Above the sea between the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning.
On the back of Rengoku's clone were a pair of equally huge white wings, and he was flying at full speed toward Kumogakure with Yagura in tow.
But Yagura didn't have the same good treatment as Karin.
He could only grab onto one of Rengoku's feet as they flew.
Luckily, Yagura had the Tailed Beast Cloak on him, so no matter how strong the wind was, he wasn't afraid.
Still, he was somewhat surprised by Rengoku.
This was clearly Konan's Paper Jutsu, and yet Rengoku could use it too.
Considering Rengoku could even replicate his Three-Tails Isobu, mastering Paper Jutsu wasn't anything amazing for him anymore.
"You're not afraid we'll be surrounded?", Yagura trusted Rengoku, that was the only reason he'd agreed to strike together.
But Rengoku hadn't told him yet that they were heading into the unfamiliar Land of Lightning without even bringing Ao along.
The reason Ao served as the Mizukage's bodyguard was because he possessed a Byakugan.
That kind of exceptional perception wasn't only good for detecting approaching enemies; it also let them know immediately if they were being surrounded.
As long as neither of those two conditions existed, a Jinchuriki was the ceiling of power in the shinobi world, they could leave whenever they wanted.
Attacking Kumogakure wasn't really the problem, but ensuring their own safety was another matter.
While flying, Rengoku replied casually, "I forgot to tell you, I'm a sensory-type ninja."
"A sensory-type ninja?"
Yagura was stunned, 'Since when did the Uchiha produce sensory-types?'
Still, since Rengoku said so himself, Yagura naturally believed him without question.
"What's your sensory range and precision?"
Rengoku answered offhandedly, "Human-level precision, radius of several dozen kilometers."
Hearing that, Yagura was so shocked he was practically dumbfounded.
"Such a wide range? That's stronger than the Byakugan!"
Kagura's Mind Eye was known as the pinnacle of sensory abilities in the entire shinobi world, naturally even greater than the Byakugan.
"Now you can relax," Rengoku said. He wouldn't have dared to take risks if he didn't have Kagura's Mind Eye himself.
After all, if the Mizukage died surrounded, Kirigakure would be left leaderless.
In this situation, Yagura had absolute confidence that he could do as he pleased across the Land of Lightning.
"Good. After all these years of Kumogakure attacking us, it's finally time to show them something," Yagura was getting excited now.
Kumogakure had always been known for its brute strength and large armies, constantly invading other villages. It had fought Kirigakure more times than anyone could count.
Just thinking that he could humiliate Kumogakure made Yagura's eyes light up.
————
The speed of flight, naturally, couldn't be compared to traveling on the ground.
What would normally take more than a day's journey only took a few hours in the air.
High above the border.
Rengoku formed hand seals, and within his dark vision, blobs of chakra appeared.
The area where hundreds of signatures were gathered, that was naturally Kumogakure's camp.
About ten kilometers away from there were three human chakra signatures.
Rengoku slowly descended, his wings fading as he reached out and gently patted the head of Karin behind him.
"Wake up."
It turned out Karin had fallen asleep on his back.
"Mm!", Karin groggily opened her eyes and even wiped a bit of drool from her mouth.
"Ah, Shishou, where are we?", she asked, finally coming to her senses.
She jumped down directly from Rengoku's back.
"This is the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water," Rengoku said, pointing in one direction.
"Use your Kagura's Mind Eye to check, are there three people over there?"
"So fast! Got it!"
Hearing that they'd arrived, Karin quickly formed hand seals, closed her eyes, and began sensing.
"Yes, Shishou, there are three chakra signatures over there. Are they ours?"
Rengoku nodded and gestured for her to follow.
———
"Lord Tsukihiko, Lord Hokage is here!", the Hyuga clan member on lookout suddenly called out to Hyuga Tsukihiko.
"What?"
"Byakugan!"
Tsukihiko instantly activated his Byakugan and looked in the direction his subordinate indicated.
Sure enough, he saw Uchiha Rengoku and a red-haired woman approaching fast.
"It really is Lord Hokage."
Tsukihiko was shocked, 'The message has only been sent back not long ago. How could Rengoku arrive so quickly?'
Within a few minutes, Rengoku landed before the three of them.
"Greetings, Lord Hokage," the three Hyuga ninjas immediately saluted.
Rengoku nodded, "The intelligence your team gathered this time was very precise, a great achievement."
"Thank you for the praise, Lord Hokage. It was simply our duty," Tsukihiko said humbly.
"Now, circle around this area. Once I make my move, they'll likely attempt to surround us."
The three exchanged looks, 'Is the Hokage planning to fight two thousand enemies alone?'
But since Rengoku had already done something like that three years ago, Tsukihiko and the others said no more.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Rengoku thought for a moment, "After this is over, you'll remain in the Land of Lightning to continue gathering intelligence on Kumogakure's follow-up movements."
"Be prepared for long-term infiltration, there are still tough battles ahead."
Tsukihiko's expression grew solemn. Long-term infiltration missions were both grueling and dangerous, but it was also a sign of trust.
"Yes! Lord Hokage!"
After saluting, the three swiftly withdrew.
Karin turned toward Kumogakure's direction, closed her eyes, and activated Kagura's Mind Eye again.
After roughly surveying the enemy camp's layout, she asked excitedly, "Shishou! What do we do next?"
Rengoku ruffled her hair, then used the chakra transmission ability he'd gained from the Nine-Tails to send a portion of chakra into the beast's body, so he could locate it at any time.
"Next, you hide yourself and keep observing with Kagura's Mind Eye. Wait for me to come back for you."
"Ah?", Karin was utterly disappointed.
"Aren't you supposed to bring me along?", She had imagined the two of them charging in together, cutting down enemies left and right. Ssmhe'd handle the cutting, he'd handle the killing.
But Rengoku was planning to go alone, she wasn't even part of the plan.
Rengoku flicked her forehead, "Direct combat isn't your strength. This time, you're the medical ninja, you're here to restore my stamina."
"You have both healing and sensory abilities. That gives you an irreplaceable role. You can't afford to be found."
Karin rubbed her forehead. Although she was unhappy about not being able to fight alongside Rengoku, hearing herself called "irreplaceable" made her heart fill with joy again.
"Then, Shishou, what if you can't find me later?"
Rengoku smiled, "Don't worry. I have sensory abilities too."
"Eh? Shishou, you're amazing!", Karin didn't even doubt it. After all, Rengoku would never lie to her.
"Alright, go hide yourself. Keep scanning with Kagura's Mind Eye and make sure you don't get surrounded."
"Got it, Shishou!", Karin clenched her fists, showing how capable she was.
Rengoku's figure flickered, and he shot toward Kumogakure's camp.
On the outskirts of the camp, Rengoku closed his eyes to locate the two Jinchuriki.
Other people's chakra might be hard to distinguish, but Jinchuriki chakra was exceptionally easy to recognize.
"The Two-Tails and the Eight-Tails, huh?"
Rengoku quickly pinpointed their locations.
But he didn't go looking for trouble with them. Instead, he found a spot farther away from both of them, and began to wait patiently.
He was waiting for his Three-Tails clone to arrive at the battlefield.
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