Chapter 165: The Envoy

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: The Envoy

Before this, Hyuga Kagami had always been under a misconception about Ice Release.

He had assumed that when performing an Ice Release ninjutsu, Water-nature chakra was only responsible for shaping the technique during the initial stage, while Wind-nature chakra was only involved at the very end, when the two chakra natures underwent nature transformation and fusion.

However, the facts proved that this understanding was wrong.

If one wanted to perform a true Ice Release ninjutsu, then Water-nature chakra and Wind-nature chakra had to be fused together from the very beginning, completing their nature fusion first.

Hand seals, shaping the ninjutsu, the chakra circulation pathway—all of those came only after the nature fusion had already been achieved.

And that was precisely why Haku had said that the difference between using Ice Release and Water Release was that, when performing Ice Release, he couldn’t afford to be distracted and had to maintain absolute concentration.

That single statement had actually given Kagami the answer.

The nature fusion had to be maintained throughout the entire process. It wasn’t something that occurred only during one particular stage.

Therefore, while performing the technique, if he couldn’t maintain the fusion of Water-nature chakra and Wind-nature chakra from beginning to end, then no matter how perfectly he copied the hand seals, the chakra circulation pathway, or anything else, he would never be able to perform a true Ice Release!

Once he understood this, Hyuga Kagami finally knew how he should go about training his Ice Release.

For him, mastering Ice Release was now only a matter of time.

Time flew by...

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed.

During those three months, the negotiations between Konoha and Kumogakure had made major progress. According to the final results of the negotiations, Kumogakure would soon dispatch an envoy to Konoha to formally sign a peace treaty.

On this day, the Third Hokage summoned ANBU Team 11 to the Hokage’s office.

After handing a document to Team 11’s captain, Kakashi, the Third said solemnly, "This is the route the Kumogakure negotiation delegation will be taking. Team 11 will be responsible for protecting them along the way. Under no circumstances can anything happen to the Kumogakure delegation while they’re within the Land of Fire."

Kakashi immediately realized the importance of the mission. After carefully examining the document in his hands, he asked, "Lord Hokage, does anyone else know the route the Kumogakure delegation will be taking?"

The Third removed the pipe from his mouth. "No more than four people in the village know the contents of this top-secret document, and every one of them is completely trustworthy. You don’t need to worry about the information being leaked."

Kakashi carefully put away the map of the Kumogakure delegation’s route and said, "Please rest assured. Team 11 will make certain that the Kumogakure delegation reaches the village safely."

After leaving the Hokage Building, Kakashi said to his teammates, "This mission is extremely important. Everyone, get yourselves ready. We’ll assemble and depart in thirty minutes!"

The members of Team 11 nodded, then each returned home to make their preparations.

At this moment, the body Hyuga Kagami was controlling was the Type-B clone.

Over the past few months, Hyuga Kagami had spent nearly all his time using the Type-B clone. On one hand, this was to improve the compatibility between his soul and the Type-B clone. On the other, it was so he could train in Ice Release and further develop the clone’s capabilities.

However, this mission would take him far away from the village, and there was no telling what kind of unexpected situation might arise. After weighing his options, he decided to switch back to his original Yin Release body for the mission.

Everyone in Team 11 was a decisive, no-nonsense shinobi, so it didn’t take long for them to finish their preparations, assemble, and set out.

After two weeks of travel, Team 11 arrived at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water one day ahead of schedule.

Standing atop a steep cliff, Kakashi pointed toward a narrow road in the distance. "If nothing unexpected happens, the Kumogakure delegation should enter the Land of Fire along that road tomorrow."

Hyuga Kagami activated his Byakugan and carefully surveyed the area for a while before saying, "There’s nothing unusual along that road."

Guy asked, "Are we meeting up with the Kumogakure delegation here, or are we protecting them from the shadows?"

Kakashi shook his head. "We’re only responsible for ensuring their safety. There’s no need to meet them, and even less reason to let them know we exist!"

Before long, night fell.

Team 11 found a secluded little cave and used it as their temporary campsite.

After eating some rations around the campfire, the bored members of the team began chatting.

Kakashi casually said, "Have you guys heard? Apparently, two groups of bounty ninjas recently got into a massive conflict within the Land of Fire. Things got pretty intense. It sounds like even the black market was affected."

Shisui picked up the conversation. "Yeah, I’ve heard about it too. These bounty ninjas are getting more and more brazen. To think they’d actually dare wage war inside our Land of Fire!"

In order to track down the defected Uchiha Shinichi, the Uchiha Clan had stepped up its intelligence-gathering efforts outside the village. And as one of the Uchiha Clan’s publicly known Mangekyo Sharingan wielders, Shisui had naturally heard all kinds of information.

Guy asked, "We’re not going to run into any of those bounty ninjas on this mission, are we?"

Kakashi’s expression darkened, but he said nothing.

Shisui also fell silent.

As the village continued to weaken, Konoha’s control over the Land of Fire had fallen to an unprecedented low. These days, once one traveled even a little distance away from the village, there was no longer any guarantee of safety. Because of this, both Kakashi and Shisui were worried that something unexpected might happen during the mission.

After all, the confrontation with Kumogakure had already consumed far too much of the village’s manpower and resources, leaving Konoha increasingly strained. If something happened to the Kumogakure delegation and caused the peace treaty to fall through, Team 11 would bear an enormous responsibility.

Sitting off to the side, Hyuga Kagami was also somewhat worried.

Although in the original timeline, the Kumogakure delegation had successfully reached Konoha, that didn’t necessarily mean the delegation would safely reach Konoha in this timeline as well.

After all, because of Hyuga Kagami’s actions, the divergence between this timeline and the original one was growing larger and larger.

Even with the memories of his previous life, Hyuga Kagami could no longer say with certainty what would happen in the very next moment.

However, Uchiha Shinichi hadn’t sent him any messages, which at the very least meant that Akatsuki hadn’t set its sights on the Kumogakure delegation.

Early the next morning, Team 11 took up positions atop the cliff and gazed toward the border.

It wasn’t until the sun was high overhead that there was finally some movement along the border.

A delegation consisting of twelve people slowly entered the sight of Team 11’s four members.

Hyuga Kagami activated his Byakugan and carefully observed them. After confirming that every one of them was dressed as a Kumogakure shinobi, he said to his companions, "They all look like they’re from Kumogakure. That should be the envoy."

As soon as he finished speaking, however, Hyuga Kagami suddenly furrowed his brows.

Noticing the change in his expression, Shisui asked, "Senpai, what’s wrong?"

Hyuga Kagami murmured, "Something’s strange..."

Kakashi immediately asked, "Did you notice something?"

Hyuga Kagami voiced his doubts. "Judging by their chakra reserves, only two of the twelve are at the level of ordinary jonin. The other ten are only at the level of chunin and genin. For a delegation entrusted with formally establishing peace between two nations, don’t you think Kumogakure is treating this far too casually?"