Chapter 262: Sit and Reap the Fisherman's Profit

"Little brat, you really won't let us leave?"

At the Fire Country border, a middle‑aged man wearing a Sunagakure Village forehead guard asked the girl before him coldly.

A clear slash from a blade marred his guard, a mark of a traitor ninja.

Behind the man stood two Sunagakure Village traitor ninjas, both staring at the girl with hostile expressions.

The three, dissatisfied with the Second Kazekage's policies, organized a rebellion; when the news leaked, only the three of them managed to escape.

They had just slipped into the Fire Country border when the girl ahead caught up with them.

That girl was the Sunagakure Village's genius Poison Maker and KuoLei Shi—Qiandai.

"Honestly, come with me, and I promise not to hurt you," Qiandai said coldly.

Her mission was to hold the few of them until the village's reinforcement squad arrived.

"Little brat, when we were killing enemies on the Battlefield, you were still in your mother's womb," the middle‑aged man laughed.

Although Qiandai was a well‑known genius in Sunagakure Village, she was only a genius among her peers.

She could not be compared at all with these senior Elite Jonin…

No matter what, Qiandai was just a somewhat gifted Jonin, and her combat experience naturally lagged behind theirs.

As long as they don't slip, there's basically no chance of a disaster.

Having all once been ninjas of the same village, everyone knew Qiandai's methods well.

Hmm, that's what they thought in their hearts…

"Captain, why waste words with her? Just kill her and be done with it."

"The village's pursuers are almost here; we need a quick, decisive strike!"

The two Sunagakure Jonin each voiced their opinion.

"Then let's kill her."

The middle‑aged man's eyes flickered; knowing that delay could cause trouble, he naturally wouldn't let Qiandai stall.

If they kill her and then slip into the Fire Country, they won't have to worry about Sunagakure Village's pursuers.

As soon as the words fell, the three formed a triangle and charged at the girl.

Seeing this, Qiandai's expression hardened, and she immediately took out a Scroll and opened it.

Bang—

As the smoke cleared, five puppets appeared before them.

She controlled the puppets to meet the three Jonin's attack, and both sides immediately engaged in fierce combat.

The three Jonin left no room for mercy, each move lethal, aiming to end the fight quickly.

Qiandai lived up to being Sunagakure Village's genius; she deftly countered the three attackers without falling behind.

On a tree trunk not far away, three pairs of eyes silently watched everything.

"Lian Yejun, aren't we going to help?" Xiaochun Zhuanqin asked the two, puzzled.

"No rush; once they both get wounded, we'll go over and scavenge," Lian Ye explained softly, his gaze never leaving the girl.

He always felt that girl was somewhat familiar, as if he'd seen her somewhere.

"Lian Ye is right; we just need to sit and reap the fisherman's profit, and let others handle the rest," Zhi Cun Tuan Zang agreed.

Regardless of which side wins in the end, they can go over and claim the heads.

Their current goal is not to capture enemies alive, but to kill them and bring their corpses back to the village for intelligence.

Even though the war between Sunagakure Village and Konoha Village has ceased, it doesn't mean the two are on friendly terms; the nations remain hostile.

Tuan Cang naturally didn't want to miss this chance to obtain Sunagakure Village intel; if possible, he even wanted to kill that Sunagakure girl as well.

A youngster who can take on three Jonin would, if grown, become an absolute threat to the village!

And Zhi Cun Tuan Zang is especially good at snuffing out danger in the cradle.

"Lian Ye, should we also…" Tuan Cang made a throat‑slashing gesture, his murderous intent unmistakable.

???

Lian Ye and Xiaochun Zhuanqin looked at Tuan Cang in shock, apparently not expecting him to have such an idea.

Has this guy already turned into a pot king?

Lian Ye thought this in his mind, that they actually wanted to kill someone from Sunagakure Village.

It's not wartime now; if such a thing were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Tuan Cang, we can't do this!" Xiaochun Zhuanqin immediately objected.

If it were exposed, it would have a huge impact on the village; she doesn't want that to happen.

Such an act clearly exacerbates the tension between Konoha and Sunagakure.

Tuan Cang ignored Xiaochun, his gaze landing on Lian Ye; as the squad leader, Lian Ye would ultimately decide.

Lian Ye naturally understood Tuan Cang's inner thought: simply to kill anyone who might threaten the village in the future.

And that girl could very likely threaten Konoha in the future; a talent who can control five puppets at such a young age is rare in Sunagakure Village.

He probably guessed the girl's identity—Qiandai, the grandmother of Red Sand Scorpion.

He didn't expect that the old lady Qiandai was quite lively when she was young.

Listening to Tuan Cang's proposal, Lian Ye felt a stir in his heart; it was indeed a good chance to eliminate the opponent.

But thinking of the consequences if exposed, he ultimately dismissed the idea.

The cost and reward were not proportional, so it seemed unnecessary.

Isn't it just a KuoLei Shi?

It's simply not worth the huge risk they would take…

If it were exposed, wouldn't that old kid Qianshou Feijian just skin him?

"Never mind, Tuan Cang, I think Xiaochun is right," Lian Ye rejected his suggestion.

Tuan Cang saw this and said nothing; it was merely his suggestion.

Since the captain disagreed, let's drop it.

Anyway, their real goal is to obtain intelligence on the Sunagakure Village, and as for this mission, it was already tossed far into the clouds.

The reward for an S‑rank Mission is only a million taels, which is negligible compared to the Sunagakure Village intelligence.

Moreover, whether that girl can survive is an unknown, because her opponents are three veteran Jonin…

As long as they don't intervene, the girl has a high chance of dying at the hands of the rebel ninjas.

In that case, her death wouldn't be Konoha's concern.

However, Tuan Cang clearly underestimated the girl's strength…

The three's gazes returned to the center of the arena, and the battle continued.

Qiandai controlled five Puppets to confront three Sha Yin Rebel Ninja.

The Puppets, under her control, moved in perfect coordination, offense and defense as one; the rebel ninjas countered with Ninjutsu, and in the smoke and dust, blade flashes intertwined with Ninjutsu.

"Flaw!"

Qiandai's eyes sharpened, spotting an opening in the left‑side Sha Yin Rebel Ninja's attack, and the Chakra Thread at her fingertips suddenly tightened.

Two Puppets, one ahead of the other, surrounded the rebel ninja, and two short swords lunged at him rapidly.

"Save me!" the rebel ninja shouted in panic, quickly calling for support.

But his two teammates had already been restrained by the other three Puppets, leaving him completely unable to produce clones.

"Puff—" the short sword pierced his back.

Seeing their comrade die, the remaining two rebel ninjas felt a desire to retreat, clearly having underestimated Qiandai's strength.

They exchanged a glance, then fled in different directions.

Qiandai's expression darkened at the sight; no matter whom she chased, one person always managed to escape.

The scene she dreaded most ultimately still occurred…

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—"

At that moment, Lian Ye and his two companions, who had been watching from afar, moved.