Escaping the Mist Ninja starts with backstabbing your teacher.

The skeletal golem was very fast at looting the corpses, ignoring the poisonous fog and some poisonous skewer arrows that shot out, and took out everything.

"Fortunately, this guy didn't have any self-destruct devices on him. It seems he's very confident in his poisons and hidden weapons."

Izumikawa held something in his hand, flipping through a scroll of puppetry techniques, which contained the secret manual on how to create the puppet scorpion.

There was also a notebook, which seemed to contain the other party's insights on modifying puppets, as well as some casual notes, which piqued his interest.

So he sat down on the ground and started flipping through the pages, while Momona stayed beside him, sensing the surroundings and giving warnings.

……

On the other side, Yecang was sitting next to Juan, leaning against a tree trunk, looking up at the night sky.

The fierce battle dissipated the surrounding mist, revealing a clear sky with the moon high in the sky and stars everywhere.

"Scroll, it's been so long since I've seen a starry sky like the night sky of the Land of Wind."

"Things can't go back to the way they were after that incident, and I didn't have a choice."

"Perhaps Maki is right. I trusted the village too much and was too confident in my own abilities."

Those words truly challenged Ye Cang and awakened her, prompting her to reflect on everything that had happened.

She is now beginning to understand some of the details she had previously overlooked, as well as the reactions of some people.

If she had been enlightened back then and understood these principles, perhaps the outcome would have been different, but the past is a set fact and cannot be changed.

"Teacher..." Juan called softly, her eyes red, clearly from crying earlier.

She was confused, just like the teacher in front of her. She used to know nothing about the village's secrets or the truth about the war.

All she knew was that her parents died on the battlefield against the Mist Ninja, so she wanted revenge and worked hard to train and improve her strength.

Now, the truth that has come to light has shattered her long-held beliefs and convictions.

Although Ye Cang is usually aloof, he still cares about his disciple and simply said, "I won't force you to do anything."

"But unfortunately, I didn't think things through enough back then; I shouldn't have contacted you."

"My contact has made Luo Sha target you, and even if you go back now, you might be arrested and interrogated about your affairs."

Having fully grasped these things, Yekura's way of thinking changed completely. She finally understood that someone like Rasa would not let go of anything unstable.

If she goes to Juan, she will only drag him into this vortex, and it is very likely that she will not be able to return to the village.

So Yekura apologized, "Maki, I'm sorry!"

Juan gently shook her head. This incident had also helped her grow. A look of hatred flashed in her eyes as she looked at the Sand Village. She understood everything.

"Teacher, the one who is wrong is not you, but the village, the higher-ups of Sunagakure."

"They started this war to cover up the turmoil caused by the disappearance of the Third Kazekage, and even more so for their power."

"For your own selfish reasons, you plunged the entire ninja world into war, causing me to lose my parents and making you, teacher, a victim as well."

She listened to everything Izumi said. As much as she hated the Mist Ninja in the past, she hated the Sand Ninja Village leaders just as much now.

The root of all suffering lies in their attempts to protect their own rights; these people do not deserve to be called human beings.

Ye Cang looked at the transformed disciple and whispered, "Scroll..."

She wanted to destroy Sunagakure, but her target was the village's leadership, wanting to expose all the heinous acts they had committed to the Sunagakure ninja.

To let more people like my disciples who have been deceived know the truth and the disgusting nature of this group.

"Teacher, I am willing to act as your inside man and provide you with all the information about Sunagakure."

"Even if I'm targeted, arrested, and interrogated after I return, I'll do anything to help you kill those village officials!"

Juan's gaze was unwavering at this moment. She wanted revenge, she wanted retribution. Why should the real culprit be able to enjoy everything peacefully?

What do they mean by the village's losses and people's sacrifices? What do they value life for?!

Yecang sensed his disciple's attitude and his gaze toward the Sand Village's higher-ups was filled with murderous intent.

"Since you've made your decision, let's work together, master and disciple, and show the Sand Ninja what kind of people those high-ranking officials are!"

"As for how you will be able to return safely, I think Izumikawa should have a plan."

Maki nodded slightly, while Yekura looked at the sleeping Yashamaru and pondered, "Izumikawa should have a solution."

So, he gently pressed the bone conduction earpiece against his ear and called out to Izumi.

……

Soon, Izumi returned with Momona. His gaze swept over Yekura and his apprentice, and he understood their expressions and attitudes.

He began, "It seems you have already made your decision."

Yekura and Maki nodded in unison. They wanted to take revenge on the Sand Village's higher-ups, to pull them down from their lofty positions and trample them into the sand.

Maki looked at Izumi, his initial fear gone, though he still didn't trust this rogue ninja from Kirigakure.

But now, the only one they can help and rely on is the other person.

So he said, "I want to go back to the village and lie low. Is there any way to make them not suspect me?"

Upon hearing this, Izumikawa revealed a hint of amusement, dismissing the other party's naive idea.

"It's impossible not to have doubts, but there are ways to minimize them, at least to ensure normal operations."

"However, given Rasa's suspicious nature, he will definitely send someone to keep an eye on you, but..."

Izumi's gaze shifted to the deep-voiced Yashamaru beside him, and he continued, "With him here, there shouldn't be any problems."

"I will slightly modify your memories to trigger a reactivation at certain times, which will allow you to evade the Dark Side's checks."

"However, I still need to place some restrictions on you to prevent accidents and leaks of information."

Before he could finish speaking, Juan stepped forward and declared, "I do!"

"good!"

Izumi was quite straightforward; he gestured for the other person to come over and then placed his palm on the other person's head.

"Don't resist!"

【optimization】!

He murmured to himself and began to modify the other person's recent memories.

At the same time, he lightly touched the back of her neck with his finger, cutting off her sense of her body. With Ye Cang supporting her, a bone needle appeared on his finger and was inserted into the spine at the back of her neck.

Chakra and restriction patterns were continuously injected into it, and then the power of the Corpse Bone Pulse was used to cover the marks on the spine.

When the other party passes through the secret inspection, it will trigger, restore their memories, and make them understand everything that happened today.

"Get a good night's sleep!" Izumikawa pulled out the bone needles, finished everything, and said that he could go back on his own when he woke up.

The altered memory is that Yekura let her go out of consideration for their past relationship, while Yashamaru escaped and went into hiding under the cover of his teammates.