Chapter 144: Encounter with Class 8

Naruto calculated the timeline silently in his mind. According to the original plot, this mission should have taken place before the Chunin Exam, and the C-level escort mission accepted by Team 7 was to escort the leader of Takigakure Village, Shibuki, back to Takigakure Village. But now, the plot has changed. The timeline moved to after the Chunin Exam, and Team 8 accepted this mission. Thinking about it carefully, it is indeed reasonable. Now that he has left Konoha, Team 7 is no longer a complete class.

Naruto looked at the scene in front of him, and mixed emotions surged in his heart. He lamented the fickleness of fate. He really didn't expect to meet these people here after leaving the village.

Afterwards, Naruto keenly sensed that the situation might have changed, so he decisively hid his body and quietly disappeared into the forest. Like a ghost, he blended into the dense branches and leaves, quietly observing the movements around him.

About half an hour later, a middle-aged woman suddenly appeared in the forest. She looked panicked, staggering, and stumbling towards Shibuki. She looked so flustered, as if something terrible was chasing her from behind. After seeing Shibuki, the middle-aged woman's tense nerves seemed to break instantly, and she finally couldn't hold on and fell straight down. Shibuki saw this and hurried forward to help her up, his face full of concern: "Auntie, how do you feel? What happened?" The middle-aged woman looked at Shibuki with a terrified face, and said weakly: "Master Shibuki, it's bad, there is an enemy..." Her voice trembled, revealing deep fear, as if the unknown enemy had brought her great fright. The atmosphere around them suddenly became tense, and a sense of uneasiness spread in the air.

Hinata and the other two saw this and hurried over to watch. Hinata gently and attentively checked the woman's physical condition, then breathed a sigh of relief and said softly: "It's okay, just a simple scratch. She's just a little exhausted." Hearing Hinata's words, Shibuki's heart finally fell to the ground and he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, just when everyone was just relaxing, something strange happened. Four figures suddenly rushed out of the waterfall like ghosts, and their speed was astonishing. The moment they rushed out, they threw several kunai at Hinata and others. The kunai flashed coldly under the sunlight, and whizzed towards everyone like deadly meteors. The air seemed to freeze at this moment, and the tense atmosphere instantly reached its peak.

The kunai came at him with a sharp sound. Ya reacted quickly and immediately ordered Akamaru to attack the kunai. Akamaru was agile and flew into the air, accurately shooting down several kunai, and let out a deep roar after landing.

Shino calmly pushed up his sunglasses and quickly formed seals with his hands. A group of insects flew out from his body, forming a protective barrier around everyone. Kunai hit the insect barrier and fell one after another.

Hinata bit her lip, stared at the figure rushing out, and put her hands in the starting position of soft fist, ready to respond to the enemy's attack at any time.

On the other hand, Shibuki had completely lost his dignity as a leader and fell to the ground in fear. His body was trembling slightly and his face was as pale as paper.

Tens of seconds later, Hinata and the others were already fighting fiercely with the four ninjas. Hinata's soft fist was as agile as a snake, and each attack accurately hit the enemy's vital points; Kiba and Akamaru cooperated tacitly, attacking and defending, making it difficult for the enemy to resist; Shino calmly controlled the insects and attacked the enemy from all angles. The three of them showed strong strength and combat qualities.

Those ninjas seemed vulnerable in front of them, and were killed on the spot after just one encounter. The leader of the four ninjas saw that the situation was not good, and immediately gave up the attack. There was a flash of panic in his eyes, knowing that continuing to fight would only lead to death. Then, he plunged into the waterfall behind him without hesitation. The rapid water flow of the waterfall swallowed him up in an instant.

Kiba and Shino looked at each other, their eyes conveying tacit understanding and determination. Then, they chased the fleeing ninja without hesitation, and their figures quickly disappeared from sight. Hinata was left behind to take care of the injured woman and two young children. Although Shibuki was full of fear, after some thought, he still mustered up the courage to run into the waterfall.

Before long, only Hinata and the other four were left outside the waterfall. At this moment, a ninja from the Hidden Rain Village quietly appeared behind Hinata. The ninja had a cold look in his eyes, and he was about to stab Hinata with a kunai in his hand. At the critical moment, Naruto stopped hiding. He quickly condensed a Rasengan in his hand, activated "Shave", and instantly flashed to the side of the Hidden Rain Village ninja. The Rasengan in his hand, with powerful force, directly hit the ninja's abdomen. With a loud "boom", the ninja was directly blown dozens of meters away like a kite with a broken string, and his life or death was unknown.

Hinata heard the noise and turned around to look. She saw a man wearing an ice sculpture mask in front of her. The mysterious figure made Hinata alert instantly. Then she immediately stood up and put her hands in a fighting posture.

Seeing this, Naruto smiled slightly, then slowly took off the ice sculpture mask, revealing the familiar face, and said with a smile: "Hinata, don't be nervous. It's me." His voice was gentle and powerful, like a spring breeze, gently blowing through Hinata's heart, making Hinata's tension dissipate instantly.

Hinata looked at Naruto, her eyes slightly red, tears welling up in her eyes. The silent thoughts and worries that had been in her mind for a long time surged into her heart like a flood. Then, regardless of her shyness, she threw herself into Naruto's arms. She hugged Naruto tightly, feeling his warmth and solidity. Naruto's breath surrounded her, making her feel extremely at ease.

"Naruto, where have you been these days?" Hinata's voice was slightly trembling, full of concern and longing. She raised her head slightly and stared at Naruto, eager to get an answer from him.

Naruto looked at Hinata's expectant eyes, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He gently stroked Hinata's hair and said slowly: "Hinata, I have my own mission. I'm sorry that I didn't have time to say goodbye to you."

Hinata's eyes flashed with disappointment, but it was quickly replaced by understanding. She knew that Naruto had a great responsibility, and she knew Naruto's extraordinaryness from the first time they met. "Naruto, I understand. As long as you are safe." Hinata said gently.

Naruto was deeply moved. He hugged Hinata tightly, feeling her warmth and love. "Hinata, don't worry. I will complete my mission and come back to you." Naruto said firmly.