"Hidden Mist Jutsu?"
The Anbu surrounding Fujiwara Kazane were momentarily stunned, exchanging glances. It seemed this enemy was, in all likelihood, a rogue ninja hidden within the Land of Water.
"Don't get distracted! Protect Mr. Fujiwara!"
The captain immediately snapped at his somewhat distracted subordinates, while his gaze turned serious as he scanned the surroundings, searching for where the enemy might be preparing to strike.
"Yes!"
Everyone immediately snapped back to attention, responding in unison, then instinctively changed their formation, surrounding Fujiwara Kazane in two layers, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Are you kidding me? If something happened to this major financier, setting aside the reputational damage to the Village, the indirect economic losses and a series of chain reactions that would follow were not something a few low-paid Anbu like them could bear.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
Because they were in a dense fog, everyone quickly noticed a water dragon plummeting down from above. Two Anbu skilled in defense stepped forward, quickly forming hand seals. Before the water dragon struck, two streams of water shot up into the sky, then enveloped everyone like an inverted bowl.
"Boom!"
As the two collided, a low rumble echoed, then the water dragon disintegrated in the air, and the water wall slowly dispersed.
"This... this is..."
A hint of fear appeared on Fujiwara Kazane's face, while the captain turned his head and gave a solemn command.
"Mr. Fujiwara, an unexpected situation has arisen. Let a few of them escort you back to the Village first."
"Alright, alright, alright. Then the mission is suspended for now. You all do your best, I'll head back."
Soon, Fujiwara Kazane, escorted by a Hidden Mist squad, quickly left the foggy area.
As soon as he emerged, one of the Hidden Mist ninja suddenly accelerated, disappearing from their sight within moments. He needed to return to the Mizukage as quickly as possible to report the unexpected situation during the mission, and then let the Mizukage decide.
...
"Huff, huff, huff."
Hawk mask panted heavily, and after repelling Ren once more, he suddenly retreated, clutching his bleeding left arm and glaring at the latter with resentment.
"That's all you've got? It seems the strength of you Anbu is just so-so."
Ren said disdainfully. After an intense battle, aside from being a little out of breath and having significant Chakra consumption, he didn't even have a single wound on his body. Meanwhile, the two Anbu who were with Hawk mask had almost lost their combat ability, and could only lie on the ground watching Ren and Hawk mask fight.
"You!"
Hawk mask was instantly enraged, clenching his fists, his unwilling gaze revealing a hint of despair.
He and his companions had been entangled with this guy for nearly fifteen minutes, yet support had still not arrived. Even Senior Kawasaki, who had pursued them, had not returned. The others here had also lost their combat capability, and he himself was struggling alone.
"Tsk, never mind. I'll clear up your confusion, you dying men."
Under their puzzled gazes, Ren formed a hand seal, and the already somewhat dim dense fog around them suddenly pulsed, illuminating the open space like fireflies in the night.
"This..."
Just as they were puzzled, Ren's "proud" voice came.
"This is a secret technique I developed after more than ten years of research. These powders will seep into your body along with the dense fog, then suppress your Chakra and affect your Chakra's circulation speed. You noticed it during the previous fight, right? Ah hahahaha."
"There's even such... a strange jutsu."
Whether it was the two lying on the ground or Hawk mask, who was barely holding on, after checking their bodies, they all widened their eyes. Clearly, the Chakra in their bodies had been suppressed to 70% of its usual level, and even circulating it felt extremely difficult.
"Tsk, no more wasting time. I have things to do after killing you."
Ren directly charged forward, delivering a Konoha Whirlwind to the dazed Hawk mask. The latter was unable to dodge and was directly kicked away, spitting out a mouthful of blood in mid-air. After falling to the ground, his consciousness began to blur. He saw Ren approaching with a Kunai, seemingly ready to deliver the final blow.
Is it over...?
Just as Hawk mask was smiling bitterly, a figure rushed out from behind him, directly confronting Ren. It was Shina, whom he had previously ordered to avoid battle.
"No, don't go!"
With a roar, seeing Shina stabbed by Ren, Hawk mask completely lost consciousness.
"Ugh..."
Shina's eyes widened. Looking at her stabbed shoulder, she fell forward directly, no longer moving.
"You bastard! The Village will never let you go!"
"That's right! You just wait to be tortured to death!"
Ren glanced at the two with disdain, flicking his wrist. Two Shuriken shot towards their necks.
The next moment, they widened their eyes, their necks twisted to the side, losing their breath.
"Resolved?"
Ren turned around, looking at Shina, who was struggling to sit up from the ground, and calmly nodded.
"Yes, let's go. We need to be quick. They're almost ready over there too."
As he spoke, Ren was already walking towards the wooden house, while Shina silently followed. Upon entering the wooden house, Ren's first sight was Yoshino lying unconscious on the ground. Ren wasted no time, directly piercing the opponent's throat with a Kunai before continuing forward to the pillar platform.
His gaze focused on the jar covered in sealing talismans. After picking it up, Ren's powerful perception instantly sensed a massive amount of Chakra filling it, but it seemed overly calm, likely meaning the Three-Tails had fallen into dormancy.
Ren turned and walked out of the house. Just as he was about to say something to Shina, his expression suddenly changed, and he turned his head to look in the direction he had come from.
"What's wrong?"
Shina asked quickly upon seeing this, while Ren remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"My Shadow Clone has dispelled. According to the memories transmitted back, they have already started heading this way. We need to hurry, let's begin now."
"Okay."
Shina responded, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. After half a day of hard work, they had finally reached the most crucial step, just one step away from success. At this point, they could only leave half their lives to fate...
Meanwhile, the Hidden Mist captain and his four companions, along with Ao and Kawasaki, were rapidly approaching this area.
Earlier, Ren's two Shadow Clones had disguised themselves as Anbu and then toyed with the group for a long time in the Hidden Mist Jutsu before dissipating due to Chakra depletion. After the group met up, they understood the enemy's plan and immediately rushed towards this location.
Along the way, Ao and Kawasaki's faces were as black as the bottom of a pot. After all, if they truly lost the Three-Tails this time due to their negligence, their sin would be immense, and they would never be able to hold their heads up in the Village again.
A Tailed Beast, no matter how much it is detested, is a symbol of a country's strength.
Only with the presence of the Five Great Calamities can there be balance.