Bunjiro said, "Summons are cool! I want one as well!"
Fujin replied, "Good luck. You can find the summoning seals in the library. But be careful. It's very dangerous. I almost died. Preferably discuss with your sensei or the Anbu Commander. They might help you reduce the risk."
Bunjiro nodded. Fujin said, "Kaito will carry us close to the target. Use this time to rest. Eat a soldier pill. Your chakra and readiness need to be at the highest levels."
Everyone nodded. Kaito flew straight towards the target for eight hours straight. They finally reached close to the island. The island was surrounded by water for tens of kilometers. Fujin asked Kaito to stop around 7 kilometers away from the island so that they would be out of reach of all sensors.
The group landed on the water. Fujin said, "Be on your guard. We will be heading straight to the island. Kaito, hide above the clouds. If a conflict happens, then sneak attack their strongest fighters from above with your Wind Breath. If that fails, clear out their weaker ninjas.
Also, one of them can spit lava and blow extremely hot steam. Both will be very harmful to you if they hit. So stay on guard against them and sudden changes in the temperature.
Kaito replied, "Alright. Good luck to you."
He took off and disappeared above the clouds. The Konoha ninjas ran straight to the island. When they were around 2.5 kilometers from the shore, a sensor sensed them. Everyone in Fujin's squad felt it and prepared themselves. 1 Jounin and 3 Chunin from Mei's forces moved towards Fujin's squad while a ninja went to inform Mei and Ao.
The Kiri squad running towards Fujin noticed that they weren't slowing down. They were alarmed by seeing the Anbu outfits. Around 1 kilometer from the shore, the two squads met.
The Kiri Jounin weaved hand signs while shouting, "Stay where you are and state your purpose!"
'Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'
A wall of water appeared in the path of the Konoha ninjas. However, blades of wind suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hit the water wall, causing it to crumble down. The Kiri ninjas were surprised by the result. Fujin said, "I'm here to meet Terumi Mei. Lead me where she is."
The Jounin frowned and asked, "Are you from Konoha?"
Fujin nodded.
The Jounin replied, "I will have to ask you to wait here."
Fujin sneered, "Wait on the water to meet with Kiri ninjas?"
He exerted a bit of his chakra and killing intent and said, "Get out of the way. I'll wait for her on the beach."
The Jounin frowned. He understood that conflict there would result in unnecessary casualties. He thought, 'If we fight on the island, then they will be outnumbered heavily and at a greater disadvantage. The chances of escape would be zero. What a fool!'
He replied, "Alright, follow me."
They began rushing towards the island. Mei and Ao were informed about the intruders. Ao activated his Byakugan and observed, "There are four ninjas. They clashed with one of our squads, but they are much stronger."
Mei frowned. She got out of her tent and asked, "Are they in danger?"
Ao shook his head and said, "Fortunately not. They are coming to the beach."
Mei nodded and moved towards the beach. She wondered, 'Are they from Konoha? But how did they send a squad in just around a day? Did Renjiro send a message to Konoha or is he scheming against us?'
Meanwhile, Renjiro noticed, 'Hmm, Mei and Ao stopped keeping an eye on us? Did they encounter trouble?'
He looked at his teammates and said, "There seems to be an unusual movement. Sense what is happening, Makoto."
Makoto nodded and activated his chakra field. His chakra field covered the entire island and went a kilometer into the sea. He said, "I sense 4 additional chakras. Three at the Jounin level and one at the Chunin level. Most of the Kiri ninjas are reacting to them."
His words confused them. Itaru asked, "Could Lord Hokage have sent a squad to rescue us?"
Kazuki shook his head and replied, "It's just been a day since we sent a message. They can't reach so quickly. I'm afraid that it might be a squad from the Mizukage faction or someone who isn't allied with the Rebel faction as of now."
The others agreed with his analysis.
