"Just as I was about to catch him,"
"someone suddenly attacked me from behind. They were so fast that I had no time to react."
"After that, five people came out in total."
"The ninja who knocked me out was probably as strong as an elite jonin. They seemed to be a small squad."
"That's all I know." Itachi Uchiha said, recalling what had happened.
Ye Yuexin listened quietly, then smiled. "It's fine. We have someone here who knows everything. Once you've recovered a bit more, just use a genjutsu on him."
Then Ye Yuexin added, "Sorry about this. I didn't plan the mission carefully enough, and that's what put you in danger. I'll treat you to dango when we get back."
Hearing this, Itachi Uchiha smiled. "No one could've known something like this would happen. You don't need to blame yourself, Ye. But my genjutsu skills aren't good enough to control someone's thoughts yet."
"What if he's not fully conscious?" Ye Yuexin asked, recalling how it had been described in the anime he'd watched in his previous life.
"If he isn't fully conscious, I can do it."
"Then that's easy." Hearing Itachi Uchiha's answer, Ye Yuexin smiled cruelly.
Especially after what had just happened to Itachi, Ye Yuexin felt no sympathy at all for their enemies.
When it came to enemies, it was always a matter of kill or be killed. If that was the case, why pretend to be kind and merciful?
He slowly walked over to Tuno and looked at him, weak as could be. "Can you tell me what you know?"
Tuno had a decent ninja's resolve. Even in this helpless situation, he didn't respond to Ye Yuexin's question.
When Tuno stayed silent, Ye Yuexin decided not to go easy on him. He brought his hands together and formed the tiger seal, then said coldly, "Konoha's mysterious technique, the ultimate Taijutsu secret, One Thousand Years of..." He abruptly stopped before he could finish.
He realized he couldn't use Konoha's ultimate technique just yet. There was nowhere to wash his hands. Besides, he'd never practiced the move.
Had his brain rusted over? How had he even thought of using that technique?
He'd only seen it described in anime and novels in his previous life, but its effects were supposedly astonishing. It could instantly rob someone of the ability to move, and it was an extremely cruel technique. Severe cases even lost their senses.
But it didn't fit his image at all. It would ruin his whole look.
Seeing Ye Yuexin suddenly stop, Itachi Uchiha was also taken aback. He'd been watching Ye Yuexin the whole time.
He was surprised to see him start performing a jutsu.
Since meeting Ye Yuexin, Itachi Uchiha had never seen him use any jutsu other than the Three-Body Technique and Shadow Clone Jutsu.
And judging by what Ye Yuexin had just said, a secret technique associated with Konoha had to be very powerful. That only made Itachi Uchiha more curious.
But why had Ye Yuexin stopped? "What's wrong, Ye?" he asked.
How was Ye Yuexin supposed to answer that? He felt a little awkward. This technique could only be understood, not explained. He really couldn't bring himself to say it.
So he brushed it off. "It's nothing. There's no need to use such an awesome technique on someone like him."
As he spoke, he began beating Tuno mercilessly.
If being nice didn't work, he'd use force—the most direct method.
Though he was beating him, Ye Yuexin kept his strength under control. In Tuno's current condition, one punch would probably knock him out.
Before long, Tuno's head began to swell. His eyes grew unfocused. It was obvious he was no longer thinking clearly.
Even Itachi Uchiha, watching from the side, furrowed his brow.
Ye Yuexin looked at Tuno and said, "All right, that's done. Now it's your turn. The enemy may have infiltrated our territory, so this information is extremely important. Sorry for the trouble."
Itachi Uchiha understood how important this was. He nodded solemnly. "Don't worry. I'll make him talk." This had become a matter of wartime importance.
Itachi Uchiha walked up to Tuno and began forming Hand Seals. At the same time, his Sharingan appeared.
The sight of the Sharingan startled Ye Yuexin.
He hadn't expected Itachi Uchiha to awaken his Sharingan here. The eyes, glowing faintly red, were rather unsettling.
At the same time, he felt a little envious. Itachi Uchiha's cheat code had already come online. He'd have to create his own throwing-knife cheat code.
The genjutsu was complete, and Tuno's eyes closed.
"It's done. You can ask him now," Itachi Uchiha said, breathing a little heavily. It seemed he'd used up most of the chakra he'd just recovered.
"Okay. Rest and recover your chakra first." Ye Yuexin turned to face Tuno.
He should start with some simple questions, right? That was how it always went in the TV dramas from his previous life.
So he asked, "What's your name?"
"Tuno." He obediently answered, but his voice was completely flat.
"What's your father's name?"
"Tufang."
"Your mother's... Never mind, I won't ask that. Why did you come to capture the jackals?"
"Because jackals have a better sense of smell than Ninja Dogs. Lord Lin Mu wants to turn them into summoning beasts."
Sure enough, they were getting useful information.
Ye Yuexin continued, "Who is this Lord Lin Mu?"
"Lord Lin Mu is a jonin from Iwagakure."
"What did he come here for?"
"Lord Lin came to negotiate with us wandering ninja."
"What kind of deal?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure about that."
"How many wandering ninja have you contacted so far?"
"Just the seven of us. But we've already contacted another squad. We're getting ready to head over there now."
There were wandering ninja in every country. They were ordinary people who had learned to use chakra but lacked the resources of a hidden village, so they didn't know many jutsu.
But they still wanted to grow stronger. So these wandering ninja began banding together for mutual support.
They took jobs through underground organizations to earn money, then used that money to trade with rogue ninja for jutsu.
Over time, more and more wandering ninja gathered. Eventually, their combined resources could almost be enough to establish a small hidden village.
They were not a group to be underestimated.
"Where are you going next?"
"Twin Ox Mountain, twenty li to the east."
As soon as Tuno finished speaking, he could no longer hold on and passed out.
Ye Yuexin quickly bandaged his wounds, then tied him to a tree.
He turned to Itachi Uchiha, who was still sitting on the ground recovering his chakra. "Itachi, go notify the village. Their movements are unpredictable, so I'll follow them and investigate."
"That's too dangerous. I'm coming with you." Hearing Ye Yuexin say this, Itachi Uchiha immediately stood up.
Ye Yuexin knew Itachi Uchiha was worried about his safety.
"You? Forget it. Do you really want me to put you down?" he teased with a smile. "In your current condition, you couldn't keep up with me even if you tried. Do you expect me to carry you there?"
"Besides, you know how fast I am. Even ordinary jonin can't catch me when I really let loose. Don't worry."
"I'm going to gather information, not fight to the death. So having you notify the village is the most sensible plan."
After Ye Yuexin put it so bluntly, Itachi Uchiha had nothing more to say. "Then be careful. They may have a jonin with them."
"I know. They probably haven't gone far, so I need to catch up and follow them from a distance." Ye Yuexin's figure blurred, and he darted toward the distance.
He was like a wild goose. You had to admit, "With good footwork, you don't have to run to get anywhere..."
Before you continue