The punch still rang in Shisui's head.
For a split second, he had lowered his guard.
That mistake cost him.
"What do you mean by this?" Shisui demanded from the ground, anger burning in his eyes.
His Sharingan spun to life.
Masato stepped forward and unsheathed his sword.
"My meaning is simple," he said coldly.
"I won't let a thief steal from my clan."
Shisui saw the blade leave its sheath and instantly became alert.
He vanished.
Substitution Jutsu.
He reappeared a few steps away, raising a hand slightly.
"I'm not here to steal anything—"
Masato didn't let him finish.
"Fire Release: First Form — Ember Draw!"
The blade cut through the air, releasing a blazing half-moon arc of fire.
Shisui disappeared again as the flames sliced through the shrine, splitting a wooden chair in half.
He landed behind a pillar, eyes narrowing.
This won't be solved with words.
Masato pressed forward relentlessly.
Each swing of his sword carried fire with it, slashes tearing through the shrine's furniture one by one.
Tables shattered.
Decorations burned.
Shisui kept evading, moving quickly —
But Masato's attacks only grew fiercer.
Then suddenly—
Masato stopped.
His eyes sharpened.
He steadied his breathing and gripped the hilt firmly, locking onto Shisui's position across the hall.
"Third Form: Ashen Step."
Flames burst beneath his feet.
In the next instant, he launched forward.
Many times faster.
Shisui's eyes widened.
He didn't have time to form hand seals.
He barely managed to raise his kunai.
Clang!
Steel collided with steel.
Sparks and embers flew between them as the impact sent them both flying backwards.
They skidded across the shrine floor.
The remaining seats and decorations were crushed under the force.
Shisui crashed into a pillar at the far end of the hall.
The entire shrine trembled.
The crash echoed through the compound.
Outside the shrine hall—
A loud crash echoed from within.
"Someone's inside!" one of the guards shouted, snapping to attention.
"Call the elder — now!"
The other shinobi didn't hesitate.
He turned and sprinted toward the compound.
Two more guards rushed toward the shrine doors, hands already on their weapons.
Inside, smoke was beginning to fill the air.
Burned wood crackled.
Flames flickered across broken furniture.
And the fight was only getting started.
On the other side of the village—
At the entrance of Konoha, Tsunade and Jiraiya were sitting outside an Akimichi shop, eating.
Jiraiya kept glancing toward the gates, clearly waiting for someone.
"When is that bastard snake going to show up?" he muttered irritably.
Tsunade ignored him and took another drink.
Jiraiya looked at her again, a cheeky smile spreading across his face.
"Hey, Tsunade… have you ever thought about it?"
She gave him a sideways look.
"Thought about what?"
"That one day we'd become elders of the village."
He leaned back slightly, folding his arms as if already imagining it.
"Just imagine it — Elder Jiraiya, the mighty Toad Sage."
In his mind, the image was glorious.
He stood inside the Hokage's office, robes flowing dramatically.
Two massive toads sat proudly on his shoulders.
Scrolls were stacked behind him.
The sunlight shone perfectly across his face.
He nodded to himself in approval.
"And Elder Tsunade."
Now he imagined her standing beside him in official robes.
His grin widened.
A thin line of blood trickled from his nose.
"Sounds impressive, doesn't it?" he said proudly.
Tsunade didn't even bother looking at him.
"It sounds old," she replied flatly.
A pause.
"And you look like a pervert."
Before Jiraiya could protest—
"More like Peeping Elder and Gambler Elder."
The small voice came from behind them.
Both of them turned.
A young Uchiha boy stood there, staring boldly at Jiraiya.
Beside him, a slightly older girl froze in shock at what he had just said.
She quickly covered the boy's mouth.
"Sorry!" she blurted out nervously.
Jiraiya stared at the kid, completely stunned.
"…What did you just say, kid?"
Tsunade, meanwhile, slowly turned toward the children.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Uchiha.
Interesting.
Inochi was staring at Jiraiya, his eyes bright with mischief.
Kageha quickly covered his mouth with her hand.
"Sorry, Master Jiraiya," she said hurriedly.
"Inochi is just a kid."
Inochi responded by sticking out his tongue—and promptly licking her hand.
Kageha flinched.
"Ah—!"
She yelped softly and immediately grabbed his ear.
"Inochi!" she snapped.
"S-Sister Kageha! It hurts!" Inochi protested.
Jiraiya watched the scene for a moment, then crouched down in front of the boy.
He placed a hand on Inochi's head and leaned in, staring straight into his eyes.
"What did you call me, brat?" Jiraiya asked.
Inochi didn't hesitate.
"That you're a Peeping Elder," he said boldly,
"Who likes watching women bathe?"
Jiraiya froze.
"…Eh?"
