Seeing the two Mist shinobi appear, Kakashi felt a headache coming on.
What was supposed to be a C-rank had become a B-rank—fine. But everything happening now had blown past his expectations.
Kinoshita Jiro was dead. Even if Root did it and it had nothing to do with them—on paper they were all Leaf, and the death happened right in front of them.
If he didn't know the Third had personally issued the mission—and that the bounty on Kinoshita Jiro had already been up for half a month—Kakashi would've suspected a setup. Too many coincidences.
With Ameyuri and Haku's arrival, Naruto and Sasuke's gazes lingered on Haku for a beat.
"He's even prettier than Sakura…" Naruto muttered.
A vein throbbed on Sakura's forehead. If there weren't outsiders here, her fist would've already met Naruto's face.
"Leaf shinobi," Ameyuri said flatly, "our lead jōnin asked me to inform you: we got the details from Gato. Whether it's Gato or Zabuza, the Mist has already resolved it."
"Zabuza's been dealt with?!" Sakura blurted.
Kakashi also froze, recalling what the Wave civilians had been saying. No wonder Gato and Zabuza hadn't shown themselves lately.
Ameyuri finished and turned to leave without waiting for their reactions.
"Ameyuri-nee, doesn't that person look like the one from the recent village bounty?" Haku lowered his voice.
Ameyuri put on a puzzled face, turned back, and looked toward Kinoshita Jiro's body.
"The clan head of the Kinoshita Clan!"
Her expression changed. Muscles went tight; she dropped into an attacking stance and glared at Kakashi's group.
Haku mirrored her, though compared to Ameyuri's smooth readiness, Haku's movements were a bit flustered.
Seeing this, Kakashi sighed. He'd expected as much.
"I believe this can be explained," he said, stepping forward with sober care.
Explain?
Ameyuri curled her lip and sank lower. She had no intention of listening.
Just as she was about to move, a lazy voice sounded in both her and Haku's ears.
A young man appeared between them.
"As for Kinoshita Jiro's death, I'd also like to hear Konoha's explanation."
Yuto placed a hand on Ameyuri's head and one on Haku's, ruffling their hair.
He hadn't planned to show himself this early, but he'd forgotten how battle-hungry this girl was—and with Haku's temperament, he worried Kakashi might spot a tell. So he stepped in.
"And you are?" Kakashi asked, body tensing on instinct. Every hair on his neck stood up. His battle-honed instincts told him this man was dangerous.
"I'm their supervising jōnin," Yuto replied offhandedly, though his eyes flicked to Jiro's corpse, a faint light passing through them.
Well done, Kinoshita Jiro.
"Regarding this matter—" Kakashi began. If they handled this wrong, it could escalate to war.
Even if the Leaf didn't fear the Mist's current strength, once those two fought, the other three villages wouldn't just watch.
Unfortunately, halfway through, Yuto cut him off.
"You only need to tell me whether it was Konoha who killed him."
The domineering tone made Kakashi's face darken.
Since when did Mist shinobi have the gall to talk to the Leaf like this?
"No," Kakashi said coolly. Without proof, he would not admit it.
Naruto stiffened beside him, about to speak—but Sakura grabbed his sleeve and yanked hard, several times.
Naruto's expression twisted. He swallowed what he'd been about to say.
Sasuke's face didn't change, but disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Yuto's brows lifted slightly; a hint of a smile touched his gaze. Kakashi's denial had been expected.
Some things are easier to do after a denial.
"Is that so… little Ameyuri."
He glanced down at her.
With a push of her feet, Ameyuri surged forward, twin blades—Kiba (Thunder Swords)—at the ready, charging straight for Kakashi.
The instant she moved, a shadow burst from behind Kakashi. Sasuke met her with a pair of kunai.
Kakashi's eye flickered with helplessness. As expected, a fight couldn't be avoided.
Showing strength to each other—this was standard shinobi-world theater.
"Brat, you're not my opponent," Ameyuri sneered at the incoming Sasuke.
"You're only a few years older than me. Woman or not, I won't hold back," Sasuke shot back, cold smile on his lips. He hurled both kunai—one for the throat, one for the heart—at wicked angles.
At the same time, his forward rush kicked up a gear. With a few long strides he was nearly on top of her.
Ameyuri's sharp teeth showed. Lightning crawled along the left-hand Kiba; with a casual sweep, she flicked the blade.
Under the pull of the current, the two kunai veered midair as if drawn by Kiba, bent their paths, and whipped back toward Sasuke.
His face changed; he sprang back and began to race through hand seals.
Thump!
With a dull boom of earth, Ameyuri was already there. She snapped a kick into his chest, breaking his flow, twisted her hips, seized his head, and slammed his face into the ground. One foot pinned his skull as she looked at Kakashi and chuckled.
"These are Konoha's shinobi?"
What—?!
Naruto and Sakura blanched. They knew Sasuke's strength. To see him dropped this fast—without a shred of resistance—left them reeling.
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