Suikazan Fuguki smirked, his hair and the surrounding mist obscuring his movents. Suddenly, his blade, Sahada, swept toward Ryoho Kyohiko’s side.
Kakashi imdiately stepped forward to block.
However, he quickly realized sothing was off—this blade seed to be absorbing his chakra.
Whoosh!
Sahada slashed, cutting through Kisa’s bonds but also wounding him in the process. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Kisa kicked Ryoho Kyohiko away, freeing himself.
Suikazan Fuguki moved swiftly, flipping his blade for another strike. Ryoho Kyohiko dodged, but the chakra he had gathered was completely drained.
This is impossible!
Ryoho Kyohiko cursed inwardly, finally understanding how frustrating it was to fight against Sahada.
The two turned and fled.
Suikazan Fuguki chased after them, a sinister grin on his face.
Seeing this, Kakashi said, "You go ahead, I’ll hold him off!"
"No, we should—"
Before Ryoho Kyohiko could finish, Suikazan Fuguki’s expression changed. He grabbed Kisa and turned back toward Hoshigaki Kisa and Hozuki Mangetsu’s location.
But halfway there, he changed direction again, abandoning the two.
Kakashi was stunned.
He glanced at Ryoho Kyohiko, confusion written all over his face.
"Why did he suddenly run away?"
"Teacher Jiraiya made his move," Ryoho Kyohiko whispered.
He stopped, letting out a quiet sigh of relief.
Jiraiya had set his trap.
Although Suikazan Fuguki had escaped, they could still capture at least one of the other two. It wasn’t a total loss.
Still, it was a sha. Suikazan Fuguki must have been alerted by Sahada; otherwise, he wouldn’t have noticed.
Croak!
Just as they were letting their guard down, a frog’s croak sounded nearby. Jiraiya erged from behind it, looking frustrated.
"Teacher."
Ryoho Kyohiko relaxed.
So, Jiraiya had been following them all along. Even if Suikazan Fuguki had tried to attack, it would have been difficult for him to kill them.
At critical monts, Jiraiya was reliable.
"Ah!"
Jiraiya sighed deeply, unable to hide his disappointnt. "After all that effort, the biggest fish got away."
"The one with the big sword?" Kakashi asked.
Jiraiya nodded. "That’s Suikazan Fuguki. He’s been making a na for himself in recent years. I’ve always suspected his sword was unusual, and today confird it."
"His sword can absorb chakra," Kakashi said.
Jiraiya nodded, then noticed Ryoho Kyohiko deep in thought. "What do you think?"
"At the end, he was about to head toward you but suddenly turned and ran. It didn’t seem like he sensed you directly but rather through so other ans," Ryoho Kyohiko replied.
Jiraiya pondered for a mont, then nodded. "I had just erged from the toad’s mouth and was preparing to trap him with a barrier technique."
"Could it have been the chakra?" Kakashi suggested.
Ryoho Kyohiko agreed. "That’s the only explanation. He must have sensed the chakra from the barrier technique. It’s likely a feature of the sword."
"The sword..."
Jiraiya fell into thought.
A sword that could absorb chakra.
How bizarre!
In recent years, Kirigakure had been restless. The long peace was truly like a moon reflected in water—illusory.
He sighed inwardly.
Then, Jiraiya consoled himself. "At least we caught the other two. One of them is from the Hozuki Clan, and apparently a genius at that. They won’t give up on him easily. It’s not a total loss."
He led the way back.
Kakashi looked at Ryoho Kyohiko, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Ryoho Kyohiko shook his head.
A mont later, they returned to the courtyard.
The flesh walls were receding, revealing the captured individuals inside: one person, a jar of water, and Jiraiya standing beside them.
The Jiraiya who had brought them here disappeared—it had been a shadow clone.
Ryoho Kyohiko stepped forward.
Hoshigaki Kisa couldn’t hide his frustration and anger.
As a jonin, being outmaneuvered by two genin was a hard pill to swallow.
Especially since he had been captured because of it.
If only he hadn’t taken that hit to the knee, he could have escaped!
Of course, this was just Kisa’s inner monologue.
In reality, escaping from Jiraiya would have been nearly impossible.
Jiraiya smiled as he looked at the jar of water.
"If it weren’t for catching you, I wouldn’t have needed to be so careful. The Hozuki Clan... Orochimaru will be thrilled."
"!!!"
Hearing Orochimaru’s na, Hozuki Mangetsu inside the jar trembled in fear.
At this stage, he was far from the powerhouse he would beco. Like Ryoho Kyohiko and Kakashi, he was still a "child genius," while Orochimaru was already a notorious figure in the ninja world.
Unlike Jiraiya, Orochimaru was known for his experints. As a user of the Hydrification Technique, Mangetsu had every reason to be terrified.
But now, sealed in the jar, he couldn’t move at all.
"Teacher, what should we do with them?"
"Capture them and have Kirigakure ransom them. Otherwise, send them for research. We might uncover the secrets of the Water Release Technique."
Jiraiya hadn’t gone through all this trouble for nothing.
Kirigakure had changed in recent years.
Capturing ordinary ninjas wouldn’t achieve much—Kirigakure might just abandon them.
But the Hozuki Clan was different.
They held a high status in Kirigakure, with significant influence. Capturing one of them might be more valuable than capturing a jonin.
For example—
Jiraiya glanced at the Kirigakure jonin with the shattered knee.
"You’re a jonin, yet you ended up like this. That’s quite embarrassing!"
"..."
Hoshigaki Kisa felt like vomiting blood.
A mont of carelessness had led to this outco, sothing he never expected.
If he could do it over, things would be different!
He snorted and closed his eyes, refusing to speak.
"Failure is failure. No excuse can change that. Staying silent is the right move," Ryoho Kyohiko added.
Kisa opened his eyes, glaring at him.
But he had to admit, the kid was right.
Failure was failure. No excuse could change that.
His voice was hoarse. "What do you want?"
"Nothing much. We’ll wait for your village to ransom you. Hehehe, a jonin and a mber of the Hozuki Clan should fetch a pretty price, right?"
"..."
Kisa remained silent but inwardly sighed in relief.
At least he wouldn’t die.
He wasn’t afraid of death, but if he could live, why not?
Jiraiya created a shadow clone to imprison them.
Then, he went upstairs and found Matsuyama Ichiro, who had been taken to safety by Yuhi Kurenai.
The night’s attack had shaken Matsuyama Ichiro.
He had planned to purchase more materials in the Land of Waves but now decided to return ho imdiately.
Money could be earned again.
But if he lost his life, everything would be over.
The turbulent night soon ca to an end. Kakashi, Ryoho Kyohiko, and Yuhi Kurenai sat together, the atmosphere heavy.
After a while, Ryoho Kyohiko broke the silence.
"Ahem, keeping you all in the dark wasn’t very fair."
"I was worried all night!" Yuhi Kurenai glared at him.
Kakashi didn’t say anything, but he had been ready to let Ryoho Kyohiko escape first, showing his resolve to face death.
In the end, though, Jiraiya had never left, staying hidden the entire ti.
"Alright, let’s not dwell on the details. The outco was good, and it was Teacher’s plan. I was only woken up in the middle of the night and didn’t know much either!"
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