---
"Don't move, or this little guy's life is forfeit!"
After Mirai's shout, realizing that sneaking out of the village was impossible, the Kumogakure ninja's actions immediately changed.
The only option, but a rather pathetic one.
This was a desperate measure. Although his appearance and physique clearly indicated he was a Kumogakure ninja, his actions were not "Kumogakure" at all.
He chose to threaten.
But ninjas of noble lineage were generally not swayed by this. Threatening a ninja only worked in extreme situations, like if the hostage in his hands was someone vital to Konoha who couldn't be lost.
In times of need, a ninja could even tear themselves apart into shreds of flesh, so cruel was their dedication. If they didn't even care about their own lives, could you expect them to have any mercy for a child?
"I have to say, threatening a Konoha person with a Konoha person in Konoha… that's pretty clever, but not a smart choice. If we don't move, what do you want?"
Haori really didn't move. It was as if he had accepted the threat.
"Step aside!"
The Kumogakure ninja was still thinking about escaping Konoha with his "target," but Haori and his group were clearly blocking his path. So, he demanded that these troublesome people step aside.
He had to act fast, otherwise, a large number of Konoha ninjas would surround them, and he wouldn't be able to escape then.
"I heard that you Kumogakure ninjas came to Konoha to discuss a peace treaty. But your current actions seem to have nothing to do with the word 'peace.' It only makes people doubt Kumogakure's sincerity."
"So, if there's no peace, what are you doing in Konoha? Let me state clearly, your current actions will be judged by Konoha's Women and Children Joint Protection Foundation…"
Haori, of course, didn't budge. Was he the kind of person who would easily give in to his enemies' demands?
Tenzo, the Anbu ninja beside him, was baffled. Konoha was a ninja village. When did they have such a "human rights" sounding organization?
The rumors were indeed true. This incredibly powerful jōnin often said nonsensical things that were completely off-topic… He didn't see that at least one other person was in sync with Haori.
Mirai was nodding in extreme agreement with Haori's words.
"Move aside, or…"
Haori interrupted him, then pointed a finger at his chest, "Before you repeat your threat, take a look at what you're holding in your arms."
With Haori's reminder, the other side seemed to notice the unusual feel at this moment. Where was the soft and delicate body? Why had it become so hard?
Because he was no longer holding a child in his arms. He was holding a log.
Looking back at the other side, the child was already in the hands of the person who had spoken.
The night and the slanted light hid the upper half of the other side's body in darkness, obscuring their face.
Space-time ninjutsu? No, it was just a Substitution Jutsu. But this Substitution Jutsu not only worked on a third party, but more importantly, it was fast as hell.
When did he form the hand seal? No one present noticed.
Haori looked down at the child in his arms. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she had been hit by some kind of genjutsu.
"Look at how scared this child is. She's rolling her eyes…"
Wait, that's not rolling her eyes, is it? This little one, she doesn't even blink. She has the Byakugan.
By this time, Kumogakure's intention to cease hostilities with Konoha was real. But in this situation, where they had finally arrived in Konoha, they didn't mind taking something along the way. The "Byakugan" was undoubtedly a good choice.
Kumogakure had good taste. The ninjas they wanted to kidnap weren't ordinary ninjas. They all had considerable value.
"Looks like I'll have to kill you…"
With time running out, honestly, the Kumogakure ninja didn't want to fight. But he had to take action—to regain his mission target.
Kill them? Haori shook his head and walked out of the shadows step by step.
There are three major illusions in life. If you were to put it in the ninja world, you would say:
I can learn this jutsu too.
She likes me.
And… I can counterattack.
Now that Haori had finally walked out, at this moment, the Kumogakure ninja finally remembered the fear of being dominated by the White Fang…
"White… Fang…"
According to Kumogakure's intelligence, he shouldn't be in Konoha at this time. Why did he appear? It was meaningless for this ninja to think about such questions now.
"Kimimaro, Haku, Mirai, the enemy is a jōnin. Be careful. Try to see if you can handle him." Haori said.
He didn't need to take action in this situation, but he could let these three practice.
Then, Haori said to Tenzo beside him, "Provide support. Prevent him from committing suicide."
At this time, a large number of Konoha ninjas had also arrived, especially the Hyuga clan.
The current situation was not good for the Kumogakure ninja. Winning the battle was impossible. His best option now was to escape. But judging from the situation, he couldn't do that either. As for the last remaining option… it was suicide.
Once he died, as a Kumogakure ninja who died in Konoha, especially during the peace talks, the whole thing wouldn't be his responsibility. Instead, it would all become Konoha's fault.
The peace envoy died in the village of the party he was negotiating with. Kumogakure would have countless ways to exploit this… So, he couldn't die.
Tenzo nodded, indicating that he understood.
Actually, the Kumogakure ninja in front of him was the "real" envoy, the leader of Kumogakure's peace delegation. The strength of a ninja who could take on such a mission was naturally not to be underestimated. It was basically impossible for Mirai and the three of them to win against him.
If Kimimaro could go all out, maybe they could fight better in a three-on-one situation. But now, letting Kimimaro use the double-bladed sword, Hiramekarei, before he truly mastered its usage, it was less useful than a kunai.
