Dozens of miles away from Konoha Village, Kurenai's squad moved quickly under the guidance of the ANBU.

On the way, Hinata Kaze was asked to open his Byakugan to observe from time to time, which forced him to use his chakra to force the blood vessels and meridians around his eyes to bulge out like a normal eye opening.

Suddenly, Hyuga Kaze spoke up: "Be careful, there's a chakra reaction about a kilometer ahead, but it's very faint."

The officers in the shadows reacted quickly: "Stay alert, accelerate your approach."

In fact, with Hyuga Kaze's superhuman vision of over two kilometers, he had already seen that there was a fog ahead.

They quickly reached the kilometer mark, and what appeared before Hinata Kaze and his companions was a hazy fog covering several hundred square meters. Occasionally, sounds of battle could be heard from within, before the fog quickly returned to death.

Kurenai observed the fog for a moment, then frowned and said to the Anbu, "This fog covers too much area; it must be the Mist Ninja's Hidden Mist Technique. Our team doesn't know any large-scale Wind Release ninjutsu, so we can't disperse the fog. If you don't know Wind Release ninjutsu either, I suggest that the Anbu members inside come out. Of course, it's difficult to tell which direction to take, so it's somewhat dangerous."

The ANBU ninja shook his head regretfully, indicating that he had not mastered any powerful wind-style techniques, and then rejected Kurenai Yuhi's suggestion.

"The Mist Ninja are masters of the 'Lifeless Killing Technique.' We heard very little fighting earlier, so both sides must be hiding and searching. Letting them out would expose our position! The Byakugan has strong observational capabilities; can it clearly discern the situation inside?"

"There's no way around it. This fog itself carries chakra, which will interfere with the Hyuga clan's Byakugan observation."

"Time is of the essence, and there are many of us, so let's be careful and go in together!"

Contrary to Hinata Kaze's expectations, the plan proposed by the so-called elite members of the Dark Side was incredibly reckless!

With a sigh, Hyuga Kaze and Yuhi Kurenai exchanged a glance and seized command.

"Going in together is not advisable. I suggest that Hong and Hongdou observe and blockade from the outside. Hongdou, you can summon the poisonous snakes to explore and attack anyone you see. It doesn't matter if they bite the Anbu; I can treat your snake venom. As for the two of us, let's go in together. The Byakugan can still observe some things. Let's meet up with the Anbu inside first."

The ANBU ninja paused for a moment, then nodded, preparing to rush in with Hyuga Kaze.

"Wind, be careful!"

Kurenai Yuhi's serious expression and cold voice delivered a warning that sent a shiver down Hyuga Kaze's spine.

Although Hinata Kaze possesses a man's natural fatherly love and a fondness for older women, and prefers Yuhi Kurenai's sweet voice calling him "little brother" or sobbing and begging for mercy while calling him "daddy," this kind of aloof female boss seems pretty good too. Maybe he can try it next time.

A thought flashed through his mind, and Hyuga Kaze, along with the Anbu members beside him, rushed into the fog.

Visibility was less than two meters, and the thick, sticky fog greatly interfered with Byakugan's observation. Fortunately, Hyuga Kaze still possessed martial arts intuition, and after many twists and turns, he led the Anbu to a person who was wearing Anbu uniform and lying on the ground, no longer breathing.

"Deer!" A member of the spies exclaimed softly, but quickly regained his composure. "We need to quicken our pace."

Nodding silently, Hinata Kaze continued to pretend to search for clues while using his Mind Mirror Technique to observe the battle not far away.

Three heavily armed ninjas were besieging an ANBU member in the mist. Despite being outnumbered, the ANBU member held his own, responding tactfully and reacting swiftly, truly showcasing the prowess of the ANBU.

Hinata Kaze watched as this guy repeatedly used clones, illusions, and crow guidance to make the three attackers return empty-handed and even get injured. He couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. He really was a combat master!

Just as I was watching, the ANBU ninja performed another brilliant maneuver, this time cornering him with three ninjas.

"You can't escape this time!" a Mist Ninja shouted excitedly and charged forward. The next second, he was hit by a kunai thrown from the side and turned into a puddle of water! At the same time, the Anbu opposite him turned into a wooden stake.

The two Mist Ninjas beside him chased after the firing point the moment the kunai appeared, intercepting an Anbu ninja. They attacked with their ninja swords from above and below, stabbing him in just a few moves. The ninja was struck without drawing blood, then vanished with a soft "poof"—a ​​shadow clone.

"Nothing found." The mist ninja, now transformed into a splash of water, emerged from between the trees and approached his two companions who had failed in their mission. He was immediately stabbed by his companions and disappeared again!

The two Mist Ninja continued to carefully sense their surroundings, when suddenly they heard a hissing sound and a cry of alarm, "Watch out, there's...!"

The warning abruptly stopped, and the two Mist Ninja reacted swiftly, retreating abruptly.

Boom! A sudden explosion rang out from the fog; it was a detonation tag.

"Over here!"

This time, Hyuga Kaze can't afford to dawdle; she has to accelerate towards her battle position.

By the time Hyuga Kaze and the others arrived, the Mist Ninja who had spoken up had already been hit by a kunai and a fireball, and was lying on the ground, unable to get up! They were only facing two Mist Ninjas who had been slightly affected by the explosive tags.

It wouldn't be good to do nothing on a mission, Hyuga Kaze thought, and quickly rushed towards the Mist Ninja who were about to hide. Using Gentle Fist combined with kunai and shuriken, he quickly caught them off guard and, with the help of the ANBU's encirclement from the side, he soon seriously injured them.

However, they ultimately failed to capture any prisoners. These guys all had special seals on their bodies and committed suicide!

"Thank you for your help, but unfortunately the spy has already left. I will report the details of the mission to Lord Hokage. Farewell!"

Back in Konoha, the two ANBU exchanged a few pleasantries and then took their teammate's corpse and the remains of the Mist Ninja to report on the mission.

As the two ANBU members walked away, a cold glint flashed in Hyuga Kaze's eyes.

"Uchiha Itachi, huh? He's already joined the Anbu. It seems the Uchiha clan's good days are numbered. Plus, that thing I sensed earlier that was one with the trees and the earth, moving incredibly fast—that must be a White Zetsu. How terrifying, they've been eyeing Uchiha Itachi for so long."

Hinata Kaze pondered. After the previous battle, he realized that the ANBU member who could fight three Mist Ninja alone in the fog and even turn the tables was Uchiha Itachi. As expected, he had a calm and quick-witted fighting style.

Even though his strength far surpassed that of the current Uchiha Itachi, Hyuga Kaze remained wary of him. In Hyuga Kaze's view, not only was he incredibly strong, but he also possessed a host of powerful artifacts, remained calm during battle, and always had a backup plan, making him extremely troublesome.

Everyone says he's heartless and cruel. This guy slaughtered his own clan of men, women, and children, leaving only his younger brother alive. He's cold-blooded and brain-damaged. Even a wolfhound probably wouldn't want to acknowledge him. Hyuga Kaze doesn't really want to deal with him.

"That's too much! You're the only one showing off, while Hong and I were just watching the fog!"

Turning her head, Mitarashi Anko was glaring angrily at Hinata Kaze.

"Hey, I'll treat you to some meatballs. Don't be upset, I'll let you do better next time."

They exchanged a smile, sandwiched the red bean between them, and went to the dumpling shop together.

It felt like parents taking a silly child out to eat. Hinata Kaze looked at the happy Anko in the middle and showed a kind and gentle smile.