Chapter 85: A Sturdy Constitution
"We'll spread out and search from here. Remember, don't get too far apart," Minato instructed. Then, in a blur of yellow, he vanished.
The three members of Team 7 watched their sensei disappear, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Alright, quit staring and start looking," Liumu prompted.
Dogs were categorized as either ninja-dogs or ordinary pets. The one owned by "Grandpa Bajie" was clearly the latter, yet it had managed to wander out of the village unnoticed. Furthermore, Minato, as team leader, abruptly leaving mid-mission… Both points had already caught Kakashi's analytical mind. Seeing Liumu's evasive gaze only confirmed Kakashi's suspicions.
"Kakashi, you look too. Don't you have that ninjutsu? Summon them out to help," Obito called from a distance.
"I don't think your chakra is sufficient for that right now."
Before Kakashi could respond, Liumu suddenly appeared beside him, whispering the cryptic statement in his ear.
Kakashi: "..."
"I… trained late last night. My chakra hasn't fully recovered. I can't perform that technique right now," Kakashi improvised, choosing to follow Liumu's lead despite not understanding the reason.
Obito was referring to the Earth Release: Tracking Fang Technique, which summoned ninja-dogs for their superior olfactory tracking.
Obito shot Kakashi an exasperated look. "You knew today was our first team mission, and you still wasted your chakra? Typical."
"Enough complaining," Rin interjected, standing up from searching a thicket and wiping her brow. "Today is our first mission. Wouldn't it be more meaningful to complete it with our own skills?"
At that moment, a faint, almost imperceptible sound—out of place in the peaceful woods—reached Liumu's ears. He scanned the serene forest but saw nothing amiss.
Frowning slightly, Liumu calmly created a shadow clone to remain with the team while his true body flashed silently into the deeper woods.
A few hundred meters away
Clang! Clang-clang! Ting!
The sounds of clashing kunai and shuriken grew clearer, punctuated by muffled cries of pain.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
A thick fog billowed forth, blanketing the forest.
Through the mist, Liumu spotted a Konoha shinobi lying motionless, a black cloth over his face, eyes wide and unseeing. Approaching, Liumu checked for a pulse at the neck.
Gone.
Examining the fatal wound on the chest—charred black, flesh torn and cauterized—Liumu recognized the signature of a high-level Lightning Release technique.
Could it be them? The figures of the Raikage, A, and Killer B flashed through his mind.
"Ozawa, run! I'll hold them off!"
Ozawa? That name sounds… oddly familiar.
As Liumu pondered, several dark shadows gave chase through the mist. Two figures with Konoha forehead protectors fled desperately, unaware of several shuriken tagged with explosive notes hurtling toward their backs.
Acting on instinct, Liumu moved. A black blur shot forward. He grabbed the collars of the two fleeing ninja and yanked them violently to the side of the path.
BOOM! BOOM-BOOM!
A series of explosions tore through the air where they had just been running.
"Who are you—?"
"Get out of here. I'll handle this."
Without waiting for a reply, Liumu charged into the densest part of the fog. Instantly, a blood-stained longsword cut through the haze, aiming straight for his throat.
"Hmph. Ruthless. In that case…"
Liumu's eyes narrowed coldly. His hand shot out, snatching the blade mid-swing and snapping it with a casual twist. His right fist followed, a simple, straight punch that connected squarely with the attacker's face.
Thump.
There wasn't even time for a scream. A red mist bloomed in the fog.
Blood dripped, staining the undergrowth. Liumu bent down, picking up the fallen forehead protector—the symbol of Kirigakure.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted not far away, evaporating a large section of the mist. Visibility returned, revealing a pale-faced shinobi holding a kunai between his teeth, body swaying. Blood dripped from his torn flak jacket, but he remained upright, braced by the longsword in his hand.
"It's… you?" The man's eyes widened with a mix of shock and resentment upon seeing Liumu.
Liumu: "..."
Before the man could say more, Liumu stepped forward, intending to tell him to retreat. But as he got closer, recognition dawned. The features were strikingly familiar.
"Are you… Uchiha Izumi?"
This Izumi looked utterly spent, his Sharingan not activated. During their brief forest encounter years ago, it had been too dark to clearly see his face. Meeting again now, Liumu's gaze inadvertently drifted downward…
"Behind you!"
Uchiha Izumi's face twisted in alarm as he shouted the warning.
Splat.
Another burst of red mist. Liumu, having spun around, held the neck of a new attacker. A slight squeeze of his fingers produced a sickening crunch, instantly snuffing out the life.
"Water Release: Wate—"
"Too slow."
Liumu's voice came from behind the Kirigakure ninja, freezing the man's hand seals mid-formulation.
Impossible! He was over there just a second ago… How…?
"If you have questions, take them to the King of Hell."
With a crisp snap, the Kiri ninja's head twisted to an impossible angle. His body went limp.
The sun broke through the remaining mist, illuminating the scattered bodies in the small clearing.
Liumu walked back to Uchiha Izumi, looking him over. "Can you walk? Make it back on your own?"
"I'm fine!" Izumi's reply was sharp, tinged with clear resentment. The reason was obvious, and Liumu didn't need to guess. However, given Izumi's warning earlier, Liumu couldn't bring himself to be angry.
"Your constitution is quite sturdy. That's good." With foreign enemies present, Izumi seemed to set aside his personal grudge. "There's another team of Kumo-nin to the southwest. If you can—"
Before he could finish, Liumu gestured to the two Konoha ninja he'd just saved. "Don't worry about the rest. I'll take care of it."
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