While being just a couple of hundred meters away from the sea, Fujin felt 7 sensors scanning him. He thought, 'Well since everyone is scanning so liberally…'
He activated and spread his chakra field as well. It covered the entire island! He immediately focused on three Chakra signatures. Two were rushing towards him and were clearly far stronger than the other Kiri ninjas on the island. And the last one was a familiar one.
A smile appeared on Fujin's face as he realized, 'Looks like he is safe. At least there is nothing wrong with his chakra. And the number of Kiri ninjas is the same as reported. Though a few could still be hiding.'
Inside the house, a smile appeared on Renjiro's face as well. He had felt such a chakra field scanning him several times in the past. He muttered, "Sending my student on a mission to rescue me… The old man still loves to make everyone feel embarrassed."
His voice was very low. Kazuki asked, "Did you say something, Renjiro-san?"
Renjiro stood up and said, "They are allies. Get ready. We will break out as soon as there is a clash."
Renjiro's words surprised them. But no one questioned him and prepared for a fight.
Though Mei and Ao had left, there were still 16 Jounins and 12 Chunins keeping an eye on them. Breaking through them would likely lead to a clash. Since Renjiro wasn't sure who the rest of the ninjas with Fujin were and because they were still heavily outnumbered, he decided to be patient.
On the other side of the island, Mei and Ao reached the beach and saw Fujin and his squad. Fujin observed Mei and Ao. In addition to them, there were 20 other Kiri ninjas. 7 were Jounins while the rest were Chunins.
Fujin analyzed, 'Their numbers are divided into four groups. One is keeping an eye on the ships, another is in the village, the third is keeping an eye on Renjiro and finally these guys here. The odds are a bit better than I anticipated. Though winning is still impossible.'
At the same time, Mei also took a measure of Fujin's group. She wondered, 'Who are they? And how did Konoha send a squad so quickly? And why didn't the Hokage send an Elite Jounin to ensure the safety of the captured ninjas?'
She thought a bit and concluded, 'Did Konoha send a weaker squad to reduce their losses in case this was a trap?'
Seeing that she wasn't speaking, Fujin said, "Lord Hokage received Senju Renjiro's message and asked me to take him from here."
A scroll appeared in his hand. He added, "This scroll has the negotiated 40 million Ryo. So bring the Konoha ninjas here and we will complete the deal."
Mei asked, "How did you come here so quickly?"
Fujin replied in a neutral tone, "I'm afraid that isn't your concern."
His tone surprised Mei and Ao. They thought, 'Despite being outnumbered and outmatched, he isn't afraid. Does he have something up his sleeve? Or is he not afraid of death?'
Mei said, "I am afraid it is. How do I know that you are from Konoha?"
Fujin replied, "Just release them and they will confirm."
That sentence eliminated the doubt of their identity. However, Mei didn't want to appear in a weaker position against a nobody. She asked, "How do I know that the scroll has the money? Give me the scroll first and let me check."
Fujin answered with a question, "Why would we bother travelling so far with so few people if we didn't bring the money?"
Ao and Mei's expressions became serious. Fujin's rhetorical question was both, a compromise and a threat. It implied that they couldn't win a fight but at the same time, it also threatened Mei that Konoha could crush them on a whim.
Fujin knew that they would be smart enough to understand the hidden message. The serious expression on Mei's face faded away as a seductive smile appeared. She giggled, "What an interesting young man. Unfortunately, you have no power here. Hand over the scroll or I will capture you as well!"
She suddenly riled her chakra! Massive pressure was exerted on the Konoha ninjas. A look of surprise appeared behind Fujin's mask. As for the rest, they were completely shocked. In fact, Bunjiro was terrified.
Despite having met with Hiruzen numerous times, none of them had seen him exert his chakra. So they had never sensed such a massive chakra from anyone other than Roshi. But Roshi hadn't focused on them, so they never experienced such a domineering chakra. All three of them instinctively grabbed their weapons.
Unlike his teammates, the surprise on Fujin's face was due to an entirely different reason!
