"Captain, hand me another bag of potato chips…"
Perched atop a small tower beside Rōran's central spire, Yagami and his team remained tucked away in the shadows.
This was already the second full day they had spent quietly observing the city.
Although both Tekuno and Kakashi had questions about Yagami's seemingly passive approach, they followed orders without complaint, waiting with him in silence.
"…"
Watching Tekuno extend his hand eagerly—again—Yagami felt his expression twitch.
In just two days, the guy had nearly devoured every snack Yagami had drawn from the system.
With a resigned sigh, Yagami pulled out the last two bags of chips and tossed them over.
"Heh… you really are a pig," Kakashi commented mercilessly, not even pretending to soften the insult.
He didn't care that Tekuno was technically his senpai.
"What did you call me?! At least I'm not reading porn during a mission!"
Tekuno shot back instantly, ripping the bag open while glaring at Kakashi.
Kakashi froze, cheeks turning bright red.
Yagami had handed him the infamous Icha Icha Paradise earlier to help pass the time.
It was harmless fun or so Yagami thought.
"Pff—HAHAHAHA!!"
Yagami couldn't hold it back.
Kakashi's deadpan expression turning crimson was too much.
Over the last two days, the boys had been trading jabs back and forth.
Somehow, their shared embarrassment had turned into a strange but genuine bond.
"Yagami-sensei, you're still laughing? If you hadn't given me that book, would he be roasting me right now…?"
Kakashi grumbled, clutching the book to his chest as though protecting it from further humiliation.
"Ahem… alright, alright. I'll stop…"
Yagami coughed twice, trying to compose himself.
But the corners of his mouth kept twitching.
A dead giveaway that he was struggling to hold it in.
Clatter—clatter—clatter…
Suddenly, the sound of countless wooden joints echoed from below.
The three of them leaned forward just enough to see it—
Humanoid puppets, dozens upon dozens, were flooding into the square from every direction.
"Ey, focus up! This might be it!"
Yagami whispered sharply.
If his memory was right, this was the moment when Princess Sārah was pushed off the tower and Naruto would appear out of nowhere to catch her.
Kakashi and Tekuno instantly dropped their bickering.
"Captain… were you waiting for this?" Tekuno asked, confused but alert.
Until now, Yagami hadn't told them exactly why they were waiting.
Tekuno assumed they were waiting for a good opportunity to strike the enemy but if they attacked now, they'd be torn apart by hundreds of puppets.
Definitely not the plan.
Kakashi didn't voice his confusion.
He trusted Yagami completely by now.
"AHHH!!!"
A chilling scream cut through the air.
The railing atop the central tower snapped—sending a red-haired girl plummeting straight down the massive height.
Click, click, click—
Yagami instantly activated the Squid Girl bracelet, halving his weight.
His eyes sharpened.
If Naruto didn't show up… he would have to jump in and save Sārah himself.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
"Huff—!"
Just as Yagami braced to leap—
A streak of red suddenly darted from a nearby building.
A girl — swift and graceful — caught Sārah mid-fall.
Da da da da—!
Her sandals scraped along the wall as she slid two, three meters downward, absorbing the impact with surprising skill.
Then...
She kicked off the wall, sprang upward, and after three light jumps, vanished from the square entirely.
"…What the hell?"
Yagami stared, dumbstruck.
This… was NOT how it went in the story.
"CHASE THEM!!"
He snapped out of it instantly.
Naruto was missing.
Sārah had been saved early.
A completely unknown red-haired girl appeared out of nowhere.
Nothing was going according to the original plot.
Yagami sprinted off the tower as fast as he could.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Kakashi and Tekuno rushed after him, though their speed couldn't compare.
--------------------------------------
Support me at patreon.com/Arthorain and read upto 50 Advanced Chapters and R-18 Content!
--------------------------------------
Update schedule: 7 chapters/week
Every 100 power stones = 1 Extra Chapter
By voting with [power stones], you can easily get double the number of chapters.