Hatred is often mutual. If Kanryu and Chojuro were discovered and Mizuki couldn't save them in time, they would have to fend for themselves.

Mizuki's words immediately made Kanryu and Chojuro look at each other in bewilderment. It's not that they hadn't thought about this problem, but because Mizuki, the Konoha strongman, was always by their side, they ignored their own danger. Mizuki was not their babysitter. After all, they were not ninjas from the same village. It was a favor to take care of their allies appropriately. If something really went wrong, no one would blame Mizuki.

"If something really happens, we are not completely defenseless, I guess..."

Kanlong said with some uncertainty.

Mizuki looked at the two Mist Ninjas who lacked confidence and said, "If there is danger, you will retreat first. After finding Yanliu, you will wait to meet up with the reinforcements from your village. I will take care of the rest."

"Okay." Although he was a little unwilling, Kanlong also understood that the help he and Chojuro could provide in terms of combat effectiveness was really minimal, and if they were too aggressive, they would only be a hindrance.

The plan was set. Shuimu turned around to look at the wind and sand in the sky, thinking about the troubles of this mission.

Apart from the unknown strong enemy, the characters that are known to appear are not strong enough for Shuimu to deal with. However, the relationship between the enemy and us is unclear, and the way of action will test Shuimu's ability to respond to emergencies.

…

Amidst the wind and sand, two figures walked slowly on the road heading south.

"This damn weather is really unbearable. It's better to stay at home and keep warm. Why would you go out at this time?"

The talkative Kurotsuchi kept complaining about how his grandfather, as the Tsuchikage, was unkind and insisted on setting off at this time.

The red soil on the side silently blocked the upwind vent, and its sturdy body barely shielded the delicate black soil from the invasion of wind and sand.

The two people who were walking were not on guard against possible attacks at all, and it was no wonder that they were careless. In fact, in this land, attacks on the Iwagakure ninjas were rare, and the strength of Kurotsuchi and Akagi was also quite impressive. It was not something that ordinary ninjas could do to carry out a sneak attack in such an environment.

"Hey, now that we're in Konoha, how about we stay a little longer? The winter in the Land of Earth is really too cold. The Land of Fire is more comfortable."

"That's not a good idea." Akagi replied a little dully, "After all, we are going to Konoha as envoys. If we stay for a long time, other villages may misunderstand the position of our Iwagakure Village."

"Yeah, it's really troublesome."

Heitu also felt that his suggestion was not very reliable.

The structure of the ninja world has been solidified for many years. Although there have been occasional changes, the general direction is the alliance between the Wind Kingdom and the Fire Kingdom, jointly resisting the expansion of the Earth Kingdom and the Lightning Kingdom.

The situation of confrontation between the north and the south is very obvious. Although the Sand Village is constantly rebelling and the Rock Village and the Cloud Village have not signed a formal alliance, no one can deny the general trend. As for the isolated Mist Village, they can only take advantage occasionally and have no position to speak of. As for the small countries between the big countries, except for the powerful Takigakure and the Raingakure when Hanzo was still alive, they have no room to speak at all. They only exist as buffers and battlefields between the big countries.

The alliance between the Hidden Mist Village and Konoha has disrupted the stable order of the ninja world for many years and disturbed the thoughts of many ambitious people. However, after years of peace, the major ninja villages are in a low period of ninja reduction. Without any preparation, a large ninja war cannot be fought, but small conflicts are inevitable.

"The old man seems to have become less courageous. Didn't Han not get into any trouble in the end? And the intelligence from the Anbu shows that there's nothing unusual going on with Old Zi either."

"Teacher may be preparing for a rainy day." Kurotsuchi can say bad things about her grandfather, but Akatsuki, as a disciple, dare not be so presumptuous. "I didn't expect that there are still many spies lurking in the village after a purge. It would be dangerous if the information about the Jinchūriki was leaked. The Jinchūriki of the Sand Village has caused a big mess, and Konoha's Nine-Tails is said to be under close watch. Master was very unhappy about Deidara's incident. We are at a huge disadvantage in intelligence. The alliance between Konoha, Sand Village, and Mist Village seems to have shared some important information, which makes Master very uneasy."

"Tsk, we made a fool of ourselves in front of Konoha and the Sand Village last time. It was really abominable."

Deidara was replaced right under his nose, which made Kurotsuchi feel extremely humiliated.

"No one dared to interfere with the Jinchuriki of the Sand Village, and they didn't dare to say a word. They were even more embarrassed."

Chi Tu said to comfort the indignant Hei Tu.

Indeed, it is incredible that the Kage of a village is being manipulated by others. Before the scandal of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura being controlled was made public, the Sand Village was the biggest laughing stock in the entire ninja world.

"The alliance of the three major ninja villages must have made the old man feel a little uneasy! Even the hot-tempered Raikage couldn't sit still."

"But why does it feel like the old man sent us out like some clown fawning over Konoha? It's really unpleasant."

"Information is important. We need to know what Konoha knows that makes them so uneasy! It's a pity that Deidara doesn't want to pay attention to us."

"Don't mention that ungrateful guy. Next time you see him, you must crush him to pieces."

…

The Land of Grass. After nearly two days of trekking, Black Soil and Red Soil finally arrived at this country with pretty good scenery.

At a distance from the two people from the Hidden Rock Village, Mizuki looked at the figure with a light stubble on his chin and a hard face and asked:

"That's Yan Liu?"

"Yes." Kanlong and Chojuro nodded in confirmation.

"It's him. His movements are flawless and he exudes a fierce aura. Even from a distance, I can tell he's extraordinary!"

"You guys leave here first, I'll go meet him first."

As he spoke, Shuimu instantly accelerated and rushed towards Yan Liu quickly.

"The core of all problems lies in you. Let me see what is hidden behind you!"

Before Shuimu could get close, the alert Yan Liu looked in Shuimu's direction. In an instant, the sword flashed, and Shuimu, who was unable to control his body, was cut into two pieces. Then with a bang, he turned into two pieces of wood and fell to the ground.

"What a fast sword!" Mizuki's voice came from not far away, "Nice to meet you, Master Yanliu, I am Mizuki from Konoha. Whatever your purpose is, I hope you will stop now!"

"Shui Mu? I know you." Yan Liu clenched the hilt of the sword with both hands, "There's no point in saying more, just beat me first!"