Wandering Around

With most of the earlier events of Naruto long since forgotten, Yi Xiang had no idea that the girl he had so brutally subdued was trying to rescue her big brother from Orochimaru.

"Don't move. One more step, and you'll be meeting the King of Hell."

Just as Naruto stepped forward to interrogate the captive alongside Yi Xiang, Sakura suddenly removed the person's mask. Beneath it was a girl with long orange hair and eyebrows, and delicate, pretty features. Looking quite timid, she explained who she was.

So she's from the Fuma Clan. What a pity. It seems that her so-called big brother was turned into a living corpse, suffering a fate worse than death. Cases like his are nothing unusual in this era. It's the tragedy of belonging to a minor clan.

If Orochimaru weren't still useful, Yi Xiang would have hounded him to the grave for using hundreds, even thousands, of innocent people as test subjects.

"Big Brother Yi Xiang, let her go. She just mistook us for Orochimaru's men."

Yi Xiang gave an "Oh," then immediately put away his kunai and released her. Only then did he notice that while he had been distracted for a moment, the girl's shoulder had hurt so much that she had let out a quiet hiss.

Clearly, she hadn't dared to disturb Yi Xiang, whose killing intent was chilling from behind her.

"From what I know of Orochimaru, your big brother is either already dead or has been altered beyond recognition. There's almost no chance he's still alive."

"Big Brother Arashi... no matter what, even if he really is dead, I still want to see his body!"

Though she had been prepared for the worst, Yi Xiang's sincere words proved too much for Fuma Sasame. She could no longer hold back her grief, and her face crumpled as she sobbed.

The sorrowful mood had barely lasted a few seconds when an untimely shout rang out in the distance.

"Stop, you bastard! Don't run!"

Seeing Yi Xiang and the others in the distance, Jiraiya immediately put on a beaming smile and said,

"Run!"

"Pervy Sage, who are they?!"

"Thugs from a crooked inn. This mission is supposed to be secret, so using ninjutsu would draw too much attention!"

Five burly men, armed with spiked clubs, long swords, and other weapons, chased after Jiraiya with murderous looks in their eyes. Once the cloud of dust kicked up by the group had settled, Yi Xiang—who had been watching from a tree after realizing something was wrong—finally dropped down at his leisure.

"Honestly, Jiraiya should just settle things with Tsunade already. He spends all day using missions as an excuse to go chasing after girls. That can't be good for a body that's practically elderly."

The four racing along didn't notice that they had lost a companion. Yi Xiang didn't seem to mind, either, and leisurely followed their trail.

At the entrance to the busiest inn district in the Land of Fields.

"This place is bustling. There must be plenty of good food. Without Pervy Sage around, we can finally spend as much as we want. Heh!"

Naruto looked at the sign above the entrance, which read "Fuma Alley," and rubbed his hands together excitedly. Then he turned to Yi Xiang with an imploring gaze and a smile.

Yi Xiang didn't hesitate. He held out his hand, and a small box nearly half a meter long appeared in it as if by magic, taken from a system inventory where each slot held one cubic meter. It was packed with cash.

Even though Naruto and Sakura had seen Yi Xiang do this many times, they still watched in amazement, wondering how he managed it. Beside them, Fuma Sasame's mouth formed a perfect O.

"This is incredible! Yi Xiang, did you use genjutsu on me?! I've never seen or even heard of anyone wielding such power!"

"Heh, let's just say it's genjutsu. Here, everyone gets a share. Three thousand ryo each. Making money lately has been like picking it up off the ground. All I have to do is reach out and take it."

Of the 1.27 million ryo he'd gotten from the gambling house last time, Yi Xiang had spent only 210,000, even though he'd been spending freely. The rest, along with his original funds, was stored in his system inventory.

Fuma Sasame had meant to refuse, but after everyone encouraged her, she accepted a thick stack of bills with a polite, slightly awkward air.

That's thirty thousand ryo! It would take me ages to earn that much, and I'd have to be careful with every penny. And he just gave it to me!

Fuma Sasame gripped the money tightly, delighted, as if afraid it might grow wings and fly away if she let her guard down.

As soon as the group had passed along the street, several people who had been casually strolling about and doing business behind them exchanged glances. Their eyes gleamed with greed as they looked at Yi Xiang and the others.

"Honestly, the law and order here is even worse than I thought. I only took out a little money, and now every one of you is practically begging to die!"

At the last words, Yi Xiang suddenly turned and shouted at the people who could no longer hold back.

