Departure

"Are you all ready?" Tobirama Senju asked. "Ready!" everyone answered in unison.

"Mm, good. Move out."

Leading the team this time were Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Kagami Uchiha, and Torifu Akimichi. There were also many Anbu ninjas.

"Everyone must follow orders this time. Don't act alone. Hyuga Yeyang, scout with your Byakugan every ten minutes. Itō Yuying, assist him." "Yes!" the two answered in unison. "Mm." Shimura Danzō was pleased with their response. As everyone hurried toward the Land of Grass...

The Tsuchikage also received a secret report. "Oh! They've come out again? Looks like they still haven't learned their lesson!" Ōnoki looked over the report and said, "Heh, they really are a bunch who aren't afraid to die. None of them will make it back this time." "All right, Ōnoki, don't go this time. Let Roshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki, make the trip! You have something important to do." "Yes, Teacher," Ōnoki replied respectfully.

Two days later, Itō Yuying's group left the Land of Fire and reached the border of the Land of Grass. Grass stretched as far as the eye could see. They exchanged glances, and Shimura Danzō stepped forward. "Come out!" Several Grass ninjas emerged from behind concealed rocks. "Oh, you're Konoha ninjas! What brings you to the Land of Grass?" Hiruzen Sarutobi replied, "We're only passing through. We won't disturb you." "But there are too many of you. We're concerned. Please understand." "Understand, my ass! You don't know your place, do you?" Shimura Danzō said fiercely.

The Grass ninjas backed away, and one stammered, trembling, "Y-you... does Konoha want to start a war?"

Shimura Danzō smiled disdainfully. "Jiraiya, give him two good slaps. Teach him a lesson." Jiraiya chuckled and clenched his fists, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique. Two slaps rang out nearby. Shimura Danzō smiled in satisfaction. "May we pass through?"

The Grass ninjas glared viciously at the Konoha ninjas without a word. One who looked like their captain said, "You may. Please don't disturb our villagers." "Of course," Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a chuckle, then walked past them. Once they were far away, the ninjas began cursing. "Damn Konoha! Just you wait! We'll make you pay sooner or later." "Captain, what do we do? Are we just letting them leave?"

"Heh, let them leave? We're not pushovers. Go sell the information that Konoha ninjas are passing through the Land of Grass to the other ninja villages. Heh, they'll be interested." The other ninjas burst out laughing. This was their specialty. They weren't called fence-sitters and two-faced for nothing. "Scatter!" They vanished.

Itō Yuying said, "Lord Sarutobi, they're planning to sell information about us to the other ninja villages." Hiruzen Sarutobi asked in surprise, "You can sense them from this far away?" "Uh... actually, I used a shadow clone earlier and turned it into a pebble. I heard it through that." Briefly embarrassed, Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Good work, Yuying." Then he added, "Let's send them on their way! It's so hot. We shouldn't let our allies get sunburned."

"Here's the plan. Take two each. Finish the fight quickly, and do it cleanly. Don't leave any traces." "Yes!" They vanished.

Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "We'll rest here for a while. Keep watch." "Yes."

"Danzo, how many minutes do you think they'll take to return?" "I'd guess ten minutes, no more." "Mm." Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

After a while, Itō Yuying and Might Duy returned. "Well, well, you two were quick!" "Ah... it was nothing."

A few more minutes passed, and the remaining six returned as well. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked them over. "Mm, everyone's here. Let's move out."

They continued onward. After another three days of travel, they were almost at the border of the Land of Earth and Fire when they spotted over a hundred people ahead. Leading them was Roshi, the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki.

"I was wondering who it was. So it's Roshi! What, looking for a fight?" Shimura Danzō teased. Roshi ignored him completely and said, "Attack. Leave no survivors." "Yes!" Over a hundred ninjas charged toward Itō Yuying and the others.

"Heh, how cold! Watch yourselves. Don't push yourselves too hard. Be careful."

"Attack!" "Yes!" everyone replied.

"Heh, my turn to put on a show. I'm going to wash away all the humiliation I've suffered these past few days." Itō Yuying began flaring his ki. Blue currents swirled around him, his clothes snapped in the air, and stones flew everywhere. Then he vanished and appeared in the sky, holding a Destructo Disc aloft before hurling it fiercely toward the ground. Watching the disc hurtle downward, Roshi smiled disdainfully. "Is there something wrong with his eyes? Even with his eyes closed, he shouldn't miss like that!"

The instant the Destructo Disc struck the ground, it split into dozens of smaller discs that flew toward the Stone ninjas. "Look out! Everyone, use Earth Style: Earth Wall!" Roshi instantly formed hand seals, and a thick earthen wall rose.

"A cheap trick," Roshi said disdainfully. Then he saw the smaller Destructo Discs pass through the wall and continue toward the Stone ninjas. Screams rang out as more than thirty fell in an instant. Some lost arms or legs, some had half their faces sliced off, and others were severed at the waist. The scene was gruesome.

Roshi's eyes reddened. "Damn brat, you're asking to die!" He charged at Itō Yuying and punched him in two. "Damn it, a shadow clone? What a crafty kid!" In a corner, Itō Yuying was gathering an Energy Wave in his hands. Spotting him, Roshi rapidly formed hand seals. "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" The ground beneath Itō Yuying instantly softened, trapping his feet. "Damn it, I can't move!" Seeing his chance, Roshi rushed right up to him. As Itō Yuying watched the kunai come within inches of him, he suddenly grinned. "Substitution Technique!" A log appeared before Roshi. "Tch, crafty kid!" Before Roshi could locate Itō Yuying, he discovered a fist-sized hole through his abdomen. He spat out a mouthful of blood. "Y-you... damned brat!"

Itō Yuying did not linger and immediately ran toward Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō. He knew Roshi was about to go berserk. Shimura Danzō smiled. "Well done, Yuying. Leave the rest to us. Kagami, Torifu, Hiruzen, let's go!" "Right!" By then, three tails had already emerged behind Roshi. Kagami Uchiha's Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, and Roshi stood frozen in place. The genjutsu had succeeded. "Human Boulder!" Roshi was smashed into the ground in a single blow. Hiruzen Sarutobi followed with a Four Symbols Seal, and the tails behind Roshi slowly disappeared. Shimura Danzō then bound him tightly. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked toward the battlefield. "Mm, not bad. Everyone's wounded, but overall, it's not bad." Shimura Danzō said, "Yuying, finish the fight quickly. We need to hurry to Konoha's base."

"All right." Itō Yuying flew into the sky. "Everyone, fall back!" Then he shouted, "Ka... me... ha... me... ha!" A blue-white blast of ki thundered toward the ground. Sand and stones flew, shock waves swept outward, explosions erupted one after another, and thick smoke billowed into the sky. Everyone stared at Itō Yuying in astonishment. Roshi's eyes widened too. Even with his Tailed Beast Transformation, he would have been half-dead. It was too powerful. After a while, the smoke cleared, revealing a crater fifty meters across. Within a hundred meters of its rim, not a blade of grass or a tree remained.

Then Itō Yuying spread his hands, and a ki blast appeared in each palm. He brought his hands together, rapidly merging the blasts into a new one, then fired it toward the distant woods. A voice called out, "Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!" White light shot out of the woods and collided with Itō Yuying's ki blast. Explosions boomed, and the dazzling glare forced everyone to close their eyes. Itō Yuying instantly vanished, appearing beside Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō, while Ōnoki appeared where Itō Yuying had just been.

"Hahaha, kid, you really have improved a lot!"