Akira Sarutobi, seized by a bad feeling, immediately grabbed Ino Yamanaka's hand and hurried back the way they had come.
Ino Yamanaka: "Hey~, Young Master... the shopkeeper still hasn't given us our change..."
Meanwhile.
At the courtyard Yakushi Nonō had rented.
More than a dozen Root shinobi arrived from various nearby locations, preparing to work together to capture the target.
Just as Nonō nodded, finished counting their numbers, and was about to explain the plan to them.
Beyond the wall... as a figure appeared, bell-like laughter echoed through the area.
"Konoha's shinobi..."
"Hmm?!"
Nonō and the dozen-plus Root shinobi immediately looked over.
A figure draped in jewels and finery shot into the sky, then leaped over the outer wall.
"The target has appeared! Capture her!"
Nonō shouted.
Yet the well-trained group froze for a second.
Because most shinobi did not pursue extravagant material comforts.
Even the Three Ninja, who enjoyed gambling, women, and drink, did not live particularly lavishly, much less dress themselves head to toe in jewels.
It was as shocking as seeing a soldier covered in gold and silver, with a thick gold chain hanging around his neck.
That alone showed the difference between the Twelve Guardian Shinobi and regular shinobi.
Nonō immediately realized that the scouts assigned to monitor and track the other party had already been killed.
Not only that, the enemy had followed the trail straight to their gathering point.
And in that one second of hesitation, enough time had passed for many things to happen.
Swish!
A shrill gust of wind sounded as the target drew her katana and pointed it at everyone.
The next moment, the gorgeous figure landed in the courtyard and charged into the crowd.
Roars, cries of alarm, low shouts, and pained groans rang out without end.
In just a few seconds, several people died by her hand.
A moment later.
Akira Sarutobi and Ino Yamanaka rushed back. "Just as expected... that one earlier was only a Shadow Clone. This is the real body."
Shadow Clone was a B-Rank Jonin-level technique that could create one or more clones indistinguishable from the original.
Neither sensory shinobi nor ocular technique users could see through whether a Shadow Clone was real or fake.
This technique, invented by the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, was later developed further and widely adopted by shinobi.
Akira Sarutobi had not rashly pursued her earlier because he had considered that if she used a diversionary tactic, Nonō and the others would likely suffer.
Now, it had indeed played out that way.
Buzz.
Seeing her companions fall, Nonō immediately raised both arms and joined the battle.
A dim green glow ignited around both her hands—it was the A-Rank Medical Ninjutsu, Mystical Palm Technique!
This technique could easily slice through another person's skin, flesh, and even bones! It possessed power sharper than a scalpel.
"An A-Rank Mystical Palm Technique?"
The instant the enemy saw this, the dismissive look on her face vanished.
Because across the entire shinobi world, there were only a handful of Medical Ninja whose aptitude in Medical Ninjutsu could reach A-Rank.
"Still... talent in Medical Ninjutsu doesn't mean talent in combat!"
With a low shout.
The enemy rushed at Nonō, and the gap between them became obvious after only one exchange.
Though Nonō was even younger than Akira Sarutobi and had a curvy figure, she was, at most, a young girl.
Strictly speaking, she was a child.
Her current rank was Chunin. Against a monster at the "Jonin" level, she could not possibly be a match.
And just as Nonō found herself in grave danger, about to lose her life...
A palm carrying a thunderous explosion slammed toward the enemy's back.
Sensing the terrifying gust of force behind her.
The enemy widened her eyes. Her sword strike instantly changed into a sidestep as she dodged to the side.
Her reaction could not have been faster, yet... she was still a beat too slow.
Bang!
The force unleashed from afar struck her directly.
"Crushing Palm!"
Only then did Akira Sarutobi's low murmur sound from the darkness.
I'm Stronger Than You Think!
"The Hyuga Clan's Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm?!"
The instant she was hit, alarm bells rang in her mind.
Smack!
Her body staggered a few steps. Once she steadied herself and turned around, her expression immediately relaxed.
"Not... the Hyuga Clan, then..."
Because of Akira Sarutobi's arrival, the group that had been slaughtered into disarray finally regrouped.
"Young Master Ryo! Be careful... the enemy is extremely powerful!" Yakushi Nonō warned him kindly.