The middle-aged man dressed like a wandering swordsman in a brown kimono froze on the spot. There was no other explanation: that chilling aura and those eyes told him that he—or perhaps all of them—had picked a fight with someone they shouldn't have.

The others who had been following them immediately pretended nothing was wrong, deciding to wait and see how the rich kid would handle things.

Just as the wandering swordsman was about to make an excuse, Yi Xiang used the Body Flicker Technique and punched him squarely in the nose without warning. Then he drove a whip-fast kick into the man's stomach.

The wandering swordsman flew two meters back. His nose only began bleeding a moment later, making his already unremarkable face look grotesque.

In less than two seconds, Yi Xiang turned his gaze toward the onlookers. The few who had been thinking along the same lines felt as if a huge beast had fixed its eyes on them. Uneasy, they went back to what they had been doing.

"Hmph! I'm in the mood for a fight. If anyone wants to help me warm up, come on over and see whether my fists are harder or your bones!"

No one answered Yi Xiang's taunt. Only when Naruto reminded him did Yi Xiang finally join the other three in continuing their stroll. Still, he had no interest in looking at the goods here anymore.

"Big Brother Yi Xiang, didn't we go a little too far?"

Sakura asked sheepishly. Since Naruto and Sasuke called Yi Xiang that, she'd had no choice but to call him big brother too.

If she called him by name, what if Sasuke thought she was putting herself a generation above him and got upset? Sasuke-kun's opinion mattered more than almost anything!

That was what Sakura had thought then and still thought now. Hearing the question, Sasame was the first to explain.

"Sakura, everyone who knows this place calls it Lawless Street. It's better to be ruthless here. Otherwise, we'll only have more trouble coming after us."

Sakura's expression cleared as she chatted with Sasame about the place. Yi Xiang and Naruto, meanwhile, scanned the streets, hoping to try some of the local specialties.

The four of them cheerfully wandered around for half an hour. By then, their appetites had all but vanished. Still, they were a little reluctant to leave the bustling street.

"Having money is great. I can finally buy whatever I want without hesitating, until even delicious food starts to lose its appeal. Before, I'd never even have dared to dream of this..."

Naruto rubbed his bulging stomach, his face full of contentment.

As they left the inn district, the group was still chatting when Yi Xiang suddenly frowned. He sensed three ninja, each about as dangerous as a mouse, closing in on them.

"Stay alert. Three ninja are about to attack us."

"Ninja?! Where?"

Naruto warily glanced toward the bushes. Several kunai suddenly shot out. At the same time, a commotion came from behind, and eight or nine kunai flew toward the encircled group!

Yi Xiang and the others had been prepared. They dodged and counterattacked, but as Yi Xiang moved, a figure suddenly appeared in his path, wielding an enormous pair of scissors in his right hand. Without a word, the attacker snapped them toward Yi Xiang's neck.

Yi Xiang narrowly dodged with the Body Flicker Technique, but his relaxed expression only served to taunt his opponent.

The attacker immediately sped up, but his scissors were easily fended off by Yi Xiang's kunai.

"Fuma Clan? Take my advice and stop stupidly risking your lives for Orochimaru. You're nothing but pawns for him to toy with."

"Bastard! You don't get to slander Lord Orochimaru, you little ninja!"

With that, the attacker rushed at Yi Xiang again. The instant the scissors were about to reach his head, a cold smile touched Yi Xiang's lips as he leaned slightly aside, dodging the vicious snap.

At the same time, Yi Xiang suddenly made a slashing motion toward the enemy's neck. He had already thrown his kunai, leaving his hand empty.

But in the very next instant, a two-meter-long executioner's blade appeared in his hand at a mere thought, its edge stopping just short of the attacker's neck.

Yi Xiang showed no mercy. The Kubikiribōchō was so sharp it cut through the man as easily as tofu, cleanly severing his head. Not a drop of blood clung to the blade; it was all absorbed by its surface.

"Kagerō!!"

"Bastard! I'll kill you!"

A man named Jigumo glared at Yi Xiang, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets. He left a few spiders to hold Naruto back, while countless tiny spiders suddenly appeared above Yi Xiang, spitting white webs that surrounded him.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Fierce red flames burned up the webs and spiders alike. Yi Xiang even caught the faint smell of roasting meat in the air. Using the flames for cover, Jigumo appeared behind him with the Body Flicker Technique, his kunai about to pierce the back of Yi Xiang's heart.

Yi Xiang didn't dare let his guard down for a moment. He bent nimbly to dodge, then swung the Kubikiribōchō behind him.

