Asuma spotted Obito at a glance and called out, "Hey, Obito! You here to take a mission too?"
"Why'd you get up so late? We've already taken ours. Don't tell me you were slacking off again, helping some old lady cross the street?"
Obito bristled instantly and shouted back, neck stiff with indignation, "Who was slacking off? I really was helping an old lady!"
"Hmph, we're about to take a mission!"
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"Just you wait! I'll kill more Mist Ninja than you on this mission!"
Asuma couldn't help laughing. "You, the dead-last? You'd be lucky not to hold Kakashi back. Don't wind up dead on the Mist Battlefield, or we'll have to come collect your body."
With that, he didn't wait for Obito to argue. He urged Aragaki Yasushi and Yuhi Kurenai, "Come on, let's go."
The three turned and left, leaving Obito behind to fume helplessly.
Kakashi wore a helpless, dead-fish stare, while Rin tried to comfort Obito quietly.
Aragaki Yasushi glanced back at the noisy Obito, then looked away and muttered to himself.
Better keep my distance from Obito's team.
That kid was being watched by that old fox Madara. If Madara suddenly made a move, even with the Horse Talisman, I could still easily get myself killed.
Might Duy, on the other hand, was different.
Rescuing Private Duy—even if it meant facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen—was still better than dealing with old Madara.
No matter how powerful the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were, they were nowhere near as threatening as old Madara.
Besides, I could wait until Might Duy opened the Eight Inner Gates and kicked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to death, then use the Horse Talisman to save him.
In the original story, Naruto used Six Paths Yang Power to save Guy after he opened the Eight Gates. Surely my Horse Talisman could save Might Duy just as easily?
After all, once the Eight Gates Released Formation was activated, the body wasted away rapidly until death; it wasn't an instant kill.
The Horse Talisman couldn't bring the dead back to life, but as long as someone hadn't completely died on the spot, it could save them.
Saving Might Duy would be no problem at all.
Half a day later, the three of them were out on the vast ocean.
They weren't using Water Walking to travel. Instead, they were squeezed together on a paper boat Aragaki Yasushi had folded.
They had to conserve chakra!
If they ran out after attacking the transport ship, then got hit by a counterattack from the Mist Ninja, they'd be done for.
They hadn't rowed for long before Asuma was the first to give up. He complained reluctantly, "Why am I the only one rowing? Can't you give me a hand?"
"This paper boat looks light, but it's a real pain to row!"
Aragaki Yasushi pointed to the Paper Wings spread behind him and made an entirely reasonable excuse. "I have to scout ahead. I can't row and fly at the same time, can I?"
Seeing this, Yuhi Kurenai gently offered, "Asuma, I'll help you row."
Asuma immediately waved her off, putting on a brave front. "It's no trouble. I don't need your help!"
"Watch me take care of this with a ninjutsu in seconds!"
With that, he rapidly formed Hand Seals and took a deep breath.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A fierce gust blasted from his mouth and slammed straight into the paper boat's sail. The boat, which had been drifting along at a leisurely pace, suddenly sped forward as if it had gotten a boost, nearly tossing Aragaki Yasushi and Yuhi Kurenai overboard.
Aragaki Yasushi gripped the side of the boat, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Could you try to conserve your chakra?"
"Don't use it all up before we have to fight. If you run out, Kurenai and I will have to protect you and carry you around."
After grumbling a bit, Aragaki Yasushi spread his Paper Wings, took off, and soared high into the air to scan the distance.
A short while later, he landed back on the paper boat.
"Found it. There's a large ship anchored near an island up ahead. It should be the Mist Ninja transport ship. No doubt about it!"
Aragaki Yasushi set things in motion with practiced ease. "Same as usual. I'll sneak in and sabotage their supplies. You two stay outside and provide backup. If anything happens, support me right away."
Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai both nodded.
They'd done this routine several times already and knew it by heart. There was no need to explain things at length.
Seeing their response, Aragaki Yasushi's form blurred and transformed into a tiny paper seagull. He flapped his wings and flew toward the transport ship.
Once he reached the ship, Aragaki Yasushi didn't rush in. He flew to the nearby island first, then transformed into an inconspicuous Paper Cricket and crawled along the ground, searching for a target.
Same plan as before: find some unlucky sap to use as cover and sneak aboard.
But he hadn't crawled more than a couple of steps when several Kunai suddenly shot toward him, nearly pinning his body to the ground. He was so startled he almost jumped.
What the hell? What was going on?!
I've turned into such a tiny cricket. How did they still spot me?
Did the Mist Ninja have some kind of x-ray cheat on?
This made no sense!
Aragaki Yasushi reacted instantly. His form flashed and changed back into that of an eight-armed Paper Person, and he warily watched his surroundings.
Just then, a figure suddenly rushed out from behind a tree, having already completed the Hand Seals.
Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!
A terrifying torrent surged toward Aragaki Yasushi, unstoppable.
Aragaki Yasushi didn't panic at all. Paper Wings sprouted from his back, and he shot high into the air. With nimble movements, he dodged left and right, easily evading the torrent.
He looked down at the Mist Ninja before him, and immediately understood.
Oh, so that's how it is. No wonder he spotted me even though I'd hidden so well!
The Mist Ninja before him had long gray-blue hair that stuck up like a cockscomb. He wore a loose, blue-green robe, but the most striking thing about him was his eyes.
One gray, one white.
That white eye could only be the Byakugan, couldn't it?
It was Ao, a jōnin from Kirigakure!
Aragaki Yasushi thought to himself,
No wonder he saw through my disguise. Turns out he had the Byakugan, the official x-ray cheat!
Although my Origami abilities came from another world and didn't use chakra, so in theory, it should've been hard to spot any flaws,
Ao could use his Byakugan to see me hiding in the grass.
But I was a Paper Cricket that could crawl around.
He didn't need to think twice. It was obviously fake!
Aragaki Yasushi couldn't help lamenting,
If only I had the Monkey Talisman, then the Byakugan definitely wouldn't be able to spot anything wrong.
Just then, footsteps sounded nearby. The other Mist Ninja had noticed the commotion and rushed over, surrounding Aragaki Yasushi.
But Aragaki Yasushi wasn't the least bit worried.
It was simple: I can fly!
If I want to leave, I can do it anytime.
Still, Aragaki Yasushi glanced helplessly at the mission.
[Mission: Sabotage the Mist Ninja's supplies] [Reward: Points +400]
Damn it!
This mission to sabotage the Mist Ninja's supplies only rewarded 400 points, and it had me going toe-to-toe with a jōnin?
That was stingy!
But Aragaki Yasushi made a quick comparison.
The previous mission to sabotage an Iwagakure warehouse had also put him up against an Iwagakure jōnin, but only gave him 300 points.
By that measure, 400 points wasn't so bad, was it?
But in that case, why had the mission to blow up Kannabi Bridge offered so many points? Was it not because of the danger, but because it was connected to the original story?
Or was it because Lord Madara was secretly watching that mission, making it extremely dangerous in theory, and that was why it offered so many points?
Aragaki Yasushi shook his head, putting those jumbled thoughts out of his mind.
Whatever. Now wasn't the time to think about it!
Hmph, even surrounded, he still had to earn those 400 points. He couldn't come all this way for nothing!
With that thought, the Paper Wings on Aragaki Yasushi's back flapped, and he flew straight toward the transport ship nearby.
So what if sneaking in had failed?
He'd just go all out!
Even if he had to fight this whole group of Mist Ninja head-on today, he'd still blow up their supplies.
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