Interception

Tien sorted through the stack of clothes beneath the weighted gear.

He held up a shit-green bodysuit and waved it in front of Uchiha Feng, trying to catch his attention.

"Might Guy?"

Uchiha Feng looked at the familiar bodysuit. His guess had come true!

"Yes. His taijutsu formed its own school. Though he inherited Konoha-Style Taijutsu, he already had the bearing of a founding master. Terrifying energy was brewing within his body. After observing him, I realized it was the Eight Gates technique recorded by the Uchiha Clan. I really want to see which is stronger, the Eight Gates or the Kaio-ken."

Tien fiddled seriously with the bodysuit Might Guy had given him, his face full of excitement.

In his eyes, this shit-green bodysuit was no different from the martial arts uniforms worn by the Crane Hermit School and Turtle School. Both represented recognition as a martial artist.

"As long as you like it." Seeing Tien so enthusiastic, Uchiha Feng felt strangely pulled out of the moment.

Only then did he realize that Tien was a martial arts fanatic.

"No, what matters is that you like it. I've already tempered my body through both the Crane Hermit School and Turtle School. Now I'm forging your body. It's a pity we don't have Master Roshi's turtle shell, but this should be efficient enough."

Tien stopped playing with the bodysuit, picked up the weights from the ground, and started fastening them onto Uchiha Feng.

A few minutes later, Uchiha Feng was fully equipped.

Feeling the discomfort in his body, his gaze finally fell on the shit-green bodysuit.

He felt a little relieved. Thank goodness he didn't make me wear that embarrassing bodysuit.

"This set of weights is only two hundred kilograms. That's enough for you at the beginning, but with your body's adaptability, you'll need to replace it soon."

Only then did Tien nod in satisfaction.

In his view, Uchiha Feng's talent would increase along with the number of cards he acquired, so he had to build a solid foundation.

"That's enough. Our most important task right now is to give you all bodies to descend into. Training can be put off for now."

Uchiha Feng was somewhat resistant. He was used to focusing on one thing at a time.

"That won't do. If you always say it's good enough, good enough, in the end, you'll fall far behind. The Crane Hermit School once had many disciples. I saw many of them expelled over tiny gaps, all because they always said their daily training was good enough.

In the end, only Dumpling and I remained."

Tien spoke seriously, his eyes fixed tightly on Uchiha Feng.

Uchiha Feng even felt as if Tien's hidden third eye was staring at him as well.

"I understand. I won't let your training go to waste." Uchiha Feng was someone who listened to advice, recalling the bloody lessons in his mind.

He even felt somewhat moved.

"Good. Then start getting used to the weights! Run twenty laps around Konoha!" Tien was inexplicably fired up, as though he had been infected by something strange.

Uchiha Feng stared intently at Tien, suspecting that Might Guy had transformed into him. Yet his senses clearly told him that this was his own clone.

"Actually, my third eye discovered a flaw in the barrier. Let's go take a look together," Tien explained.

Still unaccustomed to the weights, Uchiha Feng ran along the outskirts of Konoha in a clumsy manner, like a warrior training earnestly.

Perhaps because there were people like Might Guy around, the villagers were not overly curious.

Yet Uchiha Feng's sensory ability constantly detected someone watching them. On second thought, Tien was an outsider, and at such a critical time, it was only natural for someone to keep an eye on him.

After the training ended, the two of them examined the flaw Tien mentioned several more times.

The Sarutobi Clan's compound, the Shimura Clan's territory, and another unknown hidden compound.

They deduced there were two possible reasons for the flaw.

First, the two clans and that hidden location were especially powerful and refused maintenance from Konoha's barrier team. Uchiha Feng guessed that the hidden location was either an Anbu or Root base.

Second, all three places had their own barriers, which interfered with the Hidden Leaf Village's barrier and created the flaw. Like the Uchiha Clan in the past, they possessed independent barriers.

During the investigation, they also received an unexpected gain: the peace negotiations had ended.

Uchiha Feng's will began transferring into Dumpling's body, preparing to personally direct a play.

Outside Konoha, on the road leading toward the Hidden Mist Village.

There was a small river there. Yajirobe was grilling fish one after another, but before they were even done, he swallowed them whole and spat out intact fish skeletons, revealing his talent as a glutton.

No wonder he got along so well with Korin and the Ninja Cat Clan. They shared the same hobby.

"Yajirobe, I've found the target." Dumpling kept watch in Konoha's direction.

"Are we making our move here? Then we'll need to finish this quickly. According to the information, we're only half an hour away from the Hidden Leaf Village," Yajirobe asked.

Dumpling was somewhat confused. The combined intelligence of the two of them was not even as high as that of a single ninja cat.

At that moment, Uchiha Feng's will within Dumpling's mind took over command. This time, they were not trying to kill the enemy, but to intensify the conflict.

Dumpling's eyes changed. His originally beady eyes became Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

Yajirobe stopped what he was doing and moved beside Dumpling. Whenever he saw those eyes, he knew Dumpling's will had been replaced.

"A squad of Konoha ANBU ninja is hidden nearby, monitoring and protecting the Land of Water's peace negotiation delegation. We have to deal with them first."

Uchiha Feng took control of the body and issued his orders.

Yajirobe nodded. He obeyed Uchiha Feng's orders completely.

He looked around, making use of his predator's lucky talent, and hid in a tree along the only route.

Once Konoha's Anbu tried to seize the best observation point, Yajirobe's location would deliver them a fatal blow.

"Three jonin. I'll restrain them, and you'll kill them," Uchiha Feng explained the plan.

That was why he had arranged for Dumpling and Yajirobe to be together.

Dumpling's telepathy could direct the overall situation, while his psychic ability could restrain enemies for a short time. Yajirobe's Quick Draw Slash, meanwhile, could swiftly eliminate them.

"Alright! I'll listen to you." Yajirobe concealed every trace of his presence. Even when Uchiha Feng could see where Yajirobe was hiding, his sensory ability could not detect him.

On the main road.

The Hidden Mist Village's peace negotiation delegation traveled slowly. At this moment, Ao was immersed in joy.

Even his usual vigilance had dropped considerably. They were still near the Hidden Leaf Village, and Konoha was the last party that wanted anything to happen to him.

The one hundred and fifty million ryo he had secured this time could improve the lives of many villagers and ease the Hidden Mist Village's financial strain.

He felt a little regretful as well. If not for those reckless fools from the Land of Lightning suddenly dropping the ball, they could have gained even more from Konoha.

The peace negotiation delegation safely passed the location where Uchiha Feng had laid his ambush.

Uchiha Feng held his breath and waited for the prey to arrive.

"They're here. Three people! One dog!" Uchiha Feng controlled Dumpling's clone and used telepathy to warn Yajirobe.

"Kill the dog last. I want to taste it." Yajirobe still had the mind to think about food.

"Shut up! This distance is just right. Based on the distances between you and them, from nearest to farthest, are you confident?"

Uchiha Feng asked. Yajirobe's strength had transformed, and he was no longer entirely sure how powerful he had become.