"Yo~ you bastard, you moron!"
"Hahahahaha..."
Watching A, who looked like he'd eaten shit, Uchiha Yuzuru couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Serves you right for mocking me earlier—you're not going to live this down!
After he'd finished laughing, Uchiha Yuzuru turned to Shiraishi Yuta. "Employer Yuta, you seem like you have something you want to say, don't you?"
Shiraishi Yuta glanced at A, who had run off by himself, then said, "That... is this escort mission really going to be settled at C-rank mission rates?"
All he'd done was post a C-rank mission, yet Kumogakure had actually dispatched A, Killer Bee, and Uchiha Yuzuru to escort him.
He'd once heard stories about A and Killer Bee in a tavern, and knew the two were currently recognized as top-tier shinobi in Kumogakure.
And that young man was none other than Uchiha Yuzuru, who had recently made waves by successfully leading the Uchiha clan's defection from Konoha...
This lineup made Shiraishi Yuta feel like he'd unwittingly become entangled in some enormous whirlpool, as if his life could be snuffed out at any moment.
Otherwise, why would such a routine C-rank mission require deploying powerhouses of this caliber?
Seeming to sense Shiraishi Yuta's concerns, Uchiha Yuzuru reassured him, "Don't worry. We never cheat anyone, young or old, and we'll absolutely guarantee your safety."
Hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's promise, Shiraishi Yuta breathed a small sigh of relief.
With the guarantee of someone this strong, he probably wouldn't be in any life-threatening danger, right?
After finishing their meal and resting briefly, the group set off again.
Traveling with periodic stops, they soon arrived at the border between the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Frost.
A and Killer Bee walked ahead, Uchiha Yuzuru behind, the three of them protecting the cart in the center.
Suddenly, a twang rang out as a tripwire snapped.
In the next instant, explosive tags detonated with a roar, flames engulfing the cart and Uchiha Yuzuru and the others.
Three shinobi wearing Konoha headbands emerged from a nearby field.
"Success—"
The words had barely left his mouth when he saw Uchiha Yuzuru, A, and Killer Bee walking over from a distance. "You didn't really think such a crude trap could fool us, did you?"
Hearing that, the Konoha shinobi raised an eyebrow. "So you noticed in advance. Those just now were Shadow Clones, then?"
A cracked his knuckles, his eyes blazing with fury. "Finally, I can blow off some steam—you rats that only know how to hide!"
Hearing A's taunts, one of the Konoha shinobi replied smugly, "Just because you dodged one trap, you think you've won?"
The moment the Konoha shinobi finished speaking, six more shinobi wearing Konoha headbands appeared, surrounding Uchiha Yuzuru, A, and Killer Bee.
"You... are the ones surrounded!"
Uchiha Yuzuru paid them no mind, saying calmly, "Nine people, three squads. One squad per person."
Killer Bee said nothing, still gripping his pencil and staring intently at the notebook in his hand, as if still immersed in his own world.
"Go!"
The instant Uchiha Yuzuru finished speaking, A's figure had already vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already standing before one of the Konoha squads.
"Liger Bomb!"
Before one of the Konoha shinobi could react, his body was hoisted up and slammed violently into the ground.
Bang!
Seeing their comrade's brain matter splatter and A wreathed in Lightning Release, the other two Konoha shinobi grabbed their kunai and stabbed toward A's heart.
A sneered and punched the shinobi in front of him, shattering every bone in his body.
Behind him, the last Konoha shinobi's attack failed even to penetrate the Lightning Release Armor.
"How... how is that possible?!"
Crack!
The Konoha shinobi's neck was twisted; in just a few seconds, one entire squad had been wiped out.
On the other side, three Konoha shinobi kept hurling shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags at Killer Bee.
Boom!
With a massive explosion, the ground shook.
But before the three shinobi could celebrate, a thick octopus tentacle whipped out from the smoke, striking one Konoha shinobi's chest so hard it caved in on the spot.
"Wha... what is that monster?!"
The other two Konoha shinobi stared at the massive octopus legs sprouting from Killer Bee's body, their faces full of terror.
Killer Bee raised both hands and began to sway rhythmically. "Using the power of the Tailed Beast at will, I'm an illusion that exists in reality—remember the name of Kumogakure's perfect Jinchuriki well..."
"Bee~"
With a casual flick, a pencil charged with Lightning Release chakra pierced clean through one Konoha shinobi's forehead.
"Perfect... Jinchuriki?"
"You've got to be kidding—how could a Jinchuriki use a Tailed Beast's power at will?!"
