The group rushed toward the location Uzumaki Taiga had indicated.
As they approached the site of the earlier battle, everyone instinctively frowned.
Even with the steady drizzle, the smell of blood in the air was overpowering.
There was no need to ask—they could tell at a glance.
A massive battle had taken place here, and the casualties were heavy.
The only question was—were the dead Konoha's shinobi, or were they Hoshiyomi's enemies?
"Search the area carefully. Don't miss a single detail.
Taiga, use your Kagura Mind's Eye and see if you can sense Hoshiyomi's chakra."
Taiga nodded and activated his Kagura Mind's Eye, beginning his scan with sharp focus.
Everyone else busied themselves with the search.
Only Danzo remained standing still, breathing in the heavy scent of blood with a faint look of… satisfaction.
Wouldn't it be nice if all this blood belonged to Hoshiyomi…
He entertained the thought, his heart dark with malice.
Just then, a shout came from the distance:
"Over here! Everyone, come look at this!"
The group quickly gathered at the source of the voice.
When they saw what was in front of them, their expressions shifted to shock.
"You've gotta be kidding me…
What kind of jutsu could cause this level of destruction?"
"Maybe it was some massive summoned beast?"
Even Danzo, standing among the group, scrutinized the enormous crater.
Could this have been caused by some powerful Earth Release technique?
But there were no traces of Earth Release chakra left behind… only remnants of those earth spears.
Ah, I get it now.
Danzo's mind lit up with a theory—a convenient one for his narrative.
The Iwa shinobi must have realized that bastard Hoshiyomi was too fast, so they tried to trap him with the earth spear formation.
Then they probably used a boosted version of Earth-Style: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling to crush him to death.
Danzo's eyes narrowed.
There were still bloodstains and bits of flesh lodged in the cracks of the crater.
Hmph. That's probably what's left of Gekko Hoshiyomi, pulverized into paste.
Danzo gleefully immersed himself in this fantasy, even casually stepping on some of the leftover flesh fragments, pretending it was accidental.
You said I'm not worthy to use you?
What do you think you are, huh?
But just as Danzo was enjoying his triumphant thoughts, Shinku, who had been frowning moments before, suddenly smiled when he saw the crater.
"This is Hoshiyomi's jutsu. I've seen him use this before.
Looks like he took out all the enemies himself."
"????"
Danzō's brain stalled.
What the hell?!
I just spent all that time imagining his death, and now you're telling me this is Hoshiyomi's technique?!
Danzo forced his face to stay neutral, suppressing the urge to grimace.
He forced out a question:
"Shinku, my dear nephew, are you sure? This looks more like some kind of advanced Earth Release technique to me."
Shinku chuckled:
"Don't worry, Danzo-sama. I know this jutsu. Hoshiyomi learned it from Tsunade-sama. It's a new, high-powered technique. I actually wanted to learn it myself, but Hoshiyomi told me my physical strength wasn't up to par."
Shinku then pointed to the side, where a perfectly smooth, straight passage had been sliced through the earth—Hoshiyomi's sword path with Mikazuki Munechika.
"Look at that cut. You can't get an edge that clean without serious swordsmanship. And as far as I know, the transport team doesn't have any other sword experts. There's no doubt—it's Hoshiyomi's work. He's fine."
Slap. Slap. Slap.
It was like three giant invisible hands had just smacked Danzo across the face.
His expression darkened further.
As if to further verify Shinku's words, Uzumaki Taiga's voice came from the other side of the crater:
"I found him, Shinku-sama! About two kilometers out, at 9 o'clock. I'm 100% sure—it's Hoshiyomi-sama's chakra signature."
Then, noticing Danzo's expression, Taiga blinked: "Eh? Danzo-sama, are you okay?"
Danzo felt like he was going to burst a blood vessel, but he still forced out a smile as bitter as death itself:
"It's nothing… Just an old injury acting up."
Shinku, still in high spirits, didn't think much of it.
He casually replied:
"Danzo-sama, you should take care of yourself!"
Then enthusiastically rushed off with his men to rendezvous with Hoshiyomi.
Meanwhile—
At Hoshiyomi's camp in the forest.
They'd just finished a quick dinner around a small campfire.
As they were about to clean up and move on, Hyūga Seishō spoke up:
"Someone's approaching."
But as the group got closer, Seishō recognized the chakra signature and relaxed.
"It's fine—it's Shinku-sama."
Moments later, Shinku and his squad emerged from the trees.
The moment he saw Hoshiyomi, Shinku let out a sigh of relief.
He hurried forward and punched Hoshiyomi playfully on the arm.
"You bastard—you scared the hell out of me! Taiga said you ran into enemy forces. I rushed over right away."
Hoshiyomi smiled back casually:
"What's there to worry about? It was just a bunch of small fry. You know my strength, don't you?"
Shinku rolled his eyes in mock annoyance:
"Oh, look at you—showing off again."
Behind them, Danzo's face darkened further.
I sold him out, and this is all the Iwa ninjas could muster? Just this?
Right then, a chunin from the transport team—clearly one of Hoshiyomi's fanboys—blurted out excitedly:
"Small fry? That was six jonin and over a dozen chunin! And Hoshiyomi-sama took them all out in less than a minute!"
Danzo felt like spitting blood.
Six jonin are "small fry"? Is this some kind of flex?!
At this point, Hoshiyomi noticed Danzo standing behind Shinku, his expression as sour as if he'd just eaten poison.
Seeing that look, Hoshiyomi quickly guessed the situation.
So that's why this supposedly secure route got ambushed right after we left the outpost, huh?
Looks like we've got a mole.
With that thought, Hoshiyomi smiled and decided to poke the bear.
Feigning surprise, he said:
"Oh my! Danzo-sama, is that you? I didn't recognize you at first."
He continued, voice full of false politeness:
"Ah, it's this damn forest—too dark, too easy to lose track of people. My bad, my bad."
Danzo was on the verge of exploding but could only force a stiff smile:
"It's fine… It's fine. I'm just glad you're safe, nephew."
Hoshiyomi wasn't about to let him off the hook.
With the precision of a professional troll, he kept piling on the sarcasm:
"Honestly, it's kind of strange. Why would Iwa send just six jonin to attack us? That's basically a free delivery of kills."
Then, in a tone dripping with mock innocence:
"Right, Danzo-sama? I mean, surely no one's stupid enough to think six jonin are enough to take me out. No way, right? No way no way no way."
Danzo clenched his teeth so hard his jaw creaked, but he still forced out a polite smile.
So infuriating…
Seeing Danzo's blackened expression, Hoshiyomi went in for the final jab:
"Danzo-sama, your face doesn't look too good. Everything alright?"
Danzo's teeth ground audibly.
With supreme effort, he squeezed out the words:
"It's nothing… Just an old injury acting up."
Then he turned, his back stiff:
"I'm not feeling well. I'll return to camp for now. Hoshiyomi, we'll meet again if fate allows."