"Stop! Put down my teacher!"
The three Suna genin chased for dozens of kilometers until they were gasping for breath.
All three supported themselves with their hands on their knees, heads raised.
For genin to chase a jōnin this far was already a testament to their considerable willpower.
Yōkō checked the direction. He had given the three genin enough hints. He needed to take Tade's body further north, towards the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth.
Yōkō threw three kunai backwards, startling the three genin into a panicked roll.
Sweat soaked their clothes, which then became caked with sand, leaving them in a wretched state.
Yōkō said, "The three of you are weak, but your courage is commendable.
I admire your bravery and grant you the chance to live. Scram back to Sunagakure."
Hoisting Tade's corpse onto his shoulder, Yōkō vanished with Nara Umeka using the Body Flicker Technique.
Only after the two had left did the three genin feel the full force of their fear and terror.
They had been incredibly foolish to chase the murderer this far.
If the killer had wished, he could have ended them at any moment.
After putting some distance between them, Yōkō unsealed some bandages, wrapped the corpse, and sprayed it with preservatives to prevent decay.
Nara Umeka said, "Let's go. We'll take the body to an underground exchange in the Land of Earth to claim the bounty."
Reaching the foot of the Kikkō Mountain Range, they saw a vast expanse of oasis.
Nara Umeka said, "That's the mountain oasis of the Land of Wind. After water was diverted from the Land of Rain through the cave, this large oasis appeared.
I heard Ebizō was nearly furious to death.
His subordinates were the first to discover the cave, but after losing the war, the Wind Daimyō obtained permission from the Daimyō of the Land of Fire, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Rain through negotiation.
The credit belongs to the Daimyō, none of it to Ebizō."
This oasis was fan-shaped, stretching out from the base of the Kikkō Mountains for over ten kilometers.
An oasis of this scale was considered exceptionally large in the Land of Wind. Crucially, its area was still expanding.
Climbing the towering Kikkō Mountains, the temperature dropped abruptly, and the air was no longer unbearably dry.
After crossing the mountain range, they entered the Land of Rain.
Yōkō arrived once more at Tsutamidani Town.
On the town's dam, three squads of samurai were stationed.
Samurai from the Land of Rain, the Land of Rivers, and the Land of Wind protected the stationed officials, ensuring the water distribution proceeded without issue.
Yōkō said, "Let's rest for the night in Tsutamidani Town. I'm a bit tired."
Nara Umeka said, "You're the strong one, I'll follow your lead."
Yōkō thought to himself, the clever Nara Umeka was still so admirably strength-oriented.
The two entered a newly built inn in Tsutamidani Town.
The innkeeper, seeing a masked man and woman enter, knew they were rogue ninja not to be trifled with, and provided them with two of his best rooms.
That night, Nara Umeka knocked on Yōkō's door.
"I have a plan I'd like to consult you about, Captain of the ANBU Squad."
Noticing the water droplets in Nara Umeka's hair, Yōkō knew she had just bathed. It can't just be a simple consultation, can it? he thought.
After entering Yōkō's room, Nara Umeka sat on the bed and said:
"Barring any surprises, each village likely posts bounties on targets from enemy villages at the underground exchanges.
Using the underground exchange adds a layer of disguise, making exposure less likely, but the commission fees are too high, essentially giving money to the exchange.
The village's funds are tight; how can we keep giving money away?
Fox, do you think it's possible that if Kumogakure places a bounty on a specific Kiri jōnin, we from Konoha could intercept and kill that Kiri jōnin, collecting Kumo's bounty?"
"Absolutely possible!" Yōkō said:
"But this relies on a powerful intelligence foundation.
If Kumo spends tens of millions of Ryo to bounty a ninja, they will definitely send assassins immediately, just like we did.
We must seize the timing gap, getting the head before the Kumo-nin do.
Our current intelligence system isn't efficient or sensitive enough for such interceptive killings. It could lead to many wasted trips and resource drain."
Nara Umeka nodded; she also understood that intelligence was the key to the plan.
This would be the main scheme she would push next. If implemented, she would gain significant merit, and the Nara clan would benefit accordingly.
"Fox, regarding the intelligence system, do you have any suggestions?"
Yōkō shook his head: "My role has always been that of an executor, carrying out the Hokage's missions or Battalion Commander Yellow Dog's missions.
Before this mission, I had never been involved with the intelligence system. I know nothing about spies and intelligence networks.
So, you'd better ask someone else."
The ANBU spy system fell under Long-Armed Ape's purview. He needed to observe this true confidant of Yellow Dog more, looking for the right moment to act.
Favoritism existed, after all. Yōkō had been utterly unreserved, if not completely open-hearted, towards Yellow Dog, and look how it ended up.
Nara Umeka continued asking: "What about suggestions regarding the interceptive killings themselves?"
"The most important thing for interceptive killing missions is speed. Dispatch fast ninjas to reach the destination quickly." Yōkō said:
"If the village is willing to invest, it could form a Rapid Reaction Battalion or Squad.
This unit should consist entirely of speed-type ninjas, capable of covering at least 500 kilometers per day to meet the requirements."
The average ninja's travel speed is 300 to 400 kilometers per day, as ninjas need to preserve stamina to deal with potential ambushes at any time.
Nara Umeka nodded repeatedly, committing all this important information to heart.
"Then, Fox, would you be willing to serve as the Captain of the Rapid Reaction Battalion?"
Yōkō said: "I'm too versatile. Whether it's speed, attack power, or defense, I excel in all areas.
Personally, I don't mind. Whether it's being an ANBU Squad Captain or the Captain of the Rapid Reaction Battalion, I'll do it if ordered by the Hokage or Battalion Commander Yellow Dog.
You could suggest Black Ant for the position of Rapid Reaction Squad Captain. He's from your Nara clan."
Nara Umeka seemed somewhat displeased: "In your eyes, am I the type to show favoritism for my clan?"
"Apologies, I was judging a gentleman by the measure of a petty person. Knowing so much intelligence, you must be aware that there are few 'good people' in Root and ANBU, which makes me prone to suspecting others' motives."
"ANBU actions are somewhat predictable, but there are indeed few good people in Root," Nara Umeka said:
"Speaking of Root, after the heavy losses at the Valley of the End, their reconstruction is fraught with difficulties.
Out of 20 new trainees recently, 3 have already died during training."
Yōkō's eyes darkened.
Danzo was personally training the new Root members. The training was extremely brutal, solely to cultivate usable subordinates as quickly as possible.
As Yōkō was lost in thought, he felt a shadow fall over him. Nara Umeka had come to stand right in front of him.
"There are still some things... I'd like to discuss with you, Fox..."
As they talked, the barriers between them gradually diminished, and pieces of clothing began to fall away.
Twenty minutes later.
Nara Umeka said: "Fox, relax, let me use my shadow to control you..."
"Ah? Why?"
"You're a busy ANBU ninja, you probably have very few women, right? So you don't understand women at all."
Yōkō thought to himself, Was my performance that bad?
He relaxed his body, allowing Nara Umeka to control him.
Over ten seconds later, he had an epiphany.
I see! So it's this angle, this frequency.
Wait, isn't this just using me as a big toy?
The Nara clan plays pretty wild too!
Indeed, clever people are selfish!
***
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(End of Chapter)