"Captain Ishido?"
Qingshui looked at one of the newcomers with pleasant surprise.
"Teacher Kurokawa?"
Baki also looked delighted.
This Jonin Kurokawa was Baki's instructing Jonin when he was a Genin. Kurokawa was the first to teach Baki Wind Release and swordplay.
Ishido was severely injured in the White Fang incident, which directly led to the temporary disbandment of the Puppet Force's Third Squad of the Sixth Division.
After several months of recuperation, he had finally recovered.
Qingshui had also met the other Jonin Kurokawa before. At that time, Sand Village ninja returned to the Land of Rain and were attacked by a combined force of Rain Hidden and Konoha. Jonin Kurokawa, Fukami Senran, and several other elite Jonin managed to hold off Orochimaru for a while until Rasa and Karura arrived with reinforcements.
In that battle, Kurokawa was badly wounded. He had barely arrived in the Land of Rain for two days before being severely injured, forcing him to return to the village for three months of recovery.
Neither of them had appeared on the battlefield for a long time. In fact, to keep this operation secret, not only did people remain in Sand Village using Transformation Jutsu as decoys, but even after arriving in the Land of Rain, they didn't enter the camp, fearing detection by spies from other ninja villages.
"Haha, you brat, Elder Chiyo told me you're already close to Jonin-level strength. Looks like my judgment back then wasn't bad after all!"
Ishido grinned, patting Qingshui's shoulder.
"Captain Ishido, you seem to have recovered well."
Qingshui smiled at Ishido.
For Qingshui, Ishido was also something of a benefactor.
After all, he was the one who first recognized Qingshui's talent, which led to Qingshui joining the Puppet Force and later interacting with Sasori, Ebizo, and Chiyo.
Baki also caught up with Kurokawa for a while, and then everyone got down to business.
"This is a top-secret S-rank mission, aimed at doing our best to destroy Konoha's logistics and storage strongholds and reduce Konoha's long-term combat potential."
Before the official operation, Ishido reiterated the instructions.
Since Konoha intended to transfer Orochimaru, if Konoha still wanted to win with its forces in Rain Village weakened, there was only one way—to drag it out.
Hanzo's Rain Village had the advantage of fighting on home turf. Konoha had a strong foundation, abundant troops, and ample supplies, so they weren't afraid of a prolonged war.
Of course, Hanzo might be unhappy, because the longer the fighting dragged on, the greater the damage to the Land of Rain.
However, smaller nations are inherently weaker than larger ones. When direct victory through brute force isn't possible, the most likely way to win is by relying on home-field advantage and strategic depth to fight a prolonged war.
The Land of Rain isn't large, so it lacks strategic depth. But fortunately, Hanzo emerged, and with his strength, he could tie Konoha down for a long time.
If they could destroy a large amount of Konoha's logistical supplies on this trip, it would have a significant impact.
Even if it wasn't enough to make Konoha abandon the idea of a prolonged war, it could force Konoha ninja to shorten their supply lines due to logistical shortages.
Not to mention, once Konoha ninja learned their logistics were attacked, their morale would also be affected.
"This is our route for this operation. Secrecy is more important than speed, so during the initial travel, do not use Transformation Jutsu for disguises to avoid having Konoha personnel detect Chakra fluctuations. Just use conventional disguise methods."
Kurokawa then took out several photos.
"These are our targets for disguise on this trip—a minor noble family from the Land of Rain. Everyone's facial features are very similar to ours, making disguise easier."
Qingshui picked up the photos and indeed found a resemblance to himself and the others.
Kurokawa and his team had even prepared specific identity information and relevant documents.
"This great war will require at least another day for both sides to prepare. From initial probing to full engagement, and then to its conclusion, it will take at least three days. Our mission is to reach the border of the Land of Fire and destroy Konoha's storage stronghold within three days.
Mission briefing complete. Begin disguising yourselves immediately and prepare to depart!"
Kurokawa issued the command to the others.
Kurokawa generally gave the commands, with Ishido only adding details when necessary. It seemed they had discussed on the way who would primarily lead this mission.
…
…
One day later.
Dressed in luxurious and flamboyant clothes, portraying a wealthy young master, Qingshui strolled into a casino in Horocastle, on the Konoha border, fanning himself.
This was the largest city on the Land of Fire's border. Although it no longer bustled with its former prosperity due to the war, that was only in comparison to its past.
The casino was still packed with people.
Here, being accidentally bumped into was quite normal.
Qingshui's shoulder was jostled by a stumbling drunk.
"Hey! Brat, don't block my way next time!"
The drunk burped, then staggered away.
Qingshui felt a piece of paper suddenly appear in his palm. He made a disgusted face at the drunk, then walked over to a gambling table and played a couple of rounds before heading into the restroom and opening the note.
The person was a Sand Village operative stationed in Horocastle.
"So, the fighting has already started. Orochimaru, Danzō Shimura, and Jiraiya are working with Hanzo, but Princess Tsunade is nowhere to be seen… I see. The Horocastle logistics warehouse is located behind the tavern in the west of the city. People often go out there to buy ingredients, so even large quantities of goods entering and exiting wouldn't overly arouse suspicion."
After reading the intelligence, Qingshui tore the note into pieces and swallowed them.
Burning it creates smoke, and flushing it down the toilet risks discovery—even if it's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, it's not worth gambling on.
Tearing it up and eating it is the safest bet.
"Princess Tsunade's whereabouts might be here."
As Qingshui emerged from the restroom, he immediately spotted a blonde girl sitting at a gambling table.
While a blonde girl gambling in a casino was unusual, it didn't necessarily mean it was Tsunade.
However, someone who had lost over a million ryo after 64 consecutive losses without a single win had to be Tsunade.
Tsunade had clearly disguised herself, as her appearance differed from the intelligence reports.
More importantly, Tsunade at this time shouldn't have been so well-endowed, yet the Tsunade here had at least a D-cup bust.
Having already received information from his contact, Qingshui had no intention of lingering.
Nor did he intend to approach Princess Tsunade.
Though she was quite beautiful and would surely become even more so, they were adversaries.
Tsunade was, after all, one of the Sannin and highly experienced. Staying here longer risked being discovered. It was best to leave quickly while she was still happily losing money.
After leaving the casino, Qingshui walked straight ahead, took a few turns, and once certain he wasn't being followed, he entered a hotel.
This was their rendezvous point.
Thanks to book friends Heizi Wuxiang and Shujuj for their 100 Qidian coin rewards!
I'll try to write the next chapter before midnight.
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