On the great sea...
The Konoha fleet...
"Why hasn't the Fourth Hokage taken action yet?" one Konoha ninja said. "The artillery fire hasn't changed at all."
It was still just as intense, still just as loud...
"Probably the Fourth Hokage thinks he can't just charge in head-on like last time," another Konoha ninja next to him said casually, picking his nose. "So, he must have some plan!"
"Let's wait a bit longer. We must believe in the Hokage-sama!"
The Hokage-sama was the pillar of their Konoha ninja, the strongest in Konoha. He definitely would be fine.
However...
No one noticed that the previously dejected Konoha commander, Shikazo-sama, suddenly furrowed his brow and put away the cigarette from his lips...
"What's going on?" Nara Shikazo murmured, looking towards the Land of Whirlpools. "According to the plan, the Fourth Hokage should have taken action by now. Could some new danger have appeared?"
Was he intercepted, or...
Had that person returned??
...
"So this is the Land of Whirlpools?" A ninja with a face, skin tone, and sharp teeth resembling a shark said with his beady eyes, looking around at the desolate streets, his tone flat. "I remember them saying the Land of Whirlpools was very lively. What's going on now?"
"Probably hiding because of the war," a man with a bandaged chin and a bare chest said casually. "They're just ordinary people, after all."
What else could they do besides hide?
"What a pity," the shark-faced young man sighed regretfully. "I was planning to grab someone to ask for directions!"
"Indeed..."
He walked while observing the surroundings...
"Have almost all the ninja from the Land of Whirlpools gone to the battlefield?"
As long that Daimyo of the Land of Whirlpools wasn't here, the Land of Whirlpools was ultimately just a small country.
How could it possibly win against the Five Great Shinobi Villages?
"Let's go!" the man with the bandaged chin said impassively. "We must not forget our mission."
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen...
Since the last war, when the seven swords were taken by the Land of Whirlpools, Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen had existed in name only.
Their purpose for sneaking in was to retrieve Kirigakure's swords and rebuild the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
"Where could the seven swords be?"
"Let's find someone to ask first!" The shark-faced young man shook his head, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "As for whether we search for the swords first or go save those captured trash, we can decide later."
The two of them had specifically used underwater swimming to avoid the Land of Whirlpools' ninja, hiding under the sea for three or four days before managing to sneak ashore.
They couldn't waste this good opportunity the Mizukage-sama had created for them.
The shark-faced young man pointed towards a small red-haired kid who had just appeared around the corner...
"There's a kid right there."
He revealed a ferocious smile...
"Let's go 'ask' for directions!"
"Mm," the bandaged-chin man nodded, saying nothing, and followed behind...
As an assassination ninja, he never concerned himself with whether the person guiding him was a child or an adult, a man or a woman. As long as they could help him complete the mission, the final outcome...
was irrelevant to him!
...
"Mm-hmm, and this roast chicken, and these milk candies." Itachi looked at the things he was carrying in his hands, a happy smile on his face, but also a tone of regret. "It's a shame my little brother can't eat them yet."
"But it's okay, holding them is fine too. Mom said I used to love holding a roast chicken, and I would sleep very soundly every time I held one. My little brother should be the same."
And the small packet of milk candies next to it...
"As for the candy, I'll keep it for now. He's still so small, he can't eat it..."
Before he could finish speaking, two figures suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking his path...
Itachi didn't even look up, still keeping his head down, and said apologetically, "Sorry."
He was about to turn around and go another way when...
"Is this what kids from the Land of Whirlpools are like?"
The person in front of him suddenly spoke in a mocking and disdainful tone...
"Walking with your head down, so lacking in vigilance. It seems you won't be eating that roast chicken today."
Hearing this...
Itachi was startled inside. He quickly looked up. When he saw the two ninja wearing Kirigakure forehead protectors and whose faces clearly marked them as troublemakers, he swiftly jumped back two steps, pulled out a kunai from his thigh pouch, furrowed his small brows, and stared intently at them, muttering, "Kiri-nin?"
