Naruto: The Beautiful Uchiha is Actually Me?

Chapter 181 Should we go take a look?

The three continued on their way. Konoha had sent out many teams like theirs, and they were just one of them.

Other teams, such as Hatake Kaede's team, the scout team composed of Yan Yi's second brother and Itama's second brother, and Wataru and his team who stayed behind to guard the rear due to insufficient combat strength, were all silently carrying out their missions for this battle.

"We're almost there..." Yan Yi muttered to himself, carefully observing the surrounding terrain.

This is the northeastern border of the Land of Fire. Right now, the Land of Hot Water isn't even in the middle anymore; the Land of Hot Water is only half its original size, while the Land of Fire happens to border part of the Land of Lightning.

The borders were not so strict during this period. During the Warring States period, the major families fought their own battles, and the daimyo in the country were powerless to manage the borders. Therefore, they were not even quite sure whether they had entered the Land of Lightning.

The sky was overcast; compared to the clear sky when we set off in the morning, it looked as if it was about to rain.

“Perhaps…we should observe this area first…” Tao Hua said hesitantly, gazing at the mountain peaks at the edge of the forest.

Itama has little opinion of his own; he only needs to follow Genichi's judgment. Even so, he carefully observes his surroundings.

It's a bit too quiet here.

The closer they got to the Land of Lightning, the quieter it became. Could it be that the Land of Lightning really had no ninjas participating in the war? How could that be? The Tsukiyo clan suffered a great loss last time; are they really completely silent this time?

A hundred questions lingered in the minds of the three, but at this moment, they all tacitly remained silent.

The wind was howling, and behind the distant mountain peaks, the sky looked very dark. Thunder rumbled from time to time above the dark clouds, and although it wasn't loud, it struck the three of them like a resounding bell.

"Yan Yi, what should we do now?" Tao Hua asked softly.

"The situation around us is not quite what we expected. We haven't encountered any ninjas along the way, or even found a trace of them. I guess the Land of Earth probably didn't try to bypass us from this side, and the Land of Lightning didn't send any troops either."

Yan nodded, then took out the scroll and looked at the map.

He pointed to several points on the map and continued to explain, "Although we don't know the situation on the main battlefield, it's clear that we don't have any supply teams or intelligence ninjas. According to the map, the Land of Lightning has to pass through here to get here, since they're taking a detour from the other side, and it's very likely that they're working with the Land of Earth... well... you all know without me saying that they're not as united as you think."

Yan Yi patiently explained, although he probably couldn't analyze it more comprehensively from his perspective, he still had a basic understanding of it.

Itama nodded, seemingly understanding, then asked, "So, what do we...?"

"Let's just search the surrounding area. As for what's going on inside the Land of Lightning, I don't think we're strong enough to investigate. Oh, and one more thing..."

boom!

Before Yan Yi could finish speaking, a loud explosion suddenly came from the direction of the Land of Thunder in the distance. Although it was not loud, it was very clear and reached the ears of the three of them at the same time.

"!!"

Yan Yi suddenly looked up, his Sharingan instantly activating, and gazed in the direction of the explosion.

That's within the Land of Lightning. Behind the mountains, you can vaguely see a wisp of smoke and birds scattering in all directions...

"Something's happening over there? What's going on in the Land of Lightning?" Itama was startled, and almost drew his sword.

Yan Yi quickly analyzed the situation in his mind, and the red light in his eyes flickered slightly. After about ten seconds, the explosion stopped, and Yan Yi spoke again.

“I think… is there a possibility… that the Land of Lightning didn’t come not just because they were hesitating, but also because they… were tricked by the Land of Earth?” After Yan Yi finished speaking, he felt that it was a bit far-fetched.

"Huh?" Tao Hua looked puzzled, but then her eyes widened, as if she had also thought of some possibilities.

Itama seemed a little confused, but after thinking for a moment, he asked uncertainly, "Yan Yi, does the Land of Earth think the Land of Lightning is easier to bully now, so they're... taking a bite out of them? Aren't they allied... uh..."

Itama stopped talking halfway through his sentence. He had been led astray by his own habitual thinking.

The so-called alliance was nothing but a joke. Since the entire ninja world had been thrown into turmoil, we couldn't look at things with common sense. Their standard now wasn't morality or oaths, but which side's interests were relatively greater and more stable.

Okay, now that the three of them roughly understood, the objective of their mission became clearer. After all, they had gained nothing from this place, so perhaps...

"Let's...go take a look!" Yan Yi said seriously, staring intently at the direction from which the explosion had come.

The two were clearly taken aback by Yan Yi's suggestion. "Take a look? Where should we look? What should we look at?"

"Go and find out what's going on in the Land of Lightning. If the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning are fighting, that would be great!" Yan Yi was getting excited about his idea. He was becoming more and more convinced that the Land of Lightning had definitely been tricked by the Land of Earth.

In his memory, something like this had happened before, hadn't it? After all, a certain Raikage had been thoroughly tricked by the Land of Earth. Although it was far from happening yet, this reverse "historical basis" didn't seem entirely unreasonable.

Senju Momoka nodded, her eyes also flashing with interest.

“Then let’s go take a look. If that’s the case, then our village’s situation might not be as bad as we think.” After Tao Hua finished speaking, she looked at Banjian.

However, it doesn't matter whether she looks at it or not. Even if she were to ask Itama's opinion... this indecisive little boy would most likely just follow Ichi's arrangements completely.

Along the way, Tao Hua finally understood: if Yan Yi told Ban Jian to go east, he would absolutely not go west. He listened to Yan Yi in everything; his obedience and docility were almost unbelievable...

"Ahem, let's go then." Yan Yi smiled helplessly, then put away the map and gently squeezed Ban Jian's hand.

Without a word, the three of them vanished from their spot in an instant, leaving no trace. The forests of the Land of Fire behind them remained as quiet as ever, while from the Land of Lightning ahead came rumbling sounds from time to time, indistinguishable between thunder and the sounds of war.

Shortly after the three left, a round, black, slippery "head" poked out of a tree next to where they had been standing, as if it had crawled out of the tree.

On its black head, two bead-like objects, resembling eyeballs, were staring intently in the direction the three had left...

"Indra's reincarnation's brother... who was also his most beloved younger brother."