Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Fortunately, he was quite familiar with the Land of Rice Fields. Back then, Lord Orochimaru established the Hidden Sound Village in the Land of Rice Fields. Although the Hidden Sound Village is now a thing of the past and has been completely erased from the physical world, thanks to that experience, Haku has traveled to almost every inch of the Land of Rice Fields and knows the terrain and landforms very well.

Without needing any help from the secret agents to guide them, he simply gave them a general idea of ​​the area, and then led Jugo and Karin directly there.

"Xianglin, any results?"

Bai stood on the bare treetop, looking around.

Standing here, the snow-white sand beach and the azure sea in the distance can be seen in full view. They have arrived in the northern part of the Land of Fields. As long as the target has not gone out to sea, he will most likely be active near this coastal line. And this is where Karin comes in.

Kagura's Mind's Eye technique, with a perception range extending tens of kilometers, can conduct a carpet search. Unless the target also possesses something similar to their 'fake skin black cloak,' it's impossible for them to evade Karin's perception.

So far, they have moved along the coastal area three times without success, and it's uncertain whether they will find their target this time...

suddenly,

The girl, who had been using the Kagura Mind's Eye technique with her eyes closed, opened them, her face showing excitement. She shouted, "Found it! Haku, I sensed it! A very large and intense chakra fluctuation. Centered on our feet, the target is in the northwest direction, about seven or eight kilometers away, moving at a normal walking speed. There are no other chakra fluctuations around, so it should be the target alone."

"Then let's go, let's catch up immediately."

Bai decisively issued the order.

Even if they find the wrong one, it doesn't matter. They can just continue to follow the map. Anyway, he's not afraid of disturbing the prey. After all, their prey is a lone wolf with no claws or teeth and no backing. It's like a lone wolf wandering the ninja world.

Eight or nine kilometers is not a long distance at all for a ninja running at full speed.

In a blink of an eye,

As they closed the distance, Haku, who wasn't good at sensory ninjutsu, also sensed the powerful chakra fluctuations. However, since they were wearing black cloaks, their target probably hadn't noticed their arrival. Haku gestured to Jugo and Karin, and the three of them slowed down in unison.

Whether it's a black cloak or a white cloak, they can only conceal their chakra fluctuations. If they make a loud noise or directly enter the other party's field of vision, they will still be discovered.

but,

With the decline of the Uzumaki clan, this method of concealing chakra aura has been forgotten by many. Although many clans have suffered at the hands of the Uzumaki clan, nowadays, very few people would be on guard against someone who can perfectly conceal their chakra fluctuations and sneak up on them.

Even the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Iwagakure's S-rank rogue ninja, was no exception.

Yes,

This four-tailed jinchuriki is Haku's target.

Haku didn't know why the Hokage wanted to capture this Four-Tails Jinchuriki. Was it to deal with the Iwa ninja? Or was it for the tailed beasts...? He didn't know the answer, and of course, he didn't really care what the answer was. Just like working for Orochimaru, he only needed to complete the task as neatly as possible according to the requirements. There was no need to worry about this extra trouble.

They crept in silently.

Finally, he saw the short figure walking in the snow, with fiery red hair, a fiery red beard, and a short stature of less than 1.5 meters... It was definitely the Four-Tails Jinchuriki. After confirming the target's identity, Haku made a hand gesture.

Karin stopped walking and deliberately fell behind.

Her mission was now complete. Next, it was Bai and Jugo's turn to shine. While protecting herself, she would be responsible for monitoring the surrounding area. If anyone approached, she would need to send an alert to Bai and Jugo immediately.

Jugo, draped in a black cloak, followed closely behind Ryuu.

And white,

But they patiently waited for their opportunity.

The climates of the Land of Fields and the Land of Fire are quite similar, and both countries are currently in winter. This is an excellent time for Bai. Like the Land of Rain, which experiences continuous rainfall throughout the year, this season is also his domain. Although it hasn't snowed today, there was clearly a heavy snowfall not long ago. The snow in the forest is quite thick, and the bare branches are covered with dense frost, looking like a beautiful work of art.

When I saw that tree covered in frost,

Even the hot-tempered killer, Old Purple, couldn't help but stop and admire the breathtaking natural beauty before him. He was momentarily lost in thought. It had been about six or seven years since he left the village in a huff. During these years, he had disguised himself as a wandering monk and roamed all over the ninja world.

