Naruto: I, Shikotsumyaku, Byakugan Princess

Chapter 152 Running-in
night.

The silvery moonlight poured down, clearly outlining the giant tree that was more than ten meters tall.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh...

With their standard ninja shoes stomping rapidly on the branches of giant trees, fifteen dark figures sped through the boundless primeval forest.

Lan, wielding a short blade, charged ahead, her black cloak billowing behind her like bat wings.

The vines hanging high in front blocked the road ahead.

The short blade is held upside down.

bass!
A flash of cold light streaked through the air, and the branches and vines that had blocked their path were neatly severed. Aburame Ryoma and Cho followed one after the other, hurrying along the path cleared by Arashi, occasionally using their senses to correct their course.

The strongest defensive unit, Panxiong, was positioned at the rear of the team, in the most dangerous position, ready to respond to any unexpected situations.

Rumble!
About 500 meters to the right rear of the tactical squad. The earth trembled, trees felled, and wild beasts fled in terror. If the group hadn't been leaping through the trees, they would likely have had to deal with the beasts.

The butterfly hopped swiftly through the forest, its azure chakra leaving layered traces in the air like vibrating harp strings.

The fluctuations rapidly poured outwards, carrying countless pieces of information back to Butterfly's mind, especially the astonishing movement to her right rear, where a petite body entwined with raging lightning was flattening all obstacles in front of her.

After about three days of adjustment, they finally found a suitable way to travel.

That means having Gray Glass hang on the right flank of the team and act alone.

She possesses a wide-ranging sensory ability, ensuring she won't lose track of anyone, and her formidable strength makes her fearless in the face of danger. This group of people conveniently avoided her location, operating covertly from the other side.

Butterfly, Aburame Ryoma, and Gray's perception abilities cover the entire area. The two teams, one in the light and one in the dark, can quickly receive the news and rush to support each other no matter which side encounters danger.

Most importantly, because the distance between the gray glass and the surface is very far, the resulting marks do not need to be cleaned, saving everyone a lot of work.

The hastily assembled team finally became coordinated.

"stop."

Aburame Ryoma made a gesture, and everyone immediately obeyed and waited in place.

He pulled a map from his pocket, then released the insects to gather environmental information and compared it with the map to confirm that the route had not deviated.

"It's about ten kilometers from the border of the Land of Lightning."

“Leigushan is located 200 kilometers east of the border. If we travel overnight, we can arrive by tomorrow morning. A day is enough time to destroy the entire mine.” Lan quickly calculated the distance and realized that the target was already very close.

"No need."

Butterfly shook her head and rejected Lan's suggestion.

"There is a large mine in Leigu Mountain. Yunyin has five mines there. The intelligence says that this mine is very important to Yunyin, and the defenses may be very tight."

"We can't escape the mine anytime soon, so it's best to adjust our mindset first and then make further plans after we infiltrate and investigate the situation tomorrow."

Ryoma Aburame nodded silently. He and Cho were both sensory-type ninjas, and he felt that Cho's suggestion was more reliable.

Their lineup appears strong, but only Hui Li, Lan, and Pan Xiong are skilled in direct combat. The others are all fragile and vulnerable; charging in without any intelligence could result in heavy losses if they fall into an enemy trap.

Moreover, Danzo had given him more than just this one task; he had to ensure that the team would maintain sufficient combat capability after the mission was completed.

Click!Click!
Just as everyone was discussing the plan, a crisp sound of twigs cracking rang out from the right side of the group. Looking in the direction of the sound, they saw a silver-haired girl wearing an owl mask slowly approaching.

"Aren't you leaving?"

"Let's rest here for the night, and then we'll check out the situation at Leigu Mountain tomorrow before making any further plans," said You Nu Longma, deciding to set up camp here.

"I've checked, there's no danger around."

Butterfly released her hand seals, and the scattered chakra fluctuations slowly dissipated. The others, without needing any instructions, tacitly dispersed and performed their respective duties.

Working together in twos and threes significantly improves the efficiency of cleaning up traces.

No matter how high their combat skills are or how strong the team members are, they must go through a suitable period of adjustment before they can work together to achieve a synergy greater than the sum of its parts.

In the ninja world, a basic combat unit is usually a four-person team. Each of the four members is skilled in one of the four areas: command, logistics, close combat, and ranged attack. When they cooperate with each other, they can easily kill powerful ninjas whose strength far exceeds that of any one of them.

Due to the absurd training methods at the root.

Although they lack a unique individual will and are unlikely to become powerful ninjas, they often work together more effectively.

Rumble.

A stone house rose up in front of the bear, pushing aside the grass that covered the ground, and the footprints and traces left along the way were quickly smoothed and cleaned up.

Lan left the group quickly, all alone.

He returned just a few minutes later carrying a headless deer carcass.

Hot blood flowed down the clean cut on her neck. Lan carefully placed the deer carcass in front of Hui Li to avoid getting the dirty blood on her.

