Chapter 69: A Surprise Attack!

Sakumo Hatake moved like a flash of white light, as sharp as the deadliest fang, tearing through the Sand Shinobi's encirclement with overwhelming force.

"Retreat!"

At his command, Uchiha Yū immediately led the two injured comrades to retreat. Among the three of them, he was the only one uninjured.

As they withdrew, Sakumo continued to fight while retreating. His fearsome blade was so sharp that even Chiyo couldn't stop him. This sword was too lethal.

Facing the man who killed her son and daughter-in-law, even Chiyo had no choice but to watch as Sakumo and his team broke through the encirclement and vanished into the night.

"Sister, the Daimyo is safe," said Ebizō, who appeared beside Chiyo.

Chiyo responded calmly, "It seems Hiruzen Sarutobi chose the wrong person."

She had already prepared for the possibility that the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers might be killed. If that happened, they would simply support a new Daimyo and, in his name, completely expel Konoha's influence.

Of course, this would inevitably lead to both open and covert conflicts with Konoha.

Since Konoha intended to eliminate the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers, there were likely supporters within the country who had their own candidate in mind.

When great nations or shinobi villages involve themselves in the coups of smaller nations, this is the kind of tactic they employ.

"The Daimyo is safe now. Brother, you can go and claim credit from him," Chiyo added.

Ebizō's face twitched at her words.

...

On the other side, Shūichi Hoshita continued to fight while retreating. This was where his explosive power proved invaluable, allowing him to avoid being surrounded and trapped.

The Fire Body Flicker Technique further played to his advantage, enabling him to maneuver in mid-air and evade the Sand Shinobi's large-scale Wind Release attacks, quickly escaping the battlefield.

When the memories from his Shadow Clone near the mine returned, Shūichi felt completely relieved. With Minato Namikaze's real body over there, the Sand Shinobi's surprise attack had hit a solid wall, forcing them into a hasty and costly retreat.

Before long, Minato arrived with Uchiha Shisui and Kurama Sanyō to assist Shūichi. The pursuing Sand Shinobi, shocked by their arrival, quickly turned and fled.

Elsewhere, the Minato who had been keeping Rasa and Pakura at bay suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke.

A Shadow Clone!

"Damn it!"

Rasa and the other two immediately rushed forward at top speed.

…

"There's no need to chase them!" Minato ordered, deciding not to pursue further.

He hadn't forgotten the primary mission: to rendezvous with the other team.

Minato's team promptly withdrew back to their base, while Rasa and his group also regrouped, falling into silence.

Both of their strikes had failed—one group suffered no losses but gained nothing, while the other was devastated, with only two survivors from two entire squads.

Without a doubt, this was an extremely unsuccessful operation.

Rasa never expected Minato Namikaze to be so bold as to leave only a Shadow Clone to deal with him and Pakura.

Arrogance!

But also, a clear sign of their underestimation.

Yet, despite several confrontations, they hadn't managed to gain any advantage.

"Let's retreat to the mine and report the situation to Lady Chiyo before planning our next move," Rasa said reluctantly.

…

After retreating to the cave and resting briefly, Minato Namikaze said, "Shūichi, Sanyō, you stay here and stay alert."

"Shisui, you and I will go out for reconnaissance."

Shūichi Hoshita and his two companions nodded in agreement, "Understood!"

Minato and Shisui then departed.

As time passed slowly in the darkness, Shūichi, who was on guard, noticed some movement and immediately made the call of a night owl.

Responding to this, Sanyō quickly appeared beside Shūichi, asking, "Shūichi, is it Sand Shinobi?"

Just as he finished speaking, another night owl call came from ahead.

Shūichi smiled, "It seems it's Minato-sensei and the others."

Even so, he didn't move immediately and continued to wait silently until Uchiha Shisui arrived before approaching them.

"Shūichi, prepare to assist with the injured immediately!" Minato's voice came from behind.

Shūichi looked and saw Minato carrying someone in a black cloak with an animal mask. There were also three other similarly dressed individuals, one of whom was also being carried.

Two members of their four-man team were injured.

"Let's head to the cave!"

Shūichi turned and went back to the cave first, spreading out his vest to reveal numerous medical tools.

Shisui and Sanyō quickly helped to place the injured and began using Shūichi's medical tools to cut away their clothes.

"They are heavily poisoned. Have they taken any antidote pills?" Shūichi asked.

"They have, but it didn't work," came the voice of Sakumo Hatake.

Without lifting his head, Shūichi performed hand seals to summon a chakra surgical blade, swiftly cutting open the wounds of the injured to remove all the poisoned needles and hidden weapons from their bodies.

"This poison is not a common type used by Sand Shinobi. It seems they encountered a particularly skilled puppet master."

"Chiyo of the Sand Shinobi?" Shūichi continued working as he spoke.

Sakumo replied, "Yes, Chiyo. She is currently the most powerful puppet master in the Sand."

"I've heard Lady Tsunade speak of her—a master of poison."

"This type of poison needs to be analyzed to formulate a specific antidote."

As he spoke, Shūichi had already removed all the hidden weapons from the two injured and treated the non-toxic wounds.

With the [Medical Expert] tag, his medical abilities had significantly improved, making his treatment speed exceptional.

