After completing the mission to execute several Nara clansmen, just like in his previous life, Yōkō received the mission to rescue Nara Baika.
Yōkō set out with the White Goat Squad, pretending to wander aimlessly but actually heading straight for the lumber mill he had visited in his previous life.
Outside the lumber mill, several timber merchants were queuing up, waiting to enter and haul lumber.
Nara Baika had created an identity for herself as a timber merchant. She sat in a covered carriage, with a caravan of 10 camels behind her.
She frowned, pondering what she had seen and heard over the past few days, worried both about whether the Nara clan's scandal would be exposed and about her own safety.
Originally, she had gone to investigate the Sand ninja's imitation of the gliders, was discovered by the Sand ninja, pursued all the way, her comrades sacrificed, and she was forced deep into the Land of Wind.
Here, she again discovered anomalies in the Yellow Hardwood market. For the sake of Konoha, she had to embark on a new investigation.
Just as she was lost in thought, the side of her carriage suddenly darkened.
The carriage curtain was blocked by someone!
Nara Baika swiftly drew a kunai and stabbed at the person beside her.
Clang!
After a clear, crisp sound, Nara Baika saw the blade tip of her kunai fly away, shattered.
The base of her thumb also throbbed painfully from the impact.
Looking again, the person beside her had taken the kunai strike directly with his throat, then immediately raised his hand and caught the shattered kunai tip.
The skin on his throat had a dull, reddish-copper hue.
This ability... Nara Baika thought, Isn't this the Anbu's rising star, the recently famous Copper Fox?
"Don't be agitated, relax a bit. We're on the same side."
Nara Baika let out a long sigh of relief.
Copper Fox is so strong, and he found me so quickly.
With the advantage of knowing the plot from his previous life, Yōkō found Nara Baika three days earlier than last time, much more efficiently.
After briefly listening to the intelligence Nara Baika had gathered so far, Yōkō began to fabricate:
"The price of Yellow Hardwood is based on the demand from Sunagakure's puppet masters.
You mentioned someone is buying large quantities of Yellow Hardwood; it's likely Sunagakure is preparing for a major operation.
No need to waste time here. Come with me."
Nara Baika got out of the carriage, abandoning the camel team. The effort she had put into creating this caravan was wasted.
Yōkō led the White Goat Squad and Nara Baika straight to the necessary route from Sunagakure to Saba Port.
Soon, they saw a massive procession.
Like corpse drivers, the puppet masters advanced through the yellow sand alongside puppets of various shapes.
Yōkō put down his binoculars and said:
"On the border of the Land of Rivers, our Konoha side has the advantage. Commander Nara Rokaku's deployment is watertight.
If they want to make a move, they will inevitably take risks, and they have to take risks.
Saba Port was just destroyed by Konoha, so our defensive focus in that direction has decreased.
If Sunagakure wants to counterattack, they might utilize Saba Port."
After hearing Copper Fox's analysis, Nara Baika looked at him in astonishment.
Not only is Copper Fox powerful, but his thinking is also so clear, much faster than mine.
Yōkō turned to look at Nara Baika, hoping she would quickly accept his judgment and return as soon as possible.
It was too dangerous deep within the Land of Wind.
Instead, he first saw a pair of elegant, sparkling eyes filled with admiration.
Yōkō was taken aback for a moment, then immediately understood.
The smarter the woman, the more she admires strength.
Finding Nara Baika three days earlier in this life had given her a great sense of security.
More importantly, Yōkō had discovered Sunagakure's movements ahead of time.
As an elite of the Nara clan, Nara Baika had never been so astonished by a man like she was today.
Within her clan, aside from elders like the clan head, she looked at everyone with a degree of scrutiny; no man had ever made her genuinely admire them until now.
Only now did she understand that the truly outstanding men were all dedicated to the village.
If she hadn't encountered Copper Fox on this mission, she wouldn't have known there was someone this strong in the village.
Both his strength and his analytical ability were admirable.
Yōkō said: "Let's go! Back to the main camp as soon as possible. Notify the command early, prepare early."
In his previous life, they were also caught up by Sunagakure's sensor ninja. This time, after persuading Nara Baika, Yōkō immediately fled far away.
Deep into the night, three gliders took off, flying above the lower cloud layer towards the direction of the Land of Rivers.
On the return journey, they encountered Sand ninja gliders again.
Nara Baika felt anxious; she noticed the Sand ninja's gliders were becoming more and more standardized.
She looked down at the lower cloud layer, carefully checking for any shadows. If there were shadows, she could use her shadow secret technique to join the fight.
However, her anxiety was unnecessary.
From the front side, Copper Fox used a ninjutsu.
A high-speed water line shot out, cutting from top to bottom, slicing through one of the Sand ninja gliders, cutting through the two Sand ninja beneath it, and also cleaving the cloud below.
Nara Baika was stunned.
She had thought Copper Fox specialized mainly in absolute defense secret techniques; she hadn't expected his offensive ninjutsu to be so powerful.
Especially the way the cloud was split apart; it was extremely visually impactful.
Is the Konoha Anbu already this strong?
She knew a Nara Jonin served as a Battalion Commander in the Anbu.
No wonder the clan head wanted the clan's second strongest fighter to join the Anbu. The Anbu has hidden dragons and crouching tigers; their intelligence must never be ignored.
After dealing with the gliders, Yōkō's group continued flying towards the Land of Rivers.
Nara Baika estimated the distance; they couldn't possibly reach the Land of Rivers that night.
Before dawn, the Anbu members landed in the desert.
While the squad members were packing up the gliders, Yōkō said:
"Jonin Baika, you ventured too deep into the Land of Wind. We can't fly back in one night.
Let's find a nearby oasis town to rest. After nightfall, we'll take off again and fly back to the Land of Rivers in one go."
"Apologies. The original passive escape turned into active reconnaissance after I discovered the abnormal movements of Yellow Hardwood, which is why we went so deep into the Land of Wind."
They found an inn and entered in batches to check in.
Nara Baika and Copper Fox entered the inn last. She glanced at Copper Fox's room and memorized his room number.
At noon, Nara Baika knocked on Copper Fox's door.
"Captain Copper Fox, regarding the movements of Sunagakure's puppet master troops, I still have some questions I don't understand. I was hoping to ask for your advice."
Nara Baika had brought a map. The two quickly identified the possible sneak attack routes the Sand ninja might take on the map.
Setting out from Saba Port, then moving upstream along a river – most likely the Shirano River – to attack Konoha's rear.
Nara Baika grew more and more impressed with Yōkō; in terms of strategic thinking, Copper Fox was also exceptional.
They say capable men don't lack women. Seeing the admiring look in Nara Baika's eyes, Yōkō chose to keep his distance.
If those foolish women took the initiative, he might reluctantly lower his standards, but Nara Baika was very smart, and Yōkō didn't want to have any overly deep entanglement with her.
After nightfall, Yōkō's group left the small town and took off from the desert outside.
They flew all night before Yōkō and the others crossed the combat zone.
After entering the main camp, Yōkō brought Nara Baika into the Anbu tent area.
"Battalion Commander, mission accomplished. Successfully rescued Jonin Nara Baika."
Yellow Dog glanced behind the Fox. Not only had Nara Baika returned, but the squad Fox had taken out was also safe and sound.
***
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(Chapter End)