"Gotcha!"
The moment Natsume Yō stepped into the clearing, a triumphant shout cut through the air. A huge net sprang up from the ground, snapping shut around him before he could react.
Bang!
Too bad for them. Before the would-be captor had even started celebrating, the "Natsume Yō" in the net puffed into a log with a sharp crack of substitution jutsu.
A blade of cold steel kissed the man's throat.
"Which scroll do you have? Heaven or Earth?" Yō's voice was flat, almost bored.
"H-Heaven Scroll…" The ninja answered, his face pale, a kunai pressing just below his jaw.
"Heaven Scroll, huh. Shame. Not what I'm after."
Yō fished out the scroll from the man's vest to confirm, then casually shoved it back into his pouch. In the next instant, he vanished into the forest, leaving only the echo of his footsteps.
—
"Young master! We've located him!"
An Uchiha clan member landed before Uchiha Yūsuke, bowing low.
"Where?" Yūsuke's eyes lit up instantly.
"Please follow me."
The scout darted deeper into the forest, Yūsuke close behind.
—
"Another Heaven Scroll… why is finding an Earth Scroll so damn hard?"
Yō sighed after beating yet another ninja senseless, flipping through his pouch only to see the same blue Heaven seal glaring back at him. That made five in a row.
"Seriously? Is an Earth Scroll a mythical beast or something?" he grumbled inwardly.
"—Natsume Yō! Your luck just ran out!"
The angry, trembling shout sliced through the air before he could move. Six figures emerged from the trees. Five spread out in a tight circle, cutting off every escape route.
The last figure stepped forward—Yō didn't even need to look twice.
"Oh. It's you, Uchiha Yūsuke. What's this, coming to reclaim your pride?"
Yō cast him a lazy glance, utterly unbothered by the ambush.
"Natsume Yō, today you'll learn what happens when you cross me!" Yūsuke snarled, his face twisted. "I'll make you kneel like a dog and beg for your life. And that wench, Wada Chiba—I'll make you watch as I defile her. You'll see how beautiful she looks groveling beneath me!"
The hatred burning in Yūsuke's eyes was so intense it almost felt like heat.
"Keh keh keh… kid, today you'll regret messing with the Uchiha!"
"Think you're untouchable just because you've got a few tricks?"
"Relax. We'll crush your pride piece by piece. This will be the nightmare you never wake up from!"
The five Uchiha retainers grinned like wolves circling a lamb. Five against one. They thought the odds absolute.
Yō tilted his head, expression still calm.
"Uchiha Yūsuke… looks like the lesson I gave you last time wasn't enough. My mistake."
He smiled faintly.
"But remind me—who was it back then, crying like a beaten mutt at my feet, begging for mercy? If I hadn't felt sorry for you, do you really think you'd be standing here barking now?"
His eyes sharpened, voice dropping like a blade.
"A real dog never growls before it bites. Look at you now. Pathetic. Lower than a dog."
When it came to trash talk, Natsume Yō didn't lose to anyone.