The life of a wandering monk was certainly not very comfortable.

Even if he is one of the top ninjas in the world, what's the point of wandering around like a lost soul? He is different from those crazy guys like Orochimaru and Sasori of the Red Sand. He left Iwagakure because he disagreed with Onoki, who was the Tsuchikage. He still cared about the village all the time.

He just couldn't bring himself to go back.

He still believes that Onoki's choice back then was wrong, even though he learned about Amegakure and Konoha, and more accurately, how powerful the Uchiha clan was, through a roundabout way. But this only strengthened his belief.

They shouldn't have broken ties with the Cloud Ninja in the first place; instead, they turned around and stabbed them in the back.

If they had steadfastly implemented their initial strategy and joined forces with the Cloud Ninja to severely damage Konoha, even if they couldn't annihilate the entire village in one fell swoop, crippling Konoha would have prevented the village from rapidly recovering its strength and returning to its peak state during the time of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

The other villages had no choice but to bow their heads in humiliation to Konoha once again. In his eyes, the Chunin Exams that were being talked about recently were just an act of Konoha ninjas showing off their power in front of almost all the top figures in the ninja world, while the Iwa ninjas were undoubtedly just one of the many supporting characters.

"Onoki, you indecisive fool! You should have struck Konoha hard back then when it was still weak. It's all your fault that the village has fallen to this state..."

The more Lao Zi thought about it, the angrier he became.

He immediately began cursing the Third Tsuchikage for his stupidity.

Several years of wandering monk work hadn't improved his temper; he was still like a firecracker, easily ignited. Even without anyone provoking him, if he stood alone in the deserted snow forest lost in thought for a while, he couldn't help but burst into curses, revealing the pent-up resentment and anger in his chest.

He was still unaware that not a single Iwa ninja's name was on the finalists' roster.

Otherwise,

I don't even know how to start cursing yet!

Right now, his loud curses echoed through the snowy forest, startling either a rabbit or a fox. A rustling sound came from afar, which Lao Zi noticed but didn't pay attention to. The chill of winter was not as desolate as it seemed. Apart from animals like bears and snakes that hibernated, the other animals were still active as usual, only their activity levels were significantly reduced compared to spring, summer, and autumn.

Therefore,

Unbeknownst to him, a transparent and gleaming ice mirror was slowly taking shape on the snow behind him.

To be precise, just as he sensed the anomaly behind him through the hazy reflection of the frost in front of him, a sharp, transparent ice blade plunged fiercely into his back. Blood blossomed instantly, and drops of hot blood fell, staining the thick snow below red.

"As expected, you can't subdue a Jinchuriki by sneak attacking!"

Bai sighed softly.

The ice blade failed to pierce Old Purple's body, only penetrating his skin and flesh. Before it could even reach his heart, a layer of crimson tailed beast chakra opened up, and the domineering tailed beast chakra violently shattered his ice blade, preventing it from pushing further in.

However, he didn't say that he was relying entirely on a sneak attack to complete the mission.

After all, he hadn't forgotten that the Hokage's fame and fortune depended on capturing the target alive; killing the target was absolutely out of the question. Even if Rōshi didn't react in time, this strike wouldn't kill the Four-Tails Jinchūriki. It would just graze Rōshi's heart, pierce his body, leave him on the verge of death, and then Karin would extend his life before taking him back to the village to report back... This was the perfect scenario.

Of course, the chances of success are also very slim.

Although Roshi wasn't one of the two perfect Jinchuriki from Kumogakure, he was still one of the most senior Jinchuriki in the ninja world. He had been through countless battles and was a strongman who had crawled out of piles of corpses. He wouldn't be so easy to kill with a sneak attack. This was just a mistake!

Who are you?

Lao Zi didn't rush to retaliate. Instead, he quickly distanced himself from Bai and cautiously sized up the handsome young man.

He has a fiery temper, but that doesn't mean he'll just blindly charge into battle. Although he did like to lead the charge and fight the enemy during the Third Shinobi World War, it was a large-scale war involving hundreds or thousands of people, which required him, as a Jinchūriki, to unleash his full destructive power.

