Wind Demon Trio

"This... the wind was just too strong, it made me forget for a moment. Wait, let me think about it properly."

Poof. Under Jiraiya's command, Gamachu landed in a clearing surrounded by woods.

"Kid, are you trying to pull a fast one on this Sage? And who started the rumor that I like that old... that old woman Tsunade? You'd better explain yourself! Hmph, hmph, hmph..."

Jiraiya stared at Uchiha Isho with an unfriendly expression, trying to glean something from his face. But he was disappointed; Uchiha Isho remained unmoved, his expression still one of deep thought.

"Senior, don't be so hot-headed. Lady Tsunade has maintained the appearance of a woman in her twenties, and her figure is so fair and stunning—it's only natural that many male ninjas admire her."

"And then?"

"Lady Tsunade surely has no interest in ordinary male ninjas, but what if a handsome, smooth-talking ninja appeared and deceived her? What would you do then?"

"So, Senior, you should plan ahead. Who knows? Perhaps Lady Tsunade harbors some feelings for you as well?"

Is my intent really that obvious? To think this kid Uchiha Isho saw right through me. Still, he makes a fair point.

Jiraiya suddenly fell silent, unsure of how to choose. One could say the seeds of this affection were sown the moment they both became disciples of the Third Hokage.

As time passed, even after seeing Tsunade take a lover, this seed never withered; instead, it grew ever more lush.

To think Jiraiya has the heart for it but lacks the guts. Even if he doesn't die later, the barrier between them might only grow thicker. It needs some external force to pierce it.

"Ahem, Senior, I have a plan."

"Oh? Hurry up and let me hear it."

"A powerful enemy will surely attack Konoha in the future, and right now, Lady Tsunade's hemophobia hasn't been cured. When that time comes, I will guard her from the shadows, and you can just focus on intercepting the enemy in front of her."

"Then, 'accidentally' sustain a heavy injury. Lady Tsunade will inevitably come to tend to you. You just need to lie in her arms, gaze at her quietly, slowly stroke her cheek, and say a few words about how you're not going to make it—the matter will be as good as settled."

"After all, Lady Tsunade is the type to respond to soft tactics, not hard ones."

The more Jiraiya listened, the brighter his smile became, eventually twisting into a wicked grin of a scheme successfully hatched.

After laughing for a while, Jiraiya asked with some suspicion, "This method is highly feasible, but the problem is I can't stay in Konoha all the time, and I might not be able to seize the right moment to save her. Besides, if such a situation really arises, I might be on another battlefield wiping out the invading enemy."

"There is another way: fake your own death, slip away, and secretly observe how heartbroken Lady Tsunade is after receiving the news. Then, you appear at that moment and confess to her."

"People often only learn to cherish what is right in front of them once they have lost it. Don't you want to see how many people care about you and would grieve for you after you're gone?"

"Brilliant! Simply brilliant! You kid's brain is just like mine was in my youth—equally sharp and peerless. Ho-hahaha..."

Unaware that he would truly die at the hands of Nagato in the future, Jiraiya paced back and forth in ecstasy, as if contemplating when to implement the plan.

"Senior, don't be hasty. Wait until the Akatsuki reveals their true strength; it won't be too late to fake your death at their hands and pass the final intelligence to Konoha. You only get one chance, Senior, so you had better consider it carefully."

Hearing Uchiha Isho's sincere advice, Jiraiya nodded calmly. Indeed, he couldn't be too rash; he had to plan it out slowly.

"Big Brother Uchiha Isho, what were you and the Pervy Sage doing? Why is he giggling every now and then since he got back? Did you trick him into it?"

"Naruto! You brat, you really need me to give you a proper training session!"

Even though Naruto leaned in close to whisper in Uchiha Isho's ear, Jiraiya heard every word clearly.

After scolding Naruto for a while, Jiraiya turned his gaze toward Sasame, who had been dejected the entire journey.

"Sasame, the culprit behind all this is still alive and well. Don't you want to take revenge on him?"

"I do! I want to kill him so badly! But... I probably can't even deal with the subordinates Orochimaru sent, let alone him, who is so terrifyingly powerful..."

"Don't you worry. Hanki has told me everything he knows. You can use our strength to defeat Orochimaru and find your big brother."

The Fuma Clan wasn't entirely composed of fools; a portion of them saw through Orochimaru's evil and remained unmoved, only to be driven out of the village. Now led by Fuma Hanzaki, they survived in the red-light districts by using women to seduce and rob lecherous men.