Since it had no head, Hui Li couldn't tell what kind of deer it was. It was no smaller than a wild boar, and had a thick, long, bushy patch of hair around its neck.

He naturally took out the seasoning from the sealed scroll.

Hui Li gathers chakra in his palm, and the three chakra attributes of wind, water, and fire alternate as he quickly processes the ingredients.

The room was lit by the flickering light of candles.

card!

A stone table and benches rose up inside the room, and this time, under Lan's burning gaze, there were five benches. He trotted forward and plopped down, while Aburame Ryoma and Cho were already sitting opposite him, waiting quietly.

clap clap clap!
Hui Li gently patted the cleaned venison, the force seemingly soothing. The orange-red flames in her palm were driven into the venison by the penetrating force, and soon a fragrant aroma of meat wafted out.

Ever since she had that sudden inspiration the day before yesterday, using the technique of splitting the sky and fire jutsu to roast a wild boar, her position in the team has automatically been upgraded from vice-captain to head chef.

It has indeed been upgraded.

Her status in the team rose significantly overnight. Even the coldest-natured Ryoma praised her cooking skills, not to mention the others. After each meal, everyone's golden aura shone brighter, and their favorability increased visibly.

Zi La La...

Boiling oil dripped onto the ground, filling the air with a unique meaty aroma.

The twelve boys took off their masks and sat in a circle around Hui Li, who was grilling meat. Their expressions remained indifferent, but their longing for the food shone through their eyes.

Although they have lost human emotions, they have at least retained their primal animalistic desires.

"It's ready to eat."

At Hui Li's command, the twelve boys lined up and used kunai to cut the food, then grabbed it and swallowed it whole.

From a robot that can only carry out tasks to a beast devoid of emotions and filled only with desires, this should be considered evolution!

Hui Li carried the sizzling, oily venison into the stone house.

"There are five mines in total on Leigu Mountain, one each on the east and west sides of the summit, and about three more on the mountainside. Before we go into the mountain, I'll send out some marking insects to gather intelligence. You all stay at the foot of the mountain and wait, being careful not to reveal your whereabouts..."

Ryoma Aburame, who is usually very sparing with words, is now elaborating on his battle plan.

"I will go with you."

Hui Li placed the venison on the stone table and suggested.

Although the insects of the Aburame are inaccessible, their simple brains often cannot transmit too much or too detailed information. Moreover, this information is transmitted twice and is not as profound and detailed as what the Byakugan sees directly with their eyes.

She didn't want to rely on Aburame Ryoma's intelligence capabilities for her safety.

Although this body is only a shadow clone, the Tongue Calamity Seal and Kotoamatsukami's eye technique at the root are extremely valuable.

The former allows her to use the resources of the Root without restraint, while the latter contains the secrets of the Mangekyou Sharingan and the strongest genjutsu.

If she could thoroughly understand the mechanism of this thing, she could find a way to bypass the limitations of the Kaleidoscope and forcibly use Kotoamatsukami in other ways.

Moreover, there are successful examples of this.

By reading the books that Root had collected from the Uchiha clan, she was surprised to discover:
Izanagi, a legendary eye technique that can transform illusion into reality, was once a Mangekyou Sharingan eye jutsu. A certain exceptionally talented Uchiha clone replicated this powerful eye technique and made it available for ordinary Uchiha to learn, which led to the later misuse of eye techniques.

She's currently focusing all her energy on reversing the Eight Gates, and has put Kotoamatsukami aside. If it's confirmed that the Sharingan can filter impurities in life force, the focus of her research may need to shift.

"Your actions are too conspicuous."

“As long as I’m not moving at top speed, I can control my strength and there won’t be any problems,” said Hui Li, tearing off a piece of meat from her leg and handing it to Aburame Ryoma.

"Ok."

After accepting the venison, Ryoma Aburame pondered for a moment and agreed to Hairi's request to act. It wasn't because of the food; her sensory abilities were indeed very strong. Most importantly, she was incredibly skilled in combat! No matter what kind of enemy they encountered, the two elite Jonin, one attacking and the other providing support, could maintain the initiative whether they fought or retreated.

Go, go, go.

After discussing tomorrow's tactics.

The three of them quickly devoured the roasted meat on the table. The venison tasted much better than the wild boar, and with Hui Li's superb chakra control, the cooking time was absolutely perfect.

The food brought smiles to everyone's faces; good food really can relax you.

"Ugh... Panxiong... where did you leave off in your story last time?" Hui Li asked, looking at the cold-faced Panxiong with a mouthful of grilled meat in confusion.

They ate and slept together every day, and their relationship gradually became familiar.

During casual conversations, they would also talk about their past experiences.

"It seems to be about avenging the deaths of family members?"

Lan tore into the grilled meat, her gaze towards Pan Xiong filled with a hint of curiosity.

The instructor who trained me when I joined Root was extremely cruel and intimidating, but after we became teammates, he became incredibly reliable and gentle. It was as if he were a completely different person.

