Arrival at the Camp

Chapter 56 Returning to the Camp

Seeing the elite Kirigakure ninja closing in on them, Fugaku Uchiha nodded and made a decisive decision.

"run!"

The three immediately set off at full speed toward the next stronghold.

In fact, if Shiki Aburame wanted to, he could enhance the power of the Phosphorous Damage Insects. Although it might not be able to kill all of these elite Mist Ninjas, it would at least prevent them from having the strength to pursue him.

The reason they didn't do that was so that they could leave the battlefield with Fugaku and Shisui.

While we're at it, we'll also lure away the Mist Ninja who are providing support, and eliminate any forces on the battlefield that might hinder Aburame Ryoma.

You should know that there are many Uchiha clan corpses on the battlefield, which are Danzo's favorites.

Ryoma Aburame didn't appear in public because he was waiting for everyone to leave the battlefield so he could collect Sharingan eyes.

Qing's eyes turned red as she watched the three people moving extremely fast ahead.

We can't catch them! We really can't catch them! They're too fast!

No one knew the anxiety Qing was feeling at that moment, and he secretly resented the three figures as he looked at them.

"Kaguya Castle! Even if you want to fight, can't you wait until all the Kirigakure ninja at the front lines have gathered before attacking?!"

"The Mist Ninjas at the front line were only halfway assembled when they dared to lead an attack, resulting in their complete annihilation. This chain reaction led to my reinforcements falling into a trap and suffering heavy casualties as well."

"Ah, Kaguya, you're inherently evil! You deserve to die!"

"And this brat."

"The Uchiha members can leave, but this brat must be left behind!"

Aburame Shiki and his two companions fled quickly, pursued by more than twenty Kirigakure ninja, all of whom were at least elite Chunin.

"I am Shizuka Aburame. I am followed by more than twenty elite Kirigakure ninja, but I am not flustered at all. In fact, I am a little amused because their Body Flicker Technique is not as fast as mine and they cannot outrun me."

"Outpost number two is just ahead. Lord Jiraiya should have sent reinforcements by now. Once we get there, we'll be safe."

Uchiha Shisui said wearily but with delight, “We can vaguely see the outline of Outpost No. 2 ahead.”

The sensory ninjas at base number two have already spotted them, and a large number of Konoha ninjas are heading towards them.

The outcome is now decided.

"stop!"

With a livid face, he issued the order.

The elite Mist Ninja stopped, their eyes bloodshot. They were extremely unwilling to give up, but there was nothing they could do. The Konoha ninjas would arrive soon, and then it would be their turn to run.

When Shiki saw that the Mist Ninja had given up, he also stopped, allowing Shisui to catch his breath.

Aburame Shiatsu and Uchiha Fugaku could tolerate frequent use of the Body Flicker Technique and long-distance runs because they had a lot of chakra.

But Shisui is finding it a bit difficult now, since he hasn't fully matured yet.

Aburame Shiki looked at the Mist Ninja with disdain and said:

"You dared to cross the first outpost, which isn't a big deal yet, but if you take another step forward, it will be a cataclysmic event!"

Upon hearing this, Qing became even more depressed.

If these three dare to confront them head-on, Ao is confident he can take them down before Konoha reinforcements arrive.

But given how shameless these three were, they would have turned tail and run the moment they took even half a step forward, let alone one more step.

"retreat!"

Ao gritted his teeth and gave the order to retreat, leading the elite Mist Ninja into a hasty retreat.

Now, the Mist Village has already suffered too many losses, and the remaining elite troops will be the main force before the Mist Village sends out new reinforcements. They cannot afford to lose any more.

Ayame Shiki watched Qing flee in disarray, but he wasn't surprised. Staying to fight them head-on at this point would be the mark of a fool.

"This is a good harvest. I believe Ryoma Aburame has collected enough Sharingan. Danzo-sensei's mission is complete."

"And there's the corpse of Kaguya Castle in the sealed scroll. The Kaguya clan's Corpse Bone Pulse is still quite powerful. Let's study it and load this ability onto an Ultimate Summoning Beast, or a Void Terror. Bone spikes and Void Terror are a good match."

"The fear of the void is becoming more and more aptly named."

"Clan leader, are you alright? The Mist Ninja have already escaped, but they couldn't catch up because they were too far away."

Members of the Uchiha clan stepped forward to report the situation.

"It's nothing. We achieved good results this time thanks to Shiichi. Let's go see Lord Jiraiya first. I have some information to report."

Fugaku Uchiha looked at Shizuka Aburame. Whether it was the credit for defeating the Kirigakure forces or the matter of the Wood Release experimental subjects, it was all inseparable from him.

"Zhiyi, come with me. You've done a great job this time, and I'll vouch for you and reward you for your contributions."

