The leader of the caravan moved forward slowly and nervously, terrified of running into more trouble.
But as fate would have it, what he feared most came to pass.
First, the Three Evil Ninjas tracked them down. To save his own skin, he answered every question they asked and betrayed Shinji and his companions completely.
They were only spared because the Three Evil Ninjas were in a hurry to hunt down Princess Haruna.
Yet before long, history repeated itself.
Swish, swish, swish... In the blink of an eye, the caravan was surrounded by a group of people.
However, upon seeing their forehead protectors, the leader actually breathed a sigh of relief.
Ordinarily, ninjas from the Five Great Nations at least followed a certain code of conduct and would not attack ordinary people without good reason.
At least, that was generally the case.
"I ask, you answer. If I am even slightly dissatisfied, you know exactly what awaits you."
"Yes, Sir! I will tell you everything I know!"
The ninja from Kumogakure questioning him let out a grunt of approval, seemingly satisfied with his attitude.
"Have you seen these people?"
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"
Since he had done it once before, betraying others came naturally to him without the slightest hesitation or guilt.
And so, the pursuing Kumogakure ninjas obtained the exact location of Shinji's group once again.
"This man murdered the Lord of the Land of Salt. He is a ruthless and dangerous criminal. Be careful in the future, or you may end up dead before you know it."
"Oh my goodness! I knew he was no good! One of my workers just looked at him, and he was beheaded right on the spot! My poor worker... boo hoo..."
In an effort to distance himself from any association, the leader spared no effort in badmouthing Shinji.
As for the fact that they had been saved by him? That was all in the past—why keep bringing it up?
---
"Your name is Sasuke, right? How old are you this year?"
"Let me ask you something — what is your relationship with Mr. Akagi? Are you his son?"
"Don't give me the silent treatment. Your hairstyle is quite unique. Is it natural hair loss? I noticed you don't even have eyebrows or eyelashes..."
Princess Haruna seemed genuinely determined to make Shinji her consort and was trying hard to learn more about him.
Looking around the group, this bald young man seemed to be the only somewhat 'normal' person here.
But she had misjudged things completely.
No matter what she asked, Sasuke completely ignored her.
For a moment, she thought the boy was mute.
It was only after Mr. Akagi spoke a few words to him that she finally realized — she was being looked down upon and brushed off.
Little did she know, Sasuke found her extremely annoying and was already tempted to just get rid of her.
At the same time, Sasuke mentally marked this woman with a big cross. She was far too talkative and useless — there was no way Brother Shinji would ever be interested in her.
Besides, Brother Shinji was right: women only slow down the speed at which you can cast ninjutsu!
After hitting a dead end with Sasuke, Princess Haruna felt somewhat discouraged.
She was naturally self-centered and selfish; she was only holding back her temper and arrogance now because the situation wasn't in her favor.
Yet the kindness she thought she was showing was completely unappreciated.
Quite frankly, her emotional intelligence was practically non-existent.
Just as she was about to give up, the woman she had been deliberately ignoring all this time took the initiative to walk over to her.
The two spoke quietly for a while, then covered their mouths and laughed together, as if they had been best friends for years.
Tamamo Hotaru's thinking was simple: from what she had learned about Akagi Shinji over the past few days, the chances of Haruna succeeding in winning him over were practically zero.
However, it was still quite possible that the princess could eventually seize the throne and become the ruler of the Land of Vegetables.
Since Tamamo intended to live in this country for a long time afterward, it would save her a great deal of trouble if she could build a good relationship with its future ruler in advance.
Even if her investment didn't pay off, all she had lost was a bit of time and conversation — a small price with no downside.
As they chatted, they suddenly felt the ground beneath them rising upward.
An earthen wall rose up precisely in the middle of Shinji's group, cutting them cleanly in two.
Immediately after, a group of Kumogakure ninjas — who had been lying in ambush nearby for quite some time — rushed out.
Without a word of warning, they drew their blades and attacked.
Meanwhile, another group emerged from behind, aiming straight for Tamamo Hotaru, intending to capture her.
The enemy they had been expecting had finally appeared. Strangely enough, seeing them arrive actually brought a sense of relief.
Tobi let out a weird shriek and was the first to run away.
This left the two women standing next to Sasuke, who looked utterly fed up with the whole situation.
It was just his bad luck that he had fallen behind the group because he had stopped to relieve himself.
"Lightning Release: Heaven-Shaking Lightning Net!"
A powerful ninjutsu cast jointly by over a dozen Kumogakure ninjas.
It filled the ground with slithering serpents of lightning, while above, a massive net woven entirely from electric energy descended from the sky to cover them completely.
As Shinji looked upward, the Executioner's Blade was already in his hand.
"Go help Sasuke and make sure they stay safe."
"I kill people — that I can do. Protecting them? No thanks. Let them fend for themselves."
Hidan refused without a moment's hesitation.
Shinji wasn't surprised in the least. He glanced at the lightning net about to fall and swung his blade downward in a single strike.
"Ten-Part Curse Art: Waraku Waraku!"
A precise cut aimed directly at the weak point!
With one swing, Shinji severed the connections holding the lightning net together, causing the technique to collapse and lose its form.
As for the electric currents running across the ground... With the net above already broken, all they had to do was jump out of range.
This turn of events shocked the Kumogakure ninjas — very few people in the world could actually cut through lightning itself.
"So you're the one who killed Troy and the others."
A tall, muscular middle-aged man stepped forward, speaking with absolute certainty.
"Sorry, I have trouble telling people apart. I don't remember anyone named Troy. To be honest, all of you look pretty much the same to me."
"Haha, it doesn't matter. In a moment, just tell the King of Hell that it was Oteii who killed you. That will be enough."
Lightning Release Chakra Mode — Activate!
Violent electrical currents instantly surged across his entire body, forming a distinct blue aura of chakra.
In this state, his strength, speed, and even his defensive capabilities skyrocketed.
While he hadn't mastered the technique as skillfully or terrifyingly as the Raikage himself, he was still more than a match for an ordinary Jōnin.
Shinji smiled faintly as mysterious blood-red markings appeared across his face.
Red Blood Control Technique — Scales of Leaping Motion: Charge!
Oh, so you're boosting your stats? I can do that too!
"Let me handle him! Let me sacrifice him to Lord Jashin!"
Just as Shinji prepared to move, Hidan rushed forward — only to crash violently into a streak of blue lightning, then instantly fly backward and smash straight through the earthen wall.
Hidan stood up cursing, clearly unwilling to accept such a setback.
But he was immediately surrounded and attacked by multiple Kumogakure ninjas, unable to break free.
Satisfied that Hidan was occupied, Shinji casually opened The Glutton's Stomach.
Vast amounts of blood poured out, coming alive as they swirled and flowed rapidly around him.
____________________
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