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"Please guide me!"
It was just as Megumi had expected.
Listening to the girl's soft, timid apology, Sawara Kiri's face immediately relaxed into an expression of complete nonchalance, and he spoke gently:
"Yakushi-san, you were promoted to Medical Chunin last year, weren't you? I heard you were temporarily transferred from Konoha Hospital?"
"Ah, yes!"
Yakushi Nonou timidly ducked her head, leaning forward, trying to make her voice sound a little more reliable: "Although… although I haven't had any battlefield experience before, and I might hold Hokage-sama back, but! But I will definitely work hard to learn!"
"How could you? In this situation, every Medical Ninja is extremely valuable."
"It's already very good that we've been assigned one for our team today. Please don't belittle yourself."
Sawara Kiri said gently, then turned to introduce his teammates: "This is Minato, and this is Megumi."
"They are both excellent Jonin, specializing in Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, respectively."
Yakushi Nonou's gaze swept over them, and the two also greeted her.
However, That Person from the Uchiha seemed to look at her with a subtle hint of displeasure and wariness.
It seems I need to keep my distance from Sawara.
Furthermore, even though she had seen their information when reviewing their files, seeing such a young team composed entirely of Jonin in person still felt different.
"Genius," she mused to herself, the thirteen-year-old Yakushi Nonou's feelings still somewhat complex.
"Alright."
Sawara Kiri smiled and reached out, gently helping Yakushi Nonou smooth out her long hair, which was stained with mud and rainwater, revealing her grey eyes. He said gently: "Now that we've introduced ourselves, Yakushi-san, please introduce yourself?"
"Kiri," Megumi whispered, "Wouldn't it be better to talk about that on the way? The mission time is a bit tight right now."
This was a lie!
Megumi watched Kiri reach out to touch that child, unable to say a single word herself, so anxious she was almost grinding her teeth.
However, the girl's face still held a calm and natural smile, making it impossible to sense any of the profound gravity from deep within her.
"Yakushi-san?"
Sawara Kiri ignored the girl's suggestion, still looking at the timid girl in front of him, who exuded an aura of "come on and bully me," with gentle eyes.
"Eh, that?"
Yakushi Nonou timidly glanced at Uchiha Megumi, then at a somewhat puzzled Minato, and seeing that neither of them intended to speak, she quietly said:
"My name is Yakushi Nonou, I'm thirteen years old, and I graduated from the Ninja Academy the year before last…"
"I see."
"Then I'll be more direct."
Sawara Kiri interrupted, suddenly leaning closer, gently placing his large hand on her head, and gently commanded:
"Please stick out your tongue."
"…Kiri-kun?"
Minato turned to him in astonishment.
At this moment, Uchiha Megumi had instead calmed down, or perhaps her mind had completely fried, and she stared fixedly at Yakushi Nonou.
Yakushi Nonou froze for a moment.
However, no matter what she thought, Sawara Kiri had already reached out a finger, and with an undeniable grip, he pinched the tip of her tongue, pulling a delicate silver thread slowly from her mouth.
The girl's body instantly stiffened.
Then, Chakra was input at a specific frequency.
Soon, a dark seal appeared on the surface of her tongue.
Seeing this seal, the two behind him immediately understood.
Root's people?
No, there was no Root anymore.
So…
Hokage-sama's people?
For a moment, Minato looked at Sawara Kiri with even a hint of surprise.
What astonishing insight.
He hadn't noticed anything unusual about the person, but Kiri-kun had discovered it at once.
Yakushi Nonou's expression, however, suddenly turned blank.
Exposed?!
Why?
She couldn't figure out how her identity had been seen through in just one encounter.
There had to be a process, right?
But Sawara Kiri didn't give her much time to think. He released his hand and gently patted her head:
"Your tongue coating looks good, your body is very healthy."
"However, since your identity is now revealed, just follow the team and execute the mission obediently."
"Don't cause trouble, okay?"
"…"
After a long silence, Yakushi Nonou finally replied:
"Yes."
Sawara Kiri turned his head, his gaze lingered on her for a moment, then he turned his back again.
Heh.
Whether it was Shimura Danzo's person or someone who had surrendered to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
In short, besides Sawara himself, no one else in this team should even think about being a second undercover agent!
This was the dignity of an undercover agent!
"As expected."
Megumi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief: "I knew Kiri must have noticed something was off to do that!"
"Really?"
"Of course."
Sawara Kiri thought, your burning gaze just now almost melted my raincoat.
However, he naturally wouldn't voice such a low-EQ thought.
Having resolved the minor conflict within the team, Sawara Kiri's team finally began continuous close-range reconnaissance along the forest, towards the Sunagakure forces.
Fortunately, apart from encountering two patrol teams during reconnaissance, they did not notice any movement from the other side at other times.
This reconnaissance continued from morning until evening.
As dusk approached, the rest of the team's stamina was also nearly depleted.
Only then did Sawara Kiri lead the team back to camp.
War is not a direct, Earth-shattering clash between two groups of people.
Instead, it's like two praying mantises meeting on a leaf, both constantly extending their scythes, clashing and probing to find each other's weak points, then suddenly pouncing, only to quickly separate. It's like beating a wolf with a stick, both sides fearful and hesitant, trying to kill the other while preserving themselves.
Because of this, in a positional battle, even if the two sides are only a few or a dozen kilometers apart, they can often spend days and nights in confrontation and probing attacks.
However.
This kind of prolonged and mentally exhausting offensive naturally has corresponding countermeasures.
"Boom—!!!"
A violent explosion suddenly echoed throughout the entire Konoha position.
Fierce, piercing roars and battle cries erupted from all directions, abruptly waking everyone who had only just fallen asleep less than two hours ago.
After emerging from the underground Trunsoest dug in the position, Sawara Kiri immediately looked in the direction of the sound, and his heart instantly relaxed.
It was a feint.
Then, he saw that on the two sentry posts to the west, a light and fire, spreading like an upward-blooming umbrella, was now raging.
Through the flickering shadows, several figures could be seen leaping towards the detected Konoha Frontline Command (FC), their intentions very clear.
"Stop the assassination squad!"
"They're over there—"
"Protect the FC!"
Between the trench lines, someone suddenly shouted.
The Frontline Command is both the eyes of the Rear General Command (GC) and the brain of the frontline combat personnel. Moreover, most of the people within it do not have excellent combat abilities, making it one of the most crucial defensive facilities.
Upon hearing the sound, several agile figures immediately emerged, darting along the ground towards the suspicious figures, revealing their presence.
Minato was about to leap out of the trench with them when his arm was suddenly grabbed by Sawara Kiri.
His azure "Six Eyes" glowed brightly in the night, and his voice was firm:
"Fake."
"We're going that way!"
Minato's movements instantly froze.
Over these past days, through various actions and events, Sawara Kiri's words had gained significant weight in his mind.
With hardly any hesitation, he immediately nodded, following Kiri-kun, and quickly began to transfer along the communication trench towards the western side of the position.
Yakushi Nonou silently followed behind them.
Megumi, meanwhile, had already activated her Sharingan, following at the very rear of the team, using her extraordinary vision to scout the surroundings.
As expected.
Just a few minutes later, the figures who had leaped out of the trench destroyed the figures charging towards the FC.
However, only a puff of smoke remained.
At the same time, dozens of figures leaped out of the forest near the western position.
The wind weaving through the trenches in the dead of night carried the lingering chill of the rain, imbued with a bone-chilling intent to kill.
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