The crimson blood obscured his vision.
The pungent, tallic sll of blood invaded his nostrils.
This was Kyohiko’s first ti killing soone.
He couldn’t help but freeze for a mont.
In the next instant, a blade flashed before his eyes.
Kakashi’s White Fang short sword cut down the attacking ninja like the wind.
"Don’t space out!"
He gave a brief warning before charging at the next enemy.
Kyohiko snapped out of it.
Right!
This was a battlefield. There was no room for distraction.
Fortunately.
Kurenai’s genjutsu and Kakashi’s swordsmanship were there to support him, preventing him from falling into danger.
Kyohiko regained his focus.
"Kakashi, work with ."
Huh?
Kakashi didn’t fully understand but knew what Kyohiko wanted him to do.
He quickly ford hand seals.
Lightning Release: Earth-Style Rampart!
Before he could finish, Kyohiko had already acted, spitting out a torrent of water that surged forward like a flood.
The faster ninja managed to escape with the Body Flicker Technique.
But.
A few of the slower ones were caught in the water.
Then, the lightning struck!
"Ahhh!"
The powerful electric current made the trapped ninja convulse in the water, their screams intermittent.
Kyohiko had already cut off the jutsu.
The attacking ninja were fast and ruthless. Seeing their comrades paralyzed and unable to move, their first thought wasn’t to rescue them but—
Swoosh!
A rain of steel needles shot toward the incapacitated ninja, piercing their bodies.
Kyohiko and Kakashi imdiately used the Substitution Technique and Body Flicker to reposition.
When the chaos subsided, the attackers had vanished.
Shizune, watching from a distance, was stunned.
She had only had a vague idea of Kyohiko’s abilities before, but now...
No wonder he beca Jiraiya’s student!
Such speed.
Such powerful Water Release!
"He must have trained his Water Release for a long ti to reach this level, right?"
Shizune murmured.
Kurenai glanced at her and sighed. "Half a month."
"Huh?"
Shizune’s face was filled with disbelief.
Half a month?
Impossible!
Many chunin couldn’t even reach this level of ninjutsu proficiency.
Kurenai sensed the surroundings for a mont.
"They ran away quickly. Let’s check if Kyohiko and Kakashi are hurt."
"Oh, right!"
Shizune snapped out of it—
The earlier events had been so shocking that she had forgotten they were still in the middle of a battle.
"Kakashi, Kyohiko, are you okay?"
Kurenai and Shizune rushed over.
Kurenai was still holding Kyohiko’s leg weights—
Those things were heavy!
"We’re fine. Shizune, can you check if any of these guys are still alive?"
Ahead, the five ninja who had been paralyzed by the electricity were now lying on the ground.
"Okay."
Shizune nodded and walked toward the fallen ninja behind the old wall.
Kakashi and Kyohiko flanked her, protecting her in case any of the attackers were still alive and tried to ambush her.
Unfortunately—
After checking a few, Shizune shook her head. "They’re all dead."
"The needles were poisoned!"
A few seconds later.
"This one still has a pulse, but he needs imdiate treatnt!"
"I’ll go get Lady Tsunade."
Kakashi sheathed his sword and was about to head back.
If they could save one, they might be able to extract so information.
Shizune hesitated for a mont but didn’t explain. Instead, she focused on using her dical ninjutsu to sustain the fading life force and tried to extract the poison.
But sadly.
She hadn’t fully mastered the Mystical Palm Technique yet.
A few seconds later, Jiraiya and Kakashi arrived, while Tsunade stayed in the distance.
Jiraiya took a look.
"Don’t waste your chakra. He’s beyond saving."
He crouched down.
Then, Jiraiya looked at Kyohiko.
"You and Kakashi fought them directly. You know their style and techniques best. What do you think their origins are?"
"Their style and thods resemble Sunagakure ninja, but I don’t think it’s them... Earlier, they shouted about capturing us to exchange for soone, but do they really seem like rogue ninja?"
Kyohiko shared his thoughts.
It didn’t make sense.
Sunagakure had suffered heavy losses in the Second Great Ninja War, with many of their core forces wiped out. Their best move now was to recuperate.
Moreover.
The Third Kazekage was still alive and well. Attacking Konoha at this point...
Would be suicidal.
Jiraiya examined the scene, then took out a sealing scroll and sealed all the bodies inside.
"Let’s take them back and have the experts analyze them. Maybe we can find so clues."
He couldn’t figure out their origins either.
Outside, Tsunade asked nonchalantly, "What’s the situation?"
"Hard to say, but it doesn’t seem like rogue ninja. It might be a ploy by so village to fra Sunagakure and stir up conflict between us."
Jiraiya said.
This was also Kakashi’s assessnt.
After all, the attackers’ thods were too obvious, making it seem less likely to be them.
However.
Kyohiko’s mind raced, realizing this was his opportunity.
He raised his hand.
"Teacher."
"Go on."
"We just arrived in Tanzaku Quarters today, and we’re only here for a C-rank mission. The Land of Rivers doesn’t have any serious ninja, and Hirakawa Ken isn’t a big shot."
Kyohiko glanced at Tsunade, hesitating. "Could they be targeting Lady Tsunade?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Kid, you think these amateurs can take down?"
"Definitely not, but Shizune might be a different story."
Kyohiko started, and his logic quickly beca clear.
He continued, "I’ve heard so things about you. In the past year or so since you left the village, you must have more debts than just the one at Aoiya Inn, right?"
Tsunade’s face darkened.
Damn it!
Was her little hobby common knowledge now?
She shot a glare at Jiraiya.
Though she didn’t say anything, Jiraiya understood and quickly waved his hands.
"Wasn’t !"
"So you’re saying they want to capture Shizune to force to pay up?"
"Or maybe they have other goals, like getting you to research ninjutsu for them or teach them your techniques."
Kyohiko said.
After all, they hadn’t captured those rogue samurai.
The attackers might have gathered so intelligence through them.
Tsunade fell silent.
His words weren’t entirely unfounded.
While outsiders might not know her condition, Shizune was by her side. If she wasn’t careful, Shizune could indeed beco her weakness.
Jiraiya’s expression turned serious.
"Tsunade, Kyohiko has a point. You know your situation. You need to consider Shizune’s safety."
"Lady Tsunade..."
Shizune’s face paled.
Was Tsunade going to send her back to Konoha?
"Shizune, maybe you should return to the village."
"Tsunade, you’re not safe out here alone either."
Jiraiya’s tone grew firr. "Why not co back to the village? Just to check in. I’ll have the old man look into what’s going on. Once things settle down, you can leave again."
Tsunade hesitated.
It had been over a year since she left the village, and Shizune had been taking care of her daily needs.
If Shizune went back...
She really wasn’t used to being alone.
"If Shizune goes back, she probably won’t be assigned to a team right away, right? Would she have to return to the academy?"
Kyohiko whispered.
Jiraiya secretly gave him a thumbs-up—
This kid was sharp, completely nailing Tsunade’s concerns!
While Shizune was more of an attendant in daily life, Tsunade undoubtedly saw her as family. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have taken only Shizune with her when she left the village.
Shizune’s safety and future were definitely important to Tsunade.
Tsunade stared at Kyohiko, her gaze sharp.
She had to admit—
He had hit the nail on the head.
"It’s late. No matter what, we should rest in Tanzaku Quarters for the night."
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