How did Kiri-nin suddenly get inside the Land of Whirlpools?
Could the front lines...
Just as Itachi's expression shifted uncertainly...
"Kid, don't overthink it," the shark-faced young man said with a ferocious grin. "I can tell you, your front lines, while not in great shape, are fine for now. To be honest..."
"I've never seen a country with such tight security. It took me three days and three nights hiding in the sea before I found a chance to sneak in."
Watching the kid's brows relax slightly...
"But you might be done for today, kid!"
His reflexes are pretty good. He must be an excellent ninja student.
"If you obediently show us the way, maybe we'll feel merciful and let you go?"
"Leave this place!" Itachi replied in a low voice. "The Land of Whirlpools does not welcome you."
He never thought that sneaking out to buy some things would lead to encountering Kiri-nin inside the Land of Whirlpools...
But...
As a ninja of the Land of Whirlpools, since he had encountered them, he couldn't possibly run away.
The domestic defenses of the Land of Whirlpools were very weak right now. If ordinary people encountered them...
It would be very dangerous!
"Otherwise, I will..."
"Kill you!!!"
As soon as the words fell...
The two Kiri-nin were momentarily stunned, then burst out laughing, looking at the kid before them with disdain. "Are all the kids in the Land of Whirlpools this arrogant?"
But...
Their answer was...
"Whoosh whoosh!!"
Two kunai!!!
"Clang clang--!"
They were simply swatted away by the Kiri-nin.
"Good throwing technique," the Kiri-nin with the bandaged chin nodded, his tone flat. "It seems you must be a genius!"
Looking at his red hair...
"Could you be from the Uzumaki clan?"
However...
"Zabuza, stop wasting time," the shark-faced young man frowned and said. "Hurry up and grab him, ask for directions. If it really doesn't work..."
He revealed a ferocious smile...
"Kill him!!"
"We don't have time to play with a child."
He refused to believe that aside from this kid, there was no one else on this street.
Hearing this, Momochi Zabuza didn't say anything else. Instead, he raised his sword and charged forward, saying flatly, "You heard him..."
"We don't have time to play with you, kid!!!"
Just as he swung his sword down...
Itachi, holding the bag containing the roast chicken and candies in his right hand, dodged to the side. He looked up, a glint of red light suddenly appearing in his eyes, and said quietly, "I can see your movements!"
He could do this!
As long as he could see their movements, he could definitely defeat these two Kiri-nin.
"Three Tomoe Sharingan?" The two Kiri-nin showed a trace of surprise. "An Uchiha?"
But when they saw his red hair...
This...
They narrowed their eyes. They seemed to recall the son of a certain Daimyo...
They sighed inwardly...
To awaken the Three Tomoe at such a young age. As expected of that man's son, a true genius!
"Kisame, move!" Zabuza called out calmly. "I didn't expect our gains this time to be so great!"
However, even before Zabuza spoke, Kisame had already moved...
"Hidden Mist Technique!"
As his low voice faded, a thick mist instantly spread around them...
Itachi watched this nervously, his small hand tightly gripping the kunai, constantly changing his position, looking around as if trying to sense where the Kiri-nin would appear. However...
"Slice--!"
The bag in his hand was directly cut open.
Itachi reacted instantly, dodging the attack...
But...
"I've changed my mind," Kisame's voice sounded from within the mist, laughing loudly. "As long as we take you back to Kirigakure, the Land of Whirlpools will hand over anything we want!"
"So..."
"Come with us quietly!"
As soon as the words fell, a cold gleam swept towards Itachi...
In that instant...
With a "thud"...
A figure shot out from the mist...
"Kisame!!" Zabuza looked at the figure that had been sent flying, his face shocked...
That kid...
Was he that strong? To be able to kick back an Elite Jōnin?
He stared wide-eyed into the mist...
A moment later...
A low, angry voice came from within...
"Who do you think you're taking away??"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━