No Guarding Against the Thief Within

"Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique."

Countless strands of white hair, like winding steel needles, shot toward Feng Xun.

Sensing danger, Feng Xun quickly retreated. Yet Jiraiya's hair pursued him relentlessly, like a festering sore clinging to the bone.

Damn, no wonder it was Jiraiya-brand hair-growth tonic. It could actually make hair this long.

As the hair was about to catch him, Feng Xun narrowed his eyes and gathered his qi into the fingers of his right hand, pressing them together into a hand blade before fiercely slashing forward.

Rip!!!

The sharp qi tangled Jiraiya's hair into a mess, and Feng Xun took advantage of the opening to charge at the unguarded Jiraiya.

Seeing this, Jiraiya's hair rapidly wrapped around him like a hedgehog's spines.

"Ninja Art: Needle Jizo."

Rather than backing down before Jiraiya's defense, Feng Xun closed in even faster.

Just as Feng Xun was about to touch the steel-needle-like hair, his body became a transparent afterimage in an instant and passed straight through Jiraiya's defense.

When he saw Jiraiya's shock beneath his hair, Feng Xun's lips curled upward. The kunai clenched in his hand swiftly slashed downward.

"Clang!"

Jiraiya had reacted in time and used his own kunai to block Feng Xun's strike.

Without pausing in the slightest, Feng Xun immediately retreated after his attack failed.

He did not dare continue attacking from within Jiraiya's hair. His Time-Skip Space only lasted 0.5 seconds. If he dragged things out any longer, he would definitely be the one injured.

However, Feng Xun was still half a beat too slow. Just as he was about to completely escape the threat of Needle Jizo, the 0.5 seconds ran out.

As his body was about to be pierced by Needle Jizo, Feng Xun hurriedly raised his arm in front of his chest. Yet the pain he expected never came.

Because Jiraiya had already dispelled the ninja art.

Good thing Jiraiya doesn't know the limits of my skill. If he knew Time-Skip Space only lasted 0.5 seconds, he definitely wouldn't have dispelled Needle Jizo so casually.

Secretly counting himself lucky, Feng Xun did not linger. He swiftly retreated until he had left Jiraiya's attack range, only then stopping again.

The continuous battle had left little qi in his body. To save face, Feng Xun was considering whether he should take the initiative to concede.

But just as he thought that, Jiraiya on the other side suddenly said, "Brat, that attack just now was pretty good. I never thought you could use Space-Time Ninjutsu to such an extent."

Feng Xun did not appreciate the praise at all. Instead, he replied with an unhappy expression, "Lord Jiraiya, you flatter me. I didn't hurt you just now."

Faced with Feng Xun's denial, Jiraiya neither agreed nor refuted it. Instead, he spoke again. "Come to think of it, you've been worrying about something since the beginning, haven't you?"

"..."

"I noticed it as soon as the spar began. You've been deliberately avoiding something. At first, I thought you were afraid of getting hurt, so you held back. But judging from that ninja art just now, you don't seem like someone who would worry about whether he might get injured."

Feng Xun replied calmly, "Lord Jiraiya, you're overthinking it. I have nothing to worry about."

"Is that so?"

Jiraiya did not continue pressing the matter. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the three children standing nearby, all of them deeply worried.

A moment later, Jiraiya waved at Feng Xun. "Sigh! No more fighting, no more fighting!"

No more fighting?

Feng Xun was somewhat stunned, unable to understand why Jiraiya had suddenly decided to stop.

Although he had indeed been thinking of surrendering just now, such an unclear ending was still hard for him to accept.

Just as Feng Xun wanted to ask the other man for a reason, Jiraiya said again, "Brat, come back with me first. There are some things I want to tell you."

"?"

"Is there anything Lord Jiraiya can't say here?"

"Enough nonsense. If I tell you to come, then come."

With that, Jiraiya walked over to Feng Xun. Regardless of whether Feng Xun was willing, he grabbed him and dragged him back.

As they passed the three children, Jiraiya said to them, "You should rest a while and head back too! Don't stay out too long."

After quite some time, once Feng Xun and Jiraiya had completely disappeared from sight, the restless Konan spoke up. "R-right... I still need to go back and cook. I'll be leaving first. You two should go back early too."

After saying that, Konan quickly left the two of them, ignoring Yahiko's gaze as he tried to stop her.

After Konan left, Nagato saw the dejected look on his best friend's face and could not help comforting him. "Yahiko, Konan only went back to cook. Don't worry too much."

"Nagato, you don't need to comfort me anymore!" Yahiko sighed and pointed at the sun overhead, which showed no sign of setting. "The sun is still far from setting! How could Konan possibly be going back to cook now? I know why she went back. It's just that I'm a little unwilling to accept it. I've clearly spent the longest time with Konan."

"Yeah! What a pity Konan has always only treated the two of us as brothers!" Nagato sighed as well.

"?" Yahiko blinked, then looked at his friend and asked hesitantly, "Nagato, don't tell me you like Konan too?"

"..."

When Nagato did not speak, Yahiko finally realized that he was not the only one who liked Konan. His friend liked her too.

At that thought, Yahiko immediately pounced on him and knocked him to the ground. "You bastard, Nagato! I guarded against trouble day and night, only to find the thief was in my own house! You actually want to court my Konan? Let's see if I don't beat you to death!"

Faced with Yahiko's soft punches, Nagato did not resist. He merely said flatly, "I just hope Konan doesn't come back heartbroken this time."

His fist pressed against Nagato's chest, Yahiko looked in the direction Konan had disappeared and said indignantly, "If that guy dares make Konan sad, I'll beat him up badly!"

"That's assuming you can beat Brother Xun!" Nagato poured cold water on him without mercy.

"Damn, you really dare to say that! Let's see if I don't teach you a lesson today."

As he spoke, Yahiko began grappling with his friend again.

After a long while, as though the two had entered Sage Mode, they both lay flat on the ground, staring at the gradually sinking sun overhead.

"Nagato, do you regret it?" Yahiko suddenly asked.

"What?"

"I mean Konan. Do you regret not stopping her just now? Once she goes, maybe all you'll ever be to her is her brother."

"Not really." Nagato's lips curved slightly. "To me, you are my whole world. So no matter what Konan ultimately chooses, I'll support her. What about you? What do you think?"

"Of course I regret it terribly!" Yahiko curled his lips. "But just like you said, as your elder brother, isn't it only natural for me to support what you want?"