Do you really think I'm an actor?

On the street, Jiraiya moved between various specialized shops.

After some inquiries, he gained a general understanding of the situation.

Suddenly, his footsteps faltered.

Someone was spying on him!

Following this, a look of greed appeared on Jiraiya's face, and he chuckled as he headed into one of these specialized shops.

Before long, he was inside, wrapped up in embraces.

Outside, a figure flashed by and vanished.

Back at the inn, it was already late at night after their exchange.

Kyohiko was practicing with a kunai as his blade.

He felt that, with each repetition, his body was rapidly absorbing the techniques gifted as a reward.

Beside him, Kakashi's expression gradually turned blank.

It wasn't that Kyohiko had reached a point where he couldn't be taught; on the contrary, Kyohiko still had many things he didn't understand, and his swordsmanship couldn't be called powerful yet, but his stance and force exertion were already quite standard.

Is this also talent?

His mood was complex, and he sighed inwardly before focusing on refining his Body Flicker Technique—

Kyohiko's secret tips were very useful to him as well!

Kyohiko was focused and didn't notice the subtle shift in Kakashi's emotions.

He was pondering the White Fang Sword Technique.

If the target in front of him were a dummy, the swordsmanship would naturally be simple, but what if there were an enemy ahead?

Kyohiko imagined the scenario, swinging his blade with earnest precision.

A long time later, they finally dispersed.

They went to sleep that night.

Kyohiko was sleeping soundly when he suddenly sensed a movement by instinct. He opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, his hand immediately gripping the kunai at his side as if it were a survival instinct.

"Croak!"

The kunai pierced the wooden floorboard, and a small toad jumped up in fright, cowering in the corner.

Kyohiko was slightly stunned, then quickly put the kunai away.

"Sorry, I thought you were an enemy."

"It's fine, it's all Jiraiya's fault. If he hadn't made me deliver this in the middle of the night, this wouldn't have happened."

The small toad was quite understanding.

He hopped in front of Kyohiko, looked him over, and then said, "Jiraiya asked me to tell you that during his investigation, he discovered ninjas tailing him. It is currently unclear which side they belong to."

"What does the teacher mean by that?"

"He will go into hiding for the time being. You don't need to worry, but don't act too relaxed either. In short, he wants you to use your best judgment."

"Huh?"

Kyohiko was speechless.

Don't act too relaxed?

That's asking for too much.

Does he really take this humble one for an award-winning actor?

Telling only him—this is a setup!

Kyohiko pondered for a long time and said, "Please report back to the teacher that I will do my best, but I am only a genin."

"Understood."

The small toad vanished upon responding.

Kyohiko got up to drink some water and took a look outside.

The mountain forest at night was shrouded in a thin mist.

He cautiously refined his chakra and projected it outward.

Through the contact with the mist, he confirmed there were no signs of chakra interference in the surroundings, which put him much more at ease.

Someone tailing Jiraiya...

Mist Ninja?

Kyohiko pondered for a long time before getting up and heading to the room next door.

Hearing the footsteps, Kisame Hoshigaki widened his beady eyes, his gaze filled with despair.

If he didn't know the true nature of Kirigakure...

He might have actually been fooled.

The genin of Kirigakure were all forged in mountains of corpses and seas of blood; would a little difficulty like this really scare him?

Then there was the other one.

He had been in poor condition for a while, and Kurenai Yuhi had tried to help, but there was still no improvement. For now, she could only maintain his life for the sake of Kirigakure, while incidentally using him as a patient for her practice.

Kyohiko simply closed his eyes to rest on the first floor where they were being held.

Kisame closed his eyes and sighed inwardly.

This brat woke up at the slightest movement; he was truly troublesome!

He had finally managed to find an opportunity.

What a pity.

If they were in the wild and met one-on-one, Kisame would be confident in using the terrain and various ninjutsu to defeat his opponent, or at the very least, escape with his life.

However.

With his chakra sealed, his entire body bound, and having to rely on only two fingers to undo the ropes, he really had no confidence in defeating the enemy before him.

Sigh!

Who would have thought they would run into Jiraiya?

