Heading to the Ambush

"This place is huge. I need to search it fast!"

Xuanhui kicked the corpse in front of him aside and darted into the nearest wooden shack.

A heavy stench of alcohol hit him head-on, assaulting his olfactory nerves.

"These damn drunks..."

Xuanhui covered his nose, his face twisting in discomfort. With his other hand, he frantically rummaged through chests and cabinets, pulling out bag after bag of gold, silver, jewels, and money.

He carried the bags over and kept throwing them through the wooden door. Once he finished looting one shack, he moved on to the next.

Before long, Xuanhui had gone through every shack. After confirming that he had missed none, he gathered several corpses together and set them ablaze.

"Thank you all for your generous contributions!"

Xuanhui left behind those words of thanks, considering them a final prayer for the dead before he departed.

By the time Xuanhui emerged from the woods again, the tail end of the convoy was nearly out of sight.

He could only sprint madly toward the main road.

About half an hour later, a ninja in a gray combat uniform appeared atop the mountain, the forehead protector on his head slashed across the middle.

Ash drifted through his mask and into his nostrils, making him frown slightly.

A dangerous gleam flickered in his dark green eyes.

The newcomer was Kakuzu, a rogue ninja from the Hidden Waterfall Village and a veteran ninja who had once fought the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju!

"That damned boss... The location marked on the map is several miles off from here!

When I get back, I ought to kill that black market boss...

And why aren't these bandits taking a nap at noon? Why are they still grilling meat?"

Kakuzu had obtained some intelligence from a black market boss in the Land of Grass. Apparently, there was a group of bandits here that had been especially rampant lately.

Many passing merchants had fallen victim to them.

Thinking they must have amassed quite a bit of savings, and that the place was not far away, he had come to make some extra money.

But on the way, he had encountered a Konoha ninja with a bounty on his head, accompanied by a little brat.

Yet the other party had vanished right before his eyes. Kakuzu realized it was a space-time ninjutsu, and out of caution born from years of experience, he decisively gave up on claiming that bounty.

Now, it was time to get down to business!

"Should I force my way in... Forget it, I'll take a look first."

Kakuzu tried sensing the area, but he could not detect anyone!

"What's going on?"

Kakuzu circled the wooden stake fence and found a small gap.

He peered inside, and his eyes widened instantly!

"Damn! They're all dead? Who did this?!"

Kakuzu no longer had time to hesitate. He immediately vaulted over the wall and entered the camp.

Sure enough, the pile in the middle was made up of burning corpses. They were nearly reduced to ash, with many bones already exposed beneath a layer of black soot.

"Someone was here! Someone got here before me!"

Kakuzu glanced at the nearby shack, stepped forward, and kicked the door open.

Sure enough, everything inside was scattered across the floor in a mess!

It had obviously been searched!

"What ninja from the Land of Grass would have time to wipe them out? Who could it be..."

Veins bulged across Kakuzu's clenched fist. Just as he was halfway through uttering a threat, an idea surfaced in his mind.

"Konoha ninja? Could they also be..."

As Kakuzu pondered, he opened doors and searched the shacks one by one. Unfortunately, not much of value remained.

"Damn Konoha ninja, they actually ruined my plans..."

"Should I confront them head-on? They're wary of me too. It might still be worth a gamble..."

"If they're Konoha ninja, then on their return trip, they'll undoubtedly be heading down this road..."

"To Kannabi Bridge!"

As long as the Konoha ninja had not left immediately, there was still a high chance he could intercept them there!

Kakuzu considered it only briefly before immediately setting off for Shinbuvi Bridge.

Kakuzu was alone, while Xuanhui's group was a transport convoy. Even though Kakuzu had set off later, he still arrived a full hour before the caravan.

As for Xuanhui, he had caught up from behind the convoy, so Jiraiya was the first to notice his hurried return.

"You brat, where did you go?"

He had been gone so long for a bathroom break. Could his lunch have upset his stomach?

As he spoke, Jiraiya's gaze instinctively dropped. The bloodstains on Xuanhui's hand were insignificant, but Jiraiya still caught sight of them.

Xuanhui, his mouth slightly open, noticed Jiraiya's gaze and instinctively pulled his hand back before his brain could even react.

"Kid, you..."

Knowing he could not hide it, Xuanhui sighed resignedly and was just about to explain when Jiraiya interrupted him again.

"You went and dealt with the enemy, didn't you? Nicely done, kid! Hahahahahaha!"

Jiraiya's large hand landed on Xuanhui's shoulder, patting him so hard that Xuanhui was left dazed.

"Lord Jiraiya, how did you figure that out?"

"Because I know Xuanhui is a good kid! Hahahahaha!"

Laughing, Jiraiya pointed with his other hand at the blood on Xuanhui's hand.

"Since you went alone, Orochimaru must have known about it!

If he dared let you go by yourself, then the enemy definitely wasn't as strong as you. He probably wanted you to gain some real combat experience. After all, real battles are the fastest way to surpass yourself.

Looks like Orochimaru is a pretty good teacher too! Hahahahahaha!"

"As expected of Lord Jiraiya... You and Teacher Orochimaru both possess world-shaking wisdom."

Xuanhui's casual compliment made Jiraiya proudly raise his chin.

"Then, Lord Jiraiya, I'll go find Teacher Orochimaru up ahead!"

Just as Xuanhui was about to run forward, his collar suddenly tightened.

When he turned around, he saw that Jiraiya had grabbed his clothes.

"Lord Jiraiya?"

"Where are your spoils? Take them out and let me have a look."

"Spoils? There's no such thing, Lord Jiraiya!"

Xuanhui abandoned his earlier respectful attitude and looked at Jiraiya with a smiling face that practically screamed stubborn denial.

"Hmph! Do you think you can fool me, kid?

You barely broke a sweat, and even when you ran back, you were completely at ease...

How could you have been gone that long? You must have wasted time looting the spoils!"

"Tch!"

Why was he unexpectedly smart about something like this?

"Lord Jiraiya, stop thinking about my little bit of tuition money. Didn't I introduce you to a disciple? Can't you just fleece him instead?"

"No. I haven't met him yet. Before I fleece him, it's more fun to fleece you."

Jiraiya actually stated his true thoughts without the slightest attempt to hide them! Xuanhui immediately felt helpless.

"Lord Jiraiya, stop treating me like an ordinary child. You're such a grown man—can't you be a little more mature..."

Xuanhui shook his shoulders and flung Jiraiya's hand away.

After glancing back at the dumbfounded Jiraiya, he jogged off.

Only the thoroughly devastated Jiraiya remained, Xuanhui's jab echoing through his mind.

"A mere child... actually told me to be more mature..."