“Can you tell me who you are?” Xia Ri tried to confirm again.

“My name is Kazuma Kobayakawa, and I’m considered… the Mizukage of Kirigakure.” The corners of Kazuma Kobayakawa’s mouth curled up, and he had no intention of hiding anything from Xia Ri.

“You said… you are the Mizu Kage?…” Xia Ri was slightly stunned. Unlike small ninja villages like the Hidden Star Village, the Kages of the five major countries are at the top of the ninja world.

“When Xingying wakes up, let’s talk about Xing.” Kobayakawa Kazuma invited Xia Ri.

For him, there was no one more important than Xia Ri in Xingyin Village. Compared with Xia Ri, even the A-level mission worth 90 taels seemed insignificant.

A-level female ninjas are rare in the ninja world. So far, Kobayakawa Kazuma has only seen two of them. Among them, Tsunade has given birth to a child for him and is the only female among the three ninjas of Konoha; Ye Cang is a candidate for the Kazekage and is currently being held in the Kirigakure prison by him, with no way out for the time being.

It was really a great honor to meet a woman of Xia Ri’s qualifications in the small village this time.

“I didn’t expect you to be so reasonable, Lord Mizukage.” Natsuri and Kobayakawa Kazuma looked into each other’s eyes and smiled faintly.

Chapter 156: Traces of Stars

After a while, Xingying woke up. Kobayakawa Kazuma sat on a stone bench in the cave, eating a simple vegetable soup and chatting with the three people from the Xingyin Village about the stars.

Three years ago, Xingying forcefully suspended the Star Training. As a result, the ninjas in the village were divided into two factions due to their attitude towards the Star Training.

One faction is the conservatives led by Xingying, who are opposed to the practice of stars; the other faction is the radicals led by Chixing and others, who insist on starting the practice of stars.

In the past six months, the radical faction has been acting more and more frequently, and even attempted to steal the star and restart the star training without telling Xingying. To this end, Xingying took action in advance, stole the star first, and entrusted the task to Wuyin to confuse the public.

He planned to hand Xing over to Hotaru and Natsuhi for safekeeping, and after Kirigakure’s mission failed and the radicals gave up, he would find a way to get Xing back to the village.

Unexpectedly, the night before Xingying was about to hand the star over to Yinghuo, the star was stolen.

After several days of investigation, Xingying believed that it was the people from Kusagakure who stole their things. The reason why he came to see Yinghuo and Xiari today was that he hoped to take back the stolen stars before the people from Kusagakure returned to the Land of Grass.

“Originally, this was our fault, and we shouldn’t have bothered you.” Xingying stood up, and suddenly bowed to Kobayakawa, making a request, “But now, Mizukage-sama, I want to temporarily apply for an A-level mission from the Kirigakure. If you can help us take back the stars, we are willing to add another 60 taels to the original amount.”

“I’ll add one more condition.” Kobayakawa Kazuma said in a deep voice: “The Hidden Mist Village is currently short of manpower. I need Xia Ri to come to the Hidden Mist Village and serve as a jonin for two years.”

Xingying was a little surprised. Logically, even if the Hidden Mist Village was short of people, they shouldn’t come to their small villages to poach talents. However, considering Xia Ri’s excellent talent, the invitation from the Mizukage was reasonable.

Xia Ri was slightly startled. She looked at Kobayakawa Kazuma, but immediately looked away.

“I’m sorry, Mizukage-sama, but my husband is very ill and I can’t…”

Before Xia Ri could finish his words, Yinghuo, who was lying on the hospital bed, got off the bed. He coughed violently a few times and shook his head at Xia Ri.

“Xia Ri, you should go to the Hidden Mist Village, whether it’s for a commission or because of your talent.” Firefly put her hand on Xia Ri’s head and smiled gently, “I don’t want to be a burden to you, nor do I want to be a useless person who needs to be taken care of everywhere. This time, I will act with you.”

Xia Ri closed her eyes tightly. She had always known that her husband’s body had reached its limit and the side effects of star training could take her husband’s life at any time.

The reason why Yinghuo has held on until now is not because he doesn’t want to die in the hospital bed, but to find a suitable cemetery.

“Lord Mizukage, I’ll leave it to you from now on. We still need to act quickly.” Hotaru nodded to Kobayakawa Kazuma and reminded him.

“Ah! In that case, let’s act now. If we’re lucky, we might be able to put an end to this before those people return to Kusagakure Village.”

Kazuma Kobayakawa agreed and immediately formulated a strategy.

The secret Peacock Technique practiced by the three Xia Ri people allows them to use chakra to fly in the sky at a speed far beyond that of ordinary people. And the Byakugan possessed by Kazuma Kobayakawa can easily observe the color of chakra emitted by the stars.

Therefore, the best way is to divide the troops into three groups and search all the way to the Grass Kingdom along the three more commonly used routes.

