Kumogakure's Jinchuriki

After watching Itachi set up the warning traps, Hyuga Kagami casually picked a clean patch of grass, leaned against a tree trunk, and dozed lightly.

Because Shennong was their employer, they had traveled on foot the entire way. For a ninja like Hyuga Kagami, it was no burden at all, so even after walking for a full day, he was not tired.

As he dozed, Hyuga Kagami thought over his own affairs.

Aside from lacking the Tenseigan's inheritance, the greatest constraint on improving his strength was the amount of chakra he possessed.

As the Tenseigan entered its stable phase, the growth of his chakra reserves had also leveled off. Though they continued to increase every day, the gains were nowhere near as noticeable as they had been during the adaptation phase.

In terms of chakra alone, he was already among the best of his peers, but that was far from enough to satisfy him. He knew that he still could not shine as brilliantly as the Fourth Hokage!

There was, in fact, no shortage of ways to solve this problem.

Tailed Beasts were excellent sources of chakra. Nearly every Jinchuriki possessed seemingly inexhaustible chakra; the only difference was whether they could control the Tailed Beast within them.

However, all nine Tailed Beasts were controlled by the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and they were also Akatsuki's future targets. Trying to seize one was no different from snatching food from a tiger's mouth. One misstep, and he would burn himself.

The Zero-Tails was different. It was an artificial Tailed Beast. Though it was far inferior to the true Nine Tailed Beasts in both strength and stability, if he merely used it as a "battery," it might actually solve Hyuga Kagami's current problem.

At that thought, Hyuga Kagami casually glanced at Shennong, who was resting some distance away. Naruto was already grown when the Zero-Tails appeared. If I have to wait more than a decade, it'll be far too late.

Early the next morning.

After packing their gear, the three set out once more. As soon as they entered the Land of Rice Fields, they were quickly targeted by a group of wandering ninjas.

Wandering ninjas were usually Rogue Ninja from major shinobi villages or scattered survivors from smaller ones. Most were not particularly strong, so they tended to haunt small countries like the Land of Rice Fields, which had no shinobi village to protect them, robbing and terrorizing the populace.

Glancing at the wandering ninjas trailing far behind them, Itachi asked, "Captain, what should we do?"

Hyuga Kagami swept his gaze around and said calmly, "Three are lying in ambush ahead, and three are following behind. I'll handle the ones in front. You take the ones in back. End this quickly!"

Whoosh...

Whoosh...

At Hyuga Kagami's command, he and Itachi became two blurs, lunging forward and backward at the wandering ninjas who had targeted them.

On Hyuga Kagami's side, he did not use Rotation. Relying solely on the Tenseigan's astonishing perception, he took down the three wandering ninjas before him with a few swift Gentle Fist strikes.

By the time Hyuga Kagami turned around to check, Itachi's battle had also ended.

With exquisite kunai throws coupled with taijutsu that contained not the slightest unnecessary movement, Itachi's combat was equally clean and decisive, not inferior to Hyuga Kagami's in the least.

The entire fight seemed to be nothing more than an insignificant interruption. None of the three paid it much attention, and they continued on their way.

After another half day of travel, Hyuga Kagami suddenly stopped.

Itachi and Shennong both looked puzzled, but seeing Hyuga Kagami staring into the distance with a grave expression, neither asked any questions. Instead, they instinctively went on guard.

A few breaths later, Hyuga Kagami said in a low voice, "We may be in trouble!"

"It's Kumogakure?" Itachi asked.

Hyuga Kagami nodded.

The four people rushing toward them all possessed considerable chakra reserves. The one leading them in particular had more chakra than anyone Hyuga Kagami had ever seen, even including the Third Hokage!

Furthermore, the four made no effort to conceal their movements. They charged over brazenly, clearly acting as though they had Hyuga Kagami and the others completely cornered.

Hyuga Kagami was no fool. By now, he had realized that whatever Shennong had stolen from Kumogakure must have been extremely important. Otherwise, they would not have dispatched such an elite squad to recover it.

More than a dozen breaths later, four figures landed atop the surrounding trees, looking down as they scrutinized Hyuga Kagami and the others.

As they assessed Hyuga Kagami, he assessed them in turn.

There were four people on the other side. Their leader was a female ninja around Hyuga Kagami's age. Based on memories from his previous life, Hyuga Kagami vaguely remembered her. He could not recall her name, but she seemed to be the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki.

Aside from the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, the other three also appeared to be at the level of Special Jonin. They were likely a guard team Kumogakure had specially assigned to her.

After a brief standoff, the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki said coldly, "Hey, Konoha brats, get lost already! Go back and tell your village that you ran into Yugito Nii of Kumogakure. Your village won't blame you for abandoning the mission."

They were clearly about the same age, yet she called them "brats." Hyuga Kagami's mood was easy to imagine.

Kumogakure's Two-Tails' Jinchuriki was extremely confident in her own strength and did not take Hyuga Kagami or Itachi seriously at all. In Hyuga Kagami's vague memories, she later seemed to have been defeated because of that same overconfidence. Insisting on facing Akatsuki's Immortal Duo alone, she ended up losing not only her Tailed Beast, but her life as well.

Shennong's expression shifted uncertainly.

Having traveled through many nations, Shennong had seen a great deal. In his eyes, Hyuga Kagami and Itachi were indeed excellent ninjas, but compared to Yugito Nii, Kumogakure's Two-Tails' Jinchuriki, they were clearly outmatched.

Itachi was a perceptive person. The moment he saw the lineup Kumogakure had sent, he guessed that Shennong, their employer, must have concealed something.

Seeing that the silent Hyuga Kagami and Itachi seemed unmoved, Yugito Nii said again, "This man named Shennong stole important Kumogakure secrets. He's a complete fraud. Is it worth dying for a swindler like him?"

Shennong immediately defended himself. "I've never even entered your village. How could I possibly have stolen your secrets? Kumogakure's treatment of a physician like this is disgraceful!"

Yugito Nii sneered. "Stop making excuses. Whether it was you or not will become clear after we interrogate you."

Hyuga Kagami was truly somewhat undecided. He had taken this mission to build his reputation. If he sold out his employer without even fighting, not only would he fail to earn any prestige, he might even be punished by the village.

And the Two-Tails' Jinchuriki was no ordinary opponent. Once they started fighting, it would be difficult to control how far the battle escalated.

Boom...

Just as Hyuga Kagami weighed the pros and cons, an explosion suddenly sounded in the distance.

For a moment, both sides turned to look in that direction.

Hyuga Kagami focused his gaze and saw two people fighting where the explosion had come from. He knew them both: Orochimaru and Jiraiya of Konoha's Three Sannin.

At that moment, the corner of his eye suddenly caught a barely noticeable flash of delight on Shennong's face...