An Unexpected Surprise! A Bounty on Utakata
Following the old man's directions, Shinki found the secret passage located within the Tsuchigumo Fortress.
After walking along the secret passage for about a thousand meters, the Shinki arrived at a certain place in the forest.
Just as it emerged, a leech the size of a finger sat on the head of the Shinki.
Shinki:(ー_ー)!!
This thing is absolutely disgusting!
Toad lying on your foot doesn't bite, but it's disgusting!
After eliminating the leeches with a wave of his hand, Shinki immediately used Chakra to form a barrier around himself. Any leeches that got close were compressed into a cloud of blood mist by the Chakra!
After that, he sat cross-legged in the forest, closed his eyes, and maximized his Chakra sensing range!
When his consciousness detected a Chakra as bright as Kakkō in the darkness, Shinki let out a soft exclamation. "How could this be? There's a Tailed Beast hiding in this desolate wilderness?"
After carefully sensing the surroundings, Shinki noticed several inconspicuous specks of Chakra near the Tailed Beast Chakra.
Within a radius of dozens of miles, there were only a few Breath of Chakra.
"Among these people, there are probably some I need to protect."
After muttering something to himself, Shinki quickened his pace and rushed towards where those people were.
In the dense forest.
Thief Ninja A, C, and D stopped Tsuchigumo Hotaru and Mr. Utakata.
"You didn't prepare any Formations beforehand this time, so just prepare to die!"
"Thief Ninja A said confidently."
Mr. Utakata's expression was indifferent, a hint of disdain appearing in his eyes.
He took out a bubble wand and gently blew air...
"Splash--"
A dense cluster of bubbles appeared!
Bubbles filled the entire space; any contact with them would cause them to explode, resulting in considerable damage.
The Thief Ninja A, C, and D exchanged glances and shouted at the same time!
"Lightning! Spark! Fire!"
"Whoosh--"
Using the four people's bodies as a base, a purple cone-shaped barrier unfolds, enveloping Mr. Utakata's body!
Tsuchigumo Hotaru nearby, looked panicked. "Mr. Utakata, how can I help you?!"
Utakata, dressed in a blue robe, remained calm and unperturbed by the four's attacks, maintaining his aloof demeanor.
The next moment, the thief Ninja C, unable to contain his anger any longer, shouted, "Attack!"
"Whoosh--"
Within the purple barrier, radiance flowed!
Inside the barrier, Lightning Release Chakra attacked the location of the Utakata!
Tsuchigumo Hotaru shouted in alarm, "No!"
At the same time, from the dense forest behind them, Shinki's clear voice rang out!
"Earth Release · Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!!"
"Whoosh!!"
Beneath the ground, several walls made of earth and stone rose up in succession!
The massive earthen and stone wall 'whooshed' up the four thief Ninja were maintaining the Formation, destroying the Formation from the inside!
Having accomplished all this, the Shinki clapped its hands together once more. "Wood Release: Vines Binding!!"
"Shuashua--"
Several Vines appeared in succession, shooting into the air and binding the four thieves tightly!
Beside him, the Utakata, now free from crisis, looked at the Shinki, its pupils trembling violently.
(๑ʘ̅ д ʘ̅๑)!!!
There are only a handful of Ninjas in the Shinobi World who know Wood Release!
Furthermore, the boy's striking red hair made his identity quite obvious!
The Wood Release genius of Konoha! The suppressor of the Moryo Rebellion!
Shinki!!
Actually, if Utakata were a normal Ninja, he wouldn't need to be afraid of the Shinki at all.
But he happens to have a bounty on his head.
Moreover, the reward amount is a staggering ten million!
Everyone in the Shinobi World knows that the place Red-Haired Shinki frequents most is the Bounty Station!!
That kid's got money to burn!
A veritable red-haired Taotie!!
If he sets his sights on me, I'll definitely be captured and taken back to Kirigakure for the bounty!! (༎ຶ-༎ຶ)
Therefore, upon recognizing Shinki's identity, Utakata made a decisive move, turning and leaving. "I promised Tonbei I would protect Hotaru until Konoha's Ninja arrive."
"Now that the Konoha support Ninjas have arrived, I'll be leaving."
After saying that, Utakata hurriedly blew out a huge bubble.
The bubbles enveloped his body, and he slowly floated into the sky.
Seeing this, Tsuchigumo Hotaru looked regretful. "Master, why don't you stay a little longer before leaving? Why are you in such a hurry..."
Halfway through her sentence, the young girl turned her head to look at the Shinki not far away...
Absolutely amazing!
ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
Goodness!
So handsome!!
Even if you put all the men she's ever seen in her life together, they probably wouldn't be as good-looking as this one!!
Then, thinking that she would be able to spend time alone with this handsome red-haired man after Master Utakata left, she changed her tone. "It's alright, Master, you can go in peace. I have Konoha Ninjas to protect me! (⌯︎¤̴̶̷̀ω¤̴̶̷́)✧︎"
The Utakata floating in mid-air at this moment: ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Beside him, Shinki looked up at the Utakata that were flying higher and higher.
He was certain that the powerful Tailed Beast Chakra was emanating from this man's body!
Furthermore, the fact that this person was in such a hurry to leave upon seeing me is highly suspicious!
So, he raised his hand, condensed Ice Needles using Ice Release, and popped the bubble containing the Utakata: "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Why don't you tell me about the origin of the Tailed Beast inside you first? (σ≧︎▽︎≦︎)σ."
Utakata landing:!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
We're doomed!
If this guy catches me, I'm definitely going to be taken back to Kirigakure!
Just as Utakata was pondering how to answer, Shinki continued his analysis, "I know the Jinchūriki or whereabouts of the One-Tail, Two-Tails, Three-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails."
According to records, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails reside in Iwagakure), and the people there probably don't know how to play with bubbles.
"That leaves only the Six-Tails and the Seven-Tails."
"It's said that the Seven-Tails 'Jinchūriki is a girl..."
"So, what's sealed inside you is the Six-Tails?"
Utakata had no choice but to nod.
He was desperate and said, "I've heard of you. You're the Shinki of Konoha, right? If you want to capture me and take me back to Kirigakure for the bounty, then go ahead and do it."
"But there's one thing I must state: I owe Kirigakure nothing! I didn't kill my master! His death was his own fault!"
Shinki scratched his head. "Bounty? You actually have a bounty hanging on you?!(´◊ω◊`)"
Presumably because Kirigakure didn't want Utakata to die, Utakata's bounty wasn't posted at the Bounty Station, but rather in Kirigakure's name.
Shinki didn't have the time to pay attention to the bounties of the various Ninja Villages, so he was unaware of the huge bounty on Utakata.
Utakata: ⊙▽⊙
"You didn't know that Kirigakure offered a bounty of 50 million for me?!"
Shinki shook his head. "I don't know. (°ー°)"
"But now I know."
The Utakata has burst!:∑(✘Д✘๑)
Damn it, I've just completely self-destructed!
Utakata wanted to slap herself a few times right then and there.
He asked again, "Then, why did you stop me?"
Shinki shrugged. "I just wanted to know which Tailed Beast is sealed inside you. And by the way, the Akatsuki is still hunting Tailed Beasts, so I wanted you to be careful... ┐(´-`)┌"
Utakata: (*꒦ິ⌓꒦ີ)
Shinki rubbed his hands together and continued, "But you yourself said you have a 50 million bounty on you. Since you know that, why not take the money? (^ワ^)"