"Oh? He forced that Kakashi Hatake to flee in such a sorry state this quickly? No wonder the battle maniacs of the Kaguya clan keep thinking about him, and no wonder Lord Third values him so much. That Anbu called Rei Kaguya is quite strong…"
"He didn't kill his opponent. What is there to praise?"
Standing amid a field of blood, Ringo Mirai, the Kirigakure jonin who had brought the sealed vessel containing the Three-Tails, Isobu, along for this mission, curled his lip in dissatisfaction and expressed his disdain for Matsuda Takuya's remark.
Matsuda Takuya did not seem bothered by his companion's sharp words. He merely shrugged casually and whistled.
"After all, Kakashi Hatake is a genius who made a name for himself on the battlefield against Iwagakure, and he has the support of one Sharingan now. For a fifteen-year-old shinobi to force him into a desperate situation where he had no choice but to flee in such a short time is already a decent achievement…
"If he shows a few more brilliant performances in the later operation, once Konoha surrenders, maybe we'll end up becoming colleagues with him."
"That little brat? The kind who is softhearted, avoids killing whenever possible during missions, and only ever takes the final target's life? Don't make me laugh, Takuya… Kirigakure jonin is not a position someone that weak can sit in firmly."
"Yes, yes. Whatever makes you happy, Mirai…"
"Lord Matsuda, Lord Ringo."
Mikazuki Eri brought the tightly bound Rin Nohara before the two of them and spoke with great respect.
"The target has been captured. Should we begin the Three-Tails sealing ceremony now?"
"Begin. Our time is not exactly abundant. The sooner we bring the Three-Tails Jinchuriki to Konoha, the higher our mission's odds of success and the greater the result. Mirai, we're starting. Do you still have enough chakra?"
"Who do you think I am!?"
Ringo Mirai clapped his hands together.
The vessel sealing the Three-Tails appeared before them.
With Ringo Mirai and Matsuda Takuya, the two jonin, taking the lead, and the squads under them providing support, they began undoing the seal on the vessel. Then, using an extremely crude method, they forcibly stuffed the sealed Three-Tails into Rin Nohara's small body.
If they had intended to create a Jinchuriki who could be used long-term, minor characters like Ringo Mirai and Matsuda Takuya would never have been qualified to serve as the main operators of the sealing formula.
But their mission this time did not require them to create a controllable Jinchuriki who could serve Kirigakure for years.
They only needed to create a human bomb that could act as a timed explosive and be driven like a spearhead straight into Konoha's exposed heart.
In that case, as long as the Jinchuriki's body and sanity could last until she was delivered into Konohagakure's territory, it would be enough.
Naturally, such a crude and violent ceremony came with agonizing pain.
Under the infusion of Tailed Beast chakra, Rin Nohara's small body spasmed and convulsed in agony, constantly twisting into terrifying positions that made the heart go cold.
But surprisingly, this gentle-looking medical-nin did not make a single sound under such torture.
Even when she lost consciousness from the pain several times during the sealing process, only to be forced awake again by even greater pain, she still did not let out the kind of weak voice that would excite and please Kirigakure's bloodthirsty shinobi.
"Tch. How boring… Like a dead fish. Not a single reaction worth enjoying."
Ringo Mirai irritably kicked Rin Nohara, who had already been turned into the Three-Tails Jinchuriki and was now so weak that she could not even move a finger. Then he turned toward Rei Kaguya, who had arrived at some point and was silently watching from the side.
"Hey, Kaguya brat. Take out the cursed seal scroll Lord Third gave you and place it in her heart. I don't want this thing hurting herself on her own before she can serve as a tool, or turning against us instead."
"Here."
Expressionless, Rei Kaguya tossed out the cursed seal scroll that had been delivered to him together with the mission scroll.
Expressionless, he watched as Matsuda Takuya implanted the cursed seal capable of controlling Rin Nohara's speech and movements into her heart.
A short while later, the Anbu who had gone after Kakashi returned to the squad.
From them, Rei Kaguya learned that Kakashi had already passed on the intelligence about their invasion. Kakashi himself had also vanished without a trace.
"Hmph. Useless things. You could not even hold back a brat covered in wounds. What use are you?"
Ringo Mirai harshly scolded the returning Anbu squad, then turned his gaze toward Matsuda Takuya and Rei Kaguya.
"Forced march?"
"Of course we have to force march," Rei Kaguya calmly took over. "Konoha may receive Kakashi's intelligence, but even if their higher-ups become vigilant, the shinobi deployed on the borders of the Land of Lightning and Land of Earth cannot return to the village that quickly. As long as we are fast enough, we can still cause Konoha losses they cannot afford…
"But do not think about something unrealistic like taking them down in one battle. The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the Third Hokage are still stationed in Konoha's main village. Relying only on one rampaging Three-Tails Jinchuriki cannot possibly defeat so many Kage-level combatants at once."
"Ah, Rei-kun makes sense… Everyone, take soldier pills to recover your stamina. We must reach the mission target before Konoha has time to organize a defensive line!"
"Yes!"
Including the two jonin, Matsuda and Ringo, everyone took Kirigakure's version of soldier pills to raise their current condition.
Then, with Rei Kaguya's squad carrying Rin Nohara, who was unable to move on her own, this group of several dozen Kirigakure Anbu rushed toward Konoha's main village at extremely high speed.
Not long after they left, a small ninja dog quietly appeared near the deathly silent outpost.
It listened to the movement inside the outpost, then sniffed the human scents mixed with blood in the air. With a worried expression, it sighed, disappeared in a burst of smoke, and reported to its master.
"They went in Konoha's direction, Kakashi. Are you going after them?"
"Yes. Of course I am…"
Several li away from the outpost, beside a small stream, Kakashi Hatake was sharply inhaling through clenched teeth while bandaging the dozen or so wounds on his body that looked terrifying but had not truly struck any vital points.
At the same time, he spoke to himself in an icy voice.
"The intelligence has already been passed on. Lord Third will receive my report before those Kirigakure shinobi reach Konoha. That time difference is enough to organize the village shinobi for defense… The mission of a Konoha jonin is already complete. What remains is only Kakashi Hatake's private mission."
"You'll die, Kakashi."
The ninja dog, Pakkun, anxiously scratched at the soil beneath its paws. Its voice was low as it advised him.
"That Kaguya clan guy alone was already difficult for you to handle, right? If you add dozens of other Anbu and jonin on top of that, going alone to save Rin Nohara will get you nothing except wasting your own life."
"I know. But my life was traded for by Obito using his own. I promised Obito I would protect Rin. Even if I have to bet this life, I won't hesitate."
"Sigh. I'm done with you, Kakashi. If you unfortunately die, I'll bring Konoha shinobi over to collect your corpse."
"That may not necessarily happen, little dog."
"Who!?"
Kakashi Hatake sprang up in alarm and drew the kunai in his hand, warily looking around.
Just now, an unfamiliar female voice, clear and bright, had joined the conversation between him and his ninja dog.
Judging by the volume of the voice, the speaker should be less than ten meters away from him.
At such a distance, she was already close enough to launch a silent sneak attack.
Who was it?
How?
Had his senses deteriorated this badly because of his injuries?
Seeing Kakashi's tense expression, the speaker seemed to realize her actions had been inappropriate.
Her body drifted down from the nearby forest like willow fluff, landing gracefully before the young Kakashi Hatake with the elegance of a noble lady from a prestigious clan.
"Who are you!?"
"No need to be nervous, Senior Kakashi. I came to help you."
The black-haired female shinobi dressed in elegant clothing raised her head and opened a pair of eyes that made Kakashi Hatake freeze.
They were pure white eyes.