However, Uchiha Yū, sounding anxious, asked, "Isn't there a way to fully save them?"

Shūichi looked up and saw the crimson eyes beneath the mask.

Uchiha Clan!

Shūichi was a bit surprised but quickly performed hand seals, saying, "I can't completely remove the poison."

"I can extract the toxins, but I can't remove the previous damage. I can only ensure it doesn't worsen."

He summoned a Shadow Clone to assist, with each one using the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to continuously remove toxins from the two injured.

Uchiha Yū sighed in relief and bowed deeply, "Please make sure to save them. Thank you!"

Shūichi replied, "Don't worry. Although I don't know them, they are still my comrades!"

Uchiha Yū looked at Shūichi with a newfound respect.

Minato and Sakumo exchanged glances and silently stepped out of the cave.

In the mountain breeze, they remained silent.

Due to the confidential nature of their mission, Minato couldn't inquire casually, and Sakumo couldn't disclose mission details. Both adhered to the principles of being shinobi.

Five minutes later, Shūichi Hoshita walked out of the cave and said, "Minato-sensei, the toxins in the two injured have been removed, and they have taken the antidote pills prepared by Lady Tsunade. They're stable for now."

"But to completely detoxify and prevent any long-term effects, we need to get them back to Konoha as soon as possible to analyze the poison and prepare a specific antidote."

Minato Namikaze nodded and said to Sakumo Hatake, "Senpai, please take the injured back to Konoha immediately."

Sakumo nodded, thanked Shūichi, and headed back to the cave.

Shūichi watched them leave and couldn't help but say, "How about we strike back?"

Minato and Sakumo were both stunned.

Shūichi continued, "The injured can be escorted by Shisui and the others. If we go back now, the Sand Shinobi's defenses should be at their weakest."

Although he didn't know the exact situation at the daimyo's residence, he had some guesses.

Sakumo, standing at the cave entrance, turned around and said, "Even if we kill the daimyo now, it won't help. The Sand Shinobi seem to have prepared for the daimyo's death."

Shūichi said firmly, "Whether the death of the daimyo is useful or not isn't our concern; it's something the Third Hokage should consider."

"Our goal is to send him to the Pure Land, nothing more."

"Besides, given the current situation, the daimyo's death is the best option."

"If he doesn't die, the Land of Rivers will completely fall to the Sand Village. If he dies, even if the Sand Village tries to install a new daimyo, we and the Land of Fire can do the same."

"Furthermore, the new daimyo, even for the sake of internal stability, won't dare to completely turn against us. The worst-case scenario would be maintaining the current situation."

"After all, if we can assassinate once, we can do it a second or third time. The newly appointed daimyo wouldn't want to die without enjoying their position, right? A wise person knows how to choose."

A counterattack!

Shūichi's words were not just to unlock the entry for Sakumo Hatake. They were also due to Sakumo's previous guidance on swordsmanship, his friendship with Kakashi, and Sakumo's personal persistence.

Some things are always hard to accept, making one subconsciously want to change them.

Now Shūichi was indeed crossing the line of ninja principles. After all, Sakumo was on a confidential mission.

But Sakumo was not without decisiveness. After a brief thought, he bowed and said, "Then I leave the injured in your care."

Hearing this, Minato swallowed the proposal he was about to make.

This mission, they were indeed not suited to directly participate in.

Thus, Shūichi and Minato watched as Sakumo disappeared into the night.

"Let's go, we need to retreat immediately."

Minato withdrew his gaze.

Shūichi nodded, a bit reluctantly.

He wasn't sure if he had changed anything, but for now, there was nothing more he could do.

Inside the cave.

Upon learning that Sakumo was going back to complete the mission alone, Uchiha Yū was very excited and almost wanted to follow, but was persuaded by Shisui, who used the injured companions as an excuse.

The group immediately retreated with the two injured. To be safe, Shūichi also sent a Shadow Clone to use Transformation Jutsu to impersonate Sakumo.

Minato and Shisui were responsible for covering their retreat, while Shūichi, Yū, and Sanyō were in charge of escorting the injured.

Fortunately, the Sand Shinobi did not pursue them, and they traveled safely. By dawn, they had already entered the Land of Fire.

After resting for half an hour, they continued their journey.

Another hour passed, and Sakumo finally caught up.

"Shisui, you and the others go ahead. Shūichi, come and treat the injuries of our senpai."

Minato's voice came from behind.

Shūichi quickly turned and went over.

Sakumo's injury was in his abdomen. Shūichi used a chakra surgical blade to cut open his clothes and vest, applying first aid bandages. He checked the wound and sighed in relief.

Fortunately, there was no severe poison or damage to the internal organs.

However, the wound was quite long. Shūichi immediately summoned a Shadow Clone to help with the Healing Jutsu on Sakumo's injury.

Additionally, he gave Sakumo a Blood Increasing Pill as he had lost too much blood.

Five minutes later, Sakumo's wound was healed.

"Thank you."

Sakumo thanked him and added in a quieter voice, "The mission is complete!"

Shūichi smiled, "Senpai, you're too polite."

Everyone pretended not to recognize each other and continued on their way.

(End of Chapter)

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