Behind him were hundreds or even thousands of Iwa ninja.

You can charge forward with confidence.

Now he is all alone, without any companions to help him, and he was ambushed and injured. Although he has not been directly rendered unable to fight, he still needs some time to forcibly heal the wound on his back with the help of the tailed beast's chakra. Also... he must be careful of other enemies around him.

"I'm sorry, who I am is not important. All you need to know is that I'm here for you today." Bai had no interest in chatting with Lao Zi. He had already launched a sneak attack without saying a word. It would be crazy to keep talking to Lao Zi. He was just saying this to attract Lao Zi's attention.

The instant his words fell,

Another ice mirror solidified behind Lao Zi, and Bai's figure quietly sank into the ice mirror once more.

"Ice Release: Frost Bird".

In an instant, Haku, using the ice mirror to teleport behind Old Purple, released an ice bird that pounced on Old Purple. He didn't expect this move to have any significant effect; it was just a probing attack to test the Four-Tails Jinchuriki's abilities.

"Space-time magic?"

Old Zi instantly became stern.

As an old man who had witnessed and personally experienced the power of Konoha's Yellow Flash on the battlefield, he knew very well the terror of space-time techniques. If it weren't for his special, all-around life-saving methods, he might have already had his throat slit by the Yellow Flash.

Bai's revealed move caused him to have a slight stress response.

Ignoring the fact that the wound on his back had not yet fully healed, he immediately extracted a massive amount of chakra. In that instant, the crimson tailed beast cloak was replaced by scorching hot magma. Old Purple was wrapped in high-temperature lava from head to toe, leaving no blind spots or loopholes.

This is—

Lava Release Chakra Mode.

It is a unique technique belonging to him, the Jinchūriki of the Four-Tails. Back then, he relied on this Lava Release Armor, which combines offense and defense, to defend against the Yellow Flash's attack.

[Chapter 454. Immortal Technique: Ice Escape - Thousand-Year Ice Prison]

Before the ice bird even got close to Lao Zi, it had already begun to melt due to the high temperature. When it came into contact with the dark red lava armor, it crumbled instantly. This probing attack did not cause any significant damage to Lao Zi.

only--

It wasn't a waste of effort to get Old Purple to use such a powerful technique as Lava Release Chakra Mode so early on.

"The Four-Tails Jinchuriki... Lava Release, it's really not compatible with me at all." Bai muttered to himself, and began to form hand seals without any panic. The result of the test was obvious: ordinary methods probably wouldn't be able to break through that layer of lava armor with an astonishing temperature.

Therefore,

More forceful measures are needed.

Sage Mode - Activated

With a single horn on his forehead and clad in blue robes, his serpentine transparent chakra swirled and flowed, as if connected to the surrounding world. This gave people a sense of being at odds with the world when facing him. Old Purple clearly sensed the change in the boy opposite him, as if he were suddenly facing a majestic mountain standing in front of him.

"This is······"

Old Purple hesitated for a moment, "Sage Mode?"

He was about the same age as the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, and their growth trajectories were similar. They distinguished themselves in the Second Shinobi World War and became pillars of their respective villages in the Third Shinobi World War... They inevitably crossed paths with each other.

After all, the top combatants in each village are only a handful.

Once the two villages go to war, it will be difficult for them to avoid each other. He had fought against Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin of Konoha, and witnessed the power known as Sage Mode, which is a power that can rival the Tailed Beasts. Haku now reminds him of Jiraiya.

No, that's not right.

To be precise, he was even more... enormous than Jiraiya? It's hard to describe the feeling, but in his perception, the Jiraiya who used Sage Mode in his memories didn't seem as enormous as this boy.

In that instant,

This made him raise his alarm to the highest level.

A certain space-time technique, Jiraiya's Sage Mode, and that Ice Release bloodline limit... each of these things is quite troublesome on its own, but now they are all concentrated on one person, although he looks like a teenager?

But gender doesn't matter, and age is irrelevant.

The important thing is that he realized this was definitely a formidable opponent, an adversary that should not be underestimated.

It's not a bad thing to use the Lava Release Chakra Mode so early.

"Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, if I remember correctly, this is the power of the Yuki clan from the Land of Water? Are you a Kirigakure ninja?" Old Purple asked.