For the first time, he actually looked
embarrassed—
being exposed like that by a kid.
"H-Hey!" Jiraiya protested quickly.
"That's not peeping! I'm researching for inspiration!"
Tsunade, who had been listening quietly, suddenly burst out laughing.
"Hahaha!" she said, slapping the table.
"Jiraiya, even kids know about you now. Peeping Elder—what a perfect name!"
Jiraiya shot her an annoyed look.
"Oi! He called you Gambler Elder, too, you know!"
Tsunade's laughter stopped.
She slowly remembered.
"…That brat."
Tsunade leaned forward and looked directly at Inochi.
"Hey, Uchiha brat," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"Do you even know who we are? How dare you call me a gambler?"
Inochi blinked at her innocently.
"Of course I know," he replied.
Both Jiraiya and Tsunade paused.
"Oh?" Jiraiya said suspiciously. "And who are we?"
Inochi puffed his chest proudly.
"Brother Toyoma told me about you three."
"Three?" Tsunade repeated.
"Yes," Inochi nodded seriously. "You're the three mistakes of ninjas."
Silence.
Kageha froze.
Jiraiya's eye twitched.
Tsunade's smile slowly faded.
"The… three what?" Jiraiya asked carefully.
"The three mistakeers," Inochi said confidently.
"The pervert, the gambler, and the drug addict ."
The air around Tsunade cracked slightly.
She looked at the boy with an angry face.
On the other hand, Jiraiya looked far more confused now at the title —
Three Mistakeers.
"What do you mean by 'three mistakeers,' kid? We are the Three Sannin," Jiraiya said, staring at Inochi.
As their voices rose, the other people in the store slowly turned their attention toward them, the murmur of conversation fading into tense silence.
All people's attention was on their discussion
Kageha could feel the atmosphere shifting.
This was getting out of hand.
She quickly grabbed Inochi by the collar, trying to pull him away.
"I'm really sorry for Inochi," she said hurriedly, bowing slightly.
"He talks without thinking."
She turned, ready to leave—
"Hold it."
Jiraiya's voice stopped her.
She froze.
"Don't run off yet," Jiraiya said, standing up and folding his arms.
"This brat still needs to explain how exactly I'm a pervert…."
He pointed at Inochi.
"In detail."
Inochi blinked.
Kageha tightened her grip on him.
"…inochi," she muttered under her breath, "please stop talking."
Jiraiya crouched slightly, leaning forward with a suspicious squint.
"Go on, kid. Enlighten us."
Inochi looked straight at Jiraiya.
"Don't you like peeping around bathhouses?" he asked bluntly.
Jiraiya nearly choked.
"T-That's research, kid!" he protested quickly.
Inochi tilted his head.
"…Is that what you call it?"
Jiraiya froze.
Tsunade snorted under her breath.
But Inochi wasn't done.
"And she," he continued, pointing directly at Tsunade, "is known as the big Fat sheep among gamblers. She loses every bet."
Tsunade's expression stiffened instantly.
The drink in her hand stopped halfway to her lips.
"Hey, kid," she said sharply, "I don't lose every bet. It's just that my luck doesn't always help me."
Inochi blinked.
"…Isn't that losing?" he asked innocently.
Silence.
Jiraiya slowly turned his head toward Tsunade.
A vein twitched on her forehead.
"You brat—" Tsunade snapped as she stood from her seat.
But Inochi continued as he didn't see her move.
"And the third one is a drug addict who looks like a snake and sticks out his tongue in a creepy way."
He shuddered dramatically.
"And Brother Toyoma said he eats anything and spits it out… ughhhh."
Inochi made a disgusted face.
Tsunade and Jiraiya fell silent.
For a brief second, both of them imagined Orochimaru.
…
"…He's not entirely wrong," Jiraiya thought, glancing at the boy.
"Other than about me."
Kageha, meanwhile, kept bowing repeatedly.
"I'm so sorry! He talks too much!"
Trying to control the damage, she quickly added, "Inochi, they're very strong. They're disciples of the Third Hokage-sama!"
Inochi blinked.
"Oh, right," he said, nodding as if he had remembered something important.
Jiraiya straightened slightly, expecting praise.
Instead—
"They're disciples of a big pervert who used a ball jutsu to spy on bathhouses."
The entire shop went silent.
Several customers froze mid-bite.
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched.
Jiraiya went completely stiff.
"He is the teacher of 'Three Mistakeers' ," Inochi concluded proudly.
Jiraiya stared at him in disbelief.
"…How do you know about that jutsu?" he asked slowly.
Kageha turned sharply toward him.
"So it's true?" she whispered, horror dawning on her face.
Jiraiya immediately slapped a hand over his own mouth.
He had just confirmed it.
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