Tsunade, you don't want Shizune to get into trouble, do you?

Bright red obscured his vision.

A thick, pungent scent of blood invaded his nostrils.

This was Kyohiko's first time killing someone.

He couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

The next instant, a blade flashed before his eyes.

Kakashi's White Fang Short Blade cut down the attacking ninja like the wind.

"Don't lose focus!"

He offered a brief reminder before raising his blade to strike at the next opponent.

Kyohiko snapped back to reality.

That's right!

This was a battlefield; there was no room for distraction.

Fortunately.

Kurenai Yuhi's genjutsu and Kakashi's swordsmanship were both helping him, preventing him from falling into danger.

Kyohiko regained his composure.

"Kakashi, coordinate with me."

Hm?

Kakashi didn't know the specifics, but he understood how Kyohiko wanted him to cooperate.

He quickly formed hand seals.

Lightning Style: Earth Flash!

Before the seals were even finished, Kyohiko had already acted, a massive torrent of water erupting from his mouth and surging forward like a flood.

The faster ninjas used Body Flicker to escape.

However.

There were a few who were too slow and couldn't dodge the water.

Then, the electric current struck!

"Aaaah!"

The powerful current made those who couldn't escape dance within the water, their screams intermittent.

Kyohiko had already cut off his jutsu.

The ninjas attacking them were extremely fast and cruel; seeing their companions paralyzed by the current and unable to move, their first thought wasn't to save them, but rather—

Swoosh!

Steel needles rained down, piercing the bodies of those who hadn't managed to escape.

Kyohiko and Kakashi immediately used Substitution and Body Flicker to swap positions.

By the time they emerged once the noise had died down, the attackers had vanished without a trace.

Shizune watched from afar, stunned.

She had only had a vague concept of Kyohiko's abilities before, but now...

No wonder he could become a disciple of Lord Jiraiya!

Such incredible speed.

Such powerful Water Style!

"To reach this level, he must have practiced his Water Style for a long time, right?"

Shizune muttered to herself.

Kurenai Yuhi glanced at her and sighed: "He spent half a month."

"Huh?"

Shizune's face was filled with disbelief.

Half a month?

How is that possible!

Many Chunin couldn't even reach this level of ninjutsu.

Kurenai Yuhi sensed the area for a moment.

"They're running very fast. Let's go check if Kyohiko and Kakashi are injured."

"Oh, right, right!"

Shizune snapped out of her daze—

Everything prior had been too shocking, to the point that she had forgotten they were currently in the middle of a battle.

"Kakashi, Kyohiko, are you two alright?"

Kurenai Yuhi and Shizune rushed over.

In Kurenai's hand, she was still holding Kyohiko's leg wrap—

This thing was quite heavy!

"We're fine. Shizune, take a look and see if any of these people can still be saved."

Up ahead, the five people who had just been paralyzed by the electric current were all lying on the ground.

"Understood."

Shizune nodded and walked toward the few people behind the ancient wall.

Kakashi and Kyohiko stood to her left and right, guarding her safety to prevent any sudden attacks from those who might not be fully dead.

Unfortunately—

Shizune checked a few, and they had all stopped breathing.

"There's potent poison on the needles!"

A few seconds later.

"This one still has a breath left; I must treat him immediately!"

"I'll go call Lady Tsunade."

Kakashi sheathed his blade and prepared to head back the way they came.

If they could save one living captive, there was no telling what kind of intelligence they might be able to extract.

Shizune hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't explain; instead, she tried her best to maintain the little remaining vitality with medical ninjutsu while attempting to extract the toxins.

But it was a pity.

She had not yet fully mastered the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique.

A few seconds later, Jiraiya and Kakashi arrived, while Tsunade remained at a distance and did not come over.

Jiraiya took one look.

"Don't waste your chakra; he's already beyond saving."

He crouched down.

Then, Jiraiya looked at Kyohiko.

"You and Kakashi fought them directly, so you know their style and methods best. What do you think their origins are?"

