Escape From Konoha

The country of ghosts, the western sea area.

Thick fog gathers on the vast expanse of sea, bringing an extremely cold chill.

The steel ship is like a black giant beast, breaking through layers of thick fog, sailing through the wind and waves in the sea covered by thick fog.

In the outpost waters about tens of kilometers in front of the steel ship, a famous Kirigakure ninja was divided into ten groups, put on a standard diving suit, restrained his body tightly, and then used water escape ninjutsu, one after another, Dive into the sea water, merge with it, hide your whereabouts, and swim forward quickly.

Just like the ninjas in Iwagakure Village, most of the ninjas in Kirigakure have practiced the water escape technique, and a considerable number of Kirigakure ninjas will be able to hold their breath in the water for a long time after performing the water escape technique. ability.

If land is the domain where Iwagakure ninjas excel, then waters and oceans are the favorite battlefields of Kirigakure ninjas.

Ten groups, each with three people, a total of thirty elite Kirigakure ninjas, were scattered around. As reconnaissance scouts, they needed to master the details of the ninja troops of the Demon Country before the war between Kirigakure and the Demon Country began. trend.

In this way, the large troops in the rear can push forward.

Due to the lessons learned by Konoha and Iwagakure, the attitude towards this war must be cautious and cautious, without any laxity.

Therefore, each of the Kirigakure ninjas who came to conduct reconnaissance had a cautious and attentive attitude to complete this S-level mission personally assigned by their Lord Mizukage.

As the Kirigakure ninjas dived into the sea and continued to sink, the sounds in their ears became quieter and quieter. Occasionally, there was the sound of water flowing, and the surrounding light became darker and darker, as if they were about to It was like being trapped in a world of silence and darkness, with only a small area covered by the searchlight visible.

Some Kirigakure ninjas looked at their feet, and saw a depth that was darker than the surroundings. The boundless curtain of darkness made people feel endless depression and coldness.

Looking down, the Kirigakure ninja couldn't help but twitch his body, and his leg bones seemed to have softened a bit. This was an instinctive fear of the darkness.

Even though I have done this kind of diving work countless times and have considerable diving experience, I still feel my scalp numb every time I stare at the depths of the seabed.

Compared with land and sky, the deep sea is both mysterious and terrifying.

The Kirigakure ninja who knew all this best was naturally full of awe of such an environment.

So, they didn't dare to look down, and they stopped at a distance where they could still hear the sound and vaguely see the light spots on the sea surface, and began to swim forward.

In the sea with a depth of more than 100 meters, it is difficult to transmit sound. The accompanying captain can only use hand signals to signal the team members to move forward quickly.

The water temperature of the sea in winter is extremely cold, and the silent darkness constantly challenges the psychological stress resistance of the Kirigakure ninjas. Under this double physical and mental torture, even the Kirigakure ninjas who have experienced hundreds of battles must tighten their grip. Time to complete the task.

I don’t know how long has passed, maybe ten minutes, maybe half an hour, maybe a day has passed.

In such an oppressive, dim environment with no sound source, the Kirigakure ninjas gradually lost their concept of time.

At this moment, a huge spindle-shaped shadow vaguely appeared in front of their heads.

There were three Kirigakure reconnaissance teams nearby, and they discovered this huge shadow floating on the sea almost simultaneously.

Instead of provoking him, he wisely avoided it.

Just as they were about to do so, the water rolled quickly and something rushed over.

Then there was a bang, exploding in the sea water, the water flow rolled faster, and a huge fishing net spread out, instantly surrounding a group of three Kirigakure ninjas and binding them tightly.

The three of them struggled in the fishing net and picked up kunai to cut the net.

I don’t know what kind of material this fishing net is made of. It comes with chakra kunai, and when it is cut, it cannot be cut.

The fishing net was pulled upwards, and the three Kirigakure ninjas suddenly panicked. They knew exactly what would happen if they were pulled up, and they struggled even harder in the fishing net.

The other two groups of Kirigakure ninjas also stepped forward to assist, picked up the kunai and began to cut the rope.

The sound of rolling water reached the ears, like a warning note, which shocked the two groups of Kirigakure ninjas who came to help.

boom!

