In the darkness, four or five ninjas wearing green vests cautiously surrounded and protected a red-haired girl.
The man at the front had smooth black hair, a Konoha forehead protector on his brow, and a pair of glaring Byakugan.
Seeing this, Reiji clicked his tongue silently.
Seriously? What were the chances? He'd gone all the way to the outskirts of the battlefield, and he still ran into people from Konohagakure?
In a shadowed corner, Hōzuki Gengetsu smirked, his face openly gloating.
He was quite eager to see what Reiji would do next.
At the alley entrance, the two sides stood off.
The Konoha ninjas, having just escaped Kirigakure's encirclement, were drenched in sweat, bracing themselves defensively against Reiji.
After a solid ten seconds of staring, Reiji suddenly moved.
He reached into his ninja pouch, pulled out a palm-sized scroll, and quickly tore it open.
The Konoha ninjas immediately drew their kunai, forming a protective barrier around the red-haired girl.
Then, Reiji wrapped the scroll around his head to cover his eyes, tapped Samehada in his hand, and shouted angrily,
"Samehada, this is all your fault for running off! Hurry up and get me back to the ship!"
Samehada twisted its body pitifully, playing along like a guide dog.
From the shadows, Gengetsu watched Reiji fumble around like a blind man, utterly stunned. In his mind, he screamed,
You bastard! What the hell are you doing!?
You're not blind—I'm the one you're treating like an idiot!
And Samehada... is that sword even usable anymore?
Forget it, just toss it! It's basically scrap metal now!
While Gengetsu ranted silently, the Konoha ninjas clearly didn't grasp what Reiji was trying to do.
Honestly, to any ninja raised in the traditional way, Reiji's behavior made zero sense.
"Everyone, take him down! Retreat quickly!"
The Hyūga ninja with the Byakugan shouted, then rushed at Reiji in a Gentle Fist stance.
Behind him, aside from the two kunoichi guarding the red-haired girl, the other two followed their captain's lead, kunai in hand, advancing in a triangular formation.
"Shadow Binding Technique!"
A low shout came from the rear left. A man clapped his hands together, striking first.
Meanwhile, on the right, another man quickly pulled out a shuriken and threw it toward Reiji, trying to cut off any escape route.
Their coordination was honestly pretty tight.
Unfortunately, Reiji didn't even try to dodge—he was caught by the shadow in an instant.
Got him!
The Nara clan ninja lit up with joy.
In the next moment, the Hyūga ninja with the Byakugan dashed up to Reiji, positioning himself for the Gentle Fist.
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" he called out.
Then came a flurry of strikes. The straight-haired Hyūga launched a full-on combo, military-style punches flying as cold sweat streamed down his face.
"Eight Palms!"
Damn—did this guy line his clothes with steel plates!?
"Sixteen Palms!"
Crap, my hands are killing me!
"Thirty-Two Palms!"
Oh god, halfway through already? My skin's about to peel off!
"Sixty-Four Palms!"
Damn it, when I get back to Konoha, I have to try that new Dan-brand hand cream!
His hands now limp and aching, the Hyūga ninja retreated in a nimble step. At the same time, the Nara clan guy released his shadow.
But the expected result never came. Reiji didn't fall. He was still standing there, straight as a post, turning his head toward the Hyūga ninja and peeking through the loosely wrapped scroll.
"Uh... one more time?"
Damn it, what is this—Teletubbies? "Again"? Seriously!?
For a moment, everyone—from the hidden Gengetsu to the Konoha team—was completely dumbfounded.
Was this guy even human? His physical resilience was terrifying!
Not far away, the little red-haired girl stared wide-eyed. She didn't really understand what physical toughness meant, nor did she grasp the power of the Gentle Fist.
But from what she could sense, that big, heavy-set man nearby held a monstrous power inside him!
Even more disturbing, the chakra from the Hyūga brother who had protected her vanished without a trace the moment it entered his body.
So terrifying!
As everyone stood in shock, Reiji furrowed his brows and looked toward the center of the battlefield.
The battle over there was wrapping up!
Without hesitation, Reiji raised Samehada toward the Konoha ninjas, opened his mouth wide, revealing rows of sharp fangs, and stepped forward, his towering frame radiating a crushing pressure.
The three kunoichi in the back instantly felt their legs go weak.
The three male ninjas standing in Reiji's way weren't doing much better—they gulped nervously, one after another.
"Retreat! You guys fall back first—I'll hold him off!" a low, stern voice growled.
The Hyūga ninja forced himself to step forward despite his fear, taking a stance and glaring fiercely at Reiji.
Hearing that, the remaining four ninjas frowned slightly.
Still, they were shinobi. Completing the mission came first.
They lifted the red-haired girl and turned back toward Konoha.
A gust of wind swept through, scattering fallen leaves as the small skirmish on the battlefield's edge finally quieted down.
Only Reiji and the Hyūga ninja remained.
Watching sweat drip down the sides of the Hyūga's face, Reiji scratched his head and asked with exasperation,
"You're not leaving?"
"Can I leave?"
"What do you think?"
"Then... I'll go?"
"Yeah."
"So… I'm really going?"
Seeing the guy hesitate with every word, Reiji rolled his eyes in silence, already cursing him in his head.
I've already given you a chance the size of the Pacific Ocean—how can you still not get it?
Each generation really is worse than the last.
With that thought, Reiji flared his nostrils and let out a heavy breath.
"Scram!"
"Got it!"
The Hyūga ninja instinctively straightened up, head shrinking back.
Then he glanced timidly at Reiji again and walked off, turning his head every three steps, looking back every five.
Watching the guy slink away, Reiji let out a helpless sigh and stepped into the dark alley.
Inside, Hōzuki Gengetsu slowly revealed himself, his eyes filled with curiosity and doubt as he looked at Reiji.
"Reiji, are you actually from Konoha?"
At that, Reiji grinned and pulled a Kumogakure forehead protector from his pouch, placing it into Gengetsu's hand.
Seeing this, Gengetsu rolled his eyes at the bastard and silently complained in his heart.
I knew it! With a body that tough, who else could it be but one of those meatheads from Kumogakure?
A second later, another forehead protector appeared in his hand—this one marked with four straight vertical lines.
Gengetsu looked up, staring at Reiji as he scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. Gengetsu pressed his lips together, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.
Amegakure…
What the hell!?
Obito, you son of a—!