Wandering

Yi Xiang, having long forgotten most of the early plot of the Hokage series, hardly remembered that the girl he had brutally subdued was merely trying to rescue her older brother from Orochimaru's clutches.

"Don't move. Move again, and you can go meet the King of Hell."

Just as Naruto stepped forward to join Yi Xiang in the interrogation, Sakura suddenly pulled off the person's mask. A girl with orange hair and eyebrows, possessing delicate and bright features, began to explain her origins with great trepidation.

So she's from the Fuma Clan. What a pity. That brother of hers has likely been modified into a walking corpse, living a life worse than death. Such cases are no longer surprising in this era; it is truly the tragedy of a minor clan.

If it weren't for the fact that Orochimaru still had his uses, Yi Xiang would have hunted him down and ground him into dust for using hundreds upon thousands of innocent people as experimental subjects.

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

Yi Xiang grunted, immediately retracting his Kunai and releasing his grip. Only then did he notice that during his moment of distraction, the young girl had let out a soft hiss of pain from her injured shoulder.

Clearly, she had been too terrified to disturb Yi Xiang, who was radiating such chilling killing intent behind her.

"Based on my familiarity with Orochimaru, your brother is either already dead, or his body has been modified beyond recognition. There is almost no possibility of him still being alive."

"Brother Arashi... no matter what, even if he is truly dead, I must see his corpse!"

Even though she had been mentally prepared, hearing the sincerity in Yi Xiang's words caused Fuma Sasame to lose control of her grief, and she could not stop the sobbing that racked her face.

Just as this sorrowful atmosphere had lasted for only a few seconds, an untimely shout came rushing toward them.

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

In the distance, Jiraiya saw Yi Xiang and the others and immediately wore a beaming smile.

"Run!"

"Pervy Sage, who are they?!"

"Thugs from a black-market shop! Since this mission is supposed to be a secret, using ninjutsu would be too flashy!"

Five burly men wielding spiked clubs, long blades, and other weapons were chasing after Jiraiya with murderous glares. Once the dust kicked up by the group settled, Yi Xiang, who had been hiding in a tree upon sensing that something was wrong, slowly descended to the ground.

Jiraiya is really something. It would be better to help him confirm his relationship with Tsunade sooner. Always using the excuse of missions to go harass women—that's not good for his aging body.

The four people sprinting ahead didn't even notice they were missing a companion, and Yi Xiang followed their trail at a leisurely pace, completely unbothered.

At the main entrance of the most prosperous inn street in the Land of Fields.

"It's so lively here; there must be plenty of delicious food. With the Pervy Sage gone, we can finally spend to our hearts' content, hehe!"

Looking at the gate sign that read 'Fuma Alley', Naruto rubbed his hands in excitement before turning to look at Yi Xiang with a sincere, smiling face.

Yi Xiang didn't dawdle. He spread his hands, and as if performing a magic trick, a small box nearly half a meter long materialized from his system inventory—which had a capacity of 1 cubic meter per slot—filled to the brim with cash.

Even though they had seen Yi Xiang demonstrate this many times, Naruto and Sakura still stared in surprise at how he managed it, while Fuma Sasame stood to the side with her mouth agape in an 'O' shape.

"This is simply miraculous! Yi Xiang, did you use a genjutsu on me?! I have never seen or heard of anyone possessing such power!"

"Haha, just consider it a genjutsu. Come, everyone gets a share. Take 30,000 ryo each. Making money these days is like pie falling from the sky; all I have to do is reach out and catch it."

From the 1.27 million ryo he had obtained from the gambling den last time, even with his lavish spending, Yi Xiang had only used 210,000 ryo. The rest, including his original savings, were all stored in his system inventory.

Fuma Sasame, who had initially wanted to refuse, was encouraged by the others and reluctantly accepted the thick stack of bills, which looked quite substantial in her eyes.

This is 30,000 ryo! It would take me a long time to earn this much, and I would only dare to spend it after careful calculation, yet he just gave it to me like this!

Fuma Sasame clutched the money tightly in her hands, her face full of joy, fearing that the cash might sprout wings and fly away unnoticed.

Just as the group walked past the street, several people who had been strolling or trading as if nothing were wrong suddenly looked at the four of them in unison, their eyes filled with blinding greed.

"Eh, seriously? It seems the public security here is even worse than I imagined. I just took out a little money, and you all want to die this badly!"

Finishing the last sentence, Yi Xiang suddenly turned around and roared at the people who could no longer restrain themselves.

The middle-aged man dressed as a ronin in a brown kimono froze on the spot. There was no other reason—the icy chill and the look in those eyes made him realize that he, or rather they, had kicked a steel plate!

