Thousands of people from North Korea piled up grain, then slowly backed away, and Sarutobi Asuma also began to form hand seals.
[Fire Release: Flame Bullet]
As Sarutobi Asuma spewed out a large flame, piles of food began to burn. Earlier, the trio led by Chao Yanqian had already set traps on the corpses of four Kirigakure (Mist) ninjas. As long as someone touched the corpses, the detonating tags hidden underneath would explode instantly.
The raging fire burning the supplies would definitely attract nearby Mist ninjas.
"Thousands, should we stay here to set up an ambush?" Sarutobi Asuma asked.
"No! We have no information right now, and we don't know how many Mist ninjas are nearby. It's safest to evacuate temporarily," Chao Yanqian vetoed.
"I also agree with Chao Yanqian. We're in enemy territory after all, so we should be more careful," said Yūhi Kurenai.
"Don't worry too much. Let's find a quiet place now, and let me set up a coordinate for the [Flying Thunder God Technique], so that even if the three of us are in danger, I can teleport us away," Chao Yanqian said.
"Hey! Your ninjutsu is really convenient! When I return from this mission, I'll talk to the old man and ask him to teach me the [Flying Thunder God Technique] too!" Sarutobi Asuma said enviously.
"I heard that ninjutsu is very difficult," Yūhi Kurenai glanced at Sarutobi Asuma, obviously a little doubtful.
"Hey! If Chao Yanqian can learn it, there's no reason I can't!" Sarutobi Asuma said strongly, seeing Yūhi Kurenai's doubtful eyes.
"Chao Yanqian is a genius," Yūhi Kurenai smiled.
"Alright! There's no time to joke now. Mist ninjas will be here soon. Let's evacuate quickly," Chao Yanqian said in a deep voice.
"Tch!" Sarutobi Asuma curled his lips in dissatisfaction, secretly vowing in his heart that after the mission was over and they returned to the village, he would learn the [Flying Thunder God Technique] from the old man.
Chao Yanqian led Sarutobi Asuma and Yūhi Kurenai through a few twists and turns, and finally chose to temporarily hide in a cave.
After simply eating some dry food, he called the two over and said in a low voice, "Because Kirigakure has little diplomacy and the Land of Water is quite closed, we don't have specific information about the location of Kirigakure. Our goal is to find out the exact location of the village."
"For safety, I suggest the three of us act together. I will set a Flying Thunder God marker here in the cave, so that if we encounter an enemy we can't defeat, I can immediately teleport us to safety."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Asuma questioned: "What if this cave gets exposed too?"
"Of course, there's a risk. So I'll head out later to find a few more safe spots within a certain range and set Flying Thunder God markers there too. That way, even if this place is exposed, we'll have escape options. I also set a marker back in Konoha. If it's absolutely necessary, I can teleport us directly back to the village," Chao Yanqian said.
"Are you going out now?" Yūhi Kurenai asked.
"Yeah," Chao Yanqian nodded. "We're in the Land of Water, and Mist ninjas could chase us at any time. I'll look for more hiding spots and also try to gather intel on other teams."
"Then the two of us should go out and gather intelligence too. It'll be faster if there are more of us," Yūhi Kurenai said.
"Don't worry. I don't intend to fight Mist ninjas this time, just gather information. Whether you follow me or stay here, it won't make much difference. You'd be better off resting; we have missions tomorrow," Chao Yanqian said.
"How about this: Hong and I will pair up. We'll split from you to gather intel separately. It'll be faster that way. Plus, Hong and I can work together to handle danger if needed," Sarutobi Asuma suggested.
"Alright!" Not wanting to hurt their pride by refusing, Chao Yanqian nodded and said, "Then take my Flying Thunder God markers. If I return first, I'll come to find you. If I don't, you head back here."
"Got it!" Sarutobi Asuma said.
After leaving the cave, Chao Yanqian immediately began searching for the whereabouts of Hatake Kakashi and Koychi.
The "Three-Tails Plan" that Chao Yanqian devised was thrilling. If successful, it would deal a heavy blow to Kirigakure.
But the most difficult part wasn't finding Kirigakure , Chao Yanqian didn't know which Mist ninja was the Three-Tails' jinchūriki.
Thus, Chao Yanqian's only hope was to find Koychi, wait for her to be captured by Mist ninjas, and then quietly track them.
If Kirigakure wanted to transfer the Three-Tails into Koychi's body, they would have to bring the Three-Tails jinchūriki out.
As is well-known, when a tailed beast is extracted from a jinchūriki, the jinchūriki dies instantly.
Chao Yanqian didn't believe anyone would willingly sacrifice themselves especially not a Mist ninja, given the "Bloody Mist" era's harsh, selfish environment, let alone a jinchūriki, who would have been under strict surveillance their whole lives.
Therefore, the Three-Tails' jinchūriki would surely have been subdued by Mist ninjas ahead of time.
Once the Three-Tails jinchūriki appeared, Chao Yanqian could rescue Koychi and, at the same time, capture the jinchūriki.
Yes, Chao Yanqian was ready to save Koychi.
This wasn't out of kindness or any special feelings for Koychi Chao Yanqian simply wanted to see: if this plan failed, what would Uchiha Madara, hiding in the shadows, do next?
In essence, Chao Yanqian planned to use Koychi as bait to provoke Uchiha Madara into making a move.
It was a contest: whether Uchiha Madara, lurking in the dark, was smarter or whether Chao Yanqian, familiar with the manga's plot, could thwart Madara's plan.
If successful, Chao Yanqian might even uncover Uchiha Madara's spies hidden within Konoha.
At this stage, Madara's situation was poor his aging body could only survive through the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and he had already entrusted his Rinnegan to Nagato. Black Zetsu and White Zetsu wouldn't risk exposure just to target a user of the [Flying Thunder God Technique].
Thus, Chao Yanqian believed even if he sabotaged Madara's plan, Madara wouldn't dare act directly against him at most, he would abandon this round.
Through this, Chao Yanqian could also gather useful information.
As the only "variable" in the Naruto world, Chao Yanqian wanted to fight against Uchiha Madara , not just in strength, but in wit.
Even if he ultimately lost, Chao Yanqian didn't mind. As long as his life wasn't at risk, he would gladly play this game.
After all, once the main Naruto story began and Uchiha Madara was resurrected, Chao Yanqian would have to compete with him purely in strength.
And by then, that alone would not be enough.
Having come to the Naruto world, wouldn't it be a shame not to have a full contest against Madara? In his previous life, Uchiha Madara had always been Chao Yanqian's favorite character. If Chao Yanqian had been born into the Uchiha clan, he would have happily succeeded Madara's will and fought alongside him.
Unfortunately, Chao Yanqian was not a Uchiha so he could only choose to challenge him from another path.
Madara's resurrection still needed time, and Chao Yanqian also needed time to grow stronger. A strategic contest before the Fourth Great Ninja War this was exactly what Chao Yanqian longed for.
The first step: find Hatake Kakashi and Koychi.
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