It has been two days and two nights since the star was stolen. If we are lucky enough, we can get it back before the star enters the Grass Kingdom.

Kazuma Kobayakawa created two shadow clones, and let Hoshikage and Hotaru each carry a kunai with the Flying Thunder God mark.

Xingying, Xia Ri and Yinghuo used the Peacock Magic to fly into the sky. Xia Ri held Kobayakawa Kazuma’s real body in his arms, while the other two held Kobayakawa Kazuma’s shadow clones in their arms.

“Just hurry up and get on with your journey. My field of vision is very wide. As long as Xing’s chakra appears, I can see it.” Kobayakawa Kazuma said to Xia Ri, and he opened his Byakugan.

From the perspective of the Byakugan, the criss-crossing dense forests no longer pose an obstacle, and anyone with chakra will be reflected in his eyes.

Xia Ri nodded, and after reaching a high altitude, her figure moved straight forward.

The sound of wind blew past her ears, blowing her hair into disarray. The sound of Xia Ri’s breathing was covered by the wind, and she hugged Kazuma Kobayakawa tightly.

The Byakugan that is always in the open state will continuously consume chakra, but for Kazuma Kobayakawa now, this chakra consumption is nothing, and it is not even a burden for him.

Xia Ri’s chakra is equally huge, and even if he maintains a flying state, he can last for more than two hours at a time.

The flying speed is very fast, and the Bear Kingdom is a small country. Between this country and the Grass Kingdom are the Bird Kingdom and the Rain Kingdom, which are also small countries.

If Kobayakawa Kazuma and Natsuhi tried their best, it would only take one day at most for them to completely cross the Bird Country and the Rain Country and reach the Grass Country.

Although Hanzo and Pain may exist in the Rain Country today, there is no reason to encounter these two powerful men unless you enter the Hidden Rain Village in the heart of the country.

However, in order to take care of Xingying and Yinghuo on the other two routes, the two of them deliberately slowed down.

In the blink of an eye, it was afternoon, and Xia Ri and Kobayakawa Kazuma had already crossed the Bird Country and arrived at the edge of the Rain Country.

The weather in this country is just as its name suggests, it always rains and thunderclouds always gather in the sky and rarely dissipate.

In order to avoid the threat of thunderclouds, Xia Ri and Kazuma Kobayakawa had to give up their flying altitude and field of vision and only fly more than ten meters above the ground.

“I never thought I’d meet him.” Kobayakawa Kazuma looked down at the forest. From his Byakugan perspective, a person was standing on the trunk of a large tree, with some purple-black chakra on his body.

There is no mistake, that is the mark of having touched a star.

Chapter 157: Cunning Kusagakure

For those who have not experienced the practice of the stars, even if they have come into contact with the stars, the traces of the stars on them will disappear quickly. Clear traces like the one on the ground mean that the person in front of us has not been separated from the stars for a long time.

“Get out of the way!” Suddenly, Kazuma Kobayakawa sounded the alarm to Natsuri behind him.

Xia Ri hurriedly changed the direction of her flight. Because she was flying too fast, she lost her balance and began to fall downwards.

On Xia Ri’s original flight path, a kunai with a powder-coated tip shot straight into the sky.

Seeing that Xia Ri was about to crash, Kobayakawa Kazuma hurriedly threw a kunai into the forest, and his figure instantly disappeared from Xia Ri’s arms.

The summer sun was setting in the distance, and Kazuma Kobayakawa appeared in the forest using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

He raised his head and looked to the upper right. A short and fat man in civilian clothes and chain mail was standing on a tree trunk. The man’s eyes were looking up vigilantly at the sky, and he seemed not to have noticed Kazuma Kobayakawa yet.

Kobayakawa Kazuma had no interest in reminding the other party. He formed a seal with one hand, and then a fire dragon circled in front of him.

Fire escape. Dragon fire technique!

The flame shot out straight, only as thick as a wrist. Kobayakawa Kazuma aimed at the opponent’s shoulder, and the power was controlled within a very small range. Since he still had some questions to ask the person in front of him, he did not intend to kill him.

In fact, deep down in his heart, Kazuma Kobayakawa did not want to take back the stars so easily. He also wanted to use this excuse to visit the Kusagakure Village.

Judging from the time, Karin and her daughter should still be working as medical ninjas in the Hidden Kusagakure Village. If we can take these two people away from the Land of Grass, it will be a great gain.

They are called medical ninjas, but in fact, Karin and her daughter are just tools of the Kusagakure ninjas.

Due to the physical constitution of the Uzumaki clan, an injured person only needs to bite them to recover from his dying injuries. It is inevitable that they will be used as tools and exploited to death.

The short and fat man was attracted by the sudden rise in temperature around him. By the time he noticed Kobayakawa Kazuma’s movements, the Dragon Fire Technique had already sprayed towards him.

