You Were Fucking Putting on an Act Around Me!

"Let's go over there. If we're late, they might destroy all the research data."

Yamanaka Kei curled his lip in disdain, filled with contempt for Mist Village's obsession with "secrecy."

Mist Village was one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, after all.

Yet its way of doing things always carried an indescribably petty air.

Take this Summoning Island, for example.

Nominally, it belonged to the Land of Sea.

But because of its location at the northeasternmost edge, with nothing but endless ocean farther east, and because the island was filled with ferocious beasts that made normal human habitation impossible, the Land of Sea had long since abandoned it.

By all logic, the island was full of large beasts that could serve as summoning beasts.

And Mist Village had gone to great lengths to establish a research facility here.

Its value should at least have been enough to warrant the Mist higher-ups' attention.

For such an important island, even if they were wary of the Water Country's Feudal Lord being related to the Land of Sea's Feudal Lord and could not simply seize it by force—

They could at least set up a nominal partnership and properly guard the island, right?

But what did Mist Village do?

Relying on the fact that the route here was remote and impossible to discover unless someone deliberately searched for it—or sailed through the distant seas to evade enemy surveillance, like Naruto heading to Turtle Island in the original story—

They merely spread rumors in secret.

Using the nonsense that "anyone who lands on the island will forget everything," along with some low-level Genjutsu, they intimidated the residents of nearby islands into staying away.

Then they strictly ordered Hidden Mist Ninjas who knew about the island not to approach it unless necessary, reducing the chance of exposure.

They hid the research facility within the dense forest and the volcano at the island's center.

And they had a jōnin squad permanently prepared to destroy all evidence and flee at any time.

This...

They were really being "secretive" just for the sake of being "secretive"!

Hmm...

Perhaps Madara Uchiha was controlling everything in secret and did not want Mist Village's power to grow too quickly, which was why they handled it so carelessly?

A thought surfaced in Yamanaka Kei's mind, and the more he considered it, the more plausible it seemed.

Otherwise, he truly could not understand it.

Why would Mist Village's higher-ups be stupid enough to make such brain-dead arrangements?

"Get ready. Your first experience with long-distance Flying Thunder God Technique might be a little uncomfortable."

Hearing that the enemy was destroying the research data, Namikaze Minato frowned slightly.

Konoha had not conducted specialized research into summoning beasts, but such research was not without value.

If they could obtain the complete records, it would be greatly beneficial to Konoha as well.

He placed one hand on Yamanaka Kei's shoulder.

Closing his eyes to lock onto the Flying Thunder God Kunai within the research facility, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique through its spatial coordinates.

Whoosh~

Boom!

After the fleeting sensation of spatial distortion and being pulled away—

Namikaze Minato and Yamanaka Kei had barely found their footing before the research facility's entrance.

A violent explosion shook the entire volcano.

"Eee-naa~!"

An exceptionally strange and piercing beastly roar rang out.

An unknown force was mixed into that sound, rapidly spreading across the entire island.

The many creatures on the island, already howling and roaring as they vented their agitation and fear, were driven directly into madness by that inexplicable force.

Some fled, while others charged straight toward the volcano.

The entire island began to tremble continuously along with the creatures' rampage.

"Fuck! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Otherwise, your wife's gone!"

Yamanaka Kei had just expanded his sensory Ninjutsu over a wide area.

The moment he sensed the situation inside the research facility, he grabbed Minato and began using the Body Flicker Technique at high speed.

Inside the research facility.

Several researchers stared feverishly at the "Ultimate Summoning Beast" as it gradually awakened from its cultivation tank. It had merely stretched lazily, yet already destroyed one of the facility's walls.

The squad of Hidden Mist Ninjas assigned to destroy all the research materials stopped as well. They stood in place with equally expectant expressions, calmly observing the monster before them.

And Uzumaki Honoka, the target of Yamanaka Kei's trip, was crouched at the center of a sealing array covered in complex formulas, her hands forming seals as she stood ready to use Sealing Technique to restrain the "Ultimate Summoning Beast."

"My wife's gone? You really found me a wife?"

Namikaze Minato had suddenly been grabbed by the back of his collar and dragged into a mad dash, his body swaying in the wind amid Yamanaka Kei's successive Body Flicker Techniques.

Hearing his close friend's words, he completely lost his composure. He had always thought it was just a joke.

Wait...

Hadn't they come here to destroy Mist Village's summoning beast research base?

This, this, this... they really were finding him a wife?!

Long crimson hair draped over her shoulders, exquisitely sculpted features, a hot and sexy figure, and a gentle personality like water...

Could he honestly say Konoha people did not deceive Konoha people?

"Eee-naa~! Eee-naa!"

The increasingly clear, bizarre beastly roars shook Yamanaka Kei and Namikaze Minato's eardrums like high-frequency sound waves.

They were immediately followed by human screams, cries of alarm, and pleas for help!

Yamanaka Kei held Namikaze Minato in one hand.

While rushing forward, he reduced his sensory range from a radius of ten kilometers to cover only the entire volcano.

With his perception highly concentrated—

Aside from being unable to sense colors, every person and object within his range became several levels clearer in an instant.

Maintaining the high-precision, small-range sensory Ninjutsu, he formed hand seals with one hand again.

Ninja Art: Mind Transmission Body Technique!

The Yamanaka Clan's Yin Release Secret Technique rapidly transmitted everything he sensed to Namikaze Minato.

A malformed monster using tentacles to coil up two researchers and stuff them into its mouth; researchers so terrified that they had collapsed to the floor and wet themselves; four ninjas using combined Ninjutsu to attack the malformed monster; and a girl with tightly furrowed brows, desperately unleashing Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Adamantine Sealing Chains?

A girl?!

With small-range, high-precision sensory abilities—

Namikaze Minato could even "see" the girl's flawless skin, her delicate and alluring figure, her long hair flying in the wind, and her gentle, beautiful face tinged with fear.

Wait...

Yamanaka Kei had not set him up this time?!

Although he knew that guy had deliberately narrowed the sensory range so he could "see" more details—

Still...

That guy had actually, for once, not set him up?

Wait...

With his rotten personality, how could he possibly not be setting him up?

"Eee-naa!"

Another strange cry rang out.

Within Yamanaka Kei's perception—

The so-called Ultimate Summoning Beast had already swallowed nearly half the researchers.

The four ninjas' Ninjutsu attacks had been completely absorbed. It had even used them to grow new malformed organs and had begun counterattacking with Ninjutsu of the corresponding attributes!

Other than the squad leader, a jōnin, who turned into a puddle of water after being struck and avoided the damage—

The remaining three ordinary ninjas, completely unprepared, died at the hands of the Ultimate Summoning Beast in a single exchange!

"Save me~ Someone, save me~"

A weak female voice, carrying a trace of sobbing, appeared in Yamanaka Kei and Namikaze Minato's minds.

The despair, fear, helplessness, and panic contained within it were also transmitted into their hearts.

Almost the instant the voice faded—

Namikaze Minato, who had been dangling from Yamanaka Kei's hand, suddenly straightened and broke free of his grip.

Then, using Body Flicker Technique at a speed far faster than Yamanaka Kei's, he vanished into the corridor in the blink of an eye.

"You really were fucking putting on an act around me!"

Yamanaka Kei viciously raised his middle finger toward the direction Namikaze Minato had disappeared in!

Although he had known from their several sparring matches aboard the ship that Namikaze Minato was somewhat faster than him with Body Flicker Technique even without using Flying Thunder God Technique—

Was that fucking just "somewhat" faster?!

Damn it!