At the entrance of Konoha Village.
Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Ino Yamanaka had already arrived early.
The first two were chatting.
Mainly it was Sakura doing the talking while Sasuke listened.
Ino stood by with a slight smile on her face watching them.
She found it amusing.
Especially since Sakura was her best friend.
A close friend—and also a bit of a troublemaker.
She could clearly tell that Sasuke wasn't particularly fond of Sakura.
But he never openly said he disliked her either.
That left the door open for opportunities.
Regarding this, Ino could do nothing but silently root for her.
Not that there was much she could actually do.
Compared to that, Ino felt she was the luckier one.
After all, Mr. Natsume liked her.
Well… maybe.
As she watched, Ino's mind began to wander slightly.
Why wasn't he here yet?
She kept turning her head toward the direction of the Hokage Building.
Then suddenly, the next second, Natsume appeared right in front of her.
They were so close their faces were almost touching.
Natsume took a light breath, catching the faint, delicate fragrance coming from Ino.
What a youthful moment this was.
Unlike before, Ino now bore a diamond-shaped mark on her forehead.
It was the symbol of successfully mastering the Yin Seal.
Meaning she could now control and adjust her own body as needed.
Their eyes met for two seconds before Ino's face slightly reddened. She stepped back and said softly, "Mr. Natsume."
"How long have you been here?"
Natsume glanced at Sasuke and Sakura briefly, then looked down at Ino.
Her lips looked freshly glossed—shiny and soft.
"Just a few minutes."
Ino noticed his gaze and turned away, avoiding his eyes.
"Natsume-sensei."
Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of them at an awkward moment,
Seizing the chance to escape Sakura's endless chatter.
To someone entirely focused on strength, everything else was just an obstacle.
As for love or romance—he just didn't get it.
"Natsume-sensei."
Sakura followed closely behind and greeted him politely.
Even though it was a temporary team-up, calling him 'teacher' wasn't out of line.
Plus, being Pharmacist Nonou Yakushi's apprentice gave her a kind of indirect link to Natsume.
"Let's get going."
Seeing this, Natsume decided not to continue the small talk.
After checking in at the village gates, the four set off from Konoha.
Takigakure lay in the northwest of the Land of Fire, bordering the Land of Grass.
It would take roughly a full day of nonstop travel to get there.
"Mr. Natsume, what exactly is our mission this time?"
Ino Yamanaka hurried up beside him and asked curiously.
Ino always treated missions with seriousness.
Truth be told, she'd wanted to ask during the briefing in the Hokage's office.
He hadn't said anything then—just told them to meet at the village gate.
"A rogue ninja named Suizen."
Natsume answered casually. "The Anbu received intelligence indicating he's allied with a mysterious organization planning to attack Takigakure."
Ino Yamanaka nodded, carefully noting down the details.
She asked again, "Which organization?"
"Not sure."
Natsume shook his head. "That's one of our goals too."
With that, the conversation came to a close.
The four of them continued on in silence, not speaking again as they traveled.
After all, at such high speeds, they needed to conserve their energy.
By dusk, they had already reached the Land of Waterfalls.
Since they were now close to Takigakure, the four decided not to stop for rest and pressed forward toward their destination without delay.
An isolated, unnamed location.
"This is incredible," said Sakura Haruno, gazing in awe at the massive waterfall before them, several hundred meters high.
"No wonder Takigakure has never been dragged into war," Yamanaka Ino mused. "Without an exact map, finding this place would be nearly impossible."
"Who's our target?" Sasuke Uchiha asked directly. "Is it related to the tailed beasts?"
Ever since activating his Mangekyo Sharingan, he had longed to fight a jinchuriki.
Naruto Uzumaki could have fulfilled that desire, but as a teammate, he couldn't go all out against him—especially with techniques like his two dojutsu.
Sasuke was well aware of their power. To avoid accidental fatalities, he had never used them during sparring matches.
"Rogue ninja Suizen," Natsume replied casually.
"How strong is he?" Sasuke asked, raising his brow slightly.
"Not bad," Natsume answered. "Don't worry — you'll get your shot."
Sasuke nodded and fell silent.
"Somebody is approaching us," Ino suddenly warned.
As the team's medical ninja and scout, she remained constantly vigilant.
Instinctively, Sasuke reached for the katana at his waist.
Forged from the twin blades of Raiga Kurosuki, it amplified his Lightning Release techniques.
He named it Futsu no Mitama — the Soul Treasure of Futsu.
According to legend, it was inspired by the legendary blade of the war god Futsu-Kami.
Since one of his dojutsu was named after Futsu-Kami, Sasuke adopted the name Futsu no Mitama.
