On the streets, Jiraiya wandered through various special shops.
After some inquiries, he learned the general situation.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
Someone was watching him!
Then, a look of desire appeared on Jiraiya's face as he chuckled and headed into one of the special shops.
Not long after, he was inside, engaging in some intimate activities.
Outside, a shadow flashed by and disappeared.
...
Back at the inn, after some conversation, it was already late at night.
Kyohiko practiced his sword skills using a kunai as a blade.
He felt that as he practiced, his body was quickly absorbing the techniques gifted by the rewards.
Kakashi stood nearby, his expression gradually becoming blank.
It wasn't that Kyohiko had reached a level where he couldn't be taught anymore. On the contrary, Kyohiko still had many things he didn't understand, and his sword skills couldn't be considered powerful yet, but his stance and force application were already quite standard.
Was this also talent?
Kakashi's mood was complicated, and he sighed softly, focusing on mastering the Body Flicker Technique—
Kyohiko's secret tips were also very useful to him!
Kyohiko was so focused that he didn't notice Kakashi's subtle emotional changes.
He was pondering the "White Fang Sword Technique."
If the target in front of him was just a practice dummy, sword techniques would be simple. But what if the target was an enemy?
Kyohiko imagined the scenario, swinging each strike with utmost seriousness.
After a long time, they finally dispersed.
That night, they went to sleep.
Kyohiko was sleeping soundly when he suddenly sensed a slight movement. Instinctively, he opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, his hand immediately gripping the kunai beside him, as if it were second nature.
"Ribbit!"
The kunai struck the wooden floor, and a small frog jumped up in fright, cowering in the corner.
Kyohiko was slightly stunned, then put away the kunai.
"Sorry, I thought you were an enemy."
"It's okay, it's Jiraiya's fault. If he hadn't asked me to deliver this message in the middle of the night, this wouldn't have happened."
The little frog was quite understanding.
It hopped over to Kyohiko and looked him up and down, then said, "Jiraiya asked me to tell you that while investigating, he noticed that a ninja was following him. He's not sure which side they're from yet."
"What does the teacher mean?"
"He will go into hiding, so you don't need to worry. But don't act too relaxed either. In short, he wants you to handle it as you see fit."
"Huh?"
Kyohiko was speechless.
Don't act too relaxed?
That's asking too much.
Do you really think I'm an Oscar-winning actor?
Only telling me this means he's setting me up!
After some thought, Kyohiko said, "Please tell the teacher that I'll do my best, but I'm just a genin."
"Alright."
The little frog disappeared.
Kyohiko got up to drink some water and glanced outside.
The night was shrouded in a thin mist.
He carefully extracted chakra and let it seep into the surroundings.
Through the contact with the mist, he confirmed that there were no signs of chakra interference nearby, which put him somewhat at ease.
Someone was following Jiraiya…
A mist ninja?
Kyohiko pondered for a long time before getting up and heading to the next room.
Hearing the footsteps, Hoshigaki Kisame opened his beady eyes, filled with despair.
If he didn't know the nature of the Hidden Mist Village…
He might have been fooled.
Every genin from the Hidden Mist Village had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. A little hardship like this wouldn't scare him.
But the other one…
He had been in poor condition earlier. Kurenai tried to help, but there was no improvement. Now, they could only keep him alive for the sake of the Hidden Mist Village and let Kurenai continue treating him.
Kyohiko decided to rest on the first floor where they were being held.
Kisame closed his eyes and sighed inwardly.
This kid wakes up at the slightest noise. What a pain!
He had finally found an opportunity.
What a pity.
If they were in the wild, one-on-one, Kisame was confident he could defeat his opponent using the terrain and various ninjutsu, or at least escape.
But.
With his chakra sealed and his body bound, relying only on two fingers to untie the ropes, he had no confidence in defeating the enemy before him.
Ah!
Who would have thought they'd run into Jiraiya?
Falling into the hands of such a ninja, sealing techniques were child's play. There was no chance for a mere genin to escape.
Kisame stared at the ceiling, sighing deeply in his heart.
Not long after.
Upstairs, Kakashi's head peeked out. Seeing Kyohiko below, he retreated, reassured.
But.
That spot should have been the corridor outside Matsuyama Ichiro's room.
He was guarding the corridor to prevent Matsuyama Ichiro from falling into danger.
Putting aside Kakashi's personality, when it came to missions, he was indeed a reliable teammate, rarely dropping the ball.
From the perspective of teammates he looked down on, it was quite uncomfortable.
In the future, Obito and Rin could get along with that version of Kakashi because they had good personalities. If it were him, he would have given Kakashi a serious warning on the first day.
Later, it was through sheer strength that he managed to stabilize the situation.
Otherwise, he and Kurenai would have been treated like Obito and Rin.
As he was thinking.
At that moment, the mist grew heavier.
Kyohiko suddenly opened his eyes, his focus sharpening instantly.
The thick night mist often went unnoticed, especially near the mountains.
But.
The chakra within the mist was as noticeable as fireflies.
This was the Hidden Mist Technique!
Kyohiko extracted his chakra, slowly letting it seep into the surrounding mist.
Within the mist, strands of killing intent surged towards him, making his back prickle with unease.
A bead of sweat formed on his forehead.
Fortunately, Jiraiya was only hiding and hadn't truly left. He could provide support at any time.
Probably…
Right?
Kyohiko's forehead was now dripping with cold sweat.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Kurenai landed in front of Kyohiko.
The next moment—
"Retreat! Protect Mr. Matsuyama. He's our mission target."
Kyohiko whispered urgently.
Kurenai wasn't as fast as him. Coming here in such a situation was akin to seeking death.
"But…"
"We can always abandon these two."
Kyohiko said.
Kurenai hesitated for a moment, then nodded and headed upstairs to assist Kakashi in protecting their employer.
At that moment—
Splash!
Kyohiko turned and slashed with his kunai, cutting through the air.
But.
The opponent's head turned into a splash of water, while another arm swelled and struck at him.
Water Release: Violent Water Wave!
Mangetsu Hozuki's lips curled into a sinister smile.
But then.
Boom!
The figure before him turned into a block of wood.
??
What?
Mangetsu Hozuki was shocked—
The opponent had used a Body Flicker to escape, leaving behind a substitution clone.
A simple trick, combined with the Body Flicker, had fooled him.
Not only that.
The first time, the opponent dodged his assassination attempt and countered with a kunai strike to his head.
The second time, he used the Body Flicker and substitution to deceive him.
This level of skill…
This kid from Konoha was no ordinary genin!
He turned his head and saw the opponent leaping to the second floor, already forming hand seals mid-air.
Then, a torrent of water cascaded down from above.
Using water to kill him?
Mangetsu Hozuki no longer underestimated his opponent, treating Kyohiko as an equal. He immediately retreated.
The next moment—
Zap!
Electricity surged from above, spreading through the water and shocking both Kisame and the other captive.
Mangetsu Hozuki had retreated quickly, avoiding the lightning.
But.
After several failed attempts to strike, he had been forced into a humiliating retreat.
Mangetsu Hozuki was about to attack again.
"Stop playing around. Take them and leave."
A cold voice came from within the mist.
"Yes!"
The next moment, a blade cut through the mist, rushing towards them.
It looked like the Executioner's Blade.
Kyohiko frowned.
The Executioner's Blade, Biwa Juzo?
Were there other Hidden Mist jonin lurking in the shadows?