"I never expected the great Jiraiya to know the name of the Six Rogue Ninjas." Yoru Mizuzuki, one of the six, spoke in a mocking tone.
"Teacher Jiraiya, what kind of group is the Six Rogue Ninjas?" Uchiha Matsuri couldn't help wondering when he heard the name. This group never appeared in the original story, did it?
"The Six Rogue Ninjas are a team made up of three former members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and three rogue ninjas from Kirigakure. The strongest among them are those three carrying huge swords. The other three rogue ninjas are all close to the level of an elite jonin." Jiraiya patiently explained.
Dozens of meters away, seeing that Jiraiya and the others weren't attacking, the six members of the Six Rogue Ninjas immediately ran toward the merchant caravan.
"The three of us will hold Jiraiya off. Yoru, Cheng, Jin, you three take out those brats and then move the goods." The leader of the rogue ninjas gave the order.
"Yes." Yoru Mizuzuki and the other two acknowledged the order.
When they reached the front of the caravan, the three leading rogue ninjas immediately surrounded Jiraiya.
Seeing that each of the three men surrounding him carried a huge sword, Jiraiya immediately understood the Six Rogue Ninjas' plan.
"Jiraiya, let's see which of us is stronger: the Seven Ninja Swordsmen or the Sannin!" shouted a dark-skinned rogue ninja, hefting his huge sword.
Faced with the taunt, Jiraiya didn't respond. Instead, he quickly readied himself for battle.
The other three rogue ninjas ran toward Uchiha Matsuri, Minato Namikaze, and Kiba Inuzuka.
They're fast! Uchiha Matsuri thought.
A few seconds later, a female rogue ninja with long purple hair appeared in front of him.
"Well, well, I didn't expect Konoha to send such a handsome young man this time." Seeing Uchiha Matsuri, Yoru Mizuzuki flashed a bewitching smile. "Why don't you join our team? Your big sister here will take very good care of you."
"If you want to fight, then fight. Why are you wasting your breath?" Uchiha Matsuri replied with a frown.
Seeing that Uchiha Matsuri wasn't interested, Yoru Mizuzuki didn't get angry. She continued to tease him. "You don't have to look so serious, little boy. Why not think it over?"
"I'd never join the team of an ugly hag like you. If you want to fight, fight. If not, get out of my way." Uchiha Matsuri said impatiently.
"Ugly hag?" Hearing Uchiha Matsuri call her an ugly hag, Yoru Mizuzuki was overcome with anger. "You little brat! You don't know a good thing when you see it. I'm going to slash your face to pieces!"
"Let's see if you can!" Uchiha Matsuri suddenly launched an attack.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Uchiha Matsuri spat out a massive fireball ten meters high. It shot toward Yoru Mizuzuki, who dodged it with a simple sidestep.
"Not bad, but it could use a little more finesse." Yoru Mizuzuki shook her head.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A huge amount of water gushed from Yoru Mizuzuki's mouth, flattening a stretch of forest in no time. It then gathered into a small lake.
"This makes fighting you a lot more comfortable." Yoru Mizuzuki sneered.
Seeing Yoru Mizuzuki create a lake in an instant, Uchiha Matsuri thought, This is bad.
For a ninja skilled in Water Release, a lake was an inexhaustible weapon and source of energy. Without one, many ninjas couldn't use Water Release at all.
And this woman had actually created a lake using Water Release. That would secretly make her much stronger.
"Little boy, you can still surrender while you have the chance!" Yoru Mizuzuki said smugly, watching Uchiha Matsuri's furrowed brow.
"Not a chance!"
After firmly rejecting Yoru Mizuzuki's "recruitment," Uchiha Matsuri formed Hand Seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
A dozen fireballs shot from Uchiha Matsuri's mouth straight toward Yoru Mizuzuki.
"Is that all you've got?" Yoru Mizuzuki mocked him contemptuously, then formed Hand Seals.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
The water in the lake was swept up by a mysterious force, forming a waterfall dozens of meters wide and high. It firmly blocked Uchiha Matsuri's Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
"Little boy, don't you know that water beats fire among the chakra natures?" Yoru Mizuzuki sneered.
"So what?" A cold voice came from behind Yoru Mizuzuki.
"What?"
Yoru Mizuzuki whipped around and saw Uchiha Matsuri right in front of her.
Thump!
Yoru Mizuzuki was sent flying by Uchiha Matsuri and slammed into a nearby tree trunk.
"I let my guard down." Yoru Mizuzuki muttered, looking somewhat disheveled. "I didn't expect him to use the Clone Technique while my vision was blocked."
Nearby.
After releasing the Clone Technique, Uchiha Matsuri took advantage of the fact that Yoru Mizuzuki had been knocked away and couldn't use ninjutsu. He swiftly formed Hand Seals.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
One fireball after another shot from Uchiha Matsuri's mouth, flying toward Yoru Mizuzuki, just a few meters away.
Boom, boom, boom.
The fireballs struck a large tree, setting it ablaze.
But Yoru Mizuzuki seemed to have vanished. She was nowhere to be seen beside the burning tree.
"Did she hide?" Uchiha Matsuri looked around in confusion.
Dozens of meters away, Yoru Mizuzuki was concealed among the thick branches of a large tree.
That was close. Thank goodness I used the Substitution Technique. Heh, if he comes near this tree, I'll launch a surprise attack and finish him in one strike. Yoru Mizuzuki thought.
Seeing Uchiha Matsuri draw closer, Yoru Mizuzuki's lips curled slightly upward.
However, just as Yoru Mizuzuki was about to leap out with a Kunai in hand and kill him in one strike, a huge fireball suddenly flew toward the tree she was hiding in.
Rumble.
The tree instantly split apart and caught fire. Hidden inside it, Yoru Mizuzuki had no choice but to reveal herself when the tree was hit.
"How did you find me?" Yoru Mizuzuki asked, staring at Uchiha Matsuri in confusion.
"What do you think?" Uchiha Matsuri suddenly raised his head, revealing his blood-red eyes.
"This is..." Yoru Mizuzuki stared at Uchiha Matsuri's eyes in shock. "The Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan?!"
"Correct." Uchiha Matsuri sneered.
Just moments ago, in order to find the hidden Yoru Mizuzuki, Uchiha Matsuri had no choice but to release the Yin Seal and activate his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
With his Sharingan activated, Uchiha Matsuri immediately sensed the Water Release chakra hidden in a tree dozens of meters away.
"I didn't expect you to be from the Uchiha Clan. It looks like I was too careless." Yoru Mizuzuki looked regretful.
"But even with the Sharingan, you still can't beat me." Yoru Mizuzuki suddenly flashed an eerie smile.
Before you continue