Worth It

When Tama greeted him, Po and another Root ninja were both stunned.

They couldn't understand where this ninja cat had come from, let alone how it had found them.

Could it be that this cat had been following them all along?!

In the brief moment they were frozen in shock, Tama had already nimbly stood upright, pulled a flare from the pouch at her waist, and launched it into the sky.

Only when the bright flare burst open in the night sky did Po snap back to reality.

There was no time to mourn his dead summoning dog—now it was their turn to figure out how to escape!

"Go!"

Po grabbed his chunin teammate on the ground and prepared to flee.

But before they could move, a rain of paper javelins and flying needles poured down from above!

Po agilely leaped back to dodge, then quickly pulled out a kunai to block, barely managing to save his own life.

But when he turned his head, his teammate had already been riddled into a sieve by the paper javelins.

Then the instigator of this barrage slowly emerged from the night.

Po's pupils shrank, and his voice carried shock and reluctance as he spoke.

"It's you! You're the girl called Konan from the Akatsuki in the intelligence files!"

Konan frowned, displeased by his tone, so she didn't reply, silently summoning more paper javelins.

Po gasped, his expression beneath the mask bitterly pained.

If he were in peak condition, he could still dismiss the teenage girl in the air, but now he had been tormented all night, covered in burns and scalds, with his stamina and chakra nearly depleted.

"This is it... it's all over..." Po muttered painfully to himself.

He had written three copies of the intelligence, giving one to his summon beast, one to his teammate, and keeping one for himself.

But now it seemed none of them would make it back.

Who could have imagined that a small organization from the Land of Rain would lead to such an outcome?

The girl in the air paid no heed to his despair, and the next moment, paper javelins rained down again like a storm.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

This time, the rolled-up papers also contained Exploding Tags.

Having spent time together, Konan had now learned caution and decisiveness from Shiba Seika!

After repeated bombings until she confirmed the enemy was thoroughly scattered, Konan descended and asked Tama, "Are you sure this is the only one that slipped through?"

"Yes, meow~ Only these two escaped down the mountain, meow~"

Hearing this, Konan finally relaxed and muttered softly, "That guy, he made it this dangerous again."

But there was little real complaint in her tone; instead, it carried a gentle sister's indulgence for a mischievous younger brother.

It was precisely because of Sister Nan's unconditional support that Shiba Seika dared to execute such a bold and unconventional plan.

But at this moment, up on the mountain in the flames, Yūno Ryōma was clearly unaware of all this.

He was merely stunned by Shiba Seika's calmness, to the point where he began to doubt the meaning of continuing to fight.

Seizing the moment of his opponent's wavering, Shiba Seika pressed forward decisively!

"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

The fireballs spat from his mouth scattered like phoenix flower seeds, spreading across the sky like countless stars, enveloping several meters around Yūno Ryōma!

Yūno Ryōma snapped back to reality and dodged hastily, but his robe caught fire in the rush.

He shed the burning loose robe, revealing his body covered in black Kikaichū bugs—a nightmare for anyone with trypophobia.

As a member of the Aburame clan, he usually hated showing his body without a robe, but now he was forced to expose this ugly form to others.

"How unsightly," he mocked himself.

It was unclear whether he was referring to his appearance or the fact that a Rain ninja boy several years his junior had driven him to this state.

But this humiliation also stirred Yūno Ryōma's final fighting spirit.

He no longer distracted himself with thoughts of his teammates' fates at the mountain's base, no longer fretted over whether the intelligence could reach Konoha, no longer agonized over the meaning of staying to fight.

His mind now held only one thing: at least before I die, I must eliminate this dangerous boy for Lord Danzo!

To that end, he didn't hesitate to burn his life force, forcibly driving his exhausted bugs, raising his hands to summon a buzzing black cloud before him!

He had made up his mind—burning his boats!

He was ready to throw caution to the wind!

He opened his mouth and let out a roar, his usually refined and gentle face twisting into a rare, ferocious grimace!

He had already cast aside everything, but the next moment, all that fighting spirit and resolve flew away with a piercing sound.

From behind him came a cry—

"Shinra Tensei!"

Yūno Ryōma's body was sent flying like a tattered rag doll, along with the swarm of insects he had summoned with death-defying resolve, crashing into the nearby sea of flames at a startling speed, scattering sparks in all directions.

Viewed as a whole, this sequence carried an oddly black-humored sense of absurdity.

Reality, after all, is not a manga; the will of those at the end of their rope appears far too pale before the strength of those who wait at ease.

And the appearance of this voice naturally meant: Nagato had arrived with the Akatsuki members who had received the message and come to reinforce.

As a steady poison strategist, Shiba Seika never hesitated to use the tactic of calling for backup.

Since Konan had come, Nagato was naturally not absent either.

Upon arrival, Nagato also helped Karasuba and Masuda Ikki, who were fighting on another side, quickly finish off the last Root Jonin, Wu.

Thus, the Root Twelve Ninja who had entered the Land of Rain this time were completely wiped out!

Several Akatsuki members who had come with Nagato took turns using Water Release Ninjutsu to control the surrounding flames while urging anxiously: "Captain Seika, and everyone else, hurry! The path we came on has just been extinguished; if we delay any longer, it will catch fire again!"

Hearing this, Shiba Seika did not leave immediately. Instead, he first Shunshin'd into the sea of flames, stabbed his blade into Yūno Ryōma's chest, then slashed his throat, and finally opened a pre-prepared Sealing Scroll to pack the corpse inside.

Only then did he retreat to the side of the reinforcements who had come to help, using their Water Release to extinguish the flames on his body.

For an elite like Yūno Ryōma, no amount of caution was excessive; he would rather empty his ninja tool pouch and forgo carrying shuriken than fail to bring a scroll capable of sealing a corpse.

That was what they called professionalism!

Afterward, Karasuba used Fire Release to dispose of the other Root ninjas' bodies before the group quickly withdrew, following the several Water Release ninjas Nagato had brought as they swiftly descended the mountain.

When they reached the foot and looked back, the entire mountain was still shrouded in towering flames!

Shiba Seika asked Kenjiro, who had come to meet them, "How are things at the base of the mountain? Any casualties?"

Kenjiro replied, "Fortunately, the two leaders Nagato and Konan arrived in time. The villagers were evacuated, and no one was injured."

Yet even so, Nagato's face was still full of pain. Staring at the entire mountain still burning before him, he said heavily, "When dawn comes, Yahiko will surely scold you again. Was it really worth it, Seika?"

Shiba Seika instinctively raised his hand to lightly touch the Sealing Scroll at his waist, gave a faint smile, and answered with absolute certainty.

"Of course, it was worth it."