The Cloud Ninja suffered repeated setbacks
---
Under his feet was a layer of yellow glue with strong adhesive properties, the remnants of melted rubber.
During the fight between Dodai and his opponent, some of the rubber had flowed nearby. Initially, it hadn't solidified due to the temperature.
But now, as it cooled, it had become sticky.
"This is not the result I wanted," Muzan thought.
The stickiness slowed Muzan's speed, and his opponents wouldn't give him a chance.
Even though most of the Kumo ninjas were busy putting out the fire, they wouldn't let Muzan, the culprit, escape. Several ninjas immediately stopped in front of him.
"You bastard from Konoha! We finally caught you!"
"Capture him alive! Let him understand the consequences of his actions!"
Several ninjas gathered around, holding kunai and shuriken, and Muzan even saw one of them holding a detonating talisman.
"The glue is troublesome, but not fatal," Muzan assessed.
He looked down at his firmly stuck shoes and the ninja rushing over with the detonating talisman.
"Substitution Jutsu!"
In an instant, Muzan left the scene, leaving the ninjas petrified. Watching the white smoke dissipate, they couldn't believe anyone could escape the glue.
Then they looked down.
"What? How did he do that?"
"I'm sure Dodai didn't expect anyone to escape using this method!"
"Don't just stand there, chase him quickly!"
All that was left in place were two pairs of shoes. Fortunately, Muzan's shoes didn't have laces, so he could slip out of them with a bit of force.
As a master of quick thinking, he completed the movement in less than a second.
Muzan changed positions with a rock behind him and watched the ninjas searching nearby. They wouldn't find him for a while, giving him the opportunity to leave the battlefield.
Of course, Muzan wasn't afraid of these ninjas. He was just worried that Dodai might get rid of the three Konoha ninjas in front. Once wrapped in a large amount of rubber, even Muzan couldn't escape just by relying on his strength.
Aburame Koji, who was leading the charge, noticed that Muzan had left the battlefield and that the task of destroying the supplies was completed. There was no need to continue fighting the Kumo ninjas.
"Everyone, prepare to leave the battlefield. I'm taking Muzan with me."
As the order was given, they no longer stopped the Kumo ninjas. Two of the team members threw detonating charms around and quickly left the battlefield using the smoke and dust from the explosions as cover.
Only scattered supplies and a scorched earth remained. Dodai was trembling, thinking about how he would explain this to the Third Raikage. Even a beating seemed like a light punishment.
"Damn Konoha!"
The Konoha ninjas quickly evacuated without wasting time on the road.
Aburame Koji and Muzan met outside the battlefield. Because Muzan was slower, Aburame Koji grabbed his shoulder to prevent him from being caught by the strong Kumo ninjas.
What caught the eye was a scene of rapid retreat. It took only half a day for them to leave the Kumo protection area.
Once out of danger, Aburame Koji took a rare moment to relax. Seeing Muzan's expression as normal, he was even more frightened. If he hadn't held the opponent back and allowed the strong Kumo ninjas to reach Muzan, the consequences would have been disastrous!
"I really didn't expect you to support us at the most critical moment. Originally, we were planning to abandon the mission. But because of you, the opponent's supply team suffered heavy losses."
As the person in charge of the mission, he added Muzan's name to the report.
"Because this mission involved enemy ninjas and even several jonin, the final evaluation is S-rank. I will report it to Lord Sakumo."
S-rank missions are only completed by the strongest in the village. Even with teammates, the minimum rank required is jonin.
"Very good, but you must be careful during this period. The Kumo ninja already hate you."
Aburame Koji said to Muzan in a half-joking tone, knowing that as long as Muzan was in Konoha's camp, even the Third Raikage couldn't harm him.
After returning to the camp and reporting their mission, Sakumo was initially skeptical.
After confirming it repeatedly, Sakumo's expression changed drastically within seconds.
"I didn't expect this mission to be completed so successfully."
The matter of supplies was crucial to Kumo. If their troops were underfed, their combat effectiveness would decline. Even the stubborn Third Raikage wouldn't fight Konoha under such conditions.
This gave them more time.
"This time, Kumo suffered heavy losses and won't attack again soon, but we must strengthen our defenses."
Sakumo didn't want to fight the opponent at this time. According to Muzan's report, there was already an AB combination on the Konoha front.
Additionally, Dodai, the Third Raikage's right-hand man, would use thunderous methods and adopt a frontal combat approach if they attacked.
Meanwhile, Dodai faced a headache as he looked at the scattered supplies.
"Lord Dodai, we've assessed the losses."
"Half of our supplies are lost, and some are waterlogged. They need to be dried quickly, or they will mold."
A series of blows almost caused Dodai to suffer a cerebral hemorrhage. He quickly used his Earth Release to change the terrain and disperse the gathered water.
In the end, they salvaged only one-third of the original supplies.
This would last only a week at most. Dodai needed to rendezvous with the front troops and return to Kumogakure to raise new supplies.
Given the wartime prices, this would cause Kumogakure significant financial strain.
"I hope I won't be killed..."
When the news reached the Kumo camp, it caused quite a stir, especially with the irritable A, who almost fought with Dodai.
"Damn you, Dodai! How could you lose our most important supplies!"
"It's not just my fault! You let so many Konoha spies sneak in!"
Killer B quickly intervened, persuading the two to calm down. If they continued fighting, there would be no need for a battle with Konoha.
Due to the issues in their camp and the shortage of food, there was a lot of negative emotion in the entire camp.
Regarding Konoha's front, Kumogakure didn't force a war. Instead, they stationed themselves around Konoha to prevent an invasion.
The roles of attacker and defender had quietly reversed.
As the biggest contributor to this mission, Muzan was troubled by one thing.
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