Monsters from Konohagakure

In the 25th year of Konohagakure, three years after the Danzo incident.

Within the Land of Water.

Similar to the Land of Whirlpools that Kagura and others had once visited, the Land of Water was a massive island far from the mainland.

However, its land area was much larger than that of the Land of Whirlpools, and it was surrounded by many scattered smaller islands.

On one of those islands, a group of Chunin from Kirigakure were fleeing in all directions with terrified expressions.

One of them had a Girl with bright red hair tucked under his arm.

As these Ninja fled desperately forward, they occasionally turned their heads to Look Over their shoulders.

The Leader at the front ground his teeth and roared in a low voice:

"Damn it, how did we run into them?!

Those 'Monsters' from Konohagakure!"

Before he could finish speaking, a huge shadow suddenly appeared before them.

Something the size of a Small Mountain crashed down In Front of them.

Looking closely, it was a Toad as large as a Small Mountain.

The Toad leisurely took a puff from the pipe in his Hand Holding it, then calmly blew out a breath at the ant-like enemies Before his eyes.

A booming voice came from his mouth:

"Hey, Little Jiraiya, are these the people?"

Following his question, a white-haired Youth slowly walked out from atop his head.

He looked down at the group below. When he saw the Girl being carried away, a trace of contempt flickered in his eyes.

He did not answer the Toad beneath his feet. Instead, he said unhappily:

"How many times have I told you, Bunta?!

Don't add 'Little' before my name.

I'm already twelve!"

Compared to before, Jiraiya had indeed changed quite a bit.

His usual loose, casual clothing was gone. He now wore a Jonin Combat Uniform similar to Kagura's.

The only difference was that his vest was red rather than purple.

In response to Jiraiya's protest, Gamatatsu calmly took another puff of smoke and replied:

"Alright, Little Jiraiya.

I understand, Little Jiraiya."

Faced with the shameless attitude of the enormous Toad beneath him, Jiraiya could only feel helpless.

Pretending not to hear those words, he suddenly pointed at the people below and shouted excitedly:

"You People, let go of that Girl!"

Hearing this, the Leader Looked Over at the person beside him, and the two nodded.

The group suddenly split into two teams and rushed off in opposite directions.

Seeing the enemies below scatter and flee, Jiraiya made no move to stop them. He merely Shook Head regretfully.

When the Leader in the left-side group saw that the Toad had not moved at all, his joy had yet to surface when something unexpected appeared ahead of them.

A hand suddenly appeared out of thin air before them. The hand held a Short Sword and directly cut down the Ninja charging at the front.

As that Ninja screamed, the people behind him stopped warily.

Everyone stared at the hand in midair. Only after it slowly withdrew did they notice another Youth standing in a tree.

The Youth had smooth Black Long Hair, snow-white skin, and a pair of Slit Pupils filled with a chill.

He wore the same outfit as Jiraiya, except his vest was black.

In contrast to his somewhat unsettling appearance, he spoke with great politeness.

He gave everyone a slight bow before speaking softly:

"My apologies, everyone. I'm afraid I cannot let you leave from here."

Seeing the Youth Before his eyes, the Leader nervously swallowed. Before he could speak, however, a loud bang suddenly rang out behind him.

He hurriedly Looked Over behind him, only to find that the other group that had split off was gone.

In its place was a cloud of Dust and Mist.

"You scum who abduct Girls, go die!"

Following a vicious female voice, the silhouette of a Girl could vaguely be seen gradually walking out of the mist.

Only when the smoke dispersed did the Girl's figure finally appear In Front of them.

It was Tsunade.

Over the three years, her hair had grown longer, though it was still tied behind her in a Ponytail.

She wore the same outfit as Jiraiya and the others, except her vest was teal.

Realizing that the three of them had vaguely surrounded his group, the Leader's face darkened.

But then, the final voice made cold sweat pour down his back.

Because That Voice had come from behind him.

"How many times have I said it? Talk less nonsense when carrying out missions.

Things like 'don't leave' and 'stop.'

If they were really that obedient, what would we need police for?

And Jiraiya, where did you learn that line about letting go of the Girl?

