# Chapter 47: Snake
Inside the Land of Fire, several ninjas were moving swiftly through a forest.
This type of forest was common in the Land of Fire, as more than two-thirds of its territory was covered by vegetation.
"Sakura, is Kakashi's condition stable?"
The team stopped in the forest for a brief rest. There were seven people in total, consisting of two Jonin squads from Konoha who were supporting the Sand Village.
At this moment, Gai and Lee were carrying a simple stretcher with Kakashi tied to it.
Although Gai had saved Kakashi from Su Xiao's hands, Kakashi's injuries were too severe. Two sword wounds that pierced through his chest were fatal, his chakra was excessively depleted, and most critically, there were those energy thorns.
Even though several hours had passed, the shadow thorns had not dissipated. The shadow thorns were generated from Cyan Steel Shadow Energy plus Blade Aura. Cyan Steel Shadow Energy naturally couldn't last this long, but Blade Aura could.
It was impossible to forcibly extract the shadow thorns from inside Kakashi's body. The shadow thorns were like a thorn flower that had bloomed from within Kakashi's body, with the center point of over a dozen energy thorns located inside his chest cavity. Unless Kakashi was cut open, they could not be removed.
Kakashi had now fallen into a semi-conscious state. Massive blood loss had turned his face deathly pale.
"Sakura, Kakashi-sensei..."
Naruto's face was filled with guilt. If he hadn't been so reckless, Kakashi wouldn't have ended up like this.
"Sakura! Sakura!"
Naruto called out several times before Sakura snapped back to reality. If one looked closely, they could see that Sakura's complexion wasn't good either, but as a medical ninja, she had to remain calm.
"Hmm?"
"How is Kakashi-sensei?"
"Still hanging on..."
Sakura didn't continue. Kakashi might very well die. Those energy thorns were too troublesome. Not only could they not be removed, but when they dissipated, they released a peculiar energy that continuously devoured the little chakra remaining in Kakashi's body.
This was a trace amount of Cyan Steel Shadow Energy. It not only devoured the chakra inside Kakashi's body but also greatly hindered Sakura's healing ninjutsu.
"We need to return to Konoha as quickly as possible. Perhaps sensei has a solution. I can only ensure that Kakashi-sensei won't bleed to death on the way."
Sakura's words made Naruto and Gai's expressions turn grim.
"Damn it, who the hell injured Kakashi-sensei like this?"
Naruto's teeth ground together with a cracking sound.
"A ninja who uses a ninja sword. His name is Bai Ye. I don't have any other information."
Just as Gai spoke, Kakashi let out a dry cough. Sakura's hands glowed with green light as she helped treat Kakashi.
"Kakashi-sensei... might not be able to continue as a ninja anymore."
Sakura delivered this heavy news, and Naruto stood frozen as if struck by lightning. He etched a face deep into his memory—a man holding a long blade, sitting on a large rock, smoking a cigarette.
The team continued their journey. If Kakashi died on the road, Su Xiao would hit the jackpot. Kakashi was a very important plot character.
...
In the Land of Rivers, inside a small village.
Su Xiao sat by a small river, drenched in hot sweat. He had just finished his daily training, which mainly involved sword practice.
Didara had left long ago, taking his broken limbs to find Kakuzu.
Su Xiao sat by the river, watching the rushing water and the fish swimming upstream. He was considering whether to find the violator first or trade with Dai Tu for the Sharingan.
After weighing his options, Su Xiao decided to find the violator first.
He had failed a hunting mission before. Although there was no penalty for the mission, that didn't mean there were no consequences. He had been forcibly conscripted by Reincarnation Paradise.
That experience was deeply memorable. He couldn't directly participate in combat and could only act as an arbiter on the battlefield's edge, watching those idiot contractors fight among themselves. That feeling was utterly infuriating.
If he hadn't finally brought the world coordinates into the deep sea, he would have been forever trapped in the Parasite derivative world.
Su Xiao didn't want to experience that a second time, so he had to complete the hunting mission.
"Bubu."
Su Xiao called out loudly. Bubu Wang, that fool, had run off somewhere to play. A few minutes later, Bubu Wang returned with grass blades on his head, a terrified wild cat in his mouth.
"Why are you carrying that?"
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Bubu Wang put down the terrified wild cat, its gaze seeming to say: 'Master, it actually looked down on me.'
Su Xiao understood what Bubu Wang meant.
"It's fine. It looks down on me too."
Cats were a magical kind of animal. Whether you were poor or rich, they looked down on you...
Bubu Wang was a bit depressed. After hesitating for a moment, he still didn't bite the wild cat to death. Aside from looking down on other creatures, this wild cat had a decent appearance—delicate features~
"Let's go. Don't tell me you want to screw a cat."
Bubu Wang lifted his nose high, clearly meaning that this dog wouldn't stoop so low.
Su Xiao mounted Bubu Wang and headed straight for the Land of Fire border, leaving behind the terrified wild cat.
After Su Xiao left, the cat that had been curled up licked its paw. The animalistic confusion in its eyes disappeared, replaced by a gleam of intelligence.
"Oh? So this is the contractor who joined Dawn Organization? His aura is simply terrifying. He almost noticed me. I was wondering before how there could be such a bizarre species as a Husky in the Naruto world."
The wild cat lay lazily on the grass, its tail occasionally twitching, looking like it was suffering from a severe case of laziness.
"Whatever, it's none of my business. Since he didn't notice me, I'll pretend I never saw him. I can't afford to provoke someone so ferocious."
The wild cat's body gradually grew larger, and in an instant, it transformed into a voluptuous beauty with golden hair and beast ears.
"Sigh, he got saliva all over me. I hate dogs."
As she spoke, the cat woman jumped into the river. The cat woman was a worker, not weak in strength but disliking combat. Her greatest hobby was turning into a cat and wandering around derivative worlds.
...
Night, at the border of the Land of Fire, near a large wooden bridge.
Su Xiao yawned. He had been lying in ambush near the Tenchi Bridge for three days and hadn't seen a single ghost, let alone any trace of the violator. He was starting to suspect that Hei Jue had provided false information, since that guy had no principles.
"If it's false information, I'll definitely kill that old bastard."
Su Xiao held a red apple in his hand. With a crunch, he took a big bite, and juice burst in his mouth.
The night wind rustled the low trees nearby, making a rustling sound. The forest at night was not quiet.
Sss~
A strange sound came. Su Xiao stopped chewing and listened intently to the sounds nearby.
A snake crawled out from the nearby forest. Su Xiao took a big bite of his apple.
"If you have the guts, come out. If not, get lost."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Bubu Wang, who was lying nearby, raised his head and stared at the forest not far away.
Clap, clap, clap.
Sparse applause came, and a figure walked out from the forest. This person wore round-rimmed glasses and had his gray hair tied up.
"As expected of Bai Ye-sama, to be able to detect my presence."
Kabuto Yakushi walked out from the forest, a faint smile on his face, his attitude very humble.
"Something?"
Kabuto's appearance meant that Orochimaru was nearby.
"Didn't Bai Ye-sama come to meet me on behalf of Sasori-sama? Although it's a few days earlier than planned."
"No."
Kabuto was somewhat surprised. Since Su Xiao and Sasori were in the same team, Kabuto's misunderstanding was understandable.