Chapter 189: Reconciling Intelligence
After returning to the Kiiroinu Battalion’s tent area, Yoru found Lord Kiiroinu and said:
“Kiiroinu Captain, I plan to go to the coastline again to investigate the Hozuki Clan’s movements.
After Hozuki Murgetsu’s death, the Hozuki Clan will not let it rest easily; they may have big actions.”
Lord Kiiroinu was very pleased:
“Fox, you are the most proactive Anbu Ninja I have ever seen.
I just received news that Advisor Mito Mon’en has left the Land of Earth and is on his way to the Land of Whirlpools.
He will represent Konoha Village in negotiations with the Hidden Mist Village.
The war is about to end; the Second Ninja War is about to end.”
Advisor Mito Mon’en leaving the Land of Earth and appearing in the Land of Whirlpools proves that the Land of Earth War has entered its final stage.
With all other wars ended, Konoha Village singles out the Hidden Mist Village—how can the Hidden Mist Village continue to fight?
Lord Kiiroinu continued: “When the war ends and merits are rewarded, I will be promoted to Anbu Deputy Minister, and you will be Captain.”
“Then in the future when we meet, I will have to address you as Lord Kiiroinu!”
“Kiiroinu Captain, let us progress together.”
A certain joyful atmosphere, or rather the pleasure of being partners in crime, reached a climax amid mutual flattery.
Both were fully satisfied.
“Lord Kiiroinu, after you say that, I want even more to handle the aftermath work. I will set off now to investigate the Hozuki Clan’s revenge.”
“Go ahead.”
Yoru left the camp and quickly found the Aries Squad that was returning.
Aries hurriedly whispered a report: “Captain, those two corpses were destroyed! Someone discovered my setup and sabotaged my mechanism!”
Yoru thought to himself, as expected, he still couldn’t obtain evidence; the Root Ninja’s reaction was very fast. He said:
“The squad’s three team members return to the camp. Aries, come with me.”
After the others had left, Yoru said:
“Aries, I received the battalion captain’s order to investigate an Aburame Clan Root Ninja. You are responsible for finding his parasitic insects.”
Though his identity was mysterious, Yoru knew he was Aburame Ryoma.
“Got it!”
Aries thought to himself, this time he must find evidence of Root framing the battalion; he absolutely could not make another mistake.
The Aburame Clan was easy to find; no matter where they went, they habitually released their parasitic insects to guard the surroundings.
Yoru couldn’t find Aburame Ryoma, but Aries could easily do so.
The two searched the seaside for a whole day when Aries suddenly said: “Found him! Captain!”
Yoru said: “Good. Aries, tell me the direction, then find a place to hide. The following investigation mission is too dangerous; I will complete it alone.”
After Aries roughly marked the range of another Aburame Ninja’s insects, he left the squad leader.
He was an Anbu Ninja; he wouldn’t inquire about things he wasn’t supposed to know.
The captain said the next part was very dangerous; if he went, he would only drag the captain down.
At a certain cliff wall along the coastline.
He leaned behind a reef, listening to the sounds around him and sensing the intelligence returned by the parasitic insects.
One parasitic insect encountered another Aburame Ninja’s parasitic insect; the other Aburame Ninja quickly left, and he paid no attention.
Perhaps it was another Aburame clansman on the battlefield.
Soon, the parasitic insects relayed a message: someone was walking toward here.
He looked to the side, continuing to wait for a woman.
Yakushi Nonou, the Walking Witch, Root’s most important spy.
She had a disguise secret jutsu that no ninja could discern, gathering intelligence for Root in enemy countries and enemy villages.
At this time, Yakushi Nonou was a plump young woman.
About to face him, Yakushi Nonou raised her hand to adjust her glasses and casually pressed her brow to avoid unconsciously frowning.
Root’s scheme had failed.
Lord Kiiroinu’s great victory would threaten Advisor Danzo’s power in Anbu.
Originally, as long as Yellow Dog’s battle plan was leaked to the Mist Ninja, the Mist Ninja would use the intelligence to launch a counter-ambush.
Yet the Mist Ninja, while setting up the trap, were precisely struck by Lord Kiiroinu.
Yakushi Nonou, as the liaison for this operation, bore undeniable responsibility.
If Lord Kiiroinu successfully became Anbu Deputy Minister, Danzo would not let her go.