I told you not to read so many Strange Books."

Although the tone of those words was light, the Leader felt as though his Whole Body had frozen solid.

He struggled to turn around and Looked Over, only for a pair of Sharingan to fill his vision.

Kicking the enemies who had already fallen to the ground, Kagura Pouted boredly as he watched Tsunade examine the Girl.

That was right. This was Team 7, currently out on a mission.

This time, they had received a mission commissioned by the Land of Whirlpools to rescue abducted Girls.

Looking at the Girl's vivid red hair, Kagura sighed softly.

Just like the plot he remembered, the various nations had begun reaching for the Land of Whirlpools.

And as the closest geographically, Kirigakure was naturally one of the main culprits.

But he knew very well that this was only the beginning. The destruction of the Land of Whirlpools was unavoidable.

After confirming that the Girl was unharmed, Tsunade took the initiative to carry that person on her back.

Orochimaru walked over to Kagura and asked curiously:

"By the way, that police thing you mentioned just now...

What was that?"

Kagura froze, then pretended to be confused as he Responded:

"Did I say that?

You must have misheard. I said Ninja, Ninja!"

"Ninja?

I don't think I heard wrong..."

Orochimaru scratched his cheek with a puzzled expression.

A day later, within the Land of Whirlpools.

Watching that person safely return and burst into tears while embracing her family.

Kagura and others also smiled with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the Staff Member of the Land of Whirlpools beside them sighed as he looked at the four members of Team 7.

Over the past three years, these four Genin from Konohagakure had risen to fame.

Though they only bore the title of Genin, none of them could be underestimated.

In fact, they were already widely acknowledged to possess at least Chunin-level strength.

Especially their Leader, Uchiha Kagura. One Jonin who had fought him once had said this:

"I think Konohagakure refuses to promote him to Jonin just so they can screw over Ninja from other nations.

Give this brat another two years, and I wouldn't be surprised if you told me he could challenge someone at Kage level!"

As more and more people recognized his strength, the nickname he had borne at the Ninja Academy was mentioned once again.

The "Monster" from Konohagakure!

This was merely another title Kagura had been given Over the Years.

After handing in the mission, collecting their reward, and bidding farewell to the Girl's family as they thanked them, Kagura and the others set off on their journey back to the village.

As they walked, Tsunade suddenly ran to Kagura's side, wrapped both hands around his Right Hand, and said coquettishly:

"How about we look around before going back? Please?"

It had to be said that over these three years, aside from her height, Tsunade's greatest change was that she had finally begun to develop.

Though it was not yet as spectacular as it would be in the future, Kagura could swear on his Sharingan that she was at least a B cup now!

Feeling the softness against his Right Hand, the corners of Kagura's mouth could not help but curl upward, and an unnatural flush rose to his face.

Tsunade naturally Noticed Kagura's reaction. She mischievously peeked at his awkward expression, but her hands hugged him even tighter.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru, meanwhile, had long grown accustomed to this sort of scene.

As Jiraiya walked, he opened a book he had just found and began reading it carefully.

Over the Years, perhaps because Kagura's abilities had truly won him over.

Especially after he recovered from his injuries and heard Orochimaru and Tsunade describe how Kagura had openly dueled Danzo for his sake.

He had more or less begun treating Kagura as the boss.

Or perhaps it was because he knew Tsunade could no longer possibly have romantic feelings for him.

In any case, over the years, he had decisively abandoned that vague affection he once held for Tsunade.

As long as your heart died early enough, there would be no such thing as becoming a simp.

As for Orochimaru, he had no interest in matters between men and women.

He would rather spend that time researching another Ninjutsu.

Yet this time, seeing Tsunade and Kagura flirting, he unusually interjected:

"I think we should return as soon as possible. Otherwise, if we miss it again this time, we'll have to wait another year."

Hearing him, Kagura instantly snapped back to his senses.

With some regret, he pulled his hand free from Tsunade's embrace and said seriously:

"Yeah, Orochimaru is right.

Let's go back. This time, we absolutely have to make it in time.

To take part in the Chunin Exam!"