Falling into the hands of such a ninja, sealing techniques were far too easy; there was simply no chance for a genin like him to escape.

Kisame stared at the ceiling, letting out a long sigh in his heart.

Not long after.

Upstairs, Kakashi poked his head out, and upon seeing it was Kyohiko below, he retreated with peace of mind.

However.

That position should have been the corridor outside Ichiro Matsuyama's room.

He stood guard in the corridor to prevent Ichiro Matsuyama from falling into danger.

Setting aside Kakashi's personality, he was indeed a trustworthy teammate when it came to missions, rarely dropping the ball.

Standing from the perspective of the teammate he looked down upon, it was quite uncomfortable.

That Obito and Rin could get along with such a Kakashi in the future showed their personalities were incredibly good; if it were him, he would have given Kakashi a serious warning on the very first day.

Later on, he had relied on his own strength to intimidate them bit by bit and stabilize the situation.

Otherwise, he and Kurenai would have ended up with the same treatment as Obito and Rin.

Just as he was thinking this.

At that moment, the mist began to grow heavy.

Kyohiko suddenly opened his eyes, his spirit instantly focused, and his gaze sharpened.

The thick fog of night often went unnoticed, especially here near the mountains.

However.

The chakra within the mist was as eye-catching as fireflies.

This was the Hidden Mist Technique!

Kyohiko extracted his chakra and slowly permeated it into the surrounding thick fog.

Within the mist, wisps of killing intent surged toward him, making him feel as if needles were pricking his back.

A bead of cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

Fortunately, in the house behind him, Jiraiya was merely lying in wait and hadn't truly left; he could provide reinforcements at any moment.

Probably...

Right?

Cold sweat broke out on Kyohiko's forehead.

Whoosh!

In an instant, Kurenai Yuhi landed in front of Kyohiko.

The next moment—

"Fall back! Go protect Mr. Matsuyama; he is our mission objective."

Kyohiko gave a sharp shout.

Kurenai Yuhi's speed was not as great as his, and rushing over in this situation was no different from seeking her own death.

"But..."

"If it comes to it, we abandon the two of them."

Kyohiko said.

Kurenai Yuhi hesitated for a moment, then nodded and headed upstairs to assist Kakashi in protecting the client.

Just then—

Splash!

Kyohiko spun around and slashed, his kunai cutting through the air like a blade.

However.

The opponent's head instantly dissolved into a spray of water, while his other arm expanded and surged toward him.

Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique!

A savage, cold sneer curled the corners of Hozuki Mangetsu's mouth.

But then.

Boom!

The person in front of him transformed into a block of wood.

??

What?

Hozuki Mangetsu realized with a shock—

The opponent had used the Body Flicker Technique to escape, leaving behind a Substitution Technique decoy in his place.

A simple masking trick, combined with the Body Flicker Technique, had deceived him.

That wasn't all.

The first time, the opponent had dodged his assassination attempt and countered with a kunai strike to his head.

The second time, he had used the Body Flicker and Substitution techniques to trick him again.

This level of skill...

This Konoha brat was no ordinary genin!

He turned his head to see the opponent already leaping toward the second floor, having finished his hand seals while in mid-air.

Immediately, a torrential wave of water poured down from above.

Trying to kill him with water?

Hozuki Mangetsu dared not underestimate his opponent any longer; he treated Kyohiko as an equal and instantly retreated.

The next moment—

Crackle!

Electric currents descended from above, sweeping through the surroundings along with the water, catching both Kisame and his partner in the lightning strike.

Hozuki Mangetsu had run fast enough to avoid the lightning release.

But still.

To have failed repeatedly and been forced into such a pathetic state by his opponent was truly humiliating.

Hozuki Mangetsu was about to strike again.

"Stop playing around, take the target and leave."

A cold voice drifted out from the mist.

"Understood!"

The next moment, a blade tore through the mist, surging toward him.

Judging by its appearance, it had to be the Kubikiribōchō.

Kyohiko frowned.

Kubikiribōchō, Biwa Juzo?

Were there other Kirigakure jonin lurking in the shadows?