The flames were highly compressed, emitting extremely high temperatures and actually appeared blue.

“When did he arrive?” The short and fat man hurriedly used the technique of instant body movement to dodge, and the dragon fire technique shot towards the sky until it opened a small hole in the clouds.

After falling to the ground, the short and fat man took out a kunai from his ninja tool bag. He rushed to Kobayakawa Kazuma and wanted to start a close combat.

Kazuma Kobayakawa drew out his ninja sword and with just a light swing, two shadow blades slashed towards the short and fat man.

The short and fat man reacted quickly. He quickly stepped back to avoid the ninja sword, and then used the kunai in his hand to block a shadow blade.

Of the three attacks, only one shadow blade hit the short and fat man’s back, cutting a deep and long wound.

“You, even in the Hidden Mist Village, one of the five major ninja villages, you are considered a Jonin. There is a huge gap between our Jounin of Kusagakure and the ninjas of the five major countries.” The short and fat man gritted his teeth. The pain and bleeding made him realize that the man in front of him could easily kill him.

The reason why the two attacks just now failed to kill me was probably because the other party wanted a living person to ask for information.

As expected, it was the right decision for me to stay and stop the enemy. Among the team that stole the stars, I was the worst jonin at fighting. Even if I had to sacrifice my life to prevent Kobayakawa Ichima from chasing them, it would still be a win.

Once he seriously injures Kazuma Kobayakawa, that guy Ameda will have no opponent, and bringing Xing back to the village will become a natural thing.

“I guess so.” Kobayakawa Kazuma nodded. He was indeed a jonin. After all, there was no special ninja strength to measure the Kage.

“It seems that after meeting you, I can’t escape.” The short and fat ninja sat down on the ground, put his hands together and stretched them out, “To be honest, I am the one who stole the star. Come and catch me. I am willing to accept any punishment.”

“I’m really surprised that you’re willing to surrender.” Kobayakawa Kazuma put away his ninja sword, walked up to the short and fat ninja, and asked, “Why do you have to steal the star? As far as I know, although the star can strengthen chakra, it has irreparable side effects. Even if you get it, you will need to spend a lot of time researching ways to offset the side effects.”

The short and fat ninja raised his lips and laughed, “As expected of a ninja from the five great nations, you don’t understand the situation of our small nations at all. Do you know? We small nations survive in the cracks of the big nations, like livestock living under the shadow of a violent master. Once something doesn’t meet the master’s wishes, we will be annihilated.”

Kobayakawa Kazuma twisted his neck. Indeed, as a ninja from the five major countries, it was difficult for him to empathize with the ninjas from these small countries.

Although the Hidden Mist Village is at the bottom among the five major countries, it has a deep foundation after all. Even when the village’s combat power is the weakest, the other major countries do not dare to invade easily.

However, it is different for small countries like Kusagakure. Often, these small countries, without any fault, will still become battlefields between big countries. Not only will their politics and economy be devastated beyond imagination, but even their citizens will easily become victims of the swords of big countries.

“So, stealing the stars can change your current situation?” Kazuma Kobayakawa asked again.

“That’s right.” The short and fat ninja nodded. “With the help of the stars, the Kusagakure Village can create several fighters comparable to you in a short period of time. Even the five major countries cannot underestimate these fighters, and the war in the village will be alleviated. My sister who lost her parents in the war, and my compatriots, they no longer have to worry about the sudden war taking away the people around them.”

Seeing Kazuma Kobayakawa walking in front of him, the short and fat ninja hugged Kazuma Kobayakawa and sneered.

“Our plan cannot be destroyed by anyone. You dangerous guy, just die here with me.” The short and fat ninja touched his hand to his chest, where there were densely packed detonating talismans.

“I say, you idiot, are you planning to drag my stand to commit suicide?” Before the short and fat ninja’s hand touched the detonating tag, he heard Kazuma Kobayakawa’s voice coming from above his head.

He was slightly startled, and his palm stopped in front of his chest, only a few centimeters away from the detonating tag.

The short and fat ninja fully realized his failure. In the face of the absolute gap in strength, all his plans and strategies seemed like a joke.

Chapter 158 The Whereabouts of the Uzumaki Mother and Daughter

“That guy Ameda should be able to escape back to Kusagakure before being caught, and take our hope back with him. As long as that thing falls into the hands of Lord Shikimori, even the Kirigakure Jonin will be unable to do anything to him.” The short and fat ninja calmly gave up resistance. He looked up at the gray sky. Rain was falling continuously, filling the space.

If his death could delay some time, he would not hesitate. However, in front of Kobayakawa Kazuma, even if he sacrificed his life, he could hardly gain a single minute.

How long this battle lasts depends on Kobayakawa Kazuma’s mood.

About three minutes later, Xia Ri came running over, the rain soaking her hair and running down her cheeks.

“Lord Kobayakawa, have you found the star?” Xia Ri asked hurriedly.