Evil Uchiha brat, I'll marry you myself.

Koki chuckled, picked up the bewildered Uchiha Shizumi from beside him, and quickly followed behind the Anbu ninjas.

Such actions are likely to increase in the future.

"You bad guy."

Beneath the fox mask, Uchiha Shizumi's eyes trembled, revealing a hint of embarrassment.

However, her desire to become stronger intensified once again.

"Ok?"

The ANBU Jonin leading the team seemed to have noticed the strangeness behind him and was somewhat puzzled.

Actually, he was already dissatisfied when he saw that his teammates looked like two little kids.

So he deliberately traveled at full speed, just to see how strong these two really were.

It seems that the silver-haired ninja wearing the dog-head mask was quite strong.

"So, what exactly is our mission?"

With Uchiha Shizuru in his arms, Gu Mu leaped across the tree several times and arrived beside the commander of the operation.

"The code name for this operation is: Annihilation."

"You don't need to worry about the specifics. Just follow us and assassinate a rogue ninja."

The ninja wearing the cat-face mask glanced at Koki and Uchiha Shizumi, his tone rather cold, clearly indicating that he did not want to talk much.

And so, the six of them traveled for almost the entire morning before deciding to take a short rest in a part of the forest.

"Team Leader Mu, are you tired?"

Uchiha Shizumi jumped down from Koki's arms, stared at the ANBU ninjas not far away who clearly did not intend to have anything to do with them, and asked in a questioning tone.

"I'm exhausted, you have to let me lie down for a while."

Gu Mu sat cross-legged under the big tree, patted his thigh, and the meaning was clear.

"What...what do you want to do?"

Uchiha Shizumi's eyes widened in panic, and her heart began to race. She thought that Koki intended for her to sit on his lap.

"Oh, is there any soft spot here? I really want to lie down for a while."

"Okay, okay, come here."

Uchiha Shizumi's eyes showed helplessness; she understood what Koki meant.

So she knelt down and gestured for Gu Mu to lie on her lap.

"As expected, my teammates are still the best."

With a wicked smile on his face, Gu Mu lay down on Uchiha Shizuru's lap without saying a word.

"Hey, hey, hey... what are you doing? Don't lie face down!!"

Uchiha Shizuru was startled by Koki's actions, and like a frightened fawn, he was flustered and disoriented.

[Uchiha Shizuru, in a panic... harvests 200 emotion points]

She immediately looked up at the ANBU ninjas in the distance and found that they didn't seem to be paying attention to them.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

"Turn over here, you pervert!"

Uchiha Shizumi turned Koki over, her eyes filled with agitated tears, revealing her inner panic.

"I'm just too tired."

Gu Mu felt his face being constantly pulled by Uchiha Shizuru, and he could hardly speak.

"Tired?"

Uchiha Shizusui looked on curiously, wondering if she herself wasn't heavy.

Lost in thought, Gu Mu suddenly heard some gurgling sounds beside him.

He turned his head in confusion and looked at Uchiha Shizuku, who was sitting upright.

"Ahem... Um, you probably didn't hear me."

"No, I didn't hear it."

Koki deliberately made a gesture of suppressing a laugh, glancing at the other ANBU ninjas not far away.

Those guys were clearly equipped with ration pills and were making the most of their time to replenish their strength.

Thinking that they might still have to travel, Gu Mu immediately stood up: "Wait for me a moment."

Gu Mu noticed that the birds circling in the sky would disappear from their spots in an instant.

"what's the situation?"

Those four ANBU ninjas, seemingly oblivious to what was happening here, were actually keeping a close watch on things.

After all, the things that the team members do are reported to the Hokage together.

"Squad Leader Feng, that person escaped?"

"I don't know. Go and check. If you can't find it, then describe it truthfully in the subsequent report."

Wearing a cat-face mask, Feng spoke calmly, showing no emotional fluctuation despite the sudden disappearance of the ancient tree.

No sooner had the words been spoken than Gu Mu's figure reappeared.

In the eyes of the ancient wood man, the katana was already adorned with a string of plucked birds.

"Ha, so they went to retrieve something. Did these two forget their rations?"

"Isn't this obviously a newbie? But being able to carry out A-level missions with us means their strength must be quite high."

The whispers of his teammates around him went unnoticed by Feng. His expression hardened beneath his mask as he focused on why Gu Mu had returned so quickly.

Not only that, but he also handles flying birds so quickly. Is this guy's swordsmanship that terrifying?

Moreover, this sudden appearance, could it be that he knows the space-time ninjutsu developed by the Second Hokage?

Where did you get these birds?

Uchiha Shizusui's tone was helpless.

"Water team member, bring me two fires. I just happened to bring some cumin. Natural barbecue, it'll be so satisfying."

Gu Mu handed the long sword to Uchiha Shizuru; he had quite a few of these long swords in his system space.

As for the demon sword Muramasa and Onikiri, they certainly wouldn't be wasted like that.

"The ninjas over there are watching."

Recalling the lap pillow she had just given to Koki, Uchiha Shizumi blushed slightly.

They thought the four ninjas weren't paying attention to this place, but as soon as Koki left, Uchiha Shizumi clearly felt the sharp gazes of those four ninjas.

"What are you afraid of? Hurry up and breathe fire, I need fire."

Gu Mu waved his hand, as if urging a fire-breathing Pokémon.

"Uh... okay."

Uchiha Shizuru didn't know how to control the temperature either; once he unleashed a fire jutsu, the birds were instantly roasted.

The ancient wood was also controlled by the wind, which prevented it from burning.

Sprinkle some cumin on it, and while it's not exactly delicious, it's barely edible.

"Eat up, don't let the child go hungry."

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Shizumi pouted, somewhat dissatisfied: "You mean Koki, you're always bullying me. I'm not hungry at all."

"Then I'll eat it all?"

"Ahem... Actually, I feel I shouldn't waste your kindness, so I'll reluctantly eat some."

Uchiha Shizuru coughed lightly, tore a roasted bird off his long sword, and practically had the word "tsundere" written all over his face.

"Team Leader Mu, you know what, this tastes pretty good."

Before Uchiha Shizumi could react, Koki suddenly picked her up again around the waist.

"You eat first. It seems they're about to start their journey again. I really wonder who their target is this time."

Gu Mu roughly estimated the distance; they were now far away from Konoha Village.

"Ah...oh...okay~"

Uchiha Shizuru murmured softly, feeling the power emanating from the ancient tree's arm, and a strong sense of security arose in her heart.

She felt that if there were ancient trees around her, she probably wouldn't be afraid of any danger.

Chapter 40: The Dark Division Suffers a Setback, Fortunately, Ancient Wood Comes to the Rescue

As night approached, the sky was completely dark, with only a few stars faintly visible. After a day's journey, Gu Mu and his companions finally arrived at a small village.

This place is already considered the border of the Land of Fire.