Watching Uchiha Matsuri and Jiraiya disappear one after the other, Kiba Inuzuka, still trapped in the genjutsu, shouted, "Don't leave yet! You haven't told me how to break the genjutsu!"
After breaking free of the genjutsu, Jiraiya glanced at Minato Namikaze and Kiba Inuzuka, who stood nearby with vacant expressions. He shook his head, then freed them both from the illusion.
Once they were free, Minato and Kiba took a moment to get their bearings. Then Kiba suddenly yelled, "Look! Why are Matsuri's eyes so red? Does he have red-eye disease?"
Hearing Kiba's somewhat foolish remark, Minato followed his gaze and saw that Uchiha Matsuri's eyes had turned bloodred.
"Could that be the Sharingan?" Minato asked, slightly astonished.
Minato had heard plenty about the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan, but he had never seen one with his own eyes.
"I never would've guessed Matsuri was hiding this from us. He already has the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, and even I had no idea." Jiraiya gazed at Uchiha Matsuri with mixed feelings.
If Uchiha Matsuri had the Sharingan, then even Minato, who had begun to master the Flying Thunder God Technique, would be at a disadvantage in a contest against him.
"Um, can I ask what the Sharingan is?" Kiba asked awkwardly.
"..."
After Minato explained, Kiba was stunned. "Whoa, the Sharingan is that powerful? But only the Uchiha Clan has that kind of talent. The heavens are so unfair!"
Ignoring Kiba's envy and jealousy, Uchiha Matsuri stared at the man in the tree and said coldly, "I never thought you'd be able to trap us in a genjutsu without us noticing. You're quite something."
"Hahaha, thanks for the compliment. I was going to use the genjutsu to make you all fall off this cliff. Too bad you broke free first." The man shook his head ruefully.
"Heh. I didn't know you were so vicious." Uchiha Matsuri felt a lingering shiver of fear. If he hadn't awakened his Sharingan in time, he might have ended up a corpse at the bottom of the cliff.
After sensing that the man in the tree didn't have much chakra, Jiraiya said casually, "Matsuri, Kiba, leave him to the two of you."
"Got it," they answered in unison.
At the order, Kiba became excited, thinking he'd get another chance to show off.
But after glancing at Uchiha Matsuri, who was brimming with fighting spirit, Kiba said, "Matsuri, I'm not holding back this time. That guy's as good as dead by my blade."
"Is that so?" Uchiha Matsuri chuckled. "Then let's see which of us kills him first."
"Hmph!" Kiba snorted at Matsuri's taunt and prepared to join the fight.
The man was furious that the two of them weren't taking him seriously. He pulled out several poison-coated Kunai and hurled them at Uchiha Matsuri and Kiba.
As the two dodged the Kunai, the man formed Hand Seals once more and cast another genjutsu.
Unlike Kiba, whose eyes immediately grew bewildered and vacant, Uchiha Matsuri wasn't caught in the genjutsu because his Sharingan was active.
"Trying the same trick again?" Uchiha Matsuri said coldly.
The man looked at Matsuri in surprise. That genjutsu had been a full level stronger than the first, yet Matsuri had still dispelled it with ease.
Ignoring Kiba, who was trapped in the genjutsu and still using Fang Over Fang, Uchiha Matsuri struck the man out of the tree with the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
"You're so weak," Uchiha Matsuri taunted.
Though the man specialized in genjutsu, he still had great confidence in his ninjutsu. He never would've imagined he could be so easily defeated by an unknown Genin.
Seeing that the man was powerless to fight back, Uchiha Matsuri said coldly, "Time's up."
He formed Hand Seals and slapped his palms against the ground.
"Lightning Release: Earth Crawl!"
Electricity surged across the ground and struck the man. He screamed, then exploded into ashes.
The moment the man died, Kiba, who had been trapped in the genjutsu, snapped out of it. Seeing the ashes scattered across the ground and the others watching coolly nearby, he immediately figured out what had happened.
"Damn, I thought I'd killed the enemy. Turns out it was all just a genjutsu." Kiba muttered in disappointment.
After a few seconds, he consoled himself. "That guy only got lucky because the Sharingan made him immune to that genjutsu. Just you wait. I'll beat you next time!"
Unlike Kiba, who was disappointed and unwilling to accept defeat, Minato and Jiraiya both frowned when they saw Uchiha Matsuri's final attack.
"Such a cold gaze." Minato shivered when he saw the look in Uchiha Matsuri's eyes.
Jiraiya noticed it too. "That kid's eyes look a lot like Orochimaru's."
Without a doubt, Minato and Jiraiya had both caught the fleeting coldness and ruthlessness in Uchiha Matsuri's eyes.
Even Jiraiya wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or a bad one.
On the one hand, killing was an everyday part of being a ninja. Only those who acted decisively in battle and showed their enemies no mercy could survive longer in this cruel world.
On the other hand, if this tendency were allowed to grow, Uchiha Matsuri might one day become a bloodthirsty demon who killed without blinking. The Third Hokage and Jiraiya, who considered him a potential Hokage candidate, certainly didn't want him to turn out that way.
A day passed, and the caravan entered a vast forest, nearing the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.
Since they were still in the Land of Fire, the caravan hadn't encountered any formidable enemies over the past few days. But once they left the well-policed Land of Fire, everything would become more complicated. Bandits, rogue ninja, Grass Ninja... all kinds of forces had their eyes on this valuable cargo.
"The caravan's about to leave the Land of Fire. Everyone, stay alert," Jiraiya quietly reminded the three of them.
"Soon, I'll head to the front of the caravan. Minato, you take the left. Kiba, you take the right. Matsuri, keep watch from the rear."
"Understood."
"Mr. Moriya!" Jiraiya turned to Koji Moriya, who was strolling alongside the caravan. "We're approaching the forest in the Land of Grass. For your safety, please get back inside the carriage."
"Fine," Koji Moriya replied sourly.
After climbing into the carriage, Koji Moriya suddenly poked his head out and threatened Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, if a fight breaks out, you'd better protect this cargo. It's worth more than the lives of all four of you."
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