"Takeshi, have you seen Kushina?"
The next morning, after Mikoto realized Kushina wasn't beside her, she came to Takeshi.
"Is she gone?"
Takeshi said in surprise.
"No, I haven't seen her since I woke up this morning."
Mikoto shook her head, feeling a little worried.
"Do you think she's deliberately hiding from us because she doesn't want to go back?"
"..."
Takeshi was startled. Recalling how Kushina had vented her anger on him yesterday, he also felt a hint of uncertainty.
"Probably... not."
Though he said that, given Kushina's personality, she might actually do it.
"Takeshi, it's time to set off."
Just then, the team was already preparing to head to the Land of Rain again.
"Sister Mikoto, could you tell my father that I have a stomachache and need to take care of it?"
Takeshi was still worried about Kushina and intended to go look for her.
This place wasn't far from the Land of Rain battlefield. If she encountered Ninja trying to ambush Konoha, it would be terrible.
He felt a little uneasy in his heart.
"Eh? Me?"
Watching Takeshi's hurried departure, Mikoto stood stunned.
"Kazekage-sama, it seems there's a group of Konoha Ninja stationed ahead."
In the border area of the Land of Fire, several Ninja wearing Sunagakure headbands were moving through the forest.
"What? Have our movements been exposed?"
The Third Kazekage's face darkened. They were taking a shortcut; they shouldn't have been discovered.
"It doesn't seem so. Those people are wearing clothes with the Uchiha clan crest. They should be heading to reinforce the Land of Rain battlefield."
"Konoha's Uchiha Ninja?"
The Third Kazekage was startled. He had heard of these red-eyed madmen; their strength was ridiculously high. If they ran into them, they would definitely not fare well.
"Since they haven't discovered us, let's go around them and take the path along the river."
With Konoha having deployed a large number of troops to the Land of Rain battlefield, its internal fighting strength must be depleted. A surprise attack on Konoha Village itself would be the best option at this time.
If they suddenly engaged Konoha's Uchiha, not only would their actions be completely exposed, but they might also be dragged into the quagmire of a two-sided battlefield.
One must know that their Hidden Sand Village was currently not receiving much financial support from the Daimyo. Coupled with the Village's inherently harsh environment and extremely few commissions and income, it was completely insufficient for the Village's expenditures.
They simply didn't have that much money to spend in a war of attrition with Konoha and Amegakure.
Moreover, their purpose in this surprise attack on Konoha was originally to seize the opportunity to grab some resources while the two sides were fiercely fighting.
There was absolutely no need to engage them in a direct confrontation.
"Yes."
The other Sunagakure Ninja responded in unison.
"Damn Uchiha brat!"
Kushina kicked a stone by her foot, grumbling as she walked to the riverside.
Originally, she had come full of excitement this time, even thinking that Takeshi might be startled by her.
Just thinking about his surprised expression, Kushina gritted her teeth and endured all the hardships she faced on the way.
But what awaited her was not a surprised expression of welcome, but a serious scolding questioning her actions and merciless words telling her to go back.
"Ah, hateful Takeshi!"
I want to stay with everyone too!
The more Kushina thought about it, the angrier she got. She picked up a stone and fiercely threw it towards the river.
"Ah!"
A cry of pain rang out.
"Who's there?!"
Kushina was instantly startled and immediately became vigilant.
She really didn't expect that her casual throw would hit someone.
This was near the Land of Rain battlefield, and anyone appearing here was very likely an enemy. Kushina dared not take it lightly.
"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."
A rustling sound came from the bushes, followed by several Sunagakure Ninja emerging.
One of them walked with a limp, holding a stone in his hand the very one Kushina had just thrown.
"Ninja from Hidden Sand Village?"
Kushina recognized the symbol on their headbands and immediately adopted a fighting stance.
"How did you come to our Land of Fire territory?"
The limping Ninja did not answer her question. Instead, he gripped the stone tightly, his eyes blazing with anger as he glared at Kushina, gritting his teeth and saying:
"You hateful brat, you'll pay for hurting me!"