Several Konoha Anbu riddled with injuries were carefully placed on hospital beds to receive emergency treatment.
Their injuries were superficial, but significant blood loss due to severed blood vessels meant they were not out of danger.
"You're saying that a single enemy not only breached Konohagakure's defense barrier but also easily wounded you all?"
The Sandaime Hokage looked sternly at the Anbu in front of him. The reason this incident alarmed him was that it was indeed the most serious Anbu ambush in recent times. Usually, they would only encounter hostile ninja attempting to gather intelligence, and it was acceptable if they managed to shake them off or escape.
But this time, the enemy directly overpowered a patrolling Anbu squad and left brazenly. To put it into perspective, if Konohagakure were the Pentagon, ordinary hacker attacks and espionage would be within acceptable limits, but this incident was essentially like a super criminal brazenly killing a patrol of guards next to the Pentagon and leaving completely unharmed.
Although the Sandaime knew that during the Chūnin Exams, a large number of spies would try to gather intelligence on Konohagakure, which was why he specifically increased the Anbu patrols, he never expected such an abrupt incident.
"Yes, it was my incompetence. I couldn't stop her at all."
The masked Anbu captain's voice was full of shame, but the Sandaime merely shook his head slightly: "It's not your fault. I'm not senile yet. If you hadn't been leading, the other team members and these people probably wouldn't have survived."
A group of Jōnin (Elite Ninja) were gathered here, a rare occurrence. This was unlike the minor skirmishes of intelligence gathering; it was arguably the first incident in many years where an Anbu squad was collectively injured. This meant that the 'visitor' was at least a Kage-level ninja. The appearance of such a powerful individual with ill intentions towards Konoha made the Sandaime extremely tense.
"This was the weapon, right?"
Looking at an ice feather sealed in a glass box, Kakashi frowned slightly: "It seems she's quite a flamboyant woman. Using something like this as a weapon suggests she might have still retained considerable power."
"Yes, and she was indeed wearing a Kirigakure (Hidden Mist Village) pursuit squad mask, and her ninjutsu also included Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)."
The Anbu captain cautiously recounted what he saw, which only made Asuma beside him shake his head slightly: "That's meaningless. If she's truly a Kage-level ninja, then using such water-style ninjutsu is effortless. Masks and the like can also be seen as illusions to conceal her true identity."
These words made the surrounding ninja frown slightly. An enemy capable of instantly eliminating an Anbu squad, possibly related to Kirigakure, and specializing in Suiton (Water Release) ninjutsu – when combined, these pieces of information didn't match any famous strong individuals in this world.
"No... perhaps, I might have encountered this person before..."
Kakashi frowned, looking at the glass box in his hand. The ice feather within was crystal clear, even its fine barbs perfectly visible. It was hard to imagine such a delicate and exquisite object possessing the power to harm a human body, but the frozen crimson stain on its edge indicated that it was indeed extracted from an Anbu's wound.
"Oh? Do you have a clue?"
The stern-faced Sandaime also turned to Kakashi, who respectfully nodded: "Yes, when we arrived in the Land of Waves last time. At that time, we encountered Momochi Zabuza, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. He indeed had a young boy with him who could use Hyōton (Ice Release), confirmed to be a special Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit). And judging from the appearance of these ice feathers, to quickly condense ice into such a specific shape and make it lethal, this ability definitely cannot be achieved by ordinary ninjutsu. It's likely a special Hyōton Kekkei Genkai."
"Hmm? Are you saying that this time, it's very likely that the Hyōton boy followed you to Konoha for revenge?"
Kurenai beside him frowned slightly. After all, in this ninja world, the accumulation of hatred is easy and evident. Momochi Zabuza did indeed die by Kakashi's hand. If his companion came to disrupt Konoha for revenge, it would be quite understandable.
"No... I just suspect that although both might use the same Hyōton, that boy didn't possess such powerful strength. It's only been a month since we left the Land of Waves. Within such a short period, he couldn't have grown to this extent."
Kakashi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head. After all, if the boy named Haku had possessed Kage-level strength at that time, the outcome of the battle would have been completely different. Moreover, in this ninja world, while strange secret techniques are everywhere, there's no way to reach Kage-level strength in just one month.
"So, at least now we can confirm. It's highly likely to be an enemy who came to Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) with a purpose, and most likely possesses the Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit) to use Hyōton (Ice Release). Although we don't know their exact objective, Konoha's safety cannot be compromised!"
With a slight chill in his eyes, the Sandaime Hokage sternly issued his orders.
"Now, raise the alert level again, and thoroughly check all foreign ninja, especially those with water attributes."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
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"Uncle, a large takoyaki, mixed flavor, with extra sauce."