"I also want to meet Jiraiya-sama. Minato-senpai always mentions him as his teacher."

At the Konoha Eastern Front camp, Jiraiya received intelligence from Shiatsu Aburame and Fugaku Uchiha.

After reading it, a serious expression appeared on his face.

"You did a good job this time. The Mist Ninja suffered heavy losses. Until the next reinforcements from the Mist Village, they will only be able to defend."

"If they dare to take such a desperate gamble again, I will teach them a lesson they will never forget."

Jiraiya's eyes also darkened. He wasn't without guts; if the Kirigakure dared to do this again, he would lead his troops to attack Kirigakure.

"The Uchiha clan deserves a lot of credit, and I will work with you to jointly report the specific information."

Jiraiya solemnly made this promise to Fugaku Uchiha.

Fugaku Uchiha nodded reservedly, displaying the demeanor of a great clan, quite unlike his "fierce-eyed" appearance on the battlefield.

"The eastern front is indeed dangerous. This war with the Mist Ninja has resulted in the sacrifice of many clansmen, and it is indeed necessary to send a message to the clans to request reinforcements."

The implication was that he agreed with Jiraiya's suggestion, and that as long as their combat capabilities were guaranteed, the Uchiha clan was willing to dedicate themselves to Konoha and send more clansmen.

Jiraiya looked at Shiatsu Aburame, hesitating as if he wanted to speak, but finally asked:

"You must be Shiitsu, the one Minato always mentions. You're truly talented. But how come there are twelve ninjas using Wood Release on the battlefield?"

"The Wood Release transplantation experiment at Root has yielded some results. Danzo-sensei knew that the Uchiha were in a critical situation on the eastern front, so he immediately sent them to provide support."

Aburame Shiki pushed all the problems onto Danzo.

Don't ask, I just don't know.

Jiraiya was speechless. Danzo's attitude towards the Uchiha was extremely tough, so how could he possibly send anyone to support the Uchiha? He must have some sinister schemes.

More importantly, the experiment on transplanting the root of the tree was successful.

Jiraiya's eyes flickered, but then dimmed again as he thought of Tsunade.

"I understand about this. I will report it to the Hokage truthfully. Don't ever appear in front of Tsunade again. I'm afraid she'll punch you."

……

After Ao sends back the information about the Mist Ninja at the front lines.

The Third Mizukage closed his eyes, carefully considering the intelligence that had been brought back. Kaguya Castle's bizarre actions left him speechless.

The Kaguya clan truly lives up to their reputation as reckless madmen; appointing them to command is utterly irresponsible towards the Kirigakure.

But there was nothing he could do; the ninja clans of Kirigakure were an important part of the village and could influence his decisions as the Mizukage.

Kaguya Castle forcefully demanded the position of frontline commander from him, and the other Kirigakure clans silently supported him, treating Kaguya Castle as cannon fodder in their power struggle.

The support wasn't for Kaguya Castle, but rather to undermine his authority as the Mizukage, who had already restricted many ninja clans.

Therefore, entrusting the family to Kaguya Castle would allow the rules set by the Mizukage to be loosened, making it easier to secure more benefits for the family in the future.

"What should we do, Mizukage? The front lines are severely understaffed. We only have twenty-odd elite troops, which are no match for Konoha."

"Let's continue sending reinforcements. This time, the Kaguya clan must take responsibility, and the other ninja clans also bear some responsibility!"

"I can take this opportunity to suppress them; at least this time, I can arrange the commander's position according to my wishes."

"Let Ao temporarily take command of the front-line command in Kirigakure."

The Third Mizukage sat wearily in a chair, silently thinking:

"These ninja clans are getting more and more audacious! They need to be weakened, but not too much, lest they be crippled."

The Hidden Mist Village has many powerful ninja clans, but in the eyes of the Third Mizukage, no matter how arrogant these clans are, they are still all part of the Hidden Mist Village's power.

Weakening the ninja clans means weakening Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village).

This made the Third Mizukage hesitant to act decisively; he wanted to weaken the ninja clans but didn't want to expend too much power.

"The Blood Mist policy must continue to be implemented. On the one hand, it can weaken the power of the ninja clans, and on the other hand, it can enhance the individual qualities of the Mist Ninjas, which can barely make up for some of the weakness caused by weakening the ninja clans."

"We need to increase investment in the Ninja Academy to balance the power of the ninja clans. This may be the only hope for Kirigakure."

"Moreover, the appearance of Wood Release on the battlefield this time is not good news."

"Send word to the underground gold exchange to spread the news that Konoha has a way to recreate Wood Release."

"There's also a 3500 million bounty on Shiki Aburame. That kid's abilities are too dangerous on the battlefield."

(End of this chapter)