Another fishing net was spread out in the sea.

The second group of Kirigakure ninjas were also successfully captured.

The Kirigakure ninjas in the third group quickly panicked, stopped rescuing their companions, and quickly swam backwards, trying to escape from the sea.

At this moment, a pair of huge red eyes lit up in the dark and deep depths of the ocean floor. A snake-shaped beast as huge as a hill swam up from the depths of the ocean floor, causing a surging movement and heading towards the escaping people. The Kirigakure ninja tore open a bloody mouth.

…

"Lord Liuli, all the thirty Kirigakure ninjas responsible for reconnaissance in this sea area have been captured."

In the command room, the Jonin from the Kingdom of Demons responsible for commanding the operation gave a work report to Liuli who walked in.

Liuli was not surprised. They had already known all the movements of the Kirigakure reconnaissance team, and now it was just as easy as going out for a walk and catching these Kirigakure ninjas as fish in a fishing net.

"Keep moving forward. In addition, notify the fleets in Areas B and C that the nets can be collected there."

"yes!"

◎

The western sea area of ​​​​the Kingdom of Ghosts is an uninhabited desert island at the junction of the Kingdom of Ghosts and the waters of other countries.

At this moment, this deserted island has been occupied by Kirigakure ninjas, who have begun to build a camp on this deserted island with no resources to harvest. Judging from the way they are working, it seems that they plan to stay here for a long time.

A total of nearly five hundred ninjas were the vanguard troops dispatched by Kirigakure this time. One hundred of them were divided into camps, and four hundred were patrolling the border waters of the deserted island.

The person in charge of the scheduling work here is a middle-aged jounin from the ghost lamp clan. He arranges his personal work here in an orderly manner without any panic and appears to be at ease.

The surrounding Kirigakure ninjas also respect and trust him very much.

As one of the few ninjas in Kirigakure Village who possesses secret techniques and has produced a Mizukage, he naturally has a pivotal position in Kirigakure Village.

Although due to the blood mist incident in the past, the Oni Deng clan was also strongly squeezed out by the Blood Mist sect and the situation became difficult. However, after the Fourth Mizukage came to power, the reputation of the Oni Deng clan and other ninja clans was greatly improved by the Fourth Mizukage. Under the arrangement, his name was gradually rectified, becoming an indispensable and important pillar of Kirigakure.

"Captain, there's a situation ahead!"

A Kirigakure ninja pointed at the sea ahead and shouted loudly to the Jonin of the Oniden clan.

"Huh? What's going on!"

The Jonin of the Ghost Lantern clan leaped over and came to the position of the patrol unit. He raised his brows and looked forward.

"I don't know, I just feel a huge chakra approaching here quickly!"

The Kirigakure ninja who was responsible for sensing couldn't help but shed cold sweat on his forehead. He had only felt this huge chakra in their Mizukage-sama, a chakra that surpassed the common sense of ninjas!

The sea area ahead was shrouded in thick white fog, and the visible range was very narrow.

In the depths of the white fog, the dull footsteps accompanied by the approaching made the thick white fog dyed with a huge shadow outline.

Boom!

Boom!

As the footsteps continued, the outline of the shadow appearing on the white mist became increasingly clear, and the dark red body began to loom in the thick mist that continued to roll.

I saw the 'giant' stretching out his dark red arm and gently sweeping aside. White mist rolled around. The warrior's head, which was condensed with chakra, broke through the thick mist and poked his head out without any warning. Come.

"This, this is-"

See the dark red warrior giant condensed from pure chakra, standing like a towering giant tree between heaven and earth.

Just by witnessing such a scene, the sight and spirit of the Kirigakure ninjas were hit by an unprecedented double impact. Their faces looked horrified and their minds went blank.

"Hurry up and get in touch with the headquarters and inform Master Mizukage——"

The Jonin of the Ghost Lantern clan was the first to react from the shock and realized something. No matter what, he had to send the information here.

This sea area is no longer safe.

However, the moment he finished shouting these words, a cold female voice rang across the sea.

"Thunder!"

In an instant, screams of pain came and went.

The sea and the land on the desert island were quickly covered by lightning nets. Endless thunder snakes entangled the bodies of Kirigakure ninjas, paralyzing their nervous systems and stinging their flesh and blood!

