As they travelled, Fujin thought, 'Facing a rank S Sigh I hope that no combat happens. But if it does and they kill or mutilate Renjiro before I reach, what should I do?'

Noticing Fujin being lost in thoughts and recalling his reaction earlier, Bunjiro asked, "Captain, who is Senju Renjiro?"

Fujin answered, "He was my Jounin Sensei after I graduated."

Yugao already knew it, while Fumito and Bunjiro were surprised. Bunjiro said, "Don't worry, Captain, he should be alright. Lord Hokage said that the chances of it being a trap are very low."

Fujin nodded and replied, "Don't worry, I am fine. It's best if the situation is peaceful. But if something goes wrong, prepare to run away. I might not be able to help you guys much considering their numbers. But I'll slow them down enough to give you an opportunity. Don't miss it."

Yugao immediately said, "You can't risk your life for us, Captain. Your speed with the Body Flicker jutsu is very high. We don't want to slow you down."

Bunjiro nodded. However, Fujin said, "You don't need to worry about me. They won't be able to hurt or capture me. Just focus on escaping."

The determination in his voice made his team unable to respond. They just nodded and travelled without speaking more.

Despite speaking with determination, Fujin wasn't very confident. After all, Mei was a rank S ninja. Someone who'd become a Kage not long after. And unlike Gaara, who was still a kid, she was in her mid-20s.

Fujin thought, 'I knew that Mieko would eventually die. As for Hoka, his life and death are controlled by the main family of the Hyuga clan. Which is why I tried to keep a sufficient distance from them. Only Renjiro was someone who I knew wouldn't die for sure But this world is too dangerous. One wrong mission or bad choice is all that is needed to be at risk of losing your life!'

Fujin was very close with Renjiro. Of all the people he had spent time with in this world, he had spent the highest with Renjiro. Though he wouldn't give up his life for Renjiro, he didn't want to see Renjiro die. Fujin sighed secretly and thought, 'Let's put my emotions away. They won't help me. If conflict breaks out, can I take on Mei?'

He recalled her performance from the Fourth Great Ninja War and thought, 'If I were to rank the five Kages in that war from strongest to weakest, Mei would probably be the weakest. Though having two Kekkei Genkai is cool and sounds strong, her jutsus aren't very effective on an open battlefield.

Her lava jutsus are too slow and I can easily dodge them. Same for the Vapor jutsus. They are only effective in a closed space. As long as I don't get trapped inside a formation, I should be fine. But there are still some issues.

For one, it's the 70 other ninjas with her. I can't take on them while fighting with her. Any distraction could be deadly. Secondly, if her speed is as fast as Hiruzen, then I will be in trouble. And thirdly, the sea I have no expertise in water jutsus. I can barely perform a few rank E and D jutsus. But they should all be able to manipulate water and make the fight ridiculously difficult for me.

In addition, even though I am confident in dodging her attacks and making them harmless, it doesn't mean that I can harm her. To dodge her two Kekkei Genkai jutsus will force me to maintain distance, which would give her enough time to dodge my Vacuum jutsus. So the best result I can hope for is a stalemate, which won't be of any help to me in this particular situation. Fortunately, I have two means of dealing with the situation.

The first is obviously running away. But I don't want to do it. I couldn't do anything during Mieko's death. After all, Itachi and Obito were just too damn strong. And I had no confidence in facing Danzo's and Hiruzen's schemes or Mieko's threat if she became unstable.

But now, even though I'm not strong enough to face stronger rank S ninjas like Hiruzen, Ay or Onoki, facing someone like Mei and making her regret should be possible. I'll just summon Kurogan and make them experience hell! After all, how will they fight me when I'm so high in the air?'

Having thought about all possibilities, Fujin made his decision. If a conflict breaks out, he would engage them in aerial guerilla warfare.

Land of Water :

Not everything was merry in Mei's camp. Though Renjiro's words had gained the support of a good number of her ninjas, a few were still skeptical. There were many whose family was harmed by Renjiro or his subordinates in the previous war. Many ninjas still hated Konoha.

A few banded together and approached Mei. Since they were her subordinates, Mei couldn't dismiss them casually. She sighed and said, "I understand your emotions but keep the bigger picture in mind. Right now, we are in a stalemate against the Mizukage faction.

If we push Konoha towards them, we will be at a bigger disadvantage. If the sensors from Konoha were to join them, then our allies, who are hiding and building their strength, will be affected."

Her words made them quiet down. They wanted revenge but understood what terrible cost it would have. One girl among them sighed and said in a sad tone, "Aunt Chou had entered the Land of Fire a few years ago while she was being chased by a squad from the Mizukage faction.

But both the squads completely disappeared after that. They should have encountered Konoha ninjas. I just hoped that we could ask Konoha what exactly happened to her and to return her body."

Hearing her request, Mei replied, "It's been 3 years since then, Yumi. But alright, I will ask Konoha to send any information they have regarding her. Though I don't expect them to say much. Does anyone else have such requests?"

No one else said anything. After all, their family members were mostly killed in the Third Great Ninja War. It had been a long time. And after Sakai Chou went missing in the Land of Fire, the rebel faction avoided entering the country and instead preferred the weaker countries around it. So no similar issues occurred.

Land of Fire :

After Fujin gathered his thoughts and made a decision, he thought, 'Travelling there even if we go at full speed will need around 2 and a half to 3 days. But going at full speed will exhaust us. It'll be stupid to do so when the enemy is fully rested.

But if we take a ship, then it might take over a week to reach. And the longer it takes, the more the chances of something going wrong. Oh well, no other choice.'

Fujin suddenly stopped. His teammates stopped as well. All three activated their chakra fields but didn't sense anything and were confused. Yugao asked, "What's the matter, Captain?"

Fujin answered, "Nothing. Not many people know about this. So keep quiet."

A small blade of wind cut his thumb as he began weaving signs and slammed his hand on the ground.

'Summoning jutsu'

A majestic 9-meter-tall Sabertooth appeared in front of them, shocking Fujin's teammates. Due to having their chakra fields activated, they could sense the vast amount of chakra in him. He turned his eyes to the strangers, who immediately stepped back.

Fujin chuckled and said, "He is my summon. You can call him Kaito."

He looked at Kaito and said, "Kaito, we need a lift to the Land of Water."

Kaito grumbled, "I don't mind flying you, but don't treat me like a free transport service."

Fujin jumped on his back and chuckled, "Sorry buddy. It's an emergency this time. I might even need some aerial support from you later. Though I hope the situation doesn't deteriorate to that state."

Though Fujin chuckled, Kaito could hear the seriousness in his voice. He asked, "Is it that serious?"

Fujin nodded and replied, "I might have to summon Kurogane."

Kaito replied, "Ah, big brother has been itching for a fight for a long time. I'm sure he'll be delighted. But don't count much on me though. Fighting isn't my forte."

Fujin nodded. Though Kaito said that he wasn't strong, Fujin knew that he was numerous times stronger than Goro. He looked at his teammates and said, "Hop on."

Seeing that he was friendly, they jumped on his back. Bunjiro asked, "Is Kaito gonna run all the way to the shore? It would help us save a lot of stamina."

Fujin didn't reply. In the next moment, Kaito spread his wings. Bunjiro, Fumito and Yugao were surprised. With one flap of his wings, he took off the ground and broke through the clouds.

Bunjiro was stunned by that sight. So were the other two. Despite being a ninja for over a decade, neither of them had seen such a sight.