"Thank you, sir! Thank you! I'll definitely serve you well!"
Masaka Sakata bowed repeatedly after hearing Ash's words. In the Bounty Guild, most veteran hunters eventually selected their own connectors—people they trusted to handle negotiations, updates, and mission logistics.
Of course, not just anyone could become one. Only after long-term interaction, once a hunter judged someone reliable, would they extend the offer. And although the position seemed insignificant on the surface, it carried weight. As Ash's reputation rose, so would Masaka's.
No one wanted to offend someone backed by a powerful hunter. And connectors earned a steady percentage from every commission—it was a profitable position despite its humble appearance.
An hour later, Masaka returned with a man who had dark skin, white hair, a blade strapped to his back, and a black lightning tattoo on his arm.
This was Darui, one of the right-hand men of the Fourth Raikage of the Hidden Cloud.
"Hey… you've got to be kidding me. You're letting a brat handle our mission from the Hidden Cloud?"
Seeing Ash's youthful appearance, Darui shot Masaka a doubtful look.
"Youth doesn't equal weakness. What, scared already?"
Ash didn't stand. He simply flicked his gaze upward—his Mangekyō Sharingan snapped open, and overwhelming killing intent crushed down on Darui in an instant.
"H–hey, knock it off! I can't move just from a look?!"
The pressure pinned Darui in place, though Masaka, standing slightly behind Ash, wasn't affected by the directed focus of the intimidation.
"That's a Sharingan… Are you from the Uchiha clan? I've never heard of any Uchiha deserter."
When Ash withdrew his aura, Darui exhaled heavily.
"Uchiha? No. My name is Ash Ketchum, and I have no connection to Konoha's Uchiha clan."
Ash's pupil color faded back to their ordinary crimson.
"Well… maybe I have a bit of a grudge with Konoha."
"So you're an Uchiha living outside the village, then?"
Darui nodded to himself. It wasn't uncommon. Clan rules or not, bloodlines inevitably spread beyond village borders.
"If that explanation works for you, sure. Now, are you hiring me or not?"
Ash sipped his tea calmly. He felt no pressure—after all, in the end it was the Cloud who needed him, not the other way around.
"…Fine. You understand the mission parameters. Just don't let anything jeopardize the village's plan."
Recalling Ash's earlier display, Darui accepted without further argument.
"Relax. I'm not involved in your politics. My job is simple—stall Konoha's Yellow Flash for half an hour."
Ash stood and followed Darui out of the guild.
Darui nodded. But part of him wondered when someone this powerful—and this young—had appeared in the ninja world. When they issued this mission, they had never expected anyone to accept it. It seemed even they had underestimated the strength lurking in the shadows of the shinobi world.
Before long, Darui led Ash to the Hidden Cloud's temporary base, where Ash saw the Fourth Raikage, A, along with other Cloud-nin from the original timeline.
"Darui, you're joking, right? You actually brought a kid here?"
The Raikage looked at Ash with clear disbelief. They were preparing to face Konoha's Yellow Flash—this wasn't a playground.
"Relax, boss. Here's what happened…"
After Darui explained the situation, the Raikage's expression tightened. He was clearly surprised that Ash had been capable of suppressing Darui with sheer presence. Not even the Raikage himself could do that effortlessly.
"Notify everyone. Prepare to depart immediately."
The Raikage snapped the order to one of his commanders.
"Understood."
The shinobi saluted and began relaying commands to the other squad captains.
As they moved out, the Raikage kept probing Ash about his identity. Ash didn't bother hiding anything—there was nothing to hide in the first place.
"How about it? Interested in joining the Hidden Cloud?"
After learning more about Ash's abilities, the Raikage finally asked the question outright. Gaining someone like Ash would be a tremendous boost to the Cloud's overall strength.
"No thanks. I prefer freedom. And honestly, I don't have good feelings toward any of the big ninja villages."
Ash shrugged with a faint smile.
"I'm only here because I want to see whether Konoha's Yellow Flash deserves his reputation."
Joining a village had never been part of his goals. He came to this world for strength—nothing else.
And if he ever were to join an organization, the Akatsuki would be his first choice, not a village.
"It's a pity," the Raikage muttered, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. It was clear that Ash's refusal had stirred certain thoughts in him.
"Lord Raikage, the opposing forces are about the same number as ours—over a thousand shinobi," said C, the sensory-nin at his side. Though a jōnin, his specialty was perception rather than offense.
"Good. Leave it to me."
With that, the Raikage's body erupted in brilliant lightning. In the next instant, he shot forward like a thunderbolt.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
"UWAHHHH!!"
Following their leader's roar, the shinobi of the Hidden Cloud surged forward, unleashing their assault on the Konoha forces positioned ahead of them.
"Everyone, stay alert! Cloud shinobi incoming!"
The Konoha commander shouted as their forces braced for the sudden charge.
"I didn't expect this…"
After blocking a strike from Minato Namikaze, the Raikage narrowed his eyes.
"Not just you… even Orochimaru and Jiraiya of the Sannin are here as well."
Behind Minato, Orochimaru and Jiraiya stood ready, their presence confirming the Raikage's suspicion—Konoha had deployed some of its strongest fighters to this battlefield.
...
TN:
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