Mujie, and the others froze, their faces pale as they stared at the jonin surrounding them. 'Damn, that fast? And so many jonin?'
Mujie's expression darkened, torn, but he sighed inwardly. Running wasn't an option anymore.
These weren't ordinary shinobi, they were specialists in assassination. 'An assassination unit? This was Konoha… could these be members of Konoha's Anbu?'
He glanced back at the Uzumaki behind him, thinking, 'Kaien and Yahiko, those two troublemakers should be able to handle themselves, right? Just remember, no stealing books this time, and make sure to burn Mr. Inevitable's new book for their dad!'
With a serious expression, he was about to step forward when a gaunt, pale-faced Uzumaki elder suddenly appeared. It was clear the old man was badly injured, but he looked intently at the Kusa shinobi who had come to take them away. "I'll hold them off. Uzumaki clan..." He closed his eyes and said, "I leave the rest to you."
Honestly, if it weren't for the urgent message from Eiichi and the others, saying their big brother was in the Land of Grass, and the surprise attack, he wouldn't have agreed to come here so recklessly. After all, who knew if this was some kind of trap aimed at the Uzumaki clan? This guy didn't seem trustworthy at all.
Considering the reputation of Konoha shinobi, his doubts only grew stronger. But now, there was no turning back. Just as he spoke,
"Please stop them! We're counting on you!" Mujie said without hesitation, waving his hand with a shameless grin.
"Don't worry, the Land of Grass always keeps its word and never lies! Come on, let's go! Life will be good once we're there!"
Yojin Uzumaki's mouth twitched at that. For a moment, he wondered if he'd made the wrong call. Keeps its word? Land of Grass? Yeah, right. But then,
"Attack!"
Without a second thought, the surrounding shinobis gave the order. Yojin had no choice but to jump in and block them. But with ten jonin in total, and himself already weakened, exhausted from running, injuries, hunger, and fatigue, how could he possibly hold them off? He quickly fell behind. Then,
Enemy shinobis brandished long swords and appeared behind him. Yojin's expression hardened. Looking at the approaching shinobi, he formed hand seals, determination burning in his eyes.
There was no other choice now. With a grimace, he said, "Then let me show you the sealing jutsu the shinobi world fears from the Uzumaki clan!"
But before he could finish the seals,
"Bang!"
A huge boulder crashed down on several of the shinobis, and their faces went pale.
"Retreat, "
But it was too late. A huge stone hurtled toward them with incredible force, knocking them all off their feet.
Three of them coughed up blood, but the impact gave the elder a brief moment to catch his breath. Oddly, those three didn't seem dead. Everyone froze, eyes darting toward the source of the rock, but no one was there.
"Lord?" Even Mujie was momentarily stunned, then shook his head. "No, it can't be The lord. If it were him, he'd be dead by now."
The lord was always cheerful and boastful, making grand claims about turning the Land of Grass into a great nation or surpassing the Land of Fire. But he wasn't a fool. Mujie remembered how The lord had once crushed all rebellious shinobi factions to restore order to the Land of Grass.
He immediately recognized that The lord was no ordinary man, a true prodigy, and that's why he had followed him without hesitation. It wasn't just because of a kunai pressed at his neck.
"Damn it! What am I doing? What are you all doing? Running away?"
His sharp words snapped everyone out of their shock, and they rushed to escape. But once again, they found themselves surrounded. There was no way out.
The enemy had too many skilled shinobi, each one looking deadly. On top of that, they had to protect a group of civilians while trying to flee.
This time, no giant boulders came crashing down. Mujie sighed quietly, muttering, "This time, we're really done for... I forgot to tell Kaien and Yahiko to burn Mr.Inevitable's new book for their father!"
The last remaining jonin of the Uzumaki clan exchanged a glance, their eyes heavy with sorrow and regret. They had hoped that once they reached the Land of Grass, their wandering would finally end, that they could live a peaceful life. But it seemed their journey truly ended here.
They just hoped the third elders were living as happily and peacefully as they'd seen in that movie.
Stepping forward, this time they didn't let the regular clan members run. These new opponents had no intention of harming them. But where had these shinobis come from?
"Surrender!" The strangers said coldly, their voices emotionless. "I have no intention of killing you."
So, they wanted to capture them alive. For experiments? Or maybe because of the Uzumaki clan's unique physiology and sealing techniques? But at this point, it didn't matter anymore.
Quickly forming hand seals, they prepared for what could be their last stand, determined to show these fools the true power of the Uzumaki clan. Suddenly, a cold, familiar voice cut through the tension. "Shikigami no Mai: Kami Shuriken no Ame!" (Paper Shuriken Barrage!)
Even the usually shameless Mujie immediately halted his jutsu, dodging back with a smile. "Quick! Everyone, hide!"
Before the Uzumaki and the mysterious shinobis could even react, a figure appeared against the darkened sky, wings fluttering behind him. Countless paper swords flew out, striking the group of shinobi relentlessly. "The lord... has arrived!"
Meanwhile, not far away in the shadows, another figure strolled down the street. His chest rose and fell with each yawn, but beneath that casual demeanor, a faint seriousness flickered in his eyes. So... who exactly was he?
Since becoming The lord of the Land of Grass, Charlie had acquired a secret technique known as Paper Release during his last visit to the Land of Rain, fulfilling a special mission from Konan on his system.
Honestly, it was incredibly useful. With this ability, he could shape paper into anything he wanted. As countless paper shuriken shot out in all directions, targeting the tightly guarded shinobi, the scene was nothing short of spectacular.
However, since it was his first time using the technique, controlling so many flying shurikens was still a bit clumsy.
Once the initial shock wore off, the well-trained shinobi quickly recovered. Recognizing that a powerful opponent had arrived, they ordered their subordinates to abandon the Uzumaki clan and switch to a full surround-and-destroy strategy.
About a dozen jonin positioned themselves on tree trunks and branches, their eyes fixed on Charlie, who hovered in midair.
"Kusa shinobi?" one of them muttered with a furrowed brow, clearly puzzled.
They didn't understand why these Kusa shinobi were escorting the Uzumaki clan. After all, the Uzumaki clan had become a group of wandering shinobi, despised and rejected by every village. No village would willingly accept them.