No one is really safe on the battlefield. Only with the determination to die can one survive.
This is what Naeki told Uchiha Tatsumi.
Of course, with the IQ of Nawaki, it is impossible for him to say such a philosophical statement. So, it was obvious that he shamelessly plagiarized his sister's words.
But Uchiha Tatsumi thought this was very unreasonable. He would never agree with it.
Because he wasn't ready to die. These words were obviously meant to scare them, and after all, Tsunade had her own way of teaching them lessons. What if something major happened?
Of course, Uchiha Tatsumi believes that both Orochimaru and Sakumo Hagi would also agree—they weren't ready to die either.
It's clear that their caution had increased since entering the Land of Rain.
There's a reason why the whole team's speed had slowed. On one hand, it was because they were transporting materials, and on the other hand, it was a matter of safety.
At that moment, the sky was overcast, and raindrops kept falling, relentless as ever.
This Land of Rain, which lies among the Three Great Shinobi Countries of the Fire Country, seemed to be crying.
Uchiha Tatsumi, Mikoto, and Nawaki were caught in the crowd.
"It's invincible if it rains like this," Uchiha Tatsumi muttered, not a fan of rainy days.
It wasn't that he hadn't seen the rainy season in his previous life, but this was the first time he had witnessed it in a country like the Land of Rain, where it rained almost year-round.
In a country like this, if there were a weather forecast, it would probably say: "Good evening, ninjas! We have exciting news! The Rain Country Meteorological Observatory has issued an orange rain warning. Under the leadership of our great leader, Comrade Hanzo, this heavy rain will last for another year before it ends."
But today's rain was particularly heavy. Just how heavy was it?
To put it simply: If you were sleeping soundly in your bed, you'd wake up to find lakes outside and oceans that seemed unreachable. You'd have to step outside just to let your dog run.
This was the state of the Land of Rain.
Uchiha Tatsumi suddenly raised his head. Mikoto and Rope Tree immediately became alert, sensing the shift in his mood.
"Dabai just said chakra was approaching," Uchiha Tatsumi said in a low voice.
In fact, without Uchiha Tatsumi's reminder, there were plenty of sensory ninjas on the team.
Sure enough, the leader of the team, Sakumo Hagi, immediately raised his hand, signaling for the whole team to stop.
"Stay alert!" A hoarse voice came from Orochimaru beside Sakumo Hagi.
"In the sky!" Orochimaru added.
The ninjas looked up. They saw a large bird flying high in the sky.
At that height, it would be impossible for ordinary ninjutsu to hit the opponent. The enemy seemed to be relying on this height to make unrestrained observations.
"Swish!" A kunai fell from the sky, with a detonator attached.
"Wind Style!" Sakumo Hagi commanded.
To protect the lower-ranking ninjas and their supplies, there were several Chunin and Jonin in the group. They quickly coordinated.
The wind blew the kunai along with the detonator away, and simultaneously, Earth Style ninjutsu was used to block the explosion's aftermath.
The number of enemies wasn't too high. They were just reconnaissance ninjas from the Rain Country. When they spotted Konoha's team, they had no chance to execute a full-scale attack.
The ninjas on the large bird in the sky looked at the detonator that had failed to detonate, their frustration evident.
One of them, a Chunin named Tuhuan, spoke up, "Captain, this is Konoha's material. If we can blow it up and cause significant damage to Konoha, it would be a huge achievement!"
The captain shook his head. "We're too few, and the distance is too far. They'll have enough time to react."
Tuhuan persisted, "Then we need to get closer. Drop the detonator, and immediately fly back up. We're in the air, and they can't hit us."
The captain hesitated. "But the village's orders are to only investigate."
"Captain, this could be a great accomplishment! If we succeed, we may even get promoted to Jonin!" Tuhuan pressed.
The captain struggled for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
A ninja gave the order, and the large bird began descending quickly.
Just as it neared a certain height, Tuhuan spotted a group of young ninjas from Konoha.
"Has Konoha fallen this far?" he sneered.
When they thought they were safe, and at the ideal height, a figure suddenly leaped into the air.
A cold light flashed through the sky.
A Thunder Style jutsu, condensed with sword intent, shot into the sky. For an instant, the heavy rain seemed to recoil.
Several ninjas felt the fear of death approach.
"Zzzzt!"
In that instant, the Thunder Chakra sliced through the large bird.
The feeling of numbness took over the ninjas, and they fell from the sky.
Sakumo Hagi landed gracefully, sheathing his White Fang short sword. His face remained as stoic as ever, his white hair flowing with the wind.
"Man, what a cool guy," Uchiha Tatsumi muttered with admiration. "Now that's what I call a real character!"
The fallen ninjas struggled to raise their heads, a trace of fear on their faces. A few seconds later, all interest left them as life drained from their bodies.
Afterward, ninjas from Konoha began collecting the bodies. Even dead ninjas could reveal information.
Sakumo motioned to a Hyuga ninja, who examined the area for a few seconds and reported, "There are no other enemies."
Sakumo nodded, cautious given their sizable supplies and personnel.
"How far are we from Konoha's camp?" Sakumo asked.
A Konoha ninja took out a manual, which was actually a small map. After studying it for a while, he pointed to the northwest direction and said, "We should be there if we go through the woods ahead."
"I see," Sakumo nodded.
The rain, which had momentarily become lighter, began to pour down more heavily again. Sakumo stood in the rain, scanning his surroundings.
The cold droplets trickled down his forehead, soaking his vest before falling to the ground.
"Let's go," Sakumo said, and with that, he headed northwest, followed by hundreds of ninjas.
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