Most people were just watching, only the three kids stepped forward. But that didn't mean the Kumogakure ninja would feel relaxed. Because Haori was present.
With Haori present, how big of a heart would you need to completely ignore him and focus on the enemy? Even the Raikage couldn't do that. So, the Kumogakure ninja had to devote most of his energy to being wary of Haori.
Hearing that they had to deal with a jōnin, Mirai immediately raised her hand to ask, "Haori, can I use any jutsu I want?"
"…Yes."
Seeing her appearance, Haori knew what Mirai wanted to do. After thinking for a moment, he gave her a confirming response.
Because of her age, Haori usually prohibited Mirai from using many jutsu that consumed a lot of chakra. But the situation was a bit special now.
The audience was complete. The enemy was also in place. The Konoha princess's first return naturally required a spectacular debut to declare her presence.
The current situation was clearly that Haori, who had just returned to Konoha, wanted to let the three young ninjas work together to fight an enemy. It was a bit inappropriate, but the surrounding Konoha ninjas couldn't object.
The Hyuga clan wasn't in a hurry anymore. Because their heir was already in Haori's hands.
"Hey!"
After receiving Haori's permission, Mirai, Kimimaro, and Haku stepped forward.
As the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. In this team, Kimimaro was the output, and Haku was the tank—Ice Release was indeed suitable for defense.
Of course, this arrangement also had something to do with their personalities.
So, their formation was Kimimaro wielding Hiramekarei in the front, Haku in the middle, and Mirai at the back for now. Although he was mainly defending, this didn't lower the requirements for Haku. He had to keep dodging to achieve comprehensive and appropriate defense.
As for Mirai at the back, she wasn't cowering. She was preparing for "all-out" combat. She needed to refine her chakra a little bit.
Feeling that it was about time, she stepped forward and began to form hand seals.
The "Jin" seal followed by the "Ugly" seal. For Mirai, these two seals weren't one jutsu, but two—the A-rank Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, plus the A-rank Chidori Flow.
Mirai split into ten. Then, a piercing bird cry rang out. Powerful Lightning Release darted between the ten clones. The powerful light seemed to illuminate half the night sky.
Mirai's internet connection was hopeless, but Mirai's internet network wasn't an unreliable assumption… The super S-rank forbidden jutsu, National Power Grid Technique, was under development.
Haori's abilities couldn't be used on clones. And doing it with chakra, this kind of high-consumption activity, he couldn't handle it. His chakra was limited, but someone was born with an abundance of it. They could go all out.
In short, at this moment, the so-called "return effect" had been achieved.
At this moment, any ninja present who recognized the meaning of "red hair" had only one thought: As expected of the Fourth's daughter.
Talent is talent. Controlling this amount of chakra was something even jōnin couldn't do. Attributing it to "talent" that had nothing to do with age wasn't an exaggeration.
Although Kushina had given Mirai the foundation for this ability, it wasn't wrong to admire Mirai as the Fourth's daughter.
Haori had once said, "Name" is a very important thing. So, at this moment, Mirai said:
"I've already thought of a very fitting code name for this battle…"
"It's called 'Representing the Moon, I Will Destroy You.'"
These words were directed at the enemy, but her face, which seemed a bit deliberately serious, looked a little awkward. The "destroy who" she said didn't make anyone feel threatened.
The key was that her words were also completely out of place. It was a cloudy night.
Then, Mirai… they charged towards the Kumogakure elite jōnin.
Although she was aggressive and had a lot of presence, the jutsu she used was incredibly powerful, and she looked confident. But…
It wasn't even five minutes before all her clones were destroyed. This was even with the help of Haku and Kimimaro.
There was no way around it. The Kumogakure ninja was also very skilled at Lightning Release. He had a strong resistance to Chidori Flow when he was controlling powerful Lightning Release.
As for taijutsu or combat experience, could a five-year-old child compare to an elite jōnin? So, this result was no surprise to Haori. The three of them were in a panic. They were lucky not to get hurt, let alone injure the enemy.
This was thanks to the White Fang who had been watching them closely.
"That's enough. Let's do it."
The practice was over. Haori motioned to Tenzo that he could make his move.
Tenzo nodded. He had been watching this battle with pain in his eyes. It was all so flashy… Lightning Release was indeed impressive, but it felt like moths flying into a flame.
Haori let Tenzo make his move, but he didn't expect what he would do. He formed hand seals, and a cage made of vertical and horizontal bars instantly protruded from the ground beneath the enemy's feet. The Kumogakure ninja was caught off guard and became a dead fish trapped in a net.
Tenzo even made it into a torture device. Wooden shackles instantly bound the enemy's neck and hands, rendering him immobile.
This was… Wood Release?
Haori blinked. Was this Anbu ninja so "unique"? He had always treated him as a normal errand boy.
Don't be so low-key, or you'll easily be mistaken for a supporting character.
---
P@TREON
[email protected]/ShixT9
60+ ADVANCE CHAPTERS PER FIC
CURRENT P@TREON CHAPTER : Chapter 329