At Kazekaze's request, the mission continued. The formation shifted into a cross formation, with Sarutobi Hiruzen at the front, using his sensory abilities to scout for any ambushes. Sakumo and Kazekaze flanked him on either side to prevent any surprise attacks from the forest's edges.
Uzumaki Weiming took the rear. Everyone's mindset had changed. Uzumaki Weiming initially thought they would only encounter bandits, never expecting Yuna to be targeted by the Hidden Cloud Village. Once they returned to the Land of Whirlpools, he was determined to report this to the clan leader, Uzumaki Ashina.
"The Hidden Cloud's movements have been growing more aggressive lately," Sarutobi couldn't help but remark, then heightened his vigilance.
In fact, it wasn't just this incident; he had heard some rumors before. The Hidden Cloud Village had been strengthening its border defenses. It always felt like ever since Lord Hashirama fell ill, the atmosphere between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village had become tense. Sakumo was contemplating the gap between himself and Kazekaze, secretly vowing to prove himself the next time they encountered enemies.
"Kazekaze..." Yuna, walking in the middle of the group, would occasionally glance at Kazekaze on her right.
She initially thought he became a ninja through connections, but he turned out to be quite formidable. Despite being around the same age as herself, he had the strength to repel a Chunin. Was he not afraid at that moment?
For a moment, Yuna found herself curious about Kazekaze. However, in the following two days, Kazekaze and the others did not encounter any more attacks from the Hidden Cloud Village. They were halfway to the Land of Whirlpools.
High above in the dense tree branches, a man with a Hidden Cloud forehead protector watched Sarutobi and the others like a predator waiting to strike. His name was Troyi, a possessor of a Kekkei Genkai from the Hidden Cloud Village.
"I didn't expect him to be responsible for this escort. No wonder Noi and the others couldn't complete the mission." After some observation, Troy recognized the person leading the group as none other than the famous Sarutobi Hiruzen.
"He became a Jonin at just sixteen, the most prized student of Tobirama Senju, having completed over fifty A-rank missions and ten S-rank missions. Possesses five chakra natures." Troyi muttered to himself, recalling the information he had seen in the intelligence manual.
With Sarutobi's strength, it was no surprise that he defeated Noi and the others. However… He did not intend to give up on this mission. Troyi flicked a scroll from his sleeve and deftly opened it.
Bang!
A puff of white smoke rolled out, and a square shuriken with a diameter of nearly one and a half meters appeared out of thin air. Immediately. Troyi aimed at Sarutobi Hiruzen at the front of the group and hurled the square shuriken.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen was no ordinary opponent. As the square shuriken flew towards him, he instantly sensed the fierce killing intent, quickly warning everyone to get down while he rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the shuriken.
Thud!
With a dull thud, the square shuriken embedded itself into a nearby tree trunk. Immediately, a shadow leaped from another tree, landing on the square shuriken.
"Sorry to interrupt." Troyi, with one hand on the tree trunk, greeted Sarutobi and the others, "Greetings, Konoha shinobi."
As Troyi finished speaking, several more shadows appeared from the other three directions, surrounding Kazekaze and the others. Without a doubt, these were ninjas from the Hidden Cloud Village. Kazekaze, Sakumo, and Weiming instinctively gathered around, protecting Yuna.
"Six enemies." Kazekaze's eyes scanned the battlefield. Including Troyi, that made six opponents in total.
"Everyone, be careful. This guy isn't like the previous ninjas; he's a Jonin from the Hidden Cloud Village, Troyi, with formidable strength." Sarutobi scrutinized for a moment, recognizing the intruder's identity.
A ninja battle is won with intelligence first. The more information you have about the enemy, the more advantageous it is for you. Sarutobi Hiruzen immediately pulled out a kunai, vigilantly watching Troyi. In his view, an opponent like Troyi was not someone Kazekaze could handle. He had to deal with him himself.
"Weiming, Kazekaze, I leave the rest to you." Sarutobi took a deep breath, readying himself for battle.
Kazekaze nodded slightly, then scrutinized Troyi. He felt that this person looked somewhat familiar, but couldn't recall who he was. However, the fact that Sarutobi Hiruzen was so wary of him spoke volumes. This battle would be countless times more brutal than before.
"I didn't expect to be recognized. It seems I'm a somewhat famous ninja now." Troyi spoke in a low voice, not in a hurry to make a move.
"I've always held a deep respect for Konoha's shinobi—especially the First Hokage. His kind of sincerity is a rare thing in this world. I have no interest in harming you. Just hand over the girl, and I'll be on my way." If it could be resolved without bloodshed, it wouldn't be a bad thing.
"You—You're not afraid of starting a war?!" Yuna shouted, her voice trembling slightly.
The atmosphere on the scene made her feel extremely oppressed, even making it difficult to breathe. So she wanted to relieve her emotions in this way.
"Start a war?" Troyi laughed out loud, "Ninjas exist by completing commissioned missions. When one ninja accepts an escort mission, another will accept an assassination mission. Like the two sides of yin and yang, neither can exist without the other. Just because of friction over a mission, escalating to war, no village's Kage would be so foolish. Moreover, young lady of the Uzumaki clan, You think you're someone important? A Daimyo, maybe? The Hokage's Grand-Daughter? You're just a young lady from a small country. Even if I kill you here, Konoha won't start a war for you." Troyi spoke bluntly.
In reality, this was also the truth. If one ninja village accepted an escort commission, and other ninja villages feared that friction would escalate to war, thus not daring to accept assassination commissions, it would only render ninjas meaningless. Any form of peace is built on order. Once order is gone, the world will only become chaotic, and there will naturally be no peace to speak of.
Troyi's words struck deep, her body stiffening as cold fear gripped her. Although she wanted to be strong, she was ultimately just a six or seven-year-old girl, neither a ninja nor someone who had seen such a scene. Especially the killing intent emanating from Troyi made her feel like she might be killed.
Perhaps she… Really would be killed by the other party! At this moment, Yuna's heart was greatly shaken. Could Weiming-sensei really protect her this time? Could she really see her friends and family in the village again? She...
Just as Yuna was paralyzed with fear, Kazekaze's hand patted her shoulder. Yuna instinctively looked at Kazekaze and found him smiling.
"Relax, I've got you, coward."