Tonbee said, "Before the Konoha shinobi arrive, I want to ask you to protect the young lady."
That request wasn't excessive. After a brief moment of thought, the man nodded in agreement.
...
Elsewhere, not far from the Tsuchigumo clan fortress on Mt. Katsuragi.
Four rogue shinobi were moving stealthily through the dense forest.
Shinobi A said, "Last time we got caught off guard by that bubble-blowing guy. This time we're fully prepared—no doubt we'll seize the Tsuchigumo's secret technique in one strike!"
Shinobi B's face lit up with longing.
"They say that technique can wipe out an entire village in an instant. Once we get it and sell it off, we'll be rich beyond our dreams! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Shinobi C gave Shinobi B a disdainful look.
"Look at you, so short-sighted. With a technique that powerful, what use is money? What we want is supreme power!"
"We can invade the great nations directly and establish a country of our own! (´∇ﾉ｀*)ノ"
Shinobi D sighed at his unreliable companions.
"Seriously, can we focus on actually getting the technique first before fantasizing about the future?"
As they bantered, Mt. Katsuragi finally appeared before them.
The mountain's shape was peculiar, like a giant stone pillar jutting out of the earth.
From base to peak, the slope was nearly ninety degrees vertical.
The Tsuchigumo fortress was built right on top of this pillar. The terrain made it easy to defend and nearly impossible to assault.
However, despite the defensive advantage, the fortress lacked manpower.
Even counting that newcomer who fought with bubbles, there were only three of them—far too few to properly defend such a massive stronghold.
And so, under the cover of night, the four rogue shinobi crept up the mountain.
Outside the fortress, Tonbee was on night watch.
When he saw the four shinobi returning, he first shouted loudly, warning Mr. Bubble to take the young lady and escape.
Then, taking up a battle stance, he resolved to fight with his life if need be to stop these intruders!
"Come on then, you weaklings! An old man like me doesn't even put the likes of you in his eyes!" Tonbee roared, full of fighting spirit.
The four shinobi exchanged glances, smirks curling at their lips as mockery flashed across their faces.
They formed hand seals in unison, voices booming.
"Lightning!"
"Fire!"
"Earth!"
The instant the last syllable fell, an overwhelming surge of Lightning Release chakra exploded, engulfing Tonbee's aged body!!
In a flash, Tonbee lost all combat ability and collapsed to the ground!
Shinobi A sneered, "This old man—did he really think he could stop the four of us with his strength? Hahaha! (～￣▽￣)～"
Shinobi D cut in, "Quit wasting time. Find that little girl! The secret technique's bound to be with her!"
With that, the four rogue shinobi infiltrated the Tsuchigumo fortress, searching for Hotaru's whereabouts.
...
Elsewhere, Shinju and Naruto finally reached the mountain range where Mt. Katsuragi lay.
On the plane, Naruto said excitedly, "Shinju, you gotta teach me how to fly this thing! Next time, let me be the one piloting us around! ୧⍢⃝୨"
Shinju nodded. "Sure, if you're willing to learn, I'll teach you."
"Just don't give up halfway when you think it's too hard. You've got a habit of slacking off, you know."
Naruto pouted. "Shinju, what do you take me for? (◔◡◔)"
"Anyway, Karin said that any jutsu you use ends up doing several times more damage than normal."
"If the Tsuchigumo clan's technique that can wipe out a whole village was cast by you, would it be so strong it could reduce an entire nation to rubble in an instant? (´◊ω◊｀)"
Shinju gave him a look. "What on earth do you even think about all day? (||๐_๐)"
"Do you even know how big a country is? Even a small nation like the Land of Rain or the Land of Demons covers more than a million square kilometers."
"Blanketing an entire nation with a jutsu—do you have any idea how unrealistic that is? -_-||"
Naruto nodded at that.
But secretly, he noticed a loophole in Shinju's words.
Shinju said it wasn't easy… but he never said he couldn't do it. (´◐∀◐`)
As they spoke, the strange pillar-shaped Mt. Katsuragi appeared before them.
Naruto pointed toward the fortress.
"Huh? Shinju, looks like today must be a big festival day for the Tsuchigumo clan."
Shinju raised a brow.
"And how would you know that? You hadn't even heard of the Tsuchigumo before this! (￢‸￢) ?"
Naruto replied, "Because there's a huge bonfire blazing right in front of their fortress! (º Д º*)"
Shinju squinted, focusing his gaze. Sure enough, a massive fire was burning.
At first, he thought it might be some kind of chakra-based illumination technique.
"No… that's no bonfire!"
Shinju's eyes suddenly narrowed. Something was wrong.
The firelight was spreading!
As they drew closer, Shinju realized the truth—
The entire Tsuchigumo fortress was in flames!!
Naruto: ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!
"It's all burning!"
"So does that mean our mission is a failure already?!"
Shinju rolled his eyes. "Not necessarily. The target might still be alive. Let's go check first!"
Standing on the iron-painted aircraft, Shinju quickly formed a hand seal.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Opening his mouth, he unleashed a torrent of water, blasting it toward the burning fortress!
Under the crushing deluge, the fire was extinguished in mere seconds.
Then, Shinju and Naruto leapt from the plane, landing amidst the smoldering ruins.
Staring at the blackened wreckage, Shinju felt a headache coming on.
To search for survivors, he closed his eyes and activated chakra sensing, combing the ruins for any lingering signs of life.
Soon, he picked up a faint chakra presence, buried beneath the rubble…
Wasting no time, Shinju used Earth Release to raise the ground, pulling the figure out from below.
Watching from the side, Naruto couldn't help but envy him.
"Man, if only I had all chakra natures like you, Shinju. (￣△￣;)"
Shinju smirked cryptically. "The greater the power, the greater the responsibility."
Then he stepped up to the burned and battered old man, raising his hand as medical chakra gathered in his palm…
After Shinju's treatment, the gravely wounded, near-death Tonbee slowly regained consciousness.
Seeing the Konoha forehead protectors on Shinju and Naruto, he grew anxious.
"You… you're the support shinobi from Konoha, right? Hurry, you must save my lady!"
"She escaped through the hidden passage behind the fortress! Those rogue shinobi probably went after her!"
"If you don't hurry, she'll be in danger!"
Shinju nodded. "Alright, don't worry, old man. I'll bring your granddaughter back."
He then exchanged a glance with Naruto.
Naruto, knowing he wasn't as strong as Shinju, spoke up.
"You go. I'll stay here and look after the old man."
"Good."
Shinju nodded. The situation was urgent, and there was no time to waste. After three years of training, Naruto had grown strong enough to protect himself. Shinju could trust him with this.
"I'm heading out. Be careful."