The Jōnin of the Oniden clan, who wanted to avoid the impact with the water transformation technique, also felt severe pain in his body. The terrifying thunder snake wrapped around his body, making his body feel more paralyzed than others.

"Oops, I'm not good at dealing with Lei Dun..."

The face of the Jonin of the Ghost Lantern clan was distorted, and he realized that the faster he became hydrated, the more intense the paralysis felt in his body.

However, he did not succumb to such lightning escape. With amazing willpower, he leaped out into the air and rushed towards the contact point on the desert island.

It is no longer safe here, but before that, the most important thing is to transmit the intelligence here and let the headquarters find a way to deal with it.

"Black Thunder!"

What moved faster than him was the cold voice from above.

The sound of the rolling waves and the screams in my ears were all lost in an instant.

The endless darkness dyed the sea, desert islands, and the void into darkness.

When his eyes regained clarity, what appeared in the eyes of the Jonin of the Oniden clan was that all the Kirigakure ninjas except him were paralyzed by lightning and fell to the ground in a annihilated posture.

Boom!

Boom!

The Susanoo giant stepped on the sea surface, crushing the coastal rocks protruding from the sea surface, and a huge shadow shrouded it, swallowing the figure of the Jonin of the Oniden clan.

◎

The Kingdom of Ghosts, outside the Western Sea Territory, is the Ghost Crying Gorge.

This is a strait formed by many desert islands. Under the careful arrangement of the Kirigakure ninjas, this strait has been established into an island fortress that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

A large number of Kirigakure ninjas occupy every area of ​​these islands. Patrol forces have blocked the islands layer by layer, forming a tight security network.

On the main island in its area, the largest number of Kirigakure ninjas gathered.

In the makeshift conference room, the Jonin of Kirigakure, together with the Mizukage, held a meeting here.

"Thirty reconnaissance teams, a total of ninety ninjas who are proficient in reconnaissance, have not been heard from since they sneaked into the Western Sea of ​​the Kingdom of Ghosts. Not only that, the third vanguard force at the border of the Western Sea also completely disappeared three hours ago. Lost contact and disappeared. According to the investigators' report, the desert island stronghold where the Third Vanguard Force is located has not been damaged in any way, and there are no blood stains left by the battle. The materials in the warehouse have also not been looted. Even the footprints are the same... It's as if all of them suddenly disappeared."

The Kirigakure jounin who was summarizing the intelligence read out in a solemn tone.

After he finished reading, the atmosphere in the conference room was immediately replaced by heaviness, and every Kirigakure Jonin participating in the meeting realized that things were getting tricky.

Not only was the reconnaissance team responsible for exploring the path completely wiped out, but one of the three vanguard troops also sent out encountered a very strange situation and disappeared from the world on the desert island stronghold.

It can be said that the battle has just started, and their tentacles and ears scattered by Kirigakure have encountered an unprecedented crisis.

This situation was unexpected for all of them.

It stands to reason that even if they are attacked by a large force from the Kingdom of Ghosts, it is impossible that no news can be spread.

What's more, no traces of the battle between the two sides were found on the desert island stronghold, not even blood stains.

Even the well-informed Kirigakure jounin gathered here could not reconstruct what the third vanguard force encountered on the deserted island stronghold, and what methods the Kingdom of Demons used to make the five Hundreds of Kirigakure ninjas were unable to resist and disappeared.

It is also unknown whether the missing Kirigakure ninja is alive or dead.

"Such a situation is really not good. Although I knew that the Kingdom of Ghosts would be difficult to deal with, I didn't expect that it would give us such a head-on blow...a warning? Or a deterrent?"

Another Kirigakure jounin sighed quietly.

As a neutral, he actually did not want to provoke a powerful country like the Kingdom of Ghosts, but the high-level meeting passed this resolution, and he could only follow the large troops to the front line to fight against the Kingdom of Ghosts.

"The captain of the third vanguard unit is Akatsuki Kito. He is an experienced elite jounin in the village. His strength is close to that of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. A ninja like him, together with the hundreds of ninjas under his command, is silent." Missing'. There are no traces of the battle left on the battlefield... This is really unbelievable and unthinkable."