Standing in front of a takoyaki (octopus balls) stall, Naruto's words made the stall owner heartily nod: "Alright!! Coming right up!!"
Kiba, seeing Naruto buying takoyaki, couldn't help but feel a bit strange: "Hm? What's wrong, Naruto? Are you going back already?"
"Yeah, it's still a long time until sunset. Didn't you say you wanted to see if you could run into that princess?"
Chōji, chewing on fries, also looked at Naruto with some confusion. Undoubtedly, Naruto's actions didn't match his previous behavior pattern.
"Ah... if I wait too long, the takoyaki will get cold..."
Holding the freshly bought takoyaki, Naruto said something foolishly. The words made Shikamaru instinctively pause, then he blinked and nodded understandingly: "Ah~~ That's right, it is like that~ Then, you go back first."
Watching Naruto's retreating back, the boys standing in place shook their heads slightly.
"Seriously, wouldn't it be better to buy takoyaki when we're done playing and heading back? Why now?"
Kiba clearly hadn't processed it yet, scratching his cheek in confusion and saying, "Besides, if this takoyaki was bought by mistake, couldn't he just eat it to avoid waste?"
To his questions, Shikamaru and Shino merely shook their heads slightly. Clearly, discussing this with him was pointless, and... sometimes, a fallacy might actually help things progress.
"So troublesome~ Don't ask anymore. Come on, let's wander around up ahead a bit more, and then it'll be about time to head back."
As for Naruto, he obviously wouldn't overthink things. He simply felt he should bring the takoyaki back, which is why he acted this way. As for whether he had encountered a princess who perfectly matched his aesthetic earlier, that matter had long been pushed to the back of his mind.
---
"Seriously, if Hinata isn't at the Uchiha compound, then she's at the Hyūga compound. Damn it, I don't really like going to those places. Oh no, if this keeps up, the takoyaki will get completely cold."
Running for a while with the takoyaki box, Naruto quickly realized that keeping the takoyaki warm wasn't easy. The blonde boy, not having enough brain cells, thought for a moment, then decisively tucked the takoyaki box into his embrace: "Right! This way, with my body heat, the takoyaki won't get cold~ Ahahaha~ I'm a genius, ouch~~ So hot, so hot~~~"
Although his skin was burning from the hot takoyaki, the blonde boy endured the pain and quickly ran down the street. Following the roads inside Konohagakure, the blonde boy soon found the wide, ancient gate of the Hyūga compound.
"Stop, who are you? What are you doing here?"
However, as a prominent family in Konoha, the Hyūga Clan naturally had its own guards. Two gate-guarding Hyūga clan members watched Naruto run towards them with vigilance. Judging by their tension, they clearly knew about the rumors of the Nine-Tailed Fox in this boy.
"I'm here to deliver takoyaki to Hinata. She told me to bring it to her."
Enduring the burning sensation from the takoyaki in his arms, Naruto patiently explained to the two Hyūga guards in front of him, but his reason clearly couldn't serve as an excuse for entry.
"How absurd! How could the Young Mistress need someone like you to deliver food? Get out of here quickly!"
The Hyūga guard on the left spoke sternly, clearly not intending to let this annoying fox-boy pass.
"Mister! Why are you so unreasonable? If Hinata gets angry, she'll definitely make you cry~!"
Pushed back and nearly falling, the furious Naruto swung his fists, wanting to argue with the Hyūga guard in front of him. But just then, a crisp voice suddenly sounded from inside the gate: "Who is making a commotion outside the Hyūga Clan gate?"
Hanabi was indeed passing by coincidentally, but that didn't mean she was clueless. After all, upon hearing that Hinata had formed her own force, this competitive younger sister had secretly investigated the people who were with her older sister. She recognized this blonde, who was the one named Uzumaki Naruto.
"Ah, Young Mistress Hanabi, it's this fellow who is ignorantly making a commotion outside the gate. We'll drive him away right now."
The two Hyūga guards at the gate quickly bowed, but just then, Naruto let out a strange cry of 'Ah', and then swiftly slipped past the two Hyūga guards, approaching Hanabi.
"Ugh~~ What, what do you want?!"
Startled, Hanabi instinctively took a step back and adopted the Jūken (Gentle Fist) stance. However, Naruto just stared at her dumbfounded. After a moment, a wave of sadness and realization spread across the blonde boy's face.
"Sorry~~ Hinata~~ it's only been half a day..."
"And you've already shrunk an entire circle from hunger~!"
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(PS1: Hmm~ o(￣▽￣)o~ Dog food chapter... definitely... This really isn't my fault. As a single person, I actually wanted to write a chapter about Kuro Hinata and Konan's pillow talk~~ Who knew... I would unconsciously write this scene... It seems that the Fourth Daughter from that parallel world is sending me this kind of world feedback~~)
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