Interception! Who Is the Prey? You Are the Prey!

At the entrance to Amegakure, the morning mist had yet to disperse.

Tsunade stood by the roadside, her eyes slightly red. Clearly, she had not slept well last night... or rather, she had been kept from sleeping well.

As she helped Tobirama straighten his collar, she kept nagging him.

"Be careful on the way back to the village."

"The old man may have agreed to the terms, but that old dog Danzo definitely won't stay quiet."

"If anyone dares to make things difficult for you, don't bottle it up. Use Flying Thunder God to come back and tell me. I'll avenge you!"

That was Tsunade.

Even while deeply in love, her instinct to protect her own never diminished.

Tobirama took her hand and kissed the smooth back of it.

"Don't worry. With such a fierce little tigress at home, how could a man like me let outsiders bully him?"

"Screw you! Who are you calling a tigress?!"

Tsunade punched him, but the corners of her lips still lifted uncontrollably.

"Alright, get lost already!"

"Go early and come back early... I'll be waiting for you in Amegakure."

Tobirama smiled and said nothing more. He turned and waved.

"I'm off."

Beside him, Konan, carrying a small backpack, obediently bowed to Tsunade.

"Goodbye, Master's wife!"

That single "Master's wife" made Tsunade blossom with delight, her cheeks flushing red.

Watching the two of them walk away, Tsunade touched her burning cheek.

These days... suddenly seemed to hold even more to look forward to.

After leaving Amegakure, the terrain became far more complicated.

Half of it was muddy swamp, while the other half was dense forest.

"Master, why are we taking this way?"

Konan carried a backpack bigger than she was without a word of complaint, following closely behind Tobirama.

"Because someone wants to invite me for tea, so I have to give them a chance."

A cold smile lingered at Tobirama's lips, yet his pace remained slow.

"Come on, Konan. The terrain is perfect right now."

"Today's first lesson is chakra control."

"Gather chakra beneath your feet. Stick to the tree trunk like suction cups, but don't cling too rigidly."

As he spoke, Tobirama demonstrated by walking up a vertical tree as if he were on level ground.

Konan's eyes lit up, and she immediately tried to imitate him.

Bang!

After taking only two steps, she lost control of her chakra and blew apart the bark beneath her feet, falling flat on her backside.

"Clumsy."

Though he sounded disdainful, Tobirama still reached out to pull her up and patiently brushed the mud from her pants.

"Don't rush. Take it slowly."

Within the shadows deep in the forest.

"The intelligence is confirmed! The target is Tobirama Uchiha, and he only has one little brat with him!"

"The route is correct! This came from Lord Danzo himself!"

On both sides of the forest.

A group of scruffily dressed bounty hunters, brimming with viciousness, were wiping down their weapons.

"Fifty million ryo..."

The scar-faced leader licked his lips, greed glowing green in his eyes.

"As long as we kill him, we can swagger through the Bounty Exchange for the rest of our lives!"

"But Boss, they say that brat killed Hanzo..."

"Bah! That's just a rumor!" Scarface spat. "A twelve-year-old brat? Konoha must have made it up to build his reputation! Hanzo must have been killed after being surrounded by the Legendary Sannin!"

"True enough! Let's do it!"

And farther away, atop the treetops.

Anbu from the Land of Lightning and puppet masters from the Land of Wind lay in wait like venomous snakes.

They were in no hurry.

They were waiting for this group of cannon fodder to go in first and wear him down.

"Master... I feel like something's wrong."

Konan, who had been practicing walking on water, suddenly stopped.

Tobirama raised a finger to his lips.

He stood on the water's surface as ripples slowly spread beneath his feet.

"Konan, today's second lesson."

"When you face enemies who want your life, what should you do?"

The instant he finished speaking.

"Kill him!"

The surrounding bushes exploded.

More than a dozen ferocious-looking bounty hunters charged out with savage cries, brandishing broadswords and kunai.

"The fifty million ryo are mine!"

"Brat! Hand over your life!"

All kinds of low-level ninjutsu rained down from every direction.

Fireballs, wind blades, and Shuriken sealed off every route of escape.

Konan's little face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively tried to form hand seals.

But a warm hand gently took hers.

The next second.

His figure vanished.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

It was not Flying Thunder God, merely a simple physical Body Flicker.

But with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan enhancing him, that speed was more than enough against this rabble.

Slash!

A flash of blade-light appeared.

The vicious grin had not yet faded from Scarface's face when his vision began spinning wildly.

He saw a headless body still charging forward.

That was... me?

Tobirama held a longsword as he weaved through the crowd like a phantom.

There was not a single unnecessary movement.

He shifted aside, dodging a kunai.

He swung his blade, severing a throat.

He raised his leg, shattering a heart.

"Argh!"

"My hand!"

"He's a monster! The intelligence was wrong! Run!"

The bounty hunters who had been so aggressive moments ago were now lambs awaiting slaughter, screaming miserably.

Everything they had learned in their lives was utterly useless before this boy.

Those scarlet eyes.

They were the last sight they would ever see.

"Run?"

Tobirama sneered and flicked the blood from his blade.

"Since you came, stay and become fertilizer."

"Uchiha Style: Sword Leap Flame!"

Flames erupted along the blade.

A crimson arc of sword energy swept outward.

The remaining five bounty hunters trying to flee were instantly severed at the waist!

Blood sprayed across the leaves, dripping down with soft patters.

In less than ten seconds.

The battle was over.

The ground was covered in corpses. Not one had survived.

Tobirama stood amid the bodies and shook the blood from his sword.

Even the black coat he wore did not have a single wrinkle.

Seeing the hellish scene, Konan's face went pale, and she nearly threw up.

But she forced herself to endure it.

Because her master was watching her.

"This is the Ninja World."

Tobirama spoke calmly, his tone terrifyingly even.

"Mercy toward your enemies is cruelty toward yourself."

"Do you remember that?"

Konan bit her lip and nodded heavily. "I remember, Master!"

Tobirama smiled in satisfaction.

Then.

He turned around and looked toward the seemingly empty forest on the left.

His Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly spun, radiating chilling light that pierced the soul.

"Since you've watched enough, come out."

"Guests from the Land of Lightning, and puppet masters from the Land of Wind."

"Isn't it embarrassing to hide like rats?"

The wind swept through the treetops.

Silence filled the forest.

Then.

"Hmph! So he really is a sensory specialist."

"Those bounty hunters didn't die for nothing, then."

Hmph!

Dozens of figures burst from the woods at once, forming a fan-shaped encirclement around Tobirama and Konan.

On the left stood elite Anbu wearing Kumogakure masks, dark-skinned and wreathed in lightning.

On the right stood jonin in Sunagakure robes, controlling bizarre puppets.

There were more than thirty of them!

And the chakra fluctuations from every one of them were far beyond those worthless fodder from before.

"Tobirama Uchiha."

The Kumogakure leader drew the ninja blade from his back, Lightning Release chakra crackling around it.

"Your head is worth too much money, and you're far too dangerous."

"Today, this will be your burial ground!"

Konan watched the many powerful enemies and tightly clutched Tobirama's coat.

"Master..."

"It's fine."

Tobirama patted her hand and shielded her behind him.

Facing the elite forces of two great nations, he showed not the slightest fear. Instead, he sheathed his sword.

He even lazily rolled his neck.

"Is this all?"

Tobirama swept his gaze over them, finally stopping on the shadows farther away, where Danzo's Root were hidden.

An exceedingly arrogant smile curled across his lips.

"Come at me together."

"I'm in a hurry."

"After all, I still need to return to Konoha."