Hotaru of the Tsuchigumo, standing nearby, couldn't stay calm after seeing this scene.
Sure, this red-haired boy was handsome, but meeting for the first time and immediately trying to sell her teacher for money—that was more than a little inappropriate…
"You… you're a shinobi from Konoha, aren't you? Why do you show such hostility to my teacher the very first time we meet! Ծ‸ Ծ "
Even though she had a fondness for Shinju, Hotaru still gathered her courage and stood in front of Utakata.
"No hostility at all. ┐(´-｀)┌"
Shinju gave an exasperated look.
Not only did he have no ill will, when he first called out to this man, it was actually out of kindness.
As for taking the man to Kirigakure to claim the bounty—that was just a happy coincidence.
"Hotaru, step back. You can't stop him." Utakata pulled Hotaru behind him, standing ready for battle.
Looking at this, Shinju suddenly felt like he was playing the role of some great villain. (||๐_๐)
Shaking his head, Shinju reached out and tapped Utakata on the shoulder.
"Why so tense? It's not like I'm in a rush to cash you in for the bounty. ←_←"
Turning his head toward Hotaru, Shinju asked,
"You're the granddaughter of the Tsuchigumo clan, right?"
Hotaru nodded. "That's right."
Shinju continued, "I received a mission to protect you and the secret technique."
"Come on, I'll take you to your clan's village."
At those words, Hotaruv first nodded, then looked at Shinju with hopeful eyes.
"Since you're escorting me back to the village, can't you release my teacher?"
Shinju: "What are you thinking? This guy's a walking fifty million. (⌯︎¤̴̶̷̀ω¤̴̶̷́)✧︎"
Without giving Hotaru, Utakata, or the four bandit shinobi any chance to resist, Shinju grabbed hold of them and instantly teleported to the ruins of the Tsuchigumo's Katsuragi Fortress with the Flying Thunder God!
When Hotaru saw the fortress reduced to rubble, grief washed over her. She quickly rushed to the side of Tonbee, who lay on the ground.
"Tonbee, are you alright?"
Tonbee shook his head, signaling that he was fine.
"I was gravely injured and thought I was doomed. I never expected a shinobi of Konoha to arrive in time and pull me back from the jaws of death."
"Young lady, with these two shinobi from Konoha protecting you, I can rest easy."
Hotaru fell silent, unsure of what to say.
Meanwhile, Shinju only wanted to complete the mission quickly and take Utakata to Kirigakure for the bounty. So after tidying things up, he pulled out a counterfeit scroll.
Whoosh!
From the inked paper burst a black-and-white airplane!
Utakata, Hotaru, and Tonbee:
(꒪⌓꒪) , (⊙o⊙),Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Stunned!!!
Speechless!!!
For a long moment…
Utakata: "Phew—truly worthy of being the legendary prodigy Shinju, mastering all sorts of ninjutsu and secret arts. Absolutely breathtaking! (º Д º*)"
Somehow, losing to this boy didn't feel so bad to him anymore.
Nearby, the four bandit shinobi tied up by Shinju's Wood Release: --003d͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪ ‧̣̥̇)
Bandit Shinobi A whispered to the others, "That red-haired guy seems way too tough!!"
Bandit Shinobi C sneered.
"No kidding. If he wasn't tough, how could he catch all four of us in one move! (´;︵;`)"
Bandit Shinobi D, the calmest of the bunch, muttered,
"Let's hope the boss finds a way to bust us out."
Bandit Shinobi B said, "Don't be stupid. Do you guys not follow shinobi world news? That kid's using Wood Release!"
"Wood Release! Heard of it?! That was the ninjutsu of the God of Shinobi!!"
"This kid must be that Shinju who wiped out all of Amegakure by himself not long ago!! (′д｀σ)σ"
At those words, the remaining bandits gasped in horror.
Bandit Shinobi A, clinging to his last hope, asked,
"Look at him—bright eyes, clean face, red lips and white teeth—he looks like someone easy to talk to."
"See? He's caught us but hasn't killed us yet. If we beg, maybe he'll show mercy and let us go…（ --0027▿ --0027 ）"
Utakata overheard them and butted in.
"Don't be stupid. Even if he doesn't kill you right away, he'll drag you all to the bounty station first. Once they confirm there's no bounty on you, then he'll kill you. ┑(￣Д ￣)┍"
"What are you whispering about over there?"
Shinju had heard their muttering and turned his head toward them.
The bandits instantly shut their mouths, obedient as lambs!
Then Shinju stuffed everyone onto the plane.
After telling Naruto to keep an eye on the prisoners, he climbed into the cockpit, and with the unique terrain of Katsuragi Mountain, he took off…
...
In the mountain forest below—
The bandit leader looked up at the massive iron bird flying overhead, utterly shocked.
"Which shinobi village developed this secret weapon?!!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ"
...
Shinju's aircraft, powered by chakra, flew at incredible speed.
In less than half an hour, they were already above the Tsuchigumo clan's settlement.
On the plane, Naruto casually asked Tonbee,
"Tonbee, why do you live in the Katsuragi Fortress instead of in the village?"
Tonbee sighed and explained slowly.
"Because of certain disagreements, the Tsuchigumo clan split into two groups—one stayed at Katsuragi Fortress, and the other settled in the village."
"There used to be quite a few people in the fortress, but in recent years, our numbers have dwindled. And after En no Gyōja passed away, many returned to the village."
Curious baby Naruto pressed on, "So why didn't you two go back with the others?"
Tonbee glanced at Hotaru, his eyes flickering.
"That… I can't say. Just know that unless absolutely necessary, Miss Hotaru and I will not return to the village."
While the two were talking, Shinju piloted the plane down to an open space outside the Tsuchigumo village.
Everyone disembarked.
It was already deep into the night, so the streets were empty.
Naruto figured the granddaughter of En no Gyōja should be someone important, so he shouted,
"Tsuchigumo Hotaru is back! Aren't you all coming out to welcome her?!"
Before he shouted, a few houses still had their lights on.
But the moment he yelled, every single light went out!
It wasn't hard to see—the Tsuchigumo people clearly wanted nothing to do with En no Gyōja's line…
Shinju turned his head to see Hotaru's face, filled with disappointment.
No wonder she didn't want to come back.
Utakata, standing nearby, also lowered his head, feeling something stir in his heart.
But Naruto's greatest trait was his persistence!!
Seeing no one come to welcome Hotaru, he marched straight to the village bell in the center!
Gong!
The great bell rang, its sound echoing through the entire settlement!
Crafty Naruto shouted, "Fire! Fire!"
At once, the Tsuchigumo village fell into chaos!