Chapter 99: Northern Barbarians
Land of Rain.
High in the sky, the Thunder-Wind Eagle soared at full speed towards the Hidden Hot Water Village.
Kael sat cross-legged on its head, eyes closed, cultivating his chakra.
Suddenly, a faint red light glowed on his chest. Kael frowned slightly.
"Is it that idiot Yahiko again?"
He had synthesized less than twenty Communication Bats in total, and most had been distributed to his ANBU operatives. Each bat had its own code name; by calling the corresponding code, the voice would automatically be transmitted to the intended recipient.
Unless it was urgent, the ANBU wouldn't bother calling Kael, who was "Dog One."
"Dog One, Dog One! Calling Dog One! This is Dog Three. The Hidden Cloud has crossed the border! The Hidden Cloud has crossed the border! Do you copy? Do you copy?"
Kael's brow furrowed deeply.
The Hidden Cloud crossed the border?
He quickly pressed the talk button and replied in a low voice, "Dog Three, Dog Three, this is Dog One. Is it Watanabe Musashi? Are the Cloud ninja just asking for passage to march their army into the Land of Fire? If so, let them pass. The Hidden Hot Water has no reason to stop them."
Half an hour later!
Watanabe Musashi's voice came through the bat again, sounding even more urgent this time.
"No, their ninja army has already entered our village to rest. They're even demanding to conscript Hidden Hot Water shinobi to help them attack the Konoha border camp! The leaders are the Third Raikage's son and the Hidden Cloud's Eight-Tails Jinchuriki! They are in the village right now, and Lord Jade is receiving them!"
Hearing that even Jade had been dragged out, Kael finally realized the severity of the situation.
But he didn't panic. He pressed the button and said calmly, "Understood. I'm coming back immediately!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the Thunder-Wind Eagle beneath him accelerated explosively, turning into a streak of light that vanished over the horizon in the blink of an eye.
A forest outside the Hidden Hot Water Village.
Two Hidden Hot Water ANBU shinobi seemed to be waiting for something.
"Father, what do we do?" Watanabe Toneri asked in a low voice.
"Don't panic! Wait for the Leader to return!" Watanabe Musashi glared at his son disapprovingly. Toneri was several years older than Kael, yet he didn't have half of Kael's composure.
"But it's the Hidden Cloud..." Toneri said, still shaken.
Just then, Watanabe Musashi, who had been watching the sky, saw his pupils contract.
A pair of gray wings gradually filled his entire field of vision.
The figure arrived in an instant, and a young man jumped down.
A fierce wind swept past Watanabe Musashi and his son, kicking up a cloud of dust. Kael, wearing a black cloak, cut through the dust, his dark eyes calm and unwavering, shining brightly even in the haze.
"Kael!"
Seeing him finally arrive, Watanabe Toneri's eyes lit up, and he instinctively called out his name.
Kael's gaze landed on the two men. He nodded slightly at Toneri, then said to Watanabe Musashi, "Lead the way. I'm going to meet the Raikage's son and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki!"
Thinking of those two terrifying monsters, Toneri looked at Kael, hesitation on his face. He was about to say something when his father yanked him, making him stumble.
He steadied himself and followed his father toward the village, looking at him doubtfully. "Father, those are two human monsters. You don't actually think Kael is a match for them, do you?"
"Hn!"
"You trust his strength that much?" Toneri couldn't understand.
Watanabe Musashi, walking ahead, shook his head slightly and said deeply, "I just trust him!"
Kael followed the two to Jade's house.
Before they even got close, two towering figures flashed out, landing on the path in front of Kael. Their aura was restrained yet overwhelming, like two insurmountable mountains.
"We were just talking about you, the Hidden Hot Water Leader. Didn't expect you back so soon," the Raikage's son said coolly. He looked to be in his early twenties, his muscles rippling like steel.
Beside him, a robust man carrying dual blades pushed up his dark glasses.
"Yo! Yo! Yo! I'm always cramming at the last minute, cramming at the last minute! You young man, oh my, incredible!"
"Good lord, triple rhymes?"
Both Kael and the Raikage's son twitched their eyes simultaneously, a bit speechless.
"Are you... Killer B?" Kael asked tentatively.
The robust man's face lit up. "Is my rap already that famous? Even a ninja from a small village like the Hidden Hot Water recognizes me at a glance!"
Kael narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself, You're famous not just in the Shinobi World, but your bizarre reputation has even reached Earth...
The Raikage's son pulled the curious Killer B back, speaking impatiently. "B! Focus on the business!"
Saying this, he looked at Kael. His unbridled gaze swept up and down Kael's body, and his expression grew even more dismissive.
He had thought the seventeen-year-old Hidden Hot Water Leader would be something special, but now he saw that Kael was just an ordinary genius.
Seventeen years old and barely giving off the aura of a Jonin. In the talent-rich Hidden Cloud, this was nothing special.
Living above the thunderclouds, Cloud shinobi were born with lightning affinity and powerful physiques, making it easier for them to master the Lightning Style Chakra Mode to strengthen their bodies. They could rapidly increase their strength during their youth.
So, it was no wonder he looked down on a ninja from a small village like Kael.
Even if he was the Leader of the Hidden Hot Water!
"I want you to take all the Hidden Hot Water shinobi and assist me in capturing the Konoha border camp in the Land of Fire. You will take the lead. If you die in battle, the Hidden Cloud will naturally compensate you!"
Kael's pupils constricted slightly as he turned to look at the expressionless Raikage's son.
Gritting his teeth, he smiled. "The Hidden Hot Water is small and weak. I'm afraid we can't spare many ninja..."
"You refuse?"
The Raikage's son's face instantly turned cold, and he waved his hand dismissively.
Kael looked behind them. Several Cloud ninja were escorting Jade out of his house, flanking him. Other village ninja had heard the commotion and rushed over, but they were vaguely surrounded by ninja wearing Cloud forehead protectors.
Not counting the Raikage's son and Killer B, there were over a thousand Cloud ninja. If a fight broke out in the village now, it would be enough to wipe out the entire Hidden Hot Water.
Moreover, the old leader, Jade, was in their hands...
Thinking of this, Kael had no choice but to swallow his anger.
A harmless smile instantly blossomed on his face, and he nodded repeatedly to the Raikage's son. "Willing! Of course, we're willing! It's an honor for Hidden Hot Water shinobi to serve the Hidden Cloud!"
The Raikage's son nodded in satisfaction.
While smiling, Kael mentally ordered a large number of Explosive Flies to fly secretly into the Land of Fire.
He was someone who never accepted a loss. He had already formed a murderous intent toward the Raikage's son.
However, he estimated he couldn't take down the A-B Combo alone, so he wanted to confirm if Namikaze Minato was at that camp right now. In his memory, a major event did happen during this period in the original story.
Namikaze Minato's first duel against the A-B Combo!
Trying to bully my Hidden Hot Water Village because we're weak? You've picked the wrong target...
The Raikage's son was now kicking Hidden Hot Water civilians out of their homes to arrange accommodation for his subordinates, acting arrogantly in the village.
Kael gritted his teeth secretly.
Small nations had no rights. If the Cloud army was just passing through, Kael would have turned a blind eye and endured it.
He hadn't intended to offend the Hidden Cloud. After all, he had already made an enemy of Konoha. Making an enemy of the Cloud as well would be adding frost to snow.
But heaven didn't grant his wish. He didn't want trouble, but trouble came looking for him!