The few who had been following instantly shifted back to acting as if nothing were wrong, preparing to watch how this wealthy kid would be dealt with.

Just as the ronin was about to find an excuse to explain, Yi Xiang used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before him, landing an unreasonable punch on the bridge of his nose, followed by a whip-like kick to his abdomen.

The ronin flew backward two meters, his nosebleed only then reacting to flow out, making his already mediocre face look exceptionally terrifying.

In less than two seconds, Yi Xiang cast his gaze toward the onlookers. Those with similar intentions felt as if they were being stared at by a large predator, and they awkwardly returned to doing what they were doing before.

"Hmph! I just happen to have itchy hands. Anyone who wants to be my sparring partner can come forward and see if my fists are harder, or if your bones are!"

No one answered Yi Xiang's provocation. At Naruto's reminder, Yi Xiang finally joined the other three to continue strolling through the street, though he no longer had any interest in looking at the goods here.

"Brother Yi Xiang, did we go a bit too far?"

Sakura said sheepishly. Among the names Naruto and Sasuke used for Yi Xiang, she felt she had no choice but to call him 'Brother' as well.

Otherwise, if she called him by his name, she worried that Sasuke might think she was a generation older than him—what if he wasn't happy about that? Sasuke-kun's impression was more important than most things!

That was what Sakura thought then and now. Hearing this, Sasame was the first to speak up and explain.

"Sakura, those familiar with this place call it 'Lawless Street'. Therefore, being ruthless is actually a good thing; otherwise, only more trouble will come looking for us."

Sakura's expression turned to one of realization, and she began discussing more intelligence about the area with Sasame. Yi Xiang and Naruto scanned their surroundings, wanting to see if there were any particularly famous local delicacies.

The four of them strolled happily for two hours until their desire for food had reached its lowest point. Only then did they leave the bustling long street with a hint of reluctance.

"Life with money is truly great. I don't have to drag my feet when I want to buy things, and I've finally reached the point where I'm sick of delicious food. If it were before, I definitely... wouldn't even dare to imagine it."

Rubbing his protruding belly, Naruto's face was filled with contentment.

As they walked outside the inn district, the group was lost in thought when Yi Xiang suddenly frowned; he sensed three rat-level ninjas closing in on them.

"Be careful, three ninjas are about to attack us."

"Ninjas?! Where?"

Naruto looked toward the bushes with vigilance, and several Kunai were suddenly fired. At that moment, a commotion erupted behind them, and eight or nine Kunai came flying toward Yi Xiang and the others!

Yi Xiang and his companions had already prepared themselves, dodging and counterattacking. Just as Yi Xiang dodged, a figure suddenly emerged, wielding a giant paper cutter as a weapon, and immediately aimed a strike at Yi Xiang's neck.

Yi Xiang dodged with a seemingly perilous Body Flicker, yet he wore a relaxed expression on his face to provoke the attacker.

Seeing this, the man accelerated instantly, but his fluid swings with the paper cutter were easily deflected by Kunai.

"Fuma Clan? Let me give you a piece of advice: stop acting like fools and throwing your lives away for Orochimaru. You are nothing more than pawns he toys with at his whim."

"Bastard! You little ninja have no right to slander Lord Orochimaru!"

With that, he lunged at Yi Xiang again. Just as the paper cutter was about to touch his head, a cold sneer appeared on the corner of Yi Xiang's mouth, and he tilted his body slightly to avoid the fierce strike.

At the same time, Yi Xiang made a motion as if swinging a blade toward the enemy's neck. Even though his Kunai had already been thrown and his hands were empty.

But in the next instant, a Kubikiribōchō about two meters long appeared in his hand at his mere thought, stopping just a fraction of an inch from the man's neck.

Yi Xiang no longer held back; the sharpness of the Kubikiribōchō cut through the man like tofu, cleanly separating his head from his body! Not a single drop of blood stained the blade, as it was all absorbed by the steel.

"Kagerō!!"

"Damn you! I'm going to kill you!!"

The man named Jigumo stared at Yi Xiang with bloodshot eyes, leaving a few spiders to hold Naruto back. Countless small spiders suddenly appeared above Yi Xiang, all spitting white silk to surround him.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

The fierce red flames incinerated the webs and the spiders alike, and Yi Xiang could even smell the faint scent of burning flesh in the air. Yet, Jigumo used the cover of the flames to Body Flicker behind Yi Xiang, his Kunai about to pierce the back of Yi Xiang's heart.