"It's just the ninja sent by Takigakure to meet us," Natsume raised a hand, saying, "No need to be tense."
"Hello everyone!"
With a cheerful and lively voice, a green-haired girl with deep brown skin appeared before them.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed instantly.
What immense chakra.
Certainly not ordinary.
"Fuu!" A teenage boy ran up behind her, clearly displeased. "How many times have I told you not to rush in like that!"
This chapter isn't over yet — there's more to come! The action isn't over!
Two older men wearing Takigakure forehead protectors stood quietly nearby.
"Village Headman, didn't you say Konoha was our ally?" The girl paid no attention and turned toward Natsume and the others. "Hi there! I'm Fuu! Let's be friends!"
Fuu.
The jinchuriki of the Seven-Tails.
In the original story, she participated in the Joint Chunin Exams held in Sunagakure.
She had a very innocent personality, making friends easily, always eager to socialize.
A lot like Naruto Uzumaki.
That closely related to her upbringing.
Growing up in Takigakure, she had always been loved and cherished, completely genuine and unguarded—a cheerful young girl with deep brown skin.
Ultimately, she was killed by Kakuzu and Hidan, who tore the Seven-Tails from her body.
Later, her body was reanimated by Obito Uchiha and became one of the Six Paths of Pain.
It was quite a pitiful sight.
"Fuu, don't be rude."
The boy pulled Fuu behind him and looked at Natsume. "I'm Shibuki. Might I ask if you are the Hokage?"
"I am."
Natsume smiled. "Fuu's quite intriguing."
"Right?"
Fuu peeked her head out. "I think we can be friends."
"Don't interrupt."
Shibuki sighed helplessly and patted her head.
While he had encouraged Fuu to make more friends, she still needed to learn when to hold back.
But he couldn't really blame her.
It's just her personality.
Truth be told, she'd been far too pampered.
Natsume suddenly thought of Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara.
If they had been like this, there might have been far fewer incidents.
"Hokage-sama."
Shibuki smiled again and said, "Let me introduce these two people first. They are Kegon and Demon Wolf, jonins from Takigakure."
"Hokage-sama."
Both Kegon and Demon Wolf greeted coldly.
"My three students, Sasuke Uchiha, Ino Yamanaka, and Sakura Haruno."
Natsume added casually.
"Hokage-sama."
After brief small talk, Shibuki returned to the main topic. "Where is Suizen now?"
Yesterday, he had received the message sent from Konoha Village.
He had been genuinely shocked.
Due to his inherently timid nature, he felt deeply uneasy.
Therefore, when he learned that Natsume would come personally, he came immediately to greet him.
"He should be arriving at Takigakure soon," Natsume said after sensing around.
"Suizen is actually my teacher."
Shibuki's face darkened instantly. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "I never thought he'd go this far."
"There's no other way now," Natsume glanced at him.
Suizen and Shibuki...
They were somewhat reminiscent of Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze.
Though the latter pair were far more accomplished.
Shibuki paled in comparison.
If Natsume were Suizen, he'd probably defect as well.
"Hokage-sama, that's true." Regaining his composure, Shibuki said, "Please allow us to enter the village first."
He led them into the waterfall and through a long, winding hidden passage.
Only after several minutes of walking did they finally reach Takigakure.
Natsume was once again reminded of the tale of utopia.
It was nearly identical.
Since Suizen hadn't arrived yet, Shibuki arranged accommodations for them.
As night fell, Natsume and his companions were warmly welcomed.
Outside, Suizen and the Third Raikage had already reached the foot of the great waterfall.
Behind them stood a group of wandering ninjas.
It was Suizen's arrangement.
According to his plan, if the Third Raikage could capture Fuu—the jinchuriki—victory would be assured.
Otherwise, there would be no point in going on. He himself would need to run for his life again.
"What do you intend to do?" The Raikage asked coldly.
"Kill Shibuki."
Suizen wanted to become the next village leader, so destroying the entire Takigakure wouldn't make sense.
That would render everything meaningless.
"Here they come."
Suizen narrowed his eyes.
Two ninjas wearing Takigakure forehead protectors appeared.
"What? Suizen?"
Both men's expressions changed instantly.
"I have no interest in fighting you."
Suizen waved his hand and said, "Go get Shibuki."
The two exchanged a glance before turning and leaving.
Knowing Suizen's strength, they didn't hesitate to go get someone.
As for relying on Takigakure's secrecy to handle enemies—that was impossible.
After all, Suizen knew more of their secrets than they did themselves.
"Then I'll leave it to you, sir."
Suizen took a deep breath before speaking.