In the lush green forest, in a quiet corner, a structure leading underground had been built.

Leaving Sasame behind to wait, the four of them had Jiraiya summon Gamakichi to scout the path ahead.

Following that, they vigilantly scanned their surroundings and walked safely through the dark, circular staircase lit only by quietly burning white candles, arriving at a three-way fork.

"Given the situation, Jiraiya-senior and I will take one group, and Naruto and Sakura will take the other."

The others nodded in agreement, finding Uchiha Isho's division reasonable.

Jiraiya chose the right path as if he had caught a scent. Uchiha Isho took the middle, while the other two and Gamakichi took the left.

A few minutes later, after navigating various dangerous traps and expending some effort, Uchiha Isho was the first to emerge unscathed into a dimmer chamber.

Only white candles were placed on the circular pillars, burning quietly; their faint light could barely illuminate the passage between the pillars.

"With this quiet atmosphere, it really feels like there's a pair of cold eyes devoid of any emotion in the darkness, as if they are sizing up or admiring prey waiting to be slaughtered."

"Interesting, truly interesting! This is very Orochimaru-like. Why don't you come out and meet this prey of yours?"

Uchiha Isho smiled and called out toward the darkness that was invisible to the naked eye.

"Uchiha Isho, Lord Orochimaru was right after all. You would be the first outsider to arrive here, and a highly dangerous one at that. I didn't expect you to be so young."

Wearing Orochimaru's face, but with a tone that was remarkably gentle and young—a version of Orochimaru that felt particularly strange to Uchiha Isho—he walked slowly out of the shadows.

"Lord Orochimaru asked me to convey that you must have witnessed the terror and power of the Akatsuki. Itachi and Kisame were merely the tip of the iceberg for that secret organization."

"Therefore, with the shared goal of capturing or killing Itachi, you are free to propose conditions and negotiate a win-win solution."

Hearing Orochimaru's scheme for cooperation once again, Isho remained unmoved, responding with a non sequitur:

"You must be Fuma Arashi, right? Sasame is very worried about you. I just wonder if, after spending so much time under Orochimaru, there is any possibility of saving you."

Fuma Arashi, wearing Orochimaru's face, remained silent for a brief moment before offering a slightly chilling, Orochimaru-esque smile.

"I have yet to hear your answer."

"It seems you're beyond saving. To think Orochimaru would use you as a disposable messenger, essentially gifting you to me to be cleared away. It's actually quite infuriating; he's treating me like a broom!"

Sensing Isho's rejection and mockery, Fuma Arashi had no time to react before the Isho in front of him suddenly vanished.

When he reappeared, a glowing blue sphere had gathered in his left hand, while his right hand crackled with the blinding, chirping light of lightning.

Isho, accelerating as he sprinted across the pillars of the room, wore a cold expression; he opened with his ultimate techniques.

The attack came too fast. Realizing he couldn't dodge, Fuma Arashi thrust his right hand through his own skin, pulling out a paper-cutting blade to block in front of him.

Amidst the sound of impact echoing through the basement, the Rasengan in Isho's left hand forced Fuma Arashi back several meters after only a few seconds of resistance. Not giving his enemy a chance to breathe, Isho quickened his pace, the lightning in his right hand growing even more dazzling!

"Chidori!"

"Don't!"

Sasame, who had arrived behind them with Naruto, cried out in a trembling voice, while Sakura, who had arrived second just as Isho launched his fierce attack, wore a look of confusion.

Just as Isho was a meter away from piercing the enemy's heart, the body of Fuma Arashi—which had been continuously shifting since Isho moved—suddenly sprouted the heads of Jigumo and Kagerō. They stretched and morphed into arm-like appendages, pinning Isho from both sides.

Seeing this, Isho had no choice but to change his target. He agilely leaped to the left to dodge the pincer attack that smashed a crater into the floor, while simultaneously thrusting his right hand forward with full force, cleanly severing the two bucket-thick arms!

Fuma Arashi trembled in miserable pain. Before he could react, a two-meter-long Kubikiribōchō was held just centimeters from his neck.

In this life-or-death moment, seeing Sasame running toward him, Fuma Arashi's chaotic state regained a moment of clarity. He was certain that if he made the slightest move, Isho would not hesitate to lop off this final head.

"Brother Arashi, how did you end up like this!"