Another Kirigakure ninja spoke.

He was over fifty, and his hair was already graying, but he was full of energy. His seemingly cloudy eyes were bright and bright in the depths.

"Although the Four Nations Allied Forces dispatched nearly 20,000 ninjas in the first round of attack...not to mention Sunagakure, both Konoha and Iwagakure encountered serious obstacles. Especially Konoha, according to intelligence, the three The assault force to which Jiraiya, one of the Shinobi, belongs is now besieged in the eastern part of the Bear Country and is in a dilemma."

"If we want to break the deadlock, we can only rely on Kirigakure. However... the reconnaissance team and one of the three vanguard units have all 'missed'. To be honest, I do not recommend launching an attack on the Kingdom of Ghosts at this time. attack."

A Kirigakure jounin looked at the sea map with a troubled expression.

Except for the Demon Crying Gorge, the western sea area of ​​​​the Kingdom of Demons, after the reconnaissance force and the third vanguard force were removed, was a restricted area with blind spots for Kirigakure.

If you enter rashly, you are likely to be ambushed by the Kingdom of Ghosts. Even if the entire army is not wiped out, you will be severely damaged.

Moreover, they are attacking the enemy's territory. If they don't have 'eyes' to open their field of vision, they will be doomed if they make a wrong step.

No one knows what kind of dangers are hidden in the western sea of ​​the Ghost Country, which is currently surrounded by thick fog.

Following the discussion among the Kirigakure jounin, they were roughly divided into two groups. One group advocated continuing to organize a reconnaissance team to respond to the Allies' attack and conduct battle reconnaissance on the western sea area of ​​​​the Kingdom of Demons to pave the way for a large force to attack.

The other faction advocates full defense and waits for the Kingdom of Demons to reveal its flaws.

While the two factions were arguing, Yagura, who was sitting in the main seat, spoke:

"Reorganize the reconnaissance force. This task will be completed by the Fourth Conference Group. If we want to respond to the Allies' attack, we must establish our 'eyes' in the western waters."

Mizukage's speech was almost the final word, causing the two arguing groups to immediately stop their endless debate.

"And, I wanted to verify something."

Yagura put his hands on the conference table and glanced calmly at the Jonin present, as if he was looking for something.

Some jounin couldn't help but feel a sudden shock in their hearts when Yagura glanced at them like this.

"Verification? What does this mean, Mizukage-sama?"

Some of the Kirigakure jonin were puzzled.

"What Mizukage-sama means is that there is a mole among us!"

The gray-haired Kirigakure jounin closed his eyes and sighed.

"The mole!?"

The expressions of the Kirigakure jounin all changed, and they understood instantly, and also understood what was going on with Yagura's scrutinizing eyes.

Looking for suspicious persons among them.

"The reconnaissance team and the third vanguard force sent out were all organized by outstanding ninjas in Kirigakure. If the Oni Country had not known their route of action in advance, it would have been impossible for the reconnaissance team and the third vanguard force to Without even making a sound, he disappeared from the western sea. I seriously suspect that some of us have betrayed the interests of the village and colluded with the Kingdom of Ghosts for personal gain!"

Having said this, Yagura glanced at everyone more sharply.

Some of the Kirigakure jounin he saw looked at him frankly, thinking that they had not betrayed Kirigakure's interests and there was no need to hide it, while others were afraid of Yagura's majesty and bowed slightly. My head was spinning, and I didn’t know what to think.

"Of course, this is only a possibility. After all, I have great trust in the loyalty of everyone here to the village. But for the sake of the overall situation, I hope that from today on, everyone can supervise each other to prevent the loss of important information."

The dull look on Yagura's face disappeared, and instead a friendly smile bloomed from his face.

But when Yagura showed such a smile, the Kirigakure jonins became even more nervous.

This was a ruthless man who dared to launch a coup without saying anything and pushed the Third Mizukage out of power. They did not think that Yagura showing such a smile was sending a friendly signal to them.

Rather, Yagura, who showed such 'goodwill', must have firmly believed that there was a traitor among them who betrayed the interests of the village.

Not only Yagura, but some clever Kirigakure Jōnin also strongly agreed with Yagura's point of view.