The Third Raikage nodded expressionlessly.
Two Takigakure ninjas quickly entered the village and found Shibuki.
"Village Headman, the rogue ninja Suizen is outside—specifically asking for you."
"I understand. You may leave now."
Shibuki took an instinctive breath.
Although Natsume had warned him earlier, hearing Suizen's name still made him feel nervous.
"Take us along."
Sasuke Uchiha suddenly stood up, eyes sparkling with eagerness.
Finally, it was time for him to show off his abilities.
Shibuki paused briefly.
He didn't know exactly how strong Sasuke Uchiha was.
He had assumed Sasuke was just someone Natsume brought along for experience.
Now showing such enthusiasm, maybe he was too confident.
"Hokage-sama,"
Shibuki came back to his senses and asked, "What should we do now?"
Needless to say, his current personality had deteriorated compared to the original story—he now showed signs of indecisiveness.
At this point, one must once again mention Naruto Uzumaki's amazing influence.
This mini chapter isn't over yet—more excitement ahead!
It was Natsume who would help Shibuki drink the Hero Water, regain his confidence, and drive off Suizen and the others.
"Don't worry. Just leave it to us."
Natsume casually remarked.
Of course, he had no interest in pulling a "Talk No Jutsu" here.
Besides, if Shibuki didn't change his personality, in a way, he could generate even more destiny value.
As Natsume finished speaking, the most eager one turned out to be Sasuke Uchiha.
He strode forward immediately.
"Village leader, I'm going too."
Fuu realized no one had mentioned her and quickly spoke up.
"You cannot go!"
Shibuki replied seriously.
Fuu was the Seven-Tails' jinchuriki—the ace and secret weapon of Takigakure.
Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't deploy her.
Plus, he was unwilling to expose the jinchuriki to outsiders.
"But..."
Fuu wanted to say more but couldn't find the words.
"It's okay."
Ino Yamanaka smiled gently as she spoke, "With us here, there's no need for you to act."
"That's right."
Grateful, Shibuki looked at her before continuing, "Also, the village needs someone to guard it, and I don't trust anyone else. I'm afraid I must trouble you."
"No problem!"
Fuu, completely failing to notice their coordination, replied excitedly, "I will definitely protect everyone!"
Relieved inwardly, Shibuki turned and followed Sasuke Uchiha, heading toward the village entrance.
Not long later, the two groups finally faced each other directly.
"So, they're actually Konoha ninjas."
Suizen sneered slightly.
"Teacher."
Shibuki said bravely, "If you stop now, you can still remain Takigakure's advisor."
"Enough!"
Suizen's eyes flared with killing intent as he said, "I'm not here to listen to your nonsense."
As soon as he finished speaking, the ninja behind him hurled kunai and shuriken.
In an instant, it seemed as though a black net had descended over them all.
Sasuke Uchiha immediately gripped the hilt of his sword.
The blade slid free with a sharp metallic ring.
Blinding lightning erupted from the blade.
In that moment, the samurai sword became a crackling blade of pure lightning.
Sasuke swung it in one swift motion.
Lightning expanded into a massive arc, several meters wide.
The shuriken and kunai were sliced cleanly in half.
Some exploded into shards, while others ricocheted back.
Simultaneously, the lightning blade roared forward like a storm.
Suizen's pupils constricted.
Clearly, he hadn't expected a mere child to wield such overwhelming power.
He flashed through a series of hand seals.
A towering wall of water erupted before him.
But Sasuke didn't pay him any more attention.
He rapidly performed seals.
An ear-splitting chorus of bird cries drowned even the roar of the waterfall.
Electricity crackled around Sasuke's blade.
Coiling bolts of lightning lashed outward, radiating sheer intimidation.
[Three-Tomoe Sharingan Activated]
In the blink of an eye, he vanished in a flash.
A streak of lightning tore through the air.
Before Suizen could fully react, Sasuke had already appeared above him, raising his sword high for a downward slash.
[Endgame!]
At that moment, another blinding bolt of lightning split the sky.
The Third Raikage blocked Suizen's path. Facing the lightning-wrapped blade, he threw a thunderous punch.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
[Arrogance Unleashed!]
But in the next instant, the space distorted.
His fist crashed against the blade, unleashing a devastating shockwave.
The entire sword trembled violently.
Sasuke's face tightened, but he clenched his teeth and held firm to the blade.
And this determination came at a cost.
Seizing the moment, the Third Raikage lifted his right foot and landed a crushing kick.
Instinctively, Sasuke activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, barely tracking the movement, lifting his arm to block.
A sickening snap rang out—bone cracked.
Sasuke shot backward like a cannonball.
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