"How did it go?"
In a private room on the second floor of the inn, Heichuan asked Hardy.
"I've already received the information from our intelligence officer. The battle has already started on the front lines, but Konoha's Tsunade hasn't appeared.
Our target is at the restaurant in the west of the city. The restaurant's warehouse is actually Konoha's real logistics base."
Hardy poured himself a cup of tea as he spoke.
"Good, now we've got the last location figured out. We already scouted the terrain in the west of the city this morning. Tonight, we'll take action and start with that one," Heichuan planned.
"It's not that simple. I saw someone in the casino who showed signs of using a transformation jutsu. After a few tests, I suspect she's Tsunade."
In reality, Hardy hadn't tested her at all.
But someone who could lose over sixty rounds in a row—probably only Tsunade or the First Hokage could pull that off in the ninja world.
Heichuan's brows furrowed instantly.
"Are you sure it's Tsunade?"
"There's a good chance. I think we should be on guard," Hardy replied.
According to the original story, Tsunade developed hemophobia after Dan Kato's death, but that was in the original timeline.
Hardy didn't know if his arrival had caused a butterfly effect. Logically, he shouldn't have the power to change the course of events, but what if?
If Tsunade didn't have hemophobia, their entire team could be wiped out by her.
But since Tsunade wasn't on the front lines and instead came to a rear area like this, it's likely she still had hemophobia and couldn't fight directly.
There might be a chance to test her, but Hardy didn't want to risk his life.
A Kage-level ninja is still a Kage-level ninja. Even with hemophobia, her offensive power is nothing to scoff at.
"Could Tsunade have come to the second line to oversee logistics? Or did a spy betray us? No, this mission is absolutely confidential. Apart from the five of us, only Lady Chiyo and Elder Ebizo know about it. Then... did Orochimaru predict our move?"
Heichuan's frown deepened, falling into deep suspicion.
Orochimaru had already predicted their moves on the battlefield several times, setting traps for Sunagakure's people.
"We should change our operational plan," Ishido said, looking at the map with several locations marked.
"Captain Ishido is right. I suggest we leave Huoluo City's stronghold for last. Let's set out immediately, reach Chishan City before dark, destroy their base there, and then move on to attack the other two locations overnight.
After Konoha is attacked, they'll definitely send people to investigate and strengthen the defense of the Huoluo City warehouse. At that point, we can make one final attempt."
After thinking it over, Hardy spoke up.
"As you said, our previous actions will definitely alert them. Konoha will strengthen their defenses, and by then, it won't be so easy to take them down," Heichuan shook his head.
Hardy smiled slightly.
"Alerting the enemy can often be turned into a feint, and a feint can be a diversion—pretending to attack the west, but actually striking the south."
"Let's hear your plan," Heichuan said seriously.
"It's simple. I've heard there are some rogue and missing-nin who escaped from the Land of Rain and other places. Those people make perfect gloves for us, though it'll cost some money.
After that, we can..."
Heichuan and Ishido exchanged glances after hearing Hardy's plan.
"It is feasible. I suggest we carry out the mission according to Hardy's plan," Ishido nodded at Heichuan.
"Alright then, pack up. We're leaving Huoluo City immediately and heading to Chishan City!"
...
...
Night fell, thick clouds obscuring the moonlight.
Hardy and his team arrived at Chishan City before sunset, rested a bit, and recovered their chakra.
In the sky, a creature with nearly a three-meter wingspan spread its wings and soared.
Hardy was draped in a cloak made from the hide of a chameleon summoning beast...
The sand eagle soared into the sky.
The ability to manipulate air currents was simply a perfect match for the sand eagle!
Apart from taking a little time to ascend during takeoff, once gliding in the air, he could directly use his power to control the airflow, providing both lift and propulsion for the glider, and precisely controlling its direction.
"I really didn't expect that Hardy would actually create a puppet capable of carrying a person in flight. And both the altitude and range seem quite impressive."
Heichuan stood in the courtyard of an abandoned residence, watching the figure streaking across the sky.
"At the start of this Shinobi World War, the Sky Ninja Village allied with the Yōen Ninja Village, attempting to provoke the Five Great Nations and establish a Sixth Great Nation. They were met with a joint assault from the Five Great Ninja Villages. After that, the Five Great Ninja Villages used the legacy of the Yōen Ninja Village to innovate the process of making explosive tags. But when the Sky Ninja Village was defeated, some of their people escaped with core technology. The information we were able to obtain was extremely limited. I didn't expect that, after so many years, someone would manage to recreate this technology."
Ishido stood beside Heichuan, arms crossed, his face full of emotion.
He was in his forties now, and had once participated in the wars that led to the destruction of both the Yōen and Sky Ninja Villages.
He was also a puppet master, and knew just how precious this technology was.
In the sky, Hardy flicked his fingers, and a mechanical arm extended from the sand eagle behind him, controlled by chakra threads.
At the end of the mechanical arm was a telescope crafted from high-purity crystal.
Combined with Hardy's ability to glean residual information from the wind, this made him an excellent aerial scout.
"Number of people at the base… twenty-three. Chakra levels unknown, strength unknown. Nine of them are wearing Konoha's green vests, so they're at least chunin level… plotting route…"
Hardy looked down at the small city below. After flying for over ten minutes and gathering enough information, he landed in an uninhabited area outside the city and made his way back.
Landing inside the city would be too conspicuous, too eye-catching.
"What's the situation?"
Ishido asked Hardy.
Hardy reported his reconnaissance results one by one, including the appearance of every individual.
"There's only one person we need to pay special attention to—the bald man with a short beard. His external features match those of Mito Mon Yuma from the Mito Mon clan. He's a special jōnin, and supposedly quite skilled."
Yecang took out a small booklet and pointed to a section in the upper right corner of one page.
This was the ninja alert list. Every ninja village had compiled such a booklet on the others, recording the names and appearances of over a thousand ninja.
Even a large village like Konoha only had just over two hundred jōnin; across the entire ninja world, there were only several hundred in total. For Mito Mon Yuma to be listed in this booklet, he must be a rather formidable special jōnin.