Chao YanQian could clearly feel the change in everyone's demeanor when Orochimaru appeared. They all seemed convinced in their hearts that the presence of Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, would ensure the success of the mission. The confidence in their leader was palpable.
Some of the ninjas standing close to Orochimaru appeared to bask in the glory of being near such a renowned figure, and they were visibly excited.
"Move out!"
Orochimaru didn't waste any words. With a commanding gesture, he led the way toward the Land of Wind.
The sun filtered through the dense canopy of the towering trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Through these trees and shadows, over 500 ninjas darted along the branches, their movements swift and coordinated. In the dim light, their figures blended almost invisibly into the forest, unnoticed even by the keenest of birds.
The ninjas moved swiftly. According to the original book, running at full speed from Konoha Village to Sunagakure would take about three days. Reaching the border of the Land of Fire would take about one to two days.
Orochimaru led them with relentless pace, allowing only brief breaks for meals. No one dared to complain openly, though many with less stamina began to grumble in private. Yet, the presence of Orochimaru made them all uneasy, preventing any open objections.
As they reached the border, Orochimaru signaled for the group to disperse. Ueno turned to Chao YanQian and the others, shouting, "Follow me!" and led them away from the main unit.
Between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind lies the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers.
Konoha had deployed a total of five hundred ninjas for this mission. Some were to guard the border of the Land of Fire, some would enter the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers, while others were tasked with covertly infiltrating the Land of Wind to gather intelligence on Sunagakure.
This, however, was just the visible deployment. How many ANBU were secretly sent by Konoha was a question only the higher-ups could answer.
The mission given to Chao YanQian's team was to patrol the border of the Land of Fire. Their objective was clear: if they encountered a ninja from Sunagakure, they were to capture them alive if possible. If not, they were to kill them and return the body to Konoha.
Upon reaching their designated location, Ueno took out a map and began assigning tasks. "Our mission is simple: patrol this area. If we find any ninja from Sunagakure, we kill them immediately."
"We're splitting into two groups. Chao YanQian and the original team will patrol this area, and I'll handle the other side. Kaitai, you'll have to work a bit harder and patrol between our two groups every half hour using your Byakugan. Is everything clear?"
"Yes!" The three responded in unison.
"Good. Our team will maintain vigilance until tomorrow morning when we will be relieved. Let's get started." Ueno said quietly, "Move out!"
"This is so boring!" An hour later, Hoshinohara began to grumble. "Chao YanQian, do you think we'll run into any Sand shinobi?"
To be honest, the mission was tedious. Judging from Konoha's deployment, it was unlikely that any Sand ninja would make it through to the Land of Fire. If nothing happened, Chao YanQian's team would likely end up engaging in the main battle between Konoha and Sunagakure, adding the credit for a B-rank mission to their records.
But, as they say, no plan is foolproof.
There were skilled shinobi in Sunagakure, and it wasn't impossible for someone to slip through the defenses and infiltrate the Land of Fire, resulting in combat.
Any Sand ninja who managed to break through Konoha's defenses and infiltrate the Land of Fire would undoubtedly be elite. Given the strength of Chao YanQian's team, encountering such an enemy without reinforcements would likely mean the end.
"Are you eager to meet Sand shinobi?" Chao YanQian asked.
"Of course!" Hoshinohara responded with enthusiasm. "Don't you want to earn some recognition?"
Chao YanQian shook his head slightly and said calmly, "You have to survive first before you can earn any recognition."
Hoshinohara wasn't completely thoughtless, but he lacked the ability to make decisions in times of crisis. For a ninja with no natural talent like him, it was an achievement just to reach the rank of chunin.
Meanwhile, Chao YanQian was focused on obtaining evidence that the Red Sand Scorpion had killed the Third Kazekage.
Simply knowing the truth wasn't enough. Concrete evidence was necessary to charge the Red Sand Scorpion with the crime and expose the conspiracy of the Elder Chiyo to protect him and provoke war.
But Chao YanQian didn't even know where the Red Sand Scorpion was. How could he possibly find evidence?
Even if he did locate the Red Sand Scorpion, the likely outcome would be his own death.
The night passed quickly, and by morning, after handing over the patrol to another team, Ueno led Chao YanQian's group back to Konoha's camp.
The camp was newly set up, consisting of only a few tents and about twenty ninjas.
These ninjas were responsible for different areas along the border. Camps like this were scattered throughout the region.
After a quick wash, Chao YanQian found a quiet spot outside the camp, where he sat down to practice ways to increase his cellular activity.
Chakra is a volatile energy, and human cells are fragile. Tsunade's method of enhancing cellular activity required extremely precise chakra control. Practicing it without the necessary control could result in injury or even paralysis.
Unlike Chidori, which directly stimulates cells with lightning chakra, Tsunade's method used medical ninjutsu to stimulate cell activity, thereby enhancing physical strength.
After about half an hour, Chao YanQian stood up, following the technique recorded on the scroll. He channeled chakra into his right arm and punched a large tree.
Boom!
The force of the blow caused the tree to shake, and the point of impact was shattered, displaying considerable power.
A few small scratches appeared on Chao YanQian's fist, but thanks to the healing properties of medical ninjutsu, they quickly closed, and in moments, the wounds were gone.
After this simple test,Chao YanQian realized that the technique primarily stimulated muscle strength, significantly increasing power but not speed. It had an effect opposite to that of Chidori, which enhanced speed by stimulating cells with lightning chakra.
Even though Chao YanQian had mastered the technique, using it in battle would require extensive practice.
In the heat of battle, there would be no time or opportunity for precise chakra control. Therefore, Chao YanQian had to train this technique until it became instinctual, allowing him to use it naturally in combat.