"Sasame, kill me. Uchiha... hurry up and kill me!"

Before Isho could respond, the ceiling collapsed with a roar. As the dust settled, the group saw Jiraiya standing atop Gamahiro.

Even with a blade capable of cutting through hair held to his throat, Fuma Arashi instinctively shielded Sasame. Isho's Kubikiribōchō had already vanished, and he looked at Fuma Arashi, who had regained most of his sanity, and said, "It seems your brain hasn't completely turned into pig slop, though I don't know if your body can be saved."

"I am already a puppet; I cannot survive if I leave this place. After you killed the three members of my clan, Kabuto Yakushi recovered their corpses and left this place with Orochimaru."

"Then what about Sasuke?! Did you see where he went?"

Unable to find Sasuke here, Sakura felt exceptionally anxious, even though she knew Orochimaru was unlikely to take Sasuke's body in the near future.

"Sasuke likely left with Orochimaru and the others. Orochimaru is using him as a vessel for reincarnation in three years. My mission was to deliver a message to Uchiha Isho and, incidentally, stall you all."

Boom! Boom!

While they were talking, the area around the crater Jiraiya had violently smashed began to collapse. With no time to ask for more information, Isho and the others quickly leaped onto Gamahiro's head.

Fuma Arashi gently handed the grieving Sasame to Sakura, remaining in the basement alone until the earth above collapsed completely, burying everything beneath.

A few days later, at the mission assignment office.

"Baka! Kid, can't you be more proactive? Appointing you as a Jonin isn't just for you to show off. You should be coming here to accept high-level missions regularly, instead of me having to send Anbu to notify you every single time!"

Who told you I wanted to be a Jonin? Why work like a beast of burden when I have money? Isho grumbled inwardly, though he tried his best to look humble and teachable on the surface.

His mind had long since wandered elsewhere; he just wanted Tsunade to finish speaking. He was letting it go in one ear and out the other, feeling no psychological pressure whatsoever.

Seeing that Isho's lazy demeanor hadn't changed, Tsunade suppressed the temper that had become even more irritable since becoming Hokage, gritted her teeth, and explained the situation regarding the escaped prisoners, finally saying, "Only Mizuki and the Fujin and Raijin brothers remain at large. Your next mission is to capture them and extract information about Orochimaru from Mizuki."

"Fine."

Thinking that although Isho was one of the laziest people she had ever met, he at least completed his assigned tasks beautifully, Tsunade stopped applying pressure. She switched to a smile and looked at Kakashi with a friendly expression.

"It's not over yet. Here, this is the next S-rank mission."

He really knows how to order people around. Kakashi helplessly took the S-rank mission details, then suddenly turned to look at Isho, his reluctance no longer hidden.

"Isho, give me your hand."

Guessing that Kakashi was going to provide assistance, Isho extended his right hand. As expected, Kakashi summoned Pakkun from the Eight Ninja Dogs to help Isho track the targets.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. You guys go ahead and get back to work; I'm off to do the mission."

Once she sensed Isho had walked far away, Tsunade voiced her inner doubts.

"Kakashi, you are also one of the strong ones who possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan. I have heard of the conditions for awakening it and Isho's history. Why exactly did he awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan?"

Tsunade's question was actually one of Kakashi's greatest puzzles as well. He shook his head first, then said, "I haven't asked Isho, because awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan inevitably requires despairing pain. I am also curious about what unknown suffering he experienced to stimulate the evolution of his Sharingan."

"Furthermore, it's hard to imagine that the face of this guy—who is usually so lazy and obsessed with gourmet food and fun places—is just a disguise."

Could it be because he awakened a special constitution? Tsunade suddenly recalled the classified information the Third Hokage had secretly told her after stepping down.

Isho didn't care about the Konoha higher-ups' discussions regarding his public awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Right now, he only cared about the system missions that hadn't progressed since he transmigrated; that was the only thing he was willing to work like a beast of burden for.

After all, he was very clear on what was heavy and what was light, and could distinguish between a major harvest and a petty gain.

"Who is it?!"

Naruto turned around guardedly to stare behind him, only to see Yi Xiang walking out at a leisurely pace.

"What is this, so it was this scent after all. You've worked hard, Tonton; I will take over from here, you should return to the village first."

Pakkun spoke in human language, and the piglet Tonton, who was about the same size as him, nodded its head to show it understood.