"They died in battle..."
Looking down at the two lying in a pool of blood, Tōshirō was quite Feelings.
Orochimaru's gaze was calm: "After committing such a big crime, living would only bring more pain."
Tōshirō nodded in agreement.
At the same time, the other squads had also completed their tasks.
After regrouping, the teams found that all their targets were dead, which was a bit troublesome.
When the mission was issued, the Daimyo's son had explicitly ordered that if possible, they should capture them alive.
The Phantom Troupe, facing this calamity, had a starkly different attitude towards being captured alive, believing it would be a fate worse than death. They chose to die in battle or commit suicide to avoid endless suffering.
The capture teams had hoped that other members might have been captured alive, only to find that the other squads had the same thought.
One of the capture members asked weakly: "What should we report?"
"Anyway, let's check their memories first to avoid any omissions." The leader of the Guardian Ninja looked down at the bodies, his voice low.
As he spoke, several ninjas stepped forward, knelt on one knee, placed their hands on the heads of the dead bodies, and closed their eyes to probe their memories.
Tōshirō stood by, slightly narrowing his eyes. After a while, the ninjas frowned: "We might have been used."
The Guardian Ninja leader frowned, asking for details. After some discussion, he rubbed his temples, unsure how to report being used as a tool. He imagined the Daimyo's son would be furious upon hearing this.
With the mission successfully completed, Tsunade and the others had no reason to stay and prepared to return to Konoha to report.
Tsunade invited Tōshirō to return to the village, but he declined, saying he wanted to wander outside a bit longer.
Tsunade frowned: "Haven't you had enough of wandering outside every day?"
Tōshirō smiled: "A good man makes the world his home."
Tsunade chuckled, pretending to be disdainful: "A good man, you?"
"Why wouldn't I be a good man?" Tōshirō asked another person, seeking agreement: "Right, Orochimaru?"
Orochimaru silently watched the two, his eyes shifting between them, thinking to himself how well they could pretend. If not for this chance encounter, he would never have believed these two had a thing.
Orochimaru changed the subject: "Tōshirō, you've been traveling outside for over half a year without a stable income. Do you still have enough money?"
"That thing, you must have received a lot of rewards for this mission, right? Since I helped, can't you share some with me?"
Seeing Tōshirō's embarrassed expression, Tsunade seized the opportunity to mock him: "What 'making the world your home,' I think you're just wandering around begging."
Tōshirō ignored her and walked away, leaving Tsunade with the back of his head.
Tsunade called out: "Hey, where are you going?"
Tōshirō didn't look back: "I'm going to find a bowl and beg on the streets to fund my travels."
Tsunade was speechless and sighed helplessly: "Forget it, come here."
"What for?"
"Just come here."
Under Tsunade's commanding voice, Tōshirō had no choice but to return to her side.
Tsunade took out a small green wallet, unzipped it, and pulled out a stack of bills: "If people knew that a Konoha ninja had resorted to begging on the streets, it would become a laughingstock for other villages."
Tōshirō's eyes lit up: "Are you planning to support me?"
Tsunade rolled her eyes: "What are you dreaming about in broad daylight? This is a loan, and you'll have to pay interest at the bank's rate every month."
"As a comrade, shouldn't you help me out without asking for anything in return?" Tōshirō pouted: "How can you have the heart to charge me interest?"
Tsunade put the money back into her wallet, her face full of displeasure: "I've decided, you should go beg on the streets. I'll just pretend Konoha doesn't have a ninja like you."
Tōshirō, trying to please her, reached out to take the money: "Don't be like that, I was just joking. Interest it is."
With this, his poor man persona was firmly established.
Waving goodbye to Tsunade and the others, Tōshirō went to a hotel and found Kakuzu, who was hiding there. He shared the information he had gathered.
Kakuzu's cold eyes showed a hint of change: "I really want to see the Daimyo's son's expression when he finds out the truth. It should be quite interesting."
"Well, I imagine it won't be pleasant."
Tōshirō casually agreed. He was more interested in improving his strength now: "Kakuzu, do you have some time?"
Kakuzu was in a good mood, but his voice remained as low and emotionless as ever: "What is it?"
"Nothing much. It's just been over half a year since our last fight. I feel like I've improved a lot and wanted to spar with you to test my strength."
Kakuzu was not interested in being a training partner.
Tōshirō continued: "Of course, I won't ask for your help for free. I'll pay you."
Kakuzu agreed: "If you get hurt, I'm not responsible."
With the agreement reached, Tōshirō and Kakuzu went to a desolate area where they could fight without disturbance.
Kakuzu looked around: "I won't hold back. You better bring out your full strength from the start."
Tōshirō didn't dare to be careless. His eyes turned red, and three tomoe appeared around his pupils.
Sharingan...
Kakuzu narrowed his cold eyes, not rushing to attack. He knew Tōshirō had another jutsu to enhance his state that he hadn't used yet.
Tōshirō, as he wished, activated the first stage of Sage Mode, his body marked with patterns, and then entered the second stage, the patterns thickening and expanding.
"It seems a bit different from last time."
Kakuzu half-closed his eyes, recalling the first time he saw Tōshirō in this state. Comparing the two, the difference was obvious.
Tōshirō warned: "Be careful, Kakuzu. I'm much stronger than I was half a year ago."
"Your strength better match your words."
Before the words faded, Kakuzu teleported behind Tōshirō, pretending to punch his face. When the enemy's attention was focused on the fist, his legs would seize the opportunity to deliver a devastating blow.
This move had worked countless times in Kakuzu's long ninja career, with many experienced ninjas falling for it.
However, such tricks were less effective against the Sharingan's keen insight. Tōshirō managed to block Kakuzu's attack with his hands and feet.
In the standoff, Kakuzu's voice was low: "You've grown quite a bit."
He was surprised that Tōshirō hadn't used the Sharingan to see through his movements but had managed to keep up with his speed. In just over half a year, he had grown so much?
Kakuzu got a bit more serious, and black tendrils began to emerge from his arms, twisting and writhing.
Tōshirō recognized this as Kakuzu's secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear, and quickly retreated. Fighting Kakuzu at close range was unwise.
(End of Chapter)
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