Butterfly and Aburame Ryoma continued to eat meat heartily with calm expressions, but their perked-up ears betrayed their inner concern.

The rock bear chewed more slowly, its brownish-yellow eyes seeming to recall something, before it began to speak:
"Yes, the revenge was successful."

"..."

A silence fell over the stone chamber.

"End?"

"Ah."

"What kind of story is this?"

Lan swallowed the venison in her mouth, her voice suddenly rising an octave.

"Then what do you want to hear?"

Panxiong's voice remained deep and resonant.

"Just like how you described how hateful your enemies were, you could also go into more detail about how you successfully took revenge and how you joined the Roots."

Hui Li personally teaches the other party how to conclude a story.

"...Let me think about it."

After training, he went to seek revenge, but failed and fled. He happened to be rescued by Lord Danzo.

He said he would help me get revenge, in exchange for me becoming his subordinate and training his ninjas in the same way I trained myself.

I agreed.

After telling the rest of the story in one go, Panxiong looked at the marbled venison in his hand and tore into it fiercely.

"In the end, it was Lord Danzo who killed that ninja for you?" Lan pressed for details, unwilling to give up.

"No.

Lord Danzo captured that man and presented him to me as a gift.

Panxiong held the roasted meat and tore into it even more forcefully: "I made her into this, and I've been eating it for a long time."

Smack... Smack!
Hui Li and the others slowed down their chewing speed at the same time.

"Sometimes, you don't need to be too curious, don't you think?"

Butterfly glared fiercely at Lan, whose expression looked as if she had swallowed a fly. The fragrant venison in her mouth now tasted like wax.

"really."

Lan nodded in agreement, and after calming herself down, she continued eating without a care in the world. She hadn't even taken two bites yet:
"By the way, Butterfly, how did you join the Roots?"

"Ah~"

Faced with this heartless and brainless teammate, Die didn't know what to say.

"If it affects your appetite like it does with Pan Xiong, then don't even mention it."

Gray Glass crunched and chewed on the bone.

Teeth consist of enamel, dentin, and cementum from the outside in. They are not part of the human skeleton, but they are still affected by the bone structure and are equally hard.

"I don't have that many stories."

Butterfly shook her head and casually said:
"I used to be an ANBU ninja. Root lacked sensory ninjas, so Lord Danzo went to the Third Hokage and got a transfer order, so I joined Root and have been there ever since."

"Really boring."

After stuffing the deer leg into her stomach, Hui Li felt that Die's reason for joining the Root was both reasonable and boring, not as interesting as Pan Xiong, at least he let her know who was behind the Root's outrageous training methods.

“I think it’s alright. Like Cho, I’m a member of the Root. I joined the Root after reading about Lord Danzo’s great deeds in the intelligence scroll.”

Using the cloak behind her to wipe the grease from her mouth, Lan exhaled a satisfied breath.

"You're the most outrageous one."

Hui Li couldn't suppress her urge to complain.

"Lord Danzo really sacrificed a lot for Konoha. During the Third Shinobi World War, his eye and right hand..." Lan couldn't help but want to explain something.

"Lan!"

Pan Xiong gave a soft shout, interrupting Lan's words. Lan realized what was happening and bit the curse mark on her tongue, no longer speaking.

"Ryoma, do you remember what I asked you last time?"

Hui Li quickly changed the subject.

She didn't want to investigate Danzo's affairs, nor could she find out anything anyway; the cursed seal that severed the root of tongue-twisting was enough to protect all of his information. Not only speaking, but even having the thought of revealing information about Danzo would trigger the cursed seal, causing her body to stiffen.

"No."

Aburame Ryoma remained aloof, then, as if remembering something, he suddenly looked up at Kairi with piercing eyes:
"Ye Du, can you do me a favor?"

Hui Li licked the grease from the corner of her mouth:

"Tell me what kind of help you need first, and then I'll decide whether or not I should help."

"Find someone for me."

"..."

The stone chamber fell silent.

The four waited for a long time but did not hear Aburame Ryoma continue.

"No, no more?"

"Ah."

Ryoma Aburame nodded solemnly.

"So the only clue is that he's human, right?" Gray Glass raised an eyebrow. This search target was too big.

"He loves to laugh."

"Can you stop with the nonsense and get to something useful?"

puff.

Butterfly couldn't help but burst out laughing, and Arashi and Iwakuma also involuntarily curled their lips into smiles. Aburame Ryoma was Danzo's right-hand man, and it was only because of the powerful Kairi that he dared to talk back to him like that.

"He's different; his smile is so sunny."

“It’s still nonsense!”

Aburame Ryoma and Hairi were still discussing clues in the search for the missing person. The three listened quietly and offered suggestions from time to time.

The firelight inside the stone chamber flickered, casting the shadows of the people sitting around the dining table onto the stone wall, and it did not go out for a long time.

(End of this chapter)