Yi Xiang did not lower his guard for a second; he bowed his body with agility to narrowly avoid the strike, and swung the Kubikiribōchō backward.

Clang! Jigumo felt a massive force reverberate from his Kunai into his hands, and he was forced to use both hands to block.

"Rasengan!"

Using a Shadow Clone Technique to hold off the spiders, Naruto arrived just in time, slamming a Rasengan directly into Jigumo's waist and sending him flying back about three meters.

Yi Xiang pressed the attack, determined not to give the enemy a chance to resist. He already knew the origins of these three, and if they remained obsessed and unrepentant, he would have to execute them on the spot!

With another swing, Jigumo, like Kagerō whose corpse was still warm, was decapitated! Seeing this, Naruto felt a wave of nausea and couldn't help but want to vomit.

"Hell Ant Technique!!!"

A harsh roar came from the puppet-like Kageno. The solid ground suddenly turned into quicksand, swallowing and trapping everyone with Yi Xiang's position at the center!

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Yi Xiang's clones stacked themselves, head to foot, to boost the original Yi Xiang upward. At the same time, Yi Xiang grabbed the sinking Naruto and threw him out with all his might, leaping out himself.

Just as Yi Xiang and Naruto landed on the ground, Kageno let out another furious roar.

"Dragonfly Ninja Art: Bubbles!"

Kageno shed his outer shell like a cicada, his appearance and voice completely transforming into that of a young girl, with dazzling four wings sprouting from her back as she attacked with poisonous water.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

A wide, brown earthen wall rose instantly. Yi Xiang pressed Naruto's head down with his hand, keeping his own body as low as possible.

Amidst the hissing sound of corrosion, the earthen wall became pitted with holes, coming within a few centimeters of piercing through. Fortunately, the poisonous water was limited, and Kageno fell from the air, powerless.

When everything fell silent and no new enemies or dangers were sensed, Yi Xiang finally released Naruto and looked toward Sasame.

Kageno's final and strongest attack had only targeted Yi Xiang and Naruto, so Sakura and Sasame were unharmed, having only expended a bit of chakra.

"Sasame, do you know them? I think I heard Brother Yi Xiang say they were also from the Fuma Clan?"

Watching Sasame sadly help up the critically wounded Kageno, Sakura asked her question.

"They, like Brother Arashi, took it upon themselves to revive the Fuma Clan, and were deceived by Orochimaru's promises of help into becoming his hired thugs..."

"Brother Yi Xiang, shouldn't we have avoided killing them all?"

Naruto scratched his head, feeling that they had been too heavy-handed.

"Idiot! I already gave them a chance, but they were clearly beyond saving. Besides, who knows how much dirty work they've done for Orochimaru over the years. In any era, fools like these are usually the first to die and suffer the greatest losses."

Yi Xiang said dismissively. Especially for a ninja like Naruto, if not for his protagonist aura and the Nine-Tails, he would easily fall for an enemy's scheme, harming not only himself but his companions as well.

"But..., then how are we supposed to find Orochimaru now?"

Naruto's question made Yi Xiang pause.

That's right, who knew the last survivor would use a jutsu akin to a suicide bombing? Yi Xiang frowned and paced back and forth, thinking, before suddenly looking at Sasame.

Seeing the sad expression on the young girl's face, it was clear she hadn't revealed the most important information yet. Just as Yi Xiang was about to step forward to ask, a familiar voice interrupted his actions.

"The battle was so intense; it's great to see you're all safe, ho-ho-ho."

Jiraiya rode in on Gamachu, the size of three people, and with a single leap, arrived before the group. Just as he was about to strike a chuunibyou signature pose, he heard Yi Xiang say something shocking:

"Senior Jiraiya, do you happen to like Senior Tsunade...?"

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

"Nani?!"

Naruto and Sakura looked at Jiraiya with identical expressions of shock.

A deep, '川'-shaped crease suddenly appeared on Jiraiya's forehead as he suppressed the urge to silence them all. He then scratched the back of his head, forcing a sheepish smile as he said, "How could that be? How could this Sage ever fancy that old hag Tsunade? As for you, Yi Xiang, is your skin itching for a spar with this Sage?"

"Is that so? I heard Senior Tsunade has many admirers these days. What a pity, I was actually planning to help you out, Senior Jiraiya~"

Before the words had even faded, Jiraiya used Body Flicker to snatch Yi Xiang and deposit him atop Gamachu. With a few leaps, he vanished from the sight of Naruto and the others.

Only after sensing that no one else was around did Jiraiya lower his voice to ask, "Kid, who exactly did you say was interested in that woman, Tsunade?"