"Leaf Village ninja?" Chiriku's gaze landed on Kakashi, who had suddenly appeared, and a flicker of genuine hope sparked in his heart.
"I am Chiriku, a ninja monk from the Fire Temple, currently being pursued by a group of criminals. Please, friends from the Leaf, save me!" Chiriku called out as he sped up, almost wishing he could sprout wings to fly straight to Kakashi.
A ninja monk from the Fire Temple?
Kakashi hesitated. While the Leaf Village and the Fire Temple were allies, that was an agreement between organizations—not an ironclad bond between their members. After all, the Leaf Village had a history of prioritizing missions over companions, a value that had started to waver recently, but Chiriku was still from the Fire Temple, not the Leaf Village.
He knew well that allies and family weren't the same.
The elderly man following Chiriku and the child he was carrying didn't look like Leaf people either.
"I'm sorry, Master Chiriku," Kakashi said after careful thought. "I am on a mission, and I cannot get involved in your matters. Please don't come any closer." With that, he firmly refused Chiriku's approach.
Assisting an ally like the Fire Temple wasn't worth jeopardizing his mission, especially considering that he was the only Leaf jonin present. His subordinates were all chunin-level, as the eastern defense division had deemed it unlikely anyone would attack the Mist emissary group within the Fire Country. Helping Chiriku would mean involving the Mist ninja—and that was a risk he couldn't afford to take.
After all,
The pursuers were four jonin-level enemies, possibly with more waiting in the shadows. The Mist emissary group may have had a fair number of people, but even with Ambassador Mangetsu of the Hozuki clan, there were only six jonin among them. The risk of rescuing Chiriku was far too great.
At this moment—
"Lord Kakashi," the elderly man, Tenbei, shouted with all his strength, though he was clearly on the brink of exhaustion. "The child Master Chiriku is holding is the granddaughter of Yakushini, a descendant of the Tsuchigumo clan. The Tsuchigumo and Leaf Village have an agreement: if our clan faces disaster, the Leaf is obligated to help."
"I'm aware that the Tsuchigumo are allies of the Leaf Village, but…" Kakashi hardened his heart and refused again. "One child cannot represent an entire clan, and I alone do not represent the Leaf. I'm currently executing a critical mission. I'm truly sorry."
Kakashi understood that the Tsuchigumo clan, like the Fire Temple, were indeed allies of the Leaf. However, whatever agreement existed with the Tsuchigumo clan was something only the high-ranking Leaf leaders would know about; though a jonin, Kakashi was far from their level.
Regardless, the issue remained: only four Leaf ninja were here, and he was the sole jonin. Without support from the Mist ninja, his hands were tied.
With a decisive slash of his long sword, Kakashi left a visible mark on the ground.
"Please, stop right there. If you come any closer, I will be forced to act."
Kakashi's resolve was unwavering.
Chiriku and Tenbei quickly halted, sensing the intense killing intent radiating from Kakashi. It was clear he wasn't joking—if they stepped forward, they would face his deadly blade.
Yet—
If Kakashi refused to help, where could they escape to?
The enemy had already caught up. Kama no Suke and his team had abandoned stealth to avoid a confrontation with the Mist and Leaf ninja.
In fact, when they realized Leaf ninja were with the Mist emissary group, Kama no Suke and Tenme were initially ready to give up. However, hearing Kakashi's rejection had given them confidence that the Mist and Leaf wouldn't interfere.
Thus,
"Leaf and Mist ninja, we mean no trouble. Our only targets are those three. Once we're done, we'll leave immediately," Kama no Suke spoke, trying to buy enough time to finish off Chiriku's group.
Truly, they were dedicated to destroying the Leaf Village, but this didn't mean they would fight every Leaf ninja they encountered. At the moment, all Kama no Suke wanted was to finish off Chiriku.
Kakashi stood his ground, sword in hand, eyes cold as he observed both Chiriku's group and their pursuers.
He didn't know if either side was being truthful, and frankly, he didn't care.
Tenbei's face showed despair. Exhausted and out of options, he knew they could only run so far, especially with Chiriku carrying the child. Even if they got past the Mist and Leaf ninja, they wouldn't get far.
At this moment, Chiriku's head ached with frustration.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't find a way out. Kakashi's unwavering refusal left him speechless, and time was slipping away fast. Desperately, Chiriku resolved to take one last chance.
"Damn it!" he cursed inwardly, accepting the possibility of death. If nothing else, he would protect the Tsuchigumo girl in his care. He had promised Yakushini that he would protect her, and he intended to honor that promise until his last breath.
With this, he devised a plan and acted immediately.
"Lord Kakashi, this child is the granddaughter of Yakushini and the future disciple of the Hokage's aide. Our lives don't matter, but please, take her to the Hokage's aide," he said, throwing the child towards Kakashi.
This move—
Shocked Kakashi to his core.
The granddaughter of Yakushini didn't interest him, but the future disciple of the Hokage's aide? What?
He didn't want to believe Chiriku, yet… What if he wasn't lying?
