Chapter 200

A drizzling fine rain kept falling nonstop.

It was as if a hole had been opened in the firmament.

It never ends!

It's still before six in the evening, but the clouds in the sky have already darkened the light over the whole land.

This is the border region between Grass Country and Rain Country.

It is also the front line where Leaf Village and Rock ninja small units clash.

On this land, it can almost be said that at every moment, ninja from both sides are fighting each other.

The losers leave corpses behind, or are completely wiped out, or flee in panic; the victors fare no better.

Even when one gains the upper hand in the slaughter, the dying enemy's desperate struggle, or the burst of power they unleash to create a chance for their comrades, always brings considerable trouble.

In a patch of primeval forest, trees so huge that several people can encircle them stand everywhere, each like an opened umbrella blocking most of the dense, silky fine rain from the sky.

On a clearing in the forest lie overturned corpses, nearby disturbed earth, and crimson pools of water on the ground.

All of this shows that a brutal slaughter has just taken place here.

And from the figures cleaning up the wreckage, the leaf-pattern forehead protectors they wear reveal that the victors of this clash belong to the Leaf Village side.

At that moment, a figure who had been crouching on the ground, covering a companion with a green light, rose to his feet.

He was a young man about 170 centimeters tall, who had tied his loose hair into a brisk ponytail.

A few strands of his bangs, wet from the rain, clung tightly to his cheeks, looking messy and dirty.

He wore a plain green vest that was no longer bulky but fit him unusually well.

If not for his icy expression, which mars his demeanor, his handsome looks alone would surely make many girls see him as their dream lover.

"We can finish cleaning up soon; if we delay any longer, those Rock ninja will probably come after us like mad dogs!"

"It's the captain!"

Without a moment's hesitation, whether on watch, cleaning up, or resting wounded, everyone sprang to their feet and followed the captain deeper into the forest.

No orders needed; the followers automatically split into several squads.

Two people walked ahead with the captain to clear the path, three brought up the rear, and six more spread out to the left and right of the column.

Everyone formed teams of three, silently guarding the wounded in the middle, while the distance between each squad varied by several hundred meters.

The leader of this squad was none other than the fourteen‑year‑old Yuzhibo Dongshilang; it had been nearly two years since his last encounter with Orochimaru.

During this time he has been carrying out infiltration and counter‑infiltration missions, having to fight the Rock ninja every few days.

He might retreat to camp to recover from his wounds, but as soon as he improves, the main base immediately assigns him another mission.

This keeps him and his squad constantly on the run!

Years of fighting have made his whole demeanor turn cold and ruthless.

Over the past two years, not only have Rock ninja fallen by his hand, but from time to time his own clansmen have had their lives taken by those Rock ninja.

His strength is incomparable to what it was before, yet he is far from invincible under heaven.

On this brutal land, he can only protect himself while doing his utmost to safeguard most of his clansmen.

There are always some clansmen who cannot adapt to the battlefield; due to various mistakes, they leave their young lives here.

Yes, young clansmen!

The companions he now leads are all roughly ten‑year‑old Uchiha "young" people.

Over time, clansmen have continually been added to his squad to fill the gaps; for example, his team now includes three eight‑year‑old clansmen who act alongside them.

As for the remaining clansmen, none are much older; the eldest are Longhu, Chaoxia, and a few others like them.

Together with him making five, each leads a three‑person squad, struggling to survive on this battlefield.

They hurried through the rain for nearly an hour, reaching a cave's vicinity before nightfall.

He closed his eyes briefly to sense inside, confirming that there was basically no one there, and Dong Shilang felt much more at ease.

"It looks like this outpost hasn't been discovered by the enemy!"

Even so, Dong Shilang did not act rashly; instead he created a Shadow Clone to scout the cave.

Seeing the safety signal from his Shadow Clone, Dong Shilang finally relaxed, thinking he could rest well tonight~

He led the way into the concealed, fairly spacious cave, feeling the cold moisture on himself and the uncontrollable shivering of some clansmen behind him, and quickly pulled a sealing scroll from his pack.

From it he took his specially made natural‑gas heating device, lit a flame, and let his companions behind him begin to warm up.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Clone Dong Shilang had split off earlier was not dispelled; instead it took another scroll he carried and began to scribble and draw on it.

Not long after, dozens of sparrows, moths, snakes and rats flew out from this unfolded scroll. Some flapped their wings and flew, some ran out twistedly from the cave, scattering in all directions.

These ninjutsu created with Super Beast Imitation Drawing will serve as their warning; if no one comes to disturb them tonight, they can sleep soundly.

Of course, except for the Shadow Clone Jutsu, he has to maintain this ninjutsu all night; otherwise, without anyone controlling it, these ninjutsu will likely be washed away by the outside rain before long.

Dong Shilang was extremely fortunate that, when he originally made a deal with Orochimaru, he chose this ninjutsu that had appeared in the original work.

Although this ninjutsu doesn't help much in combat, it gives him considerable assistance in auxiliary scouting, guarding, searching, and even when fleeing.

If it weren't for this ninjutsu, he wouldn't know whether he could have survived safely up to now~