces, staining a large area of ​​seawater red!

Are they Jinpachi Murashi, the user of the Exploding Blade Spray, and Kushimaru Kurihara, the user of the Long Sword Sewing Needle, from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?

Yamanaka Kei curled his lip, his eyes full of disdain.

Of the seven ninja swords of Kirigakure, the most valuable in his eyes was undoubtedly Samehada.

Secondly, the Thunder Fang, the Twin Blades Flounder, and the Decapitation Blade also have some merit.

As for the remaining blunt knife cuts, long knife stitches, and explosive knife sprays...

What rubbish!

Someone attached a hammer to an axe and dared to claim they could break through any defense.

One of them was a sharpened steel shovel with a steel wire tied to its rear, which was said to be able to pierce through all enemies and sew them together.

And then there's the most ridiculous one: the Exploding Blade Droplets. Its purpose is to summon explosive tags that explode when swung or are thrown out to explode. Its ultimate move is a self-destruction that destroys the blade along with the sword, which is said to be able to kill even the immortal.

That's an outrageous boast!

Break through defenses, pierce through everything?

Should we go and clash with Susanoo?

Could it blow up an immortal being?

Even with six hundred billion explosive tags, Xiao Nan didn't kill anyone.

Can a knife really turn the world upside down?

"Hehehe~ Magnet Release ninja Troy, I heard you're the nemesis of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?"

With a flamboyant hairstyle and wearing an ANBU mask, Kushimaru Kurishari, carrying a long sword and a sewing needle on his shoulder, slowly rose from beneath the blood-stained sea, letting out a chilling laugh.

Meanwhile, on the surrounding sea, a full twelve ninjas wearing Mist-hidden headbands simultaneously revealed themselves.

Two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

In addition, there are three standard Jonin squads, as well as the Blood Dragon Eye ninjas hidden in the shadows.

This configuration, at least in terms of overt combat strength, far surpasses that of Troy and his group.

Dozens of residents, under the spell of the Blood Dragon Eye Illusion, had their eyes flashing crimson light, blocking the way for everyone to reach the island.

The members of the Hidden Mist have blocked the route out from the sea.

A fierce battle is about to break out.

"Tsk~ Is Kirigakure planning to do what Sunagakure did and shift their focus outwards?"

Upon seeing the lineup before him, Yamanaka Keigo knew that, despite the loss of Madara Uchiha's remote control, there hadn't been much turmoil within Kirigakure.

Otherwise, they would be too busy to take care of themselves.

Kirigakure could not possibly send such a force to deal with the war threat from Kumogakure.

Think about it too.

Just as Sunagakure had Chiyo and Ebizo as its pillars of stability, the Kazekage continued to function even after the death of the Third Kazekage.

The Hidden Mist also has highly respected elders like Master Yuan.

Faced with similar dilemmas, both sides made largely the same choices!

"I wouldn't call myself a nemesis, but as a user of the Magnet Release bloodline limit, dealing with guys like you whose skills are all in ninja tools shouldn't take much effort."

Troy took a storage seal scroll from his waist and put it in his mouth.

As chakra smoke rose, he grasped several square shuriken imbued with magnetic force in each of his left and right hands.

"We'll see when the opportunity arises to break through, Nikai, don't be too impulsive."

As Yamanaka Kei slightly bowed and gripped the kunai in the back of his hand, he lowered his voice and said something to the eager young Jonin beside him.

He was already starting to think about how he should die in a way that would make him seem more heroic.

The young Cloud Village Jonin named Nikai was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously looked at Troy.

Seeing that he nodded almost imperceptibly, he swallowed hard.

elder brother!

Didn't you just say that you could take care of the other party without much effort?

I was all ready to go!

If it weren't for Brother Cissei speaking up, this wouldn't have happened.

I hope I'm not the first one they deliver to later!

In Troy's dead fish eyes, there was a look of disbelief, as if he were a fool.

Young man, do you even know what trash talk tactics are?

The two opponents are members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, each one a renowned figure in the ninja world!

If the two sides were to fight, the most optimistic outcome would be that he could barely hold off the two by using Magnet Release to counter ninja tools!

The remaining three standard Jonin squads consist of three Jonin, nine Chunin, and nine Genin.

You have one newly appointed Jonin, one Special Jonin who was promoted based on merit, and three Chunin.

Don't you have any idea whether you can handle it or not?

Moreover, the group of people behind them, looking dazed and blocking the dock, seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at them. Who knew if there were any enemies lurking in the shadows?

Why don't you run away and wait for someone to collect your body?

Nikai's two remaining subordinates glanced speechlessly at their own Jonin leader, who couldn't even figure out how to play a simple game.

He secretly resolved that if he could make it back alive this time, he would definitely give his Jonin a lesson!

Otherwise, who knows when we'll all end up losing everything along with them!