Tension rippled up Kakashi's arm, and though he wanted to believe it was a lie, he couldn't dismiss the possibility. Staring at the girl falling towards him, he instinctively released his sword, extending both hands to catch her…
And missed.
Yes, he missed.
A flash of lightning appeared in his field of vision. Ringo Yuuri quickly acted on Mangetsu Hozuki's orders, using Tsuchigumo Hotaru to get ahead.
"Hey, Chiriku, right? You said this kid is the apprentice of the Hokage's advisor… are you serious?" Mangetsu Hozuki grinned, revealing sharp, shark-like teeth that carried an intimidating, sharp aura. This young man was like a blade with its edge fully exposed.
"Yes."
Chiriku nodded calmly. "The Hokage's advisor is currently in the Daimyo's mansion. I just left with Elder Enforcer today. When I said 'future apprentice,' it's because the elder, due to his age, didn't want his granddaughter to leave his side. He thought it best for her to apprentice with the advisor once he passes on…"
Clang—
A kunai, wrapped in lightning and aimed at Chiriku's back, was swatted away by Mangetsu Hozuki, who used his Water Iron Cannon technique to deflect it.
"Quiet down, you trash! I'm trying to listen here!"
Mangetsu Hozuki shot a cold look at the distant Yunko, who had thrown the kunai, then ignored him and turned back to Chiriku. "Continue."
Chiriku took a breath and continued, "The elder planned for his granddaughter to apprentice with the Hokage's advisor after his passing. However, soon after we left the Daimyo's mansion, we were ambushed. The elder gave everything to ensure we escaped here."
This was, of course, a lie.
Sougen had never mentioned anything about taking on apprentices. Elder Enforcer had only expressed a wish for Tsuchigumo Hotaru to study at the Konoha Ninja Academy, with no intention of her becoming Sougen's apprentice. Chiriku was making it all up.
If they managed to meet Sougen, this lie would be easily exposed.
But Chiriku wasn't aiming to fool Kakashi and the others forever. His goal was simply to use the Uchiha clan head's influence to protect Tsuchigumo Hotaru temporarily. The outcome when the lie unraveled? Ha! He might not even have a chance to worry about that.
Next to him, Tonbee lowered his gaze, face pale as if he could hardly stand.
The old man's acting was impressive; when he heard Chiriku's lie, he showed no surprise or doubt, suppressing his inner emotions swiftly to maintain a near-death appearance, denying Kakashi and Mangetsu Hozuki any chance to spot a flaw. Although, in truth, his condition was genuinely poor.
"I see."
Mangetsu Hozuki nodded heavily. "If she's the Hokage advisor's disciple, we can't just stand by. Yuuri, make your move!" As soon as he finished speaking, Ringo Yuuri handed Tsuchigumo Hotaru over to a young girl among her subordinates.
Then Ringo Yuuri drew the Thunder Sword: Fang, her whole body surrounded by flashing lightning, and met the advancing Yunko, who was closing in with his sword raised against Chiriku.
Events were unfolding in an unexpected direction.
Chiriku hadn't expected his lie to deceive the Mist Ninja so easily… Did he have a knack for lying, or were these Mist Ninjas just that gullible?
Of course, the answer was—
Neither.
While Mangetsu Hozuki was young, he was a 'prodigy' of the Mist Village, and anyone who thought him gullible would be the real fool.
The reason he 'believed' Chiriku's story was because, whether it was true or not, it didn't hinder him from putting on a show. If it was true, then rescuing the 'monster's' apprentice would earn him some credit.
Even if the girl wasn't Sougen's apprentice,
They'd lose nothing, and regardless of her identity, Mangetsu could see that Chiriku and the old man were indeed connected to Konoha, and likely on friendly terms.
And if things went sideways, he could always use the excuse, "We were deceived; we intended only to rescue the Hokage advisor's apprentice," to handle any unlikely backlash.
After careful consideration, Mangetsu Hozuki chose to trust Chiriku's words and launched an attack with Ringo Yuuri. Only the two of them engaged; the other Jonin in the squad had been ordered to hold their ground, preventing anyone from targeting the squad's Chunin.
Furthermore,
Mangetsu Hozuki and Ringo Yuuri were top-ranking young ninjas in the Mist Village.
Even if they weren't from the Uchiha clan,
They were still more than capable of taking on two opponents.
Ordinary Jonin, even with two or three combined, wouldn't stand a chance against either of them individually.
Ringo Yuuri faced off with Yunko, who was first to charge, wielding the Thunder Sword: Fang, and quickly gained the upper hand. Although both specialized in lightning techniques, Yunko's skills were no match for Ringo Yuuri, the "genius of Lightning Release" in the Mist Village.
Meanwhile,
Mangetsu Hozuki confronted Kamenosuke and Kotomaru.
Without even using the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei, he relied solely on his clan's water transformation technique to keep them at bay. His Water Iron Cannon, effortlessly executed without hand signs, had Kamenosuke and Kotomaru scrambling, while his water-transformed body was unaffected by Kamenosuke's hardened fists or Kotomaru's wind-bladed strikes.
"What's going on here?!"
Now,
It was Kakashi's turn to be thoroughly frustrated.
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