"Their style and tactics resemble Sunagakure shinobi, but I don't think it was them... They did shout earlier about capturing us to use as bargaining chips, but do rogue ninjas really have this kind of capability?"

Kyohiko voiced his thoughts.

It didn't make sense.

Sunagakure had suffered heavy losses during the Second Shinobi World War, with many of their core forces killed in action; the best choice for them right now was to recuperate.

Furthermore.

As of now, the Third Kazekage was still alive and well; for them to make a move against Konoha at this time...

That would truly be a suicidal decision.

Jiraiya surveyed the scene, then took out a sealing scroll and sealed all the corpses inside.

"Let's take them back for the professionals to examine; perhaps we can find some traces."

He couldn't identify their origins either.

Outside, Tsunade asked calmly, "What's the situation?"

"It's hard to judge, but they don't look like rogue ninjas to me either. It's possible this is a framing tactic by some other hidden village, hoping to make us go to war with Sunagakure."

Jiraiya said.

This was also Kakashi's assessment.

After all, the attack patterns of these assailants were too obvious, which ironically made them seem less authentic.

However.

As Kyohiko's thoughts shifted, he felt this might be his opportunity.

He raised his hand.

"Teacher."

"Speak."

"We only arrived in Tanzaku Town today, and we're only here to execute a C-rank mission. There are no serious shinobi in the Land of Rivers, and Hirakawa Ken isn't exactly a big shot."

Kyohiko looked at Tsunade, his tone hesitant, "Could they have been coming for Lady Tsunade?"

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Kid, do you really think this sort of trash can handle me?"

"Certainly not, but that might not be the case for Shizune."

Kyohiko started the conversation, his logic quickly becoming clear.

He said, "I've heard a few things about you. In the year or so you've been away, you must owe more than just money to the Blue Flower Pavilion, right?"

Tsunade's face turned black.

Good grief!

She only had this one little hobby; how did it seem like everyone knew about it?

She shot a hostile glare toward Jiraiya.

Although she didn't say a word, Jiraiya understood the message and waved his hands frantically.

"It wasn't me!"

"Are you saying they want to capture Shizune to blackmail me into paying my debts?"

"It could also be for other purposes, such as forcing you to research ninjutsu for them or teaching them your techniques," Kyohiko replied.

After all, they hadn't managed to capture those wandering samurai.

It was highly likely the opposition had gathered some intelligence through them.

Tsunade fell silent.

These words were not exactly alarmist.

Outsiders might not be clear on her situation, but with Shizune by her side, if she were even slightly careless, the girl could indeed become her weakness.

Jiraiya's expression turned serious.

"Tsunade, what Kyohiko says makes sense. You know your own situation; you need to consider Shizune's safety."

"Lady Tsunade..."

Shizune's face turned pale.

Was Tsunade going to send her back to Konoha?

"Shizune, perhaps you should return to Konoha."

"Tsunade, you aren't safe out here on your own either."

Jiraiya's tone grew firmer. "Why not return to the village? Just go back for a visit. I'll have the Old Man look into the situation, and you can leave again once the dust settles."

Tsunade hesitated for a moment.

For the year or more she had been away from the village, Shizune had basically taken care of her daily life.

If Shizune went back...

She really wouldn't be able to adapt.

"If Shizune goes back, she won't be able to join a ninja squad in the short term, right? Are you going to arrange for her to go back to the Ninja Academy?"

Kyohiko said in a low voice.

Jiraiya secretly gave him a thumbs-up—

This kid was truly sharp; he had completely figured out how to handle Tsunade!

Although Shizune usually acted more like an attendant, Tsunade definitely viewed her as family in her heart, otherwise, she wouldn't have brought only her when she left the village.

Tsunade certainly cared deeply about Shizune's safety and future.

Tsunade stared at Kyohiko with an unfriendly gaze.

She had to admit—

The boy had truly hit the nail on the head.

"It's very late. Regardless of anything else, we have to rest in Tanzaku Town for the night."