Neji and Gaara's Deal

The next day

Rock Lee, Neji, and Shikamaru split up from Naruto again.

Before parting, Xiao Yun asked them for several signal flares.

"Uncle, I swear on the name of the Hokage that I definitely won't lose the signal flares again this time!"

Naruto promised earnestly.

"If you lose them again, I'll chop your dick off."

Xiao Yun said irritably.

"Yes, sir!"

Naruto gave Xiao Yun a solemn salute.

"By the way, Brother Yun, what should we do with these three?"

Hyuga Yumi pointed at the three Sand Shinobi lying on the ground.

Their faces were ashen and bloodless. Though unconscious, each wore an expression of immense pain. They were taking in more air than they exhaled, and blood occasionally spurted from the corners of their mouths.

"Ah, Buddha have mercy. In his great compassion, dig a hole and bury them!"

After saying that, Xiao Yun dug three pits with his bare hands.

Whether it was a final burst of life or something else, the three of them suddenly opened their eyes in unison the instant they were tossed into the pits. They pointed at Xiao Yun, seemingly wanting to say something, but before they could speak, Xiao Yun buried them under the dirt and stomped it down firmly.

A corner of the Forest of Death

"Gaara, Sila, Yemei, and Kelin are dead."

Kankuro said with a grim expression.

"How could that be?"

Temari looked incredulous. Though the three of them were not particularly strong individually, they had curse marks bestowed by the Kazekage. Besides, the three of them could merge together. How could they have been killed?

"Gaara, I think splitting into three groups was truly not a wise choice. I—"

"Shut up, Kankuro."

Gaara coldly cut him off. Kankuro was so frightened that he did not dare say another word.

"Heh heh, I didn't expect Xiao Yun to possess such formidable taijutsu. Interesting."

Gaara waved his left hand, and an eye formed from sand flew rapidly out from deep within the grass and arrived at his side. It then turned back into sand and slowly fell to the ground.

Sand Eye!

Gaara had seen the entire battle clearly.

That was right. Those three Sand Shinobi had merely been sent by Gaara to test Xiao Yun's strength. As for whether they lived or died, Gaara did not care in the slightest. They were only three pawns, after all.

"Gaara, what do we do next? If Wendu's group gets taken out too, our chances of losing will be high. Should we call them back and make a new battle plan?"

Temari asked.

"No. Have Wendu's group proceed according to the original plan."

Gaara spoke calmly with his eyes closed. He did not care about winning or losing this match at all, nor did he care if a few teammates died. All he cared about was whether he could capture Xiao Yun and Sasuke alive. That concerned whether he would be able to sleep peacefully in the future.

"Your skills are impressive, sir. To think you managed to sneak this close to me."

Gaara suddenly opened his eyes and stared fixedly at a patch of dark grass not far away.

An enemy!

Kankuro and Temari were instantly alarmed and assumed fighting stances.

"Gaara."

A cold voice came from the darkness, but its owner did not reveal himself.

"A Konoha ninja. You dare come here alone—what nerve. Are you looking down on me?"

The corners of Gaara's lips curled upward slightly in disdain.

"Don't worry. I'm not your enemy. I came only to make a deal with you."

The cold voice came from the darkness again. After it spoke, a scroll shot straight out of the shadows toward Gaara.

A claw made of sand suddenly appeared before Gaara and caught the scroll.

After reading the scroll, Gaara fell silent for a long while before saying, "Hmph, you sneaky bastard! So you're Neji Hyuga of the Hyuga Clan. But why should I believe you?"

"Believe it or not, I'll only tell you this: I want Xiao Yun dead. I will take care of three Konoha ninja to prove my sincerity. After that, you can decide whether to work with me to kill Xiao Yun."

After saying that, rustling came from the grass as Neji Hyuga departed.

"Gaara, be careful. This could be a trap."

Kankuro said seriously.