After all, if the action route of the reconnaissance team and the third vanguard unit had not been exposed to the Kingdom of Ghosts, how could hundreds of people have disappeared silently from the western sea?

The problems here are really too big.

There must be a mole among them!

The Kirigakure Jōnin, who had this idea in his mind, said nothing, but looked at his colleagues, naturally with a sense of scrutiny, as if he was saying 'could this person be a mole?'

The Kirigakure Jōnin who were suspected of cheating had dissatisfaction on their faces, but they couldn't express it in the meeting. Likewise, they were also suspicious in their hearts. Among the Jōnin here, who was one of them and who was the traitor.

◎

The next day.

The ten reconnaissance teams that dispersed lost contact again in the sea west of the Kingdom of Ghosts. They mysteriously disappeared from the sea without a splash of water.

And from the time he entered the western sea until he disappeared, it took less than ten minutes.

It's as if the Kingdom of Ghosts has deployed a net in advance in the sea ahead, knowing in advance that the reconnaissance team from Kirigakure Village will set off from here, and then run into the trap set by the Kingdom of Ghosts.

So much so that when the Kirigakure team on patrol looked at the thick fog area on the west side of the Demon Country, they felt a little bit nervous and panicked.

In the depths of this invisible mist, it seemed as if there were countless ferocious mouths opened, just waiting for them, Kirigakure to take the initiative to come to the door, completely predicting the course of action of the Kirigakure reconnaissance team.

Compared to yesterday, the atmosphere in the conference room today was heavier, even with a suffocating feeling like being trapped in a quagmire, which made people's hearts sink.

Yagura's expression was cold, and his fierce eyes glanced at the jonin on the seats.

"The action route of the fourth conference group and the second wave of reconnaissance group was arranged by you. However, less than ten minutes after entering, we completely lost contact... Now, I need a reasonable explanation!"

"Mizuki, Mizukage-sama, we did not leak the information! We definitely did not betray the interests of the village!"

A jounin from the fourth conference group was sweating profusely and defended Yagura.

"Asshole, you didn't reveal it. Could it be that I, the Mizukage, revealed it?"

There was a hint of real anger in Yagura's tone, and the expression on his face became even darker.

Seeing how furious Yagura was, the other jounin in the conference room also held their breath, not daring to take a breath.

They understood Yagura's mood at the moment. Information was leaked again and again, making it impossible for Kirigakure's 'eyes' to be released. In addition, the Alliance was pressing hard, and now it was neither possible to advance nor to retreat.

In this dilemma, Yagura, as the commander-in-chief of Kirigakure, was naturally extremely anxious.

What's more, their Mizukage has a very violent and irritable personality, and is also bloodthirsty and prone to killing.

If you offend him at this time, nothing good will happen.

"Of course it wasn't Mizukage-sama who leaked it, but we really didn't leak the information. Please believe us, Mizukage-sama!"

The jounin of the fourth conference group responded anxiously.

"It's a pity that as a Mizukage, I only believe in solid evidence! Next, I will temporarily suspend the authority of your fourth meeting group, and let the ANBU conduct a thorough investigation of all jonins. The other groups will continue to make plans. New countermeasures, let’s adjourn the meeting!”

Yagura dropped these words coldly, left his seat, and walked out of the conference room through the side door without any fuss.

The other jounin also stood up from their seats, glanced at the pale-faced jounin of the Fourth Conference Group, discussed with each other, and then kept a vigilant distance from them.

At present, the fourth conference group has the greatest possibility of collaborating with the enemy Ghost Kingdom.

Before the results of the investigation come out, a certain distance must be maintained from the Fourth Conference Group to prevent involvement.

Many Kirigakure jounin couldn't help but began to feel pessimistic about this battle. Before the confrontation, Kirigakure's hands and eyes were restrained by the restrictions of the Kingdom of Demons, and he launched a provocation against the Kingdom of Demons. If this continues, there is really no way. Problem?

They had not thought much about this issue before, after all, the Four Nations Alliance gave them enough confidence. But now, important information from their Jonin meetings is frequently lost and obtained by the Kingdom of Demons, which forces them to carefully consider the consequences of failure!