Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 31: Sudden Incident!

Listening to Uchiha Shisui, both Shūichi Hoshita and Kurama Sanyō turned their attention to the Anbu ninja.

He had returned to report, but without the intel. This suggested that something went wrong either during or just before the rendezvous.

The Anbu ninja seemed to be around the same age as Minato, and Shūichi felt a sense of familiarity with him.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Shisui swallowed a military ration pill and said, "Rest up for a bit longer. A sudden mission like this is bound to be challenging."

Shūichi and Sanyō nodded in agreement, then sat down and each took a military ration pill.

About half an hour later.

Minato opened his eyes and stood up, followed by the Anbu ninja.

"Shūichi, are you all ready?" Minato asked Shūichi and the others.

Shūichi and Sanyō both nodded, "No problem at all, Sensei."

Minato nodded, "Alright then, let\'s move out!"

Swish, swish, swish!

The three of them followed closely behind Minato, leaping through the forest and carefully avoiding the traps they had previously set.

The Anbu ninja trailed behind them.

After crossing a large forest, the Land of Rain appeared before them, and the group came to a halt.

Fortunately, it wasn\'t raining.

Shūichi silently sighed in relief, while Minato spoke up, "The mission is to rendezvous with an intelligence officer. The opposition consists of a large number of rogue ninjas from the Land of Rain, who can also be considered bounty hunters."

"In addition to them, there are two more elite forces. As for their identities..."

Minato paused before continuing, "They are suspected to be Suna-nin and Ame-nin."

Shūichi shivered instinctively and blurted out, "Is this related to the last mission?"

Minato replied, "It\'s uncertain at this time."

"Once we enter the Land of Rain, stay on high alert. As soon as we secure the intelligence officer, Shisui, Shūichi, and Sanyō, the three of you will prioritize escorting him back to the Land of Fire. The border patrol squad will meet you."

"If..."

"If the mission can\'t be completed, then initiate Plan B—bring back the intel!"

Shūichi and the others instantly felt a chill in their hearts.

They understood very well what that meant.

If it came to that, any one of them might be the one to bring back the intel.

However, Minato suddenly smiled, "But don\'t worry too much. I doubt it\'ll come to that."

The atmosphere lightened significantly, and the four of them resumed their journey, entering the Land of Rain.

Shūichi glanced back at the Anbu ninja, whom Minato hadn\'t introduced. Seeing him unarmed, Shūichi slowed his pace slightly and handed over a kunai.

The Anbu ninja was momentarily surprised, then accepted it with a smile, "Thank you. I\'m Sarutobi Shinnosuke!"

The Hokage\'s son!

Shūichi was taken aback, then responded, "I\'m Hoshita Shūichi."

They didn\'t speak further, focusing instead on the mission.

Soon, Shinnosuke surged ahead, leading the group.

In the dark of night, they crossed a barren expanse, climbed over two mountains, and then Shinnosuke stopped, pointing to a town with only a few scattered lights in the distance, "The intelligence officer is hiding in there, using the complex sewer system for cover. But his current situation is unclear."

"However, he will have left clues to help us find him."

Upon hearing this, Minato immediately said, "In that case, Shisui, Shūichi, Sanyō, you stay here to provide support."

"Shinnosuke, let\'s infiltrate and extract the intelligence officer."

Shinnosuke nodded in agreement without hesitation.

As for Shūichi Hoshita and the other two, they had no choice but to follow orders.

After making the decision, Minato and Shinnosuke immediately set off, quickly disappearing from the sight of the three.

After retracting his gaze, Uchiha Shisui said, "Sanyō, Shūichi, you two rest up. I\'ll keep watch."

"Got it!"

Shūichi and Kurama Sanyō nodded in agreement, sitting down cross-legged to rest and recover their strength.

At a time like this, there was no need for politeness. Having one person on watch while the other two rested to maintain optimal condition was the best choice.

Time passed slowly, and an hour went by without any disturbances. Shūichi finished his rest and took over the watch from Shisui.

Before they knew it, dawn had arrived.

Kurama Sanyō was beginning to get restless. "Shisui, Shūichi..."

Shisui calmly replied, "Don\'t worry, Sanyō. Don\'t forget the special kunai that Minato-sensei gave me last time."

Hearing this, Sanyō nodded repeatedly, taking a deep breath to calm himself. He then turned to Shūichi with a wry smile, "Shūichi, your mental resilience is really impressive."

Just as Shūichi was about to respond, Minato suddenly appeared with a person who was battered and covered in wounds.

"Sensei!"

All three of them were pleasantly surprised.

Minato immediately instructed, "Shūichi, tend to his wounds. Then you three take him back to the Land of Fire."

After giving the order, Minato vanished again.

Shūichi quickly moved to support the wounded intelligence officer that Minato had rescued, checking his injuries.

There were many wounds, but fortunately, most of them were not deep.

Shūichi quickly had Sanyō help bandage the minor wounds with medical bandages, while he focused on the deeper ones, mainly stopping the bleeding and providing emergency treatment.

"Thank you. My name is Koichi Hatada," the intelligence officer said weakly.

Shūichi smiled and handed Koichi a military ration pill along with his own sugared water.

This was his habit—whenever he went on a mission, he always brought salt and sugar. With a water flask, it was easy to make saltwater or sugared water to quickly replenish his body\'s needs.

After about 10 minutes, Koichi Hatada stood up and said, "I\'m ready."

Shisui immediately commanded, "Let\'s go!"

He took the lead, with Koichi close behind, and Shūichi and Sanyō followed on either side.

At that moment, Shūichi entered a state of 100% focus.

Up front, Shisui had also activated his Sharingan.

The four of them moved swiftly through the mountains and forests, quickly crossing over a large mountain.

Suddenly, Shisui warned, "Be careful, enemies are approaching!"

Shūichi scanned the sides, his gaze sweeping over the trees. The previously fast-moving scenery seemed to slow down, and he was able to spot the figures swiftly moving through the forest.

He immediately alerted the group, "There are a lot of them... We\'re surrounded!"

Enemies were closing in from behind and on both sides.

It was likely these enemies had been lying in ambush in the forest for some time.

"Sanyō, take Hatada-senpai and go ahead. Shūichi and I will hold them off!" Shisui\'s voice had barely faded when the sound of clashing metal rang out.

He had already engaged two enemies who were blocking their path.

"Understood!"

Sanyō quickly formed a hand seal, casting a genjutsu to assist Shisui in taking down his first opponent.

Without looking back, Sanyō then led Koichi Hatada away from the battlefield, breaking through the enemy lines.

The enemies on the flanks quickly swarmed after them, ignoring Shūichi.

(End of Chapter)

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