Hearing the Konoha shinobi's despairing question, Killer Bee pointed at Uchiha Yuzuru. "The Sharingan can suppress the Tailed Beast, so using its power is no longer a fuss."
"You bastard, you moron~"
As he spoke, he glanced at Uchiha Yuzuru with a slightly odd expression. "Why haven't you made a move yet?"
The three Konoha shinobi Uchiha Yuzuru was supposed to deal with had already hoisted their sole remaining comrade onto their backs and were sprinting toward the distant forest.
Yet Uchiha Yuzuru still made no move, saying only, "I have my own plan."
Hearing that, Killer Bee didn't press further.
As far as he was concerned, getting out to clear his head was the most important thing.
A few fleeing Konoha shinobi didn't matter to him in the slightest.
By contrast, the hot-tempered A waved his hand angrily. "Cut that crap—I'm going to kill them all!"
Just as he was about to give chase, countless senbon-like projectiles came flying at them head-on.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo!"
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Uchiha Yuzuru formed hand seals rapidly, and a thick earthen wall shot up from the ground, blocking all the white needles.
"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!"
An enormous swamp appeared out of nowhere. Uchiha Yuzuru and the others lost their footing, their bodies sinking continuously.
In the next instant, a curtain of flames swept over them. "Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet!"
Under the searing heat, A's entire body crackled with lightning as he rapidly retreated into the distance.
Killer Bee used the Eight-Tails' power to shield his body firmly.
As for Uchiha Yuzuru... he had already retreated the moment he finished the Earth-Style Wall, so he was unaffected.
"Damn it!"
A clenched his fists, ready to activate his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and chase down the fleeing Konoha shinobi.
Uchiha Yuzuru raised his arm and blocked him.
A stared hard at Uchiha Yuzuru and said coldly, "Why are you stopping me?"
"This is just a friendly warning."
Uchiha Yuzuru said calmly, "If you want to fight Jiraiya of the Sannin, then by all means go ahead."
"The one who just attacked was Jiraiya?"
A frowned.
"That's right."
After receiving confirmation, A abandoned any thought of continuing the pursuit.
Jiraiya had already shaken the shinobi world during the Second Shinobi World War, and was now one of the top-tier fighters in the entire shinobi world.
If he could avoid it, no one would want to fight someone that strong.
Moreover, A didn't know why Jiraiya had appeared here, or whether there were other Konoha powerhouses in the vicinity...
He was reckless, but he wasn't stupid.
He wouldn't do something this risky.
Still...
A fixed his gaze on Uchiha Yuzuru and demanded, "Why did you deliberately let those Konoha shinobi escape?"
With Uchiha Yuzuru's strength, if he'd made a move, those Konoha shinobi would never have had a chance to run.
After all, not long ago when facing Yotsuki Guard and three other Kumogakure Jonin, Uchiha Yuzuru had killed them all in a single instant!
Hearing this, Uchiha Yuzuru said calmly, "Because I need them to do something for me."
"What?"
"Tell the people of Konoha that the Sharingan can prevent a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki from going berserk."
"Lord Jiraiya, thank you so much."
"If you hadn't arrived in time, we would all have died at the hands of those Kumogakure shinobi."
"That's right. Getting away alive from a Kumogakure Jinchuriki—what incredible luck."
"It's just a shame about the comrades who died. If only they'd held out a little longer..."
Tachibana Hikoya, Yamada Koji, Hojo Shinroku, and Harada Toru bowed to Jiraiya, their faces full of relief at having survived.
After listening to the four men's account, Jiraiya didn't joke around as he normally would. Instead, he furrowed his brow and said, "Kumogakure's perfect Jinchuriki?"
"He seemed to call himself 'Bee,' and he has the ability to freely use the Eight-Tails' power."
Yamada Koji and Harada Toru immediately chimed in. "It's true—we all saw it!"
"Huh?"
"You're not coming back with us?"
"No, I may return a few days late. You go ahead."
"Understood."
After bowing to Jiraiya once more, Harada Toru and the others turned and headed back toward Konoha Village.
Once the four had left, Jiraiya continued to sit in place.
After discovering Nagato's Rinnegan, he had remained in Rain Village the entire time.
To teach the child who might be the one prophesied by the Great Toad Sage—the one who could lead the shinobi world through great change—he'd spent three full years there.
He just hadn't expected that during that time, so many things had happened in the shinobi world.
Tsunade had left the village, the Uchiha clan—with its Mangekyo Sharingan—had defected en masse from Konoha, and Kumogakure now had a Jinchuriki who could freely wield the power of a Tailed Beast...
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