Chapter 55: Shennong's Questioning, the Surprise Attack!

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At the base of the cliff, After a brief moment of tenderness, Uchiha Shi immediately regained his composure and looked around.

The trio was no longer at the cliff where they had battled Kakuzu. That area was now surrounded by members of the Evil God Sect, clad in black robes and samurai attire, numbering at least several dozen and still expanding their search range.

At some point, the team had moved to the other side of the valley.

The side where Kakuzu had used Wind Release: Pressing Harm to collapse the cliff.

Right under the noses of the Evil God Sect members, it was truly a bold move.

However, if things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before they were discovered and surrounded.

"Do you see that?" Shennong stood to the side, looking down and said calmly, "The commotion from your battle with Kakuzu has put them on high alert."

"Including what you see and don't see, there are four squads expanding their search range from the center of the battle. At the entrance to the Evil God Sect's headquarters Cave, there are six fully armed Chunin squads on guard."

"Inside, we don't know how many members there are."

"Today seems to be a special day for them, and most of their forces have been called back to headquarters."

Shennong paused, then turned to Uchiha Shi and Terumi Mei, and said calmly, "It's time to face reality, isn't it?"

"With your strength, attempting to wipe out the Evil God Sect is nothing short of a pipe dream."

Uchiha Shi's brow furrowed slightly, about to protest.

However, at this moment, Terumi Mei turned around, her gaze serious and determined, "I have to go. I need to confirm something."

"And there's still a chance."

She pointed towards the Castle, frowning, "The Cave is directly beneath the Castle. We don't need to go through the front; we can dig straight down from above to infiltrate."

"Their defenses are concentrated here, and the Castle above is not heavily guarded."

"This is our chance."

Shennong shook his head slightly, "First, you don't know how deep the Cave is. Second, how can you guarantee that the tunnel you dig will definitely reach the Cave?"

"Moreover," Shennong asked calmly, "how can you be sure this isn't a trap? There could be a hundred people waiting for you inside the Castle."

"Just give me a little time," Terumi Mei said resolutely, "I'm proficient in water, earth, and fire techniques. I can use Earth Release: Fish in the Earth Technique to gather information and locate the Cave. The limestone layers can be easily corroded with my Lava Release."

"I just need a little time." Terumi Mei looked at Uchiha Shi.

Shennong, though powerful, seemed indifferent, as if he had nothing better to do than stroll around. It seemed he cared little about the situation.

To continue their mission, they would have to rely on her and the other team member, Uchiha Shi.

But Terumi Mei suddenly hesitated.

She looked at Uchiha Shi, who was still recovering from the battle, covered in burns, cuts, and blood, and felt her request was too much.

Shennong also chuckled at this moment, saying, "Little girl, have you forgotten?"

"When we first arrived, you proposed that seemingly feasible plan."

"But what was the result?"

He pointed at Uchiha Shi, who was struggling to get up from the ground, "Your hesitation cost you the chance to infiltrate the Evil God Sect headquarters."

"Your hesitation led you to encounter the S-Rank Missing-Nin from Takigakure, Kakuzu."

"Your hesitation left this kid half-dead here."

"Fugaku, who was with you, was captured, and the Evil God Sect's defenses have been significantly increased. Now, you want him to risk his life again for you?"

"If you had listened to this kid earlier, you would have already stormed the Evil God Sect headquarters, wouldn't you?"

Shennong didn't say everything, but his words clearly carried a strong hint of discouragement.

As an observer from the beginning, Shennong saw everything clearly.

In his eyes, the only one in the team who truly had to go to the Evil God Sect headquarters was Terumi Mei.

Uchiha Shi and Fugaku were just hot-headed kids who wanted to play hero and pretend to be ninjas.

It wasn't until Uchiha Shi fought a life-and-death battle with Kakuzu and revealed his hidden talents that Shennong began to take this impromptu team slightly more seriously.

Under Shennong's questioning, Terumi Mei fell silent.

She exhaled, clenching her fists, feeling a bit foolish.

This was clearly her own business, so why did she instinctively want to rely on Uchiha Shi?

For a moment, no one spoke.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as a sow in labor, everyone's faces serious and tense.

Just then, "No problem, I'll help you buy time!"

Uchiha Shi, who had just struggled to get up from the ground, suddenly spoke up.

"Huh?"

Terumi Mei and Shennong both looked at him in surprise, their eyes full of shock.

Their gazes conveyed the same message.

It was as if they were asking, do you even have a say here?

Have you seen how badly you're hurt?

Not to mention, do you even have the chakra to move?

"The plan is sound; Kakuzu's appearance was an unforeseen event," Uchiha Shi opened his Sharingan and scanned the area below, analyzing the situation, "Given their current defenses, it's clearly not feasible to charge in directly."

"I think we can try."

He then looked at Terumi Mei and asked, "I'll draw their attention, you gather the information. Where do we rendezvous? How much time do you need?"

Terumi Mei took a deep breath, hesitated for a moment, and then said coolly, "You need to go down from here, bypass the outer wall, pass through the battle site, lead them around the city walls, and then head to the fork before the Evil God Sect headquarters' underground Cave. From there, turn and climb up the inner city wall. That will be our rendezvous point..."

Terumi Mei pointed at the terrain below and explained the route and key points in detail to Uchiha Shi.

Then, her expression hardened as she continued, "The time needed is about five minutes. Once I've gathered the information, I'll meet you at the fork and use the Hidden Mist Technique to help you escape."

"If the plan succeeds, we might find the information I need and Fugaku's location."

"Then, we'll rescue him."

Shennong couldn't help but chuckle, "Sounds great, but what if something goes wrong?"

He paused and then said softly, "For example, if you let this kid draw their fire and lead dozens of people on a chase, and then you get what you want and don't come back—"

"Without your Hidden Mist Technique to help him escape, this kid..."

Before Shennong could finish, Uchiha Shi laughed.

"In that case, I'd probably be facing ten Evil God Sect squads, twelve search team ninjas, an unknown number of wandering samurai, and eighteen fully armed Chunin with the Evil God Sect's secret techniques."

"In that situation, I would probably die."

Then, Uchiha Shi turned his gaze to Terumi Mei, "But I trust you!"

(End of Chapter)