For Aburame Torune, the Nano-Poison Insects covering his body were his most advantageous weapon.
Therefore, he had to find a way to close the distance with Mingyou. Only then would he have a chance to defeat the strong while weak and seize a sliver of survival.
"That sudden disappearance just now has already happened twice."
Aburame Torune frowned slightly. Seizing the moment, he threw another punch straight at Mingyou's face.
Whoosh~~
As expected, his fist covered in Nano-Poison Insects passed straight through Mingyou's body once again.
"Hmph~~"
A triumphant smile appeared at the corner of Aburame Torune's lips, and he did not pause his attacking momentum in the slightest.
He charged directly at Nami, who was fighting Yamanaka Fu.
At this moment, Nami was less than five meters away from him. For a well-trained ninja, that distance could be crossed in merely two breaths.
As long as he dealt with Nami first, he could join forces with Yamanaka Fu and launch a combined attack against this young Uchiha.
"Oh? A feint? Haha."
Mingyou smiled disdainfully. Amid a violent distortion of space, his body was sucked into the void and vanished.
"Nami, you've had enough fun, right? Time to reel in the net."
The next second, Mingyou appeared behind Yamanaka Fu first. He placed one hand on Yamanaka Fu's shoulder and sucked him into the Kamui Dimension.
"What~~"
Aburame Torune watched his companion get sucked into the void and disappear, his expression changing drastically in shock.
It seemed that his little scheme was simply not worth mentioning before this young Uchiha's overwhelming strength.
"Ninjutsu: Fox Mind Illusion!"
Taking advantage of Aburame Torune's momentary daze, Nami rapidly formed several hand seals.
"What's going on?"
Aburame Torune was horrified. In his field of vision, Nami and Mingyou's figures twisted strangely.
Then, they vanished from the surface of the sea.
Immediately afterward, the seawater behind him erupted with a thunderous roar, and a massive octopus sprang out of the ocean.
The octopus swung its countless tentacles and tightly wrapped them around Aburame Torune's body.
"Damn it. This time, it really is genjutsu."
Aburame Torune felt unbearable pain throughout his body. As the octopus's tentacles tightened, he found it increasingly difficult to breathe.
Finally, with a splash, Aburame Torune toppled headfirst onto the sea's surface, his body slowly sinking beneath the water.
"Done. So, Mingyou, my genjutsu isn't bad, right?"
Nami clapped her hands and smiled proudly at Mingyou.
"Of course it's impressive. Who knew our Nami was a genjutsu master?" Mingyou raised a hand and rubbed Nami's head.
After spending the past few days together, the two had gradually become familiar with one another and often exchanged harmless jokes.
Nami brushed aside the bangs he had messed up and said coquettishly, "Oh, you're so annoying. You messed up my hair."
"Nami, kill him. We can't leave any survivors." Mingyou pointed at the sinking Aburame Torune. "Oh, and don't touch his body. It's poisonous."
"Mm." Nami nodded and quickly walked over to Aburame Torune. With a swing of the kunai in her hand, she pierced a large hole through the back of his head.
Blood dyed a large stretch of seawater bright red. Before long, sharks beneath the waves would surely follow the scent of blood and swim over to devour these corpses.
"Let's go."
Mingyou did not use Kamui. Instead, he started jogging toward the shore.
"Mm."
Nami nodded in agreement. Having killed someone for the first time, she felt nauseous and sick, her face turning deathly pale.
But she did not want to show Mingyou her weak side, so she revealed none of it and quickly followed behind him.
"Young Clan Leader!! You're amazing!"
Up in the watchtower, the Uchiha Clan guards kept waving their hands and shouting loudly.
Through their binoculars, they had watched the battle just now.
The terrifying black flames Mingyou had used, along with the ability that rendered attacks ineffective, had left the guards wildly excited.
They had been cheering for Mingyou and Nami from the watchtower the entire time.
When the two returned in triumph, the guards leaped down from the tower and rushed over to greet them excitedly.
"Haha, train your ninjutsu diligently. One day, you'll become outstanding ninja too."
Mingyou awkwardly scratched the back of his head, still somewhat unaccustomed to being admired like this.
"Hey! What kind of talk is that? Is the Young Clan Leader the only one who's impressive?"
"This young lady's genjutsu move completely subdued the enemy just now. That was impressive too, okay?"
Nami gave a light snort, looking rather unconvinced.
"Young Clan Leader's wife, of course you're impressive too."
"Yeah, yeah. As the Young Clan Leader's virtuous helper, how could you possibly not be outstanding?"
The guards nodded repeatedly, not daring to upset Nami.
Quite a few of them even grinned mischievously as they teased her.
"Y-You... what are you talking about? I haven't married Mingyou yet."
Nami was only twelve years old. How could she withstand such teasing? Her cheeks immediately flushed crimson, and she ran toward Gato's mansion as if fleeing for her life.
"You guys..." Mingyou shook his head helplessly and said in a grave voice, "Hurry back to your posts. The Uchiha are still in danger. We can't let down our guard."
"Yes, Young Clan Leader."
The guards answered in unison, then sprang onto the watchtower ladder and climbed back up to continue observing the sea.
"Nami, wait for me!"
Mingyou called out and chased after Nami.
"Mr. Mingyou, there's something I'd like to ask your help with."
Just as Mingyou returned to the mansion, Haku suddenly jogged over and stopped in front of him.
It was the first time she had taken the initiative to speak with Mingyou. Before this, she had always followed Zabuza around every day like a little shadow.
"Oh? What is it? Go ahead and tell me."
Mingyou was slightly surprised. Why had she suddenly come looking for him?
Haku nodded. After gathering her thoughts for a moment, she said, "I heard that you've already chosen a location for the ninja teaching class. I'd like to become a substitute teacher there. Is that possible?"
"I previously spent a long time in Kirigakure's Anbu and received professional training."
"So I believe I have the ability to help you."
"Mr. Mingyou, I hope you'll agree."
"Sure." Mingyou nodded, though he still did not understand her intentions. "Haku, why do you want to become a substitute teacher?"
Before you continue