Encountering a Tough Opponent
"Teacher, it seems there are indeed enemy ninjas, but they don't seem to want to fight."
Kurenai was very confused.
These enemy ninjas didn't seem to intend on clashing with Konoha. As Team 7 moved forward, they would retreat a few steps, constantly avoiding confrontation. They simply didn't want to encounter Team 7.
"You guys take the kunai and the intel scroll."
Kyōichi handed the Flying Thunder God kunai to Asuma, "This is Minato's Flying Thunder God jutsu formula. Find Minato and give him the intel scroll. I'll go ahead and take a look."
"Teacher, why don't you take it, at least Minato can provide support for you..."
Asuma was a bit worried.
If Kyōichi went alone, what if he encountered danger?
"Don't worry, I'm just going to gather intelligence. If I can't win, I can run."
Kyōichi patted him on the shoulder, then used the Body Flicker Technique to rush ahead.
Ahead.
Minato Namikaze naturally also sensed the presence of those ninjas. If it was just him and Kakashi, he would have definitely rushed ahead to see what was going on.
But besides the two of them, there was also Obito and Rin.
Obito and Rin were newbies, unable to handle the complex battlefield. After weighing things, he eventually didn't go scout the situation alone.
"Teacher, why don't I go take a look."
Kakashi whispered.
He was a Chunin.
In terms of strength, besides Minato Namikaze, he was the best on the team.
"Our mission is to help the village get rid of the bandits. Those ninjas are unrelated to us, so we shouldn't overextend ourselves."
Minato shook his head.
Just then.
A trace of astonishment appeared on his face.
This is?
His Flying Thunder God formula.
He landed and used sensory techniques to probe the surroundings. Then a hint of joy appeared on his face.
"Teacher, what's going on?"
Rin also noticed something was off.
From just now, Minato Namikaze and Kakashi's expressions seemed especially solemn.
"Nothing, another team is approaching us. If I guessed correctly, it should be Team 1. They brought my custom kunai, so they should be here to support us."
Minato let out a breath.
Kyōichi is here!
Moreover.
Based on Kyōichi and the other three's positions, they had made the decision to split forces, with one person scouting out the ninja situation, while the rest found them to explain the circumstances.
This resolved his dilemma about whether to scout the situation or not.
"Huh? Why would they come support us, could our mission be very difficult?"
Obito was completely confused.
"We'll know when they get here."
Minato didn't explain, because he also didn't know these ninjas' origins. Otherwise he wouldn't have been so cautious about advancing forward.
As for those ninjas ahead.
He could only choose to trust in Kyōichi's abilities for now.
...
Without lower ninjas dragging him down, Kyōichi's speed was extremely fast. He soon caught up to those ninjas.
These ninjas were very characteristic of the Hidden Rain.
There was basically no doubt about their identities.
Kyōichi pursued them, and they retreated. Both sides were fast - meaning they had discovered Kyōichi's tracks.
This group had encountered a tough opponent!
He became even more cautious.
"I wonder who's leading them, with two people staying behind, are they planning to stall?"
Kyōichi frowned.
While chasing from behind, he carefully probed the surroundings with chakra sensory, avoiding falling into traps.
He got closer to their position, and discovered the two chakra presences were by a very unremarkable tree, but on closer look, you could tell this tree was an illusion created by Ninjutsu.
Konan!
Kyōichi instantly understood.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, pretending he didn't see it.
He leapt forward a few steps.
Suddenly, countless scraps of paper swirled all around, like waves surging towards him from all directions.
Kyōichi discovered.
Although these paper shurikens were numerous and sharp, there were no explosive tags mixed in - Konan was holding back.
However.
Even holding back, at most she would injure him, not take his life.
Kyōichi swiftly formed hand seals.
In a flash, water walls rose up all around.
"Jonin, use the explosive tags to cover our retreat!"
Seeing the situation was bad, Yahiko immediately brought Konan away.
A Konoha ninja.
Moreover.
Judging by this Water Release power, he was at least an elite jonin!
While they weren't overly afraid, they didn't want to clash with Kyōichi either.
This was also why Yahiko didn't let Nagato stay behind instead - Nagato couldn't judge the situation. If he accidentally injured a Konoha ninja, it would be hard to explain.
However.
The next moment, a water dragon roared forth, directly dispersing the explosive tags and bringing them swirling towards Konan and Yahiko.
Water Dragon Bullet!
"So fast!"
Yahiko's expression changed.
He was also a Water Release user, and knew very clearly how difficult the hand seals for Water Dragon Bullet were. Yet Kyōichi had formed them in the blink of an eye.
This was an improved Jutsu!
"I'll block it."
The tree Konan was in shattered into countless paper scraps, finally forming a paper shield.
The Water Dragon Bullet was incredibly powerful, but with layers of paper shields, its impact was gradually negated.
But.
A flash of a sword swept by.
The paper shield was instantly slashed apart, and next they saw a shadow land before them, holding a sword crackling with lightning - his silver hair extremely eye-catching.
"Minato Namikaze? No, Minato Namikaze has blonde hair, who are you?"
So fast!
Yahiko was shocked for the second time.
The first time was at Kyōichi's seal speed, but this time, it was shock at the speed of the Body Flicker Technique.
Besides Minato Namikaze, Konoha actually had another Jonin this fast.
"Konoha jonin, Kanda Kyōichi. Who are you all, and why have you entered the Land of Rivers?"
Kyōichi pretended to be stern.
He naturally knew their identities, but the formalities still had to be observed.
Yahiko's hands were sweating.
With his and Konan's speed, they definitely couldn't outrun the opponent. And the opponent had only revealed a bit of his strength - to be honest, even if he and Konan joined forces, he wasn't completely sure of winning.
Unless Nagato was called back.
But actually fighting an all out battle would benefit neither side.
He quickly turned over thoughts in his mind, and finally spoke, "We are Hidden Rain ninja. We came to the Land of Rivers with no intention of offending Konoha, only wishing to purge the bandits wreaking havoc in the Land of Rivers."