"Heh heh, you don't know this, but Neji Hyuga and Hyuga Yumi used to be lovers. Now the Hyuga Clan wants to marry Hyuga Yumi to Xiao Yun. That guy probably turned love into hatred, so it makes sense that he wants to work with me against Xiao Yun. Still, I won't trust him completely. Let's see how sincere he is."

Gaara said.

Temari and Kankuro revealed looks of sudden understanding.

As for Xiao Yun's group, time passed second by second, and another day went by in the blink of an eye.

"So delicious, Uncle! How did you grill these fish? Crispy on the outside and tender inside, with such rich meat flavor. They're even better than Ichiraku Ramen!"

Naruto had already eaten more than a dozen fish grilled by Xiao Yun.

"Naruto, can't you eat a little less? Your aunt has only had one. But then again, Brother Yun, I never expected that not only are you handsome and strong, your cooking is also so good. I admire you so much!"

Hyuga Yumi had returned to her sweet and innocent act, staring fixedly at Xiao Yun. Her watery eyes, stunning face, and curvaceous figure made one want to swallow her whole.

The key was that she kept rubbing her body against Xiao Yun's arm, as though afraid she would fail to stir his desire.

Damn it, this woman was truly infuriating. Xiao Yun really wanted to pin her against a wall and pound her senseless.

But thinking of Tsunade, Xiao Yun could only force down the fire in his heart. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out a smile and said to Hyuga Yumi, "Yumi, I'm still a normal man, you know. Can you keep a safe distance from me?"

"Hee hee hee, Brother Yun, can't take it anymore? How about you have Naruto stand watch while the two of us go have some fun in the woods? Let's go."

As she spoke, Hyuga Yumi dragged Xiao Yun toward the grass.

"I..."

Xiao Yun was speechless. Were women from the island nation all this uninhibited?

"Can't be bothered with you!"

Xiao Yun broke free from Yumi's hands and ran to the stream. Standing beneath the flowing water, he repeatedly tried to extinguish the flames raging throughout his body.

"Hee hee hee."

Xiao Yun's awkward state made Hyuga Yumi let out a string of silver-bell laughter.

But in the next moment, Hyuga Yumi suddenly seemed to remember something, and her expression turned serious. She had to find a way to stop her grandfather from having Xiao Yun sleep with the other women in the clan.

A mother's status depended on her child. If another woman gave birth to a child who awakened the Otsutsuki bloodline, what place would her branch of the family have left in the clan?

Xiao Yun can only belong to me. At worst, I'll have ten or eight children with him. One of them is bound to awaken the Otsutsuki bloodline.

If that doesn't work, then I'll let him have children with other women in the clan. But the mother of any child who awakens the Otsutsuki bloodline absolutely cannot be allowed to remain. I alone will raise that child to adulthood.

Grandfather, you really are such a huge idiot. Have you become muddleheaded in your old age?

At that thought, a trace of ruthlessness suddenly flashed through Hyuga Yumi's innocent eyes. However, she concealed it well, and it vanished in an instant.

Boom

At that moment, a massive green light shot into the sky. It was a signal flare!

The three of them were stunned.

"Yumi, activate your Byakugan quickly!"

Xiao Yun said urgently.

"Yes!"

Hyuga Yumi instantly activated her Byakugan.

"Xiao Yun, it seems to be coming from Neji's direction."

Yumi said anxiously.

"Come on, let's go take a look."

Xiao Yun's group of three hurried over.

"Sasuke, that's a distress signal flare."

Sakura said.

"Hyuga Hakutaku, activate your Byakugan and check the situation."

Sasuke hurriedly turned to Hyuga Hakutaku.

"Alright."

Hyuga Hakutaku activated his Byakugan. After watching for a while, he said, "Oh no, it seems Neji's group has come under attack. Their Chakra seems to be draining rapidly. Let's go save them quickly."

"Alright."

Just as they were about to set off, several kunai tied with Exploding Tags suddenly shot toward them at high speed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Explosions rang out without end, kicking up thick white smoke.

When the smoke cleared, four ninja wearing Sand Shinobi forehead protectors stood before them.

"Want to go support them? You'll have to get past us first."