Ambush

"By the way, why were you assigned to carry out this mission with us?"

Sigh... Your father was worried, so he asked me to come along with you.

At that, A snorted unhappily and folded his arms, saying nothing more.

Seriously, losing to Uchiha Yuzuru last time had made his father stop trusting him.

He had taken the opportunity of accepting a mission to bring Killer B out for some fresh air, yet now Uchiha Yuzuru had to keep an eye on him too.

Sooner or later, he would defeat Uchiha Yuzuru and prove himself.

Seeing that the two had stopped talking, the short, stout man sitting at the front of the carriage finally said, "Everyone, it's nearly noon. How about we eat something before continuing?"

A replied flatly, "You're the client. Your call."

The short, stout man wiped the sweat from his forehead and cautiously said, "Then let's stop for a bit."

"I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Shiraishi Yuta, and the purpose of this trip is to escort the goods to the Land of Frost."

A said impatiently, "The mission details already said all that. No need to repeat it."

Shiraishi Yuta immediately lowered his head and started chewing the dry rations he had brought.

Uchiha Yuzuru shot A a glare and said in displeasure, "Be more polite to the client. Otherwise, the business Kumogakure worked so hard to steal will be gone again in no time."

A tossed a Ration Pill into his mouth and replied flatly, "Got it."

"Then smile."

"Uchiha Yuzuru, don't push it too far!"

"I'm your uncle. If you don't behave, I'll tell the Third Hokage."

A took a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face.

Before the smile could even fully form, Uchiha Yuzuru waved a hand. "Forget it, don't smile. It looks fucking awful."

I'll endure it!

A clenched his fists until they crackled, doing his best not to act on impulse.

Otherwise, he would only get beaten senseless and feel even more stifled.

Killer B suddenly began dancing around. "New inspiration has appeared, my bro's a big fool!"

"Yo~ fool, you damn fool!"

"HAHAHAHAHA..."

Seeing A's face twist as if he had eaten shit, Uchiha Yuzuru could not help bursting into laughter.

Mock me again, will you? I'll piss you off to death!

Once he had finished laughing, Uchiha Yuzuru asked Shiraishi Yuta, "Client Yuta, it seems you have something you want to say, right?"

Shiraishi Yuta glanced at A, who had run off by himself, before saying, "Um... will this escort mission really be settled according to the reward for a C-rank mission?"

He had only posted a C-rank mission, yet Kumogakure had assigned A, Killer B, and Uchiha Yuzuru to escort him.

He had once heard stories about A and Killer B in a tavern and knew that the two were currently recognized as formidable ninjas of Kumogakure.

And that young man was Uchiha Yuzuru, who had recently caused an uproar by successfully leading the Uchiha in defecting from Konoha...

Such a lineup made Shiraishi Yuta feel as though he had accidentally been swept into some enormous whirlpool, with his life in danger at any moment.

Otherwise, why would such powerful people be sent for an utterly ordinary C-rank mission?

Seeming to see through Shiraishi Yuta's concerns, Uchiha Yuzuru reassured him, "Don't worry. We always charge fair prices, and we'll absolutely guarantee your safety."

Hearing Uchiha Yuzuru's promise, Shiraishi Yuta relaxed somewhat.

With a guarantee from someone this strong, his life should not be in danger, right?

After eating and taking a brief rest, the group set off again.

They traveled with stops along the way and soon reached the border between the Land of Fields and the Land of Frost.

A and Killer B walked in front while Uchiha Yuzuru followed behind, the three keeping the carriage in the middle.

Suddenly, the sound of a line snapping rang out.

Immediately afterward, Explosive Tags detonated with a roar, flames swallowing the carriage along with Uchiha Yuzuru and the others.

Three ninjas wearing Konoha forehead protectors stepped out from a nearby field.

One of them said coldly, "Those blind idiots hired Kumogakure ninjas. Let them repent in hell."

The moment he finished speaking, Uchiha Yuzuru, A, and Killer B walked over from the distance. "You didn't think such a crude trap could fool us, did you?"

The Konoha Ninja raised an eyebrow. "So you noticed in advance. Were those Shadow Clones just now?"

A cracked his knuckles, his eyes burning with fury. "Finally, I can vent properly on some rats who only know how to hide!"

Hearing A's provocation, one Konoha Ninja said smugly, "You only dodged one trap. Do you really think you've already won?"

As the Konoha Ninja spoke, six more ninjas wearing Konoha forehead protectors emerged and surrounded Uchiha Yuzuru, A, and Killer B.

"You... are surrounded!"

Uchiha Yuzuru ignored him and merely said, "Nine people, three teams. One team each."

A nodded. "No problem."

Killer B said nothing. He merely continued gripping his pencil and staring at the notebook in his hands, as though still immersed in his own world.

"Go!"

The instant Uchiha Yuzuru spoke, A vanished.

When he reappeared, he was already standing before a Konoha squad.

Lightning Bomb!

Before one Konoha Ninja could react, his body was seized and slammed viciously into the ground.

Seeing their companion's brains splatter and A's body wreathed in lightning, the other two Konoha Ninjas drew kunai and stabbed toward A's heart.

A sneered and punched the ninja in front of him, shattering every bone and tendon in his body.

Behind him, the last Konoha Ninja's attack failed to even break through the Lightning Release Armor.

"H-how is that possible?!"

Crack!

The Konoha Ninja's neck was snapped. In only a few seconds, an entire squad had been wiped out.

Elsewhere, three Konoha Ninjas continuously hurled shuriken, kunai, and Explosive Tags at Killer B.

A massive explosion rang out, making even the earth tremble.

Before the three ninjas could celebrate, however, a thick octopus tentacle lashed out from the smoke and smashed one Konoha Ninja's chest inward on the spot.

"W-what kind of monster is that?!"

The other two Konoha Ninjas stared at the huge octopus limbs growing from Killer B's body, their faces filled with terror.

Killer B raised both hands, his body beginning to sway rhythmically. "Freely wielding the Tailed Beast's power, this great one is an illusion that exists in reality. You'd better remember the name of Kumogakure's perfect Jinchuriki..."

"B~"

With a casual toss, a pencil coated in Lightning Release Chakra pierced one Konoha Ninja through the forehead.

"A perfect... Jinchuriki?"

"You've got to be kidding! How can a Jinchuriki use a Tailed Beast's power however he wants?!"

Hearing the Konoha Ninjas' desperate questions, Killer B pointed at Uchiha Yuzuru beside him. "The Sharingan can suppress the Tailed Beast, so there's no more pressure when using its power."

"Fool, you damn fool~"

After saying that, he gave Uchiha Yuzuru a somewhat strange look. "Why haven't you made a move yet?"

The three Konoha Ninjas Uchiha Yuzuru had been assigned to deal with had already hoisted the sole survivor from Killer B's group onto their backs and were rapidly fleeing toward the distant woods.

Uchiha Yuzuru remained unmoved, merely saying, "I have my own plan."

Killer B did not ask further.

To him, getting out to relax was what mattered most.

He did not care in the slightest if a few insignificant Konoha Ninjas got away.

Unlike Killer B, though, the hot-tempered A angrily waved a hand. "Enough with that. I'm going to kill every last one of them!"

Just as he prepared to pursue them, countless needle-like hidden weapons shot straight at him.

Ninjutsu: Needle Jizo!