Chapter 147: During the Mission
The grayish-blue glow spread across the sky overhead, casting a somewhat mournful light on the dense forest. It made the already eerie scene, caused by the overgrown foliage, even more intimidating.
Under the cover of the lush branches and leaves, the Uchiha ninjas in their dark, wide-collared clan uniforms were intently staring at the mountain path that cut through the forest.
The young ninja leading the group had a hideous scar running down his side face to his chin. His dark eyes were fixed on the muddy road after the rain. He tilted his head slightly and spoke in a whisper, "How's the situation?"
The young ninja he was looking at had his face covered with a dark silk ribbon. Upon hearing this, he withdrew his hand from the tree trunk and exhaled clearly, "It seems they didn't choose this path. Should I send a summoned beast to check?"
The leading ninja frowned and let out a soft sigh, "No, that kind of chakra fluctuations is too easy to expose. Let's wait a bit longer. If we still don't spot them, we'll change our route."
The team fell silent again. It was not until a moment later that the leading ninja announced the withdrawal, and then they quickly followed him nimbly.
When the team reached the cave where they were going to rest, the atmosphere gradually became lively.
"Ah—so annoying!" The young ninja who spoke had short black hair and a pair of charming almond-shaped eyes. He looked truly adorable, but his impatient tone ruined it all. "We've missed them twice in a row! When did those Senju finally start thinking?"
Hearing this, the young ninja with his eyes covered let out a soft laugh, "We've carried out assassinations on three Senju teams in this area these days. It's normal for them to be on guard. Sen, you need to be more patient... What are you planning to do next, Akihiko?"
This team was none other than Ling and his companions who had set off for the battlefield a few days ago and started to carry out assassinations on Senju teams. Hearing Ling's words, Uchiha Akihiko, the team leader, spoke up, "Well, I'm planning to change the area. After all, if we really encounter an adult Senju clan ninja team, it would be quite difficult for us to fight them."
"Eh... I just started to get the hang of it..." Ling looked a bit dejected, "It seems I'll have to wait until the general offensive to really let loose."
"Do you think everyone is like you?" Uchiha Akihiko had a bit of weariness in his eyes, but his voice sounded quite relaxed. "By the way, how on earth did you do that? I saw you being stabbed by that Senju peer before, but you recovered so quickly..."
"Yeah, Brother Ling," Uchiha Sen sat up, "When Uchiha Kumo helped you treat the wound before, it had already stopped bleeding! It's so incredible!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Kumo, a usually low-profile ninja, also nodded. He slightly pulled down his hood, and his voice came out muffled through the mask, "Although you skillfully avoided the vital parts, that kind of injury isn't a minor one for us - and it was quite difficult to treat."
"It's hard to treat because I overdid it during the last sparring with Akihiko, and my body was strengthened by Lightning Release chakra. Hiro checked it for me. As for the faster wound - healing speed..." Ling slightly pulled down the collar, revealing the little Nekomata inside. "I have to thank Little Neko for lending me his chakra."
Uchiha Kumo frowned slightly. "A ninja cat that can perform healing?"
The Nekomata's Journey clung to Ling's collar. It looked up at Uchiha Kumo, who seemed rather gloomy. "I'm not that kind of harmless summoned beast."
"So you have chakra that can heal others, just like the Uzumaki?" Uchiha Sen leaned in with bright eyes, pointing at himself. "I also want to give it a try. Let me have a go!"
"I don't mind," The Nekomata's Journey sneered. "But if I really do it, you'll probably lose your combat ability right away."
"Eh? Why?"
"Okay, Little Neko, stop teasing him," Ling turned her head and rubbed against The Nekomata's Journey's soft fur. "If Sen is still curious after this war ends, I'll let you try it on him then."
"Damn, you're really gutsy to use such a scary creature as a summoned beast..." Uchiha Akihiko twitched the corner of his mouth.
"Haha, Little Neko is a super reliable buddy. Ain't nothing to be scared of!" Ling laughed softly. "It's just that Akihiko and Hiro are being too cautious. In fact, you can just treat Little Neko like an ordinary little Nekomata who knows a lot."
Hearing this, Uchiha Akihiko just shook his head. He was one of those who had heard Yata and Sanshu describe the true form of The Nekomata's Journey. That's why he just couldn't treat The Nekomata's Journey like an ordinary little Nekomata as Ling said.
But precisely because of this, he was especially in awe of Ling. Ling could let such a terrifying creature either squat on her head or neck, which were vital areas, or be carefully held in front of her chest all day long. Anyway, he didn't have the guts to do that.
"Alright, let's stop chatting. Where shall we go next?"
Hearing Ling's words, Uchiha Akihiko also gathered his mind and took out the map. "Let me see..."
While Uchiha Akihiko was studying the next route of action, Ling summoned Yata to help scout the surroundings.
Compared with Uchiha Kumo, who was silently checking the supplies, Uchiha Sen was quite lively after the mission ended. At this time, he squeezed next to Uchiha Akihiko and craned his neck to look at the map with him. "We've covered this whole forest in the past few days. We should change the place for a surprise - attack next time, right?"
"Indeed," Uchiha Akihiko pointed at a place marked with a canyon on the map. "This is also a key supply area for both sides. Let's go over there and see if we can take out a group of them. But this time, we have to be on guard against being counter - ambushed. Maybe we'll even run into an ambush team directly."
"Hey, isn't that just perfect?" Uchiha Sen grinned and reached up to rub his nose. "Fighting an ambush team is always more exciting than fighting a logistics team."