"Mm."
Akira Sarutobi nodded and assumed his stance again.
At the same time, thoughts raced through his mind. An enemy at the "Jonin" level truly has different qualities...
As everyone knew, the world of Naruto was one dominated by Chakra.
This miraculous energy resided within every person, and even within living creatures.
Those who could use Chakra had professions such as shinobi, samurai, shrine maidens...
And as one's strength increased, Chakra would exert unimaginable effects on the human body.
The most common was increased resistance to damage.
A Chunin like Obito in the original work had been struck by a rock over a meter wide falling from a great height, leaving nearly half his body crushed.
A Kage Level expert like Kakashi, who awakened the Mangekyo during the Shippuden era in the original work, had been kicked flying by Kakuzu and crashed through more than a dozen towering trees in succession. Kakashi's only reaction was to sit paralyzed on the ground for less than two seconds before recovering.
This energy called Chakra gradually strengthened, and even transformed, the human body.
For example, the Second Kazekage - Shamon invented a human-usable Magnet Release based on Shukaku's Magnet Release. Once humans learned Magnet Release, this Kekkei Genkai would alter the host's DNA, making him completely different from ordinary people.
Therefore.
The fact that this woman had only staggered a few steps after being struck by that palm from afar was clearly perfectly reasonable.
If it had been an ordinary person, those gang members from before would likely have had their hearts shattered by a single palm strike.
In Akira Sarutobi's view, the physical abilities of the woman before him were even stronger than those of the Kirigakure shinobi he had encountered during the previous Land of Whirlpools mission.
Of course, it was hard to say whether she or Ringo Ameyuri was stronger.
"The Third Hokage's son... Akira Sarutobi..."
Clearly, the other party had recognized his identity.
"We meet again."
Suddenly, she added that.
As the words left her mouth, the Chakra around her visibly began to surge.
It was as though... she had suddenly become stronger out of nowhere.
Combined with her words and behavior, Akira Sarutobi knew that she had most likely dispelled the Shadow Clone that had contacted him earlier.
A Shadow Clone consumed the original body's Chakra.
But when the Shadow Clone was dispelled, that Chakra returned to the original body.
It looked as if she had suddenly become stronger out of nowhere.
At the same time, the Shadow Clone's memories would also return to the original body and be shared by it.
Watching the enemy's Chakra intensity rise and radiate even greater heat, Akira Sarutobi... felt nothing but soaring fighting spirit.
Because...
"You're the one profiteering from the nation's disaster, aren't you?" Before truly making a move, he still needed to ask clearly.
"Hehe... that's right. So what?"
As the two spoke, Yakushi Nonō raised her hand, preparing to issue orders.
But Akira Sarutobi looked at her and said, "All of you stay where you are. Leave this to me!"
Because from the corpses on the ground and the exchange just now, Akira Sarutobi already knew that Yakushi Nonō and the others could not handle this person.
It was not that Root's shinobi were weak.
It was simply that even within an organization, shinobi varied in strength.
Danzo naturally had many powerful subordinates, but they were not here right now.
After all, this was merely an Anbu examination mission, an entry-level assignment. It was impossible to send a group of powerful experts here to watch.
Nonō hesitated for a second before issuing the order to stand by again.
Thus, pair after pair of eyes focused on the standoff before them.
"Then let's begin! On charges of treason... I will arrest or kill you!"
Akira Sarutobi shouted in a low voice.
A Jonin, even without joining the Anbu, possessed considerable authority to act.
For an act of treason like this, execution on the spot was naturally permitted.
"Hehehe..."
A string of bell-like laughter rang out, and the other party seemed to regain her domineering arrogance.
"How much strength could a pampered young master possibly have..."
"Don't look down on people, you old hag!" Ino Yamanaka shouted before anyone else, forming hand seals as she spoke.
Seeing the Yamanaka Clan's distinctive traits—blonde hair in a single ponytail, fair skin, and thin lips.
The other party naturally recognized her at once.
The enemy suddenly leaped up and began shifting through the air.
Ino Yamanaka, with her hands pressed together in a peculiar hand seal, was actually only firing blanks to scare her.
She had not truly used her clan's secret technique.
Before you continue