After a brief recovery, Uchiha Kaede wiped the blood off his Kunai with his hand while Kakashi wasn't paying attention, secretly activating his absorption ability.
As his hand swept across the Kunai, the blood vanished. A faint surge of Chakra flowed into his body, but no Ninjutsu or similar effects appeared.
"Nothing?" Uchiha Kaede sensed the change within his body. He had actually wanted to see if he could acquire a Bloodline Limit, but perhaps due to bad luck, he only gained a little Chakra.
Maybe absorbing more blood would work, but it was already fortunate enough to have injured Rasa this time. If the fight continued, they would definitely lose.
After resting for a while, Uchiha Kaede and Kakashi dared not linger and sped away, heading far from the Hidden Sand Village.
Kakashi's heart was currently in turmoil. As he ran, he constantly glanced at Uchiha Kaede beside him.
Earlier, Uchiha Kaede had erupted with astonishing power at a critical moment. Before that, Kakashi had been worried that Kaede might need his rescue.
If his strength was so great, why was he unknown? Recalling the scenes, Kakashi couldn't help but frown slightly, his eyes filled with confusion.
Especially the Body Flicker Technique he displayed; it was as if he were looking at Shisui.
Kaede did not explain his strength because he knew Hiruzen Sarutobi would definitely question Kakashi about the details of this mission.
As they traveled, a dense forest appeared ahead. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, creating patches of golden light that fell upon the ground like a natural painting.
However, Kakashi paused slightly at the edge of the forest. His gaze sharpened, as if he had detected something unusual.
After a moment, he slowly spoke, "Something is wrong. The atmosphere in this forest seems chaotic. There might be trouble."
"Hmm, we've come this far. It can't be Sunagakure Ninja," Uchiha Kaede nodded, already drawing a Kunai.
The two of them cautiously stepped into the forest, their footsteps so light they made almost no sound.
Every few steps, Kakashi would use his Sharingan to scan the surroundings, while Uchiha Kaede relied on his acute perception, paying attention to even the slightest fluctuations in the air.
Suddenly, a faint rush of wind came from above. Uchiha Kaede and Kakashi looked up almost simultaneously, only to see several dark figures rapidly pouncing from the trees, their sharp blades glinting coldly in the sunlight.
"Hmph, a trap indeed!" Kakashi snorted, his figure flashing as he instantly vanished from the spot.
The next moment, several screams were heard, and the attacking enemies were all struck and sent flying, crashing heavily onto the ground.
Subsequently, the phantom-like Kaede directly harvested their lives.
Uchiha Kaede looked at Kakashi: "Who are these people? Why are they ambushing us here?"
Kakashi frowned, crouched down to examine the enemies' clothing and weapons, and slowly said, "Judging by their appearance, they seem to belong to some wandering Ninja organization, trying to take advantage of us to steal our Ninja tools and money. Hmph, truly overestimating themselves."
"Wandering Ninja? And they have organizations?" Uchiha Kaede asked in surprise.
"Essentially, someone hired them and gathered them together. These few probably saw that we were alone and decided to try and rob us," Kakashi analyzed.
"These people have terrible intelligence. They don't even recognize Kakashi-senpai, yet they dare to try and rob us," Kaede said, feeling speechless.
"I'm not that famous. It's nothing strange," Kakashi waved his hand dismissively.
"Huh?" Kaede noticed one of the Ninja was carrying a scroll. He squatted down and slowly opened it.
"What is it? What does it say?" Kakashi asked.
"It turns out these Ninja were planning to go to Takigakure. I guess, just like you said, Senpai, they saw us alone and decided to try a quick robbery." Kaede looked at the words Takigakure. These guys were hired to go there to gather intelligence and steal resources.
Takigakure, the water of heroism! Kaede suddenly remembered this special resource from the original work, which could increase a Ninja's Chakra by dozens of times.
The person who hired them most likely knew about the existence of the water of heroism, but they clearly overestimated the strength of these few individuals.
However, this is also because Jonin-level or higher wandering Ninja are rare in the Ninja World. After all, without sufficient resources for training, it's impossible for Jonin to appear. Even someone like Kakuzu was trained by a Ninja Village before defecting.
The water of heroism! What a great item, if he could get his hands on it. Uchiha Kaede couldn't help but think. He didn't have much time left; almost half a year had passed since Shisui's death.
The Night of the Clan Massacre was imminent. He had to think of every possible way to improve his strength, which was why he risked his life to strike Rasa.
He wanted to see if he could acquire Magnet Release, which would allow him to quickly increase his strength, but unfortunately, he failed.
The water of heroism was undoubtedly another opportunity. Although very risky, given his current development, he couldn't possibly withstand Uchiha Itachi. It would be better to... "Kakashi-senpai, I have somewhere else I need to go. You should return to Konoha and report the mission yourself!" Kaede suddenly said.
"Huh? Then I'll go with you," Kakashi disagreed.
"No, you must return to Konoha," Kaede explained. "Because we caused such a scene with the Sunagakure Ninja, the Kazekage will definitely go to Hokage-sama for an explanation. You must go back and report the mission to Hokage-sama."
"Then you must come back with me too. You can leave again after reporting to the Hokage," Kakashi found his reasoning sound, but still insisted that Kaede return with him first.
"Kakashi-senpai! My matter is a life-or-death situation. If I go back, it will be too late. Strictly speaking, our mission is already complete," Kaede told Kakashi with extreme seriousness.
Kakashi hesitated. The Kakashi of the past would never have allowed him to go, but the current Kakashi had experienced the "deaths" of Obito and Rin, the passing of his master and his master's wife, and had just emerged from Root.
It could be said that this was the darkest period of his life. Even if it violated Konoha's regulations, he finally nodded in agreement.
Uchiha Kaede then vanished from the spot using the Body Flicker Technique. Kakashi looked up at the sky and sighed helplessly.
Kakashi turned and rushed toward Konoha, his mind racing with thoughts. He knew Kaede must have an extremely important reason for being so resolute, but as a Ninja, he had violated some principles, and his heart was inevitably conflicted.
Meanwhile, Uchiha Kaede rushed at full speed toward Takigakure. He knew that although the water of heroism was dangerous, it might be the key to changing his fate. Upon reaching the vicinity of Takigakure, he concealed his presence and quietly infiltrated.
Relying on his knowledge of Takigakure's terrain, he gradually approached the location where the water of heroism was stored.
However, Takigakure's defenses were much stricter than he had imagined, with hidden sentries and traps everywhere.
At the same time, Kakashi returned to Konoha and headed straight for the Hokage Office. He bowed deeply to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then slowly recounted everything that had happened in the Hidden Sand Village, including Kaede wounding Rasa and Kaede leaving alone.
After listening, Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes were profound. He pondered silently for a long time, finally letting out a soft sigh and saying, "I hope he returns soon."
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