Clang! Jigumo felt tremendous force rebound from Yi Xiang's blade through his kunai and into his hand. He had to brace it with both hands.

"Rasengan!"

Naruto had used a Shadow Clone to keep the spiders occupied. Just then, he arrived and slammed a Rasengan into Jigumo's waist, sending him flying about three meters.

Yi Xiang pressed the advantage, determined to give the enemy no chance to fight back. He already knew who the three were. If they were too stubborn to change their ways, then he could only execute them on the spot!

With another slash, Jigumo's head was severed, just like Kagerō's. The latter's corpse was still warm. Seeing this, Naruto's stomach lurched, and he couldn't help feeling like he was going to throw up.

"Hell Ant Technique!!!"

A piercing shriek came from Kageno, who looked like a puppet. The solid ground suddenly turned to quicksand, swallowing everything around Yi Xiang's position!

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Yi Xiang's clones stacked on top of one another, their heads against their feet, lifting his real body higher and higher. At the same time, he grabbed Naruto, who was sinking into the sand, and flung him clear before leaping out himself.

Yi Xiang and Naruto had only just landed when Kageno let out another furious roar.

"Dragonfly Ninja Art: Bubbles!"

Kageno shed his outer shell like a cicada emerging from its husk. His appearance and voice transformed completely into those of a girl, and four dazzling wings sprouted from his back as he launched an attack with poisonous water.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A broad, brown wall of earth rose in an instant. Yi Xiang pressed a hand down on Naruto's head and ducked as low as he could.

Amid the sizzling sound of corrosion, pits formed all over the wall. The poisonous water had come within a few centimeters of breaking through. Fortunately, the supply was limited, and Kageno fell helplessly from the sky.

When everything had gone quiet and Yi Xiang sensed no new enemies or danger, he released Naruto and turned to look at Sasame.

Kageno's final and strongest attack had been aimed only at Yi Xiang and Naruto. Sakura and Sasame hadn't been hurt at all; they had merely spent a little chakra.

"Sasame, do you know them? I think I heard Big Brother Yi Xiang say they're from the Fuma Clan too?"

Seeing Sasame sadly lift Kageno, whose life was hanging by a thread, Sakura asked what was on her mind.

"They're like Big Brother Arashi. They wanted to revive the Fuma Clan, and Orochimaru tricked them into becoming his thugs by promising to help..."

"Big Brother Yi Xiang, shouldn't we have left them alive?"

Naruto scratched his head, feeling that they might have gone too far.

"Idiot! I gave them a chance, but they were clearly beyond saving. Besides, who knows how many dirty deeds they've done for Orochimaru over the years? In any era, fools like that are usually the first to die or suffer a crushing defeat."

Yi Xiang said it indifferently. Ninja like Naruto were especially prone to falling for an enemy's tricks. Without the protagonist's plot armor and the Nine-Tails, he could easily end up not only harming himself but his teammates as well.

"But... what should we do now to find Orochimaru?"

Naruto's question left Yi Xiang at a loss for words.

Right. Who would have thought the last survivor would use a technique nearly equivalent to self-destruction? Yi Xiang frowned and paced back and forth, thinking. Then he suddenly looked at Sasame.

From the girl's grief-stricken expression, it was clear she still hadn't shared the most important information. Yi Xiang was about to go ask her when a familiar shout interrupted him.

"That was some battle! I'm so glad you're all okay! Hohoho!"

Jiraiya rode Gamachu, a giant toad three times their size, and leaped over to the group. He was just about to strike a flamboyant pose when Yi Xiang said something shocking.

"Jiraiya-senpai, are you in love with Tsunade-senpai?"

"Huh?! Pervy Sage likes Tsunade Granny?!"

"What?!"

Naruto and Sakura stared at Jiraiya in shock.

Jiraiya's forehead suddenly furrowed into a huge frown. He resisted the urge to silence them all, then scratched the back of his head and forced out an awkward laugh.

"Of course not. How could I possibly be interested in that old hag Tsunade? Yi Xiang, are you looking for a beating? Want to spar with me?"

"Is that so? I heard Tsunade-senpai has plenty of admirers these days. What a shame. I was just about to help you out, Jiraiya-senpai~"

Before Yi Xiang had even finished speaking, Jiraiya used the Body Flicker Technique to grab him and take him to the top of Gamachu's head. With a few leaps, they vanished from sight in front of Naruto and the other two.

After sensing that no one was around, Jiraiya lowered his voice and asked,

"Kid, who else did you say likes that Tsunade woman?"