More critically, Danzo would not let her orphanage go; that was her only weakness.
She stopped and washed her hands at the seaside.
A certain special powder dissolved into the seawater with her washing.
On the distant sea surface, a walrus appeared; stimulated by the special scent, the walrus left the reef and dove into the seawater.
Yakushi Nonou felt slightly relieved in her heart: success, she had attracted the walrus’s attention.
She continued toward the location agreed with him.
Arriving near the cliff wall, she jumped down the cliff wall and saw him leaning behind the reef.
He stared at Yakushi Nonou: “Lord needs an explanation, an explanation that you did not betray Lord.”
Yakushi Nonou said unhurriedly:
“I led Suikazan Fuguya to the rendezvous point. Two Root Ninja arrived at the rendezvous point, exchanged codes, and both sides swapped intelligence.
Everything went smoothly in between.
In the battle plan that Suikazan Fuguya saw, Lord Kiiroinu would ambush yesterday.
The Mist Ninja went to set up the trap the day before yesterday; everything seemed fine.
However, the intelligence the two Root Ninja gave Suikazan Fuguya had a problem: Lord Kiiroinu had arrived at the ambush location the day before yesterday.
The Mist Ninja were dispersing to set up the trap when they were caught off guard.
Mist Technique and combined Water Style had no time to execute, leading to the Mist Ninja’s great defeat.
The failure of this operation was entirely because the battle plan brought by the two Root Ninja was wrong.”
Yakushi Nonou threw a scroll to him: “This is my report scroll; everything is explained clearly inside.”
He directly batted the scroll away, knocking Yakushi Nonou’s scroll into the seawater.
Yakushi Nonou saw her scroll bobbing up and down in the seawater and thought to herself that today would not end well.
She frowned; he wasn’t even giving her a chance to explain.
He took out a scroll and threw it to Yakushi Nonou.
Yakushi Nonou opened the scroll he threw; her pupils suddenly contracted.
Yakushi Nonou finally understood where the problem was: the two Root Ninja, Ren and Gui, were killed; the Ren and Gui she met were fake.
Putting down the scroll, after quickly thinking, Yakushi Nonou said:
“To kill Ren and Gui, the enemy’s strength is at least Elite Jonin.
And to obtain intelligence from Ren and Gui, the enemy is very skilled at interrogation or…
No, it couldn’t be interrogation; no interrogation method could pry open Ren and Gui’s mouths.
It could only be Yamanaka Clan secret jutsu, reading intelligence from the corpses.
He obtained Root’s code and rendezvoused with me.
Capable of killing Ren and Gui, with a Yamanaka Clan Ninja as assistant…”
Yakushi Nonou was a spy walking in enemy villages; she was not very familiar with intelligence within Konoha.
Danzo only allowed her to return to Konoha Village and the orphanage for two months at year’s end.
For the remaining time, she had to gather intelligence for Danzo.
He heard Yakushi Nonou’s analysis, frowned in thought, and said:
“There aren’t many people who fit these conditions; Ren and Gui were quite strong.
With Yamanaka Clan assistance, the Yamanaka Clan Ninja saw him kill Root Ninja but did not report to headquarters.
More importantly, it is related to Lord Kiiroinu.
There is only one possibility: Copper Fox of the Kiiroinu Battalion!
His assistant Purple Cat is a Yamanaka Clan Ninja, Yamanaka Riko.”
He nodded repeatedly, cross-checking with Yakushi Nonou’s intelligence, and arrived at the answer.
Yakushi Nonou said: “Then can I go? The Mist Ninja are investigating the Sword Seizing Unit’s failure; it’s hard for me to handle on my side.”
The next instant, Yakushi Nonou’s expression instantly turned pale.
Parasitic insects like a whirlwind appeared around them.
“No!” he said:
“Failure must be punished. Come back to Root with me; Lord is very dissatisfied with your spy work in the Hidden Mist Village. You no longer need to lurk in the Hidden Mist Village.”
Yakushi Nonou thought to herself, as expected…
The parasitic insect tornado surrounded the two, with eerie flying insect sounds all around.
This tornado suddenly tightened, about to capture Yakushi Nonou.
In the distant seawater, Yoru only had his eyes and forehead exposed; he was about to act but forced himself to stop.
A tall orange-haired figure appeared, with the great sword Samehada on his back!
Suikazan Fuguya?
