Facing Hoshigaki Kisame, who had suddenly sped up ahead, the three genin following behind him froze for a moment.
But soon, a cold voice reached their ears.
"Are you expecting me to submit your mission reports for you?"
Hearing Hoshigaki Kisame's icy voice, the three genin couldn't help but shudder.
The three genin gave Ringo Ameyuri a slight bow while jogging to catch up.
Clearly, Hoshigaki Kisame held tremendous authority over these genin.
Since Ringo Ameyuri and Hoshigaki Kisame were separated from the genin following behind by some distance, the genin present naturally couldn't hear the deliberately hushed conversation between the two.
The genin could only roughly surmise that the relationship between Jonin Ringo Ameyuri and Jonin Hoshigaki Kisame seemed far from good.
Watching Hoshigaki Kisame's squad gradually receding into the distance, the three genin behind Ringo Ameyuri glanced at their instructor's cold expression, exchanged brief looks, and didn't dare make a single sound.
If Yuto knew that Ringo Ameyuri and Hoshigaki Kisame actually had such a friendly relationship, not only would he not have a headache — he'd probably burst out laughing.
Expecting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, with their wildly different personalities and temperaments, to get along amicably and help each other was simply impossible.
Truth be told, with the exception of Ranmaru, the temperaments of Ringo Ameyuri and the others were, for most ordinary people, downright unpleasant.
However, nothing in this world is absolute.
Who could say for certain that a group brought together by abrasive personalities might not be more resolute and powerful than those who call each other comrades?
In Yuto's eyes, the disagreeable natures of Ringo Ameyuri, Momochi Zabuza, and the others were filled with convictions far more steadfast and pure than the vast majority of shinobi!
The justice and nindo that Uzumaki Naruto pursues — isn't that just ambition wearing a different skin?
Near the outskirts of Kirigakure.
Across the empty ground, a black figure streaked by at incredible speed, so fast that only a dark afterimage could be detected.
The figure suddenly made a sharp right angle as it crossed the terrain, then shot straight up into the sky, appearing dozens of meters in the air in the blink of an eye.
Hovering in midair, Fu took a deep breath, a look of relief spreading across her face, then widened her eyes to survey Kirigakure below.
"As expected of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. It's truly massive. Even at this height, I can only see a portion of the entire village."
"And the scent of the sea — it really is completely different from the smell of rivers."
Sniffing the unique ocean breeze carried on the air, Fu let out a small exclamation of wonder, murmuring to herself.
After all, back in Takigakure, flying to this height would have given her a clear view of the entire village.
Just as Fu was hovering in midair, observing Kirigakure, a calm voice suddenly rang out from behind her:
"As an outsider, observing someone else's village so brazenly isn't a good habit."
"And flying this high — it's very easy for people to mistake you for an enemy."
Hearing this unexpected voice, Fu's pupils contracted slightly, and the two transparent wings on her back involuntarily faltered.
Fu quickly turned around to look behind her, only to find no one there at all.
At that moment, Fu turned back and began cautiously scanning her surroundings.
As a jinchuriki, Fu's sensory abilities were naturally not weak. But just now, she hadn't detected any shinobi presence at all.
That was the main reason Fu had been startled.
"No shinobi at all... so it was a long-range voice transmission?"
Fu murmured to herself. Flying to this altitude must have triggered Kirigakure's airborne barrier.
Realizing this, Fu understood that she had likely been warned by Kirigakure's Anbu.
As expected of one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages — to be able to set up a barrier in the sky above was something a small village like Takigakure could never imagine.
As someone with the ability to fly, Fu understood better than most shinobi the difficulty of deploying an airborne barrier, as well as the financial resources and manpower it required.
Even without calculating the cost, just the shinobi needed to take shifts maintaining the barrier would require over a dozen.
And that number of shinobi was equivalent to more than half of a small shinobi village's entire force.
Despite her reluctance, Fu quickly descended from the sky in response to the hidden shinobi's warning.
The moment she landed, Fu sensed a figure appear behind her.
Fu's expression shifted, thinking the hidden shinobi was about to attack her. She turned while rapidly retreating.
But when Fu finally got a clear look at the figure behind her, her movements came to a halt.
"It's you?"
Looking at Yuto standing there with a faint smile on his face, Fu stopped retreating entirely.
Before this person, her movements were meaningless.
"Not exactly behaving yourself, are you? Looks like the Anbu gave you a warning."
Yuto looked at Fu, who wore an annoyed expression, and spoke in a calm tone.
Hearing Yuto's words, Fu's heart couldn't help but tighten!
The reason she came to Kirigakure was to protect her village, Takigakure. If her earlier behavior had upset this person...
Her village could be in danger!
"I was just bored, that's all. How was I supposed to know you can't fly above Kirigakure?"
With that thought, Fu hurried to explain, though her tone was somewhat stiff.
Seeing Fu pretend to be calm, Yuto couldn't help but shake his head.
"It seems you never learned the basic common sense of the shinobi world when you were in your own village."
"It's not just the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Even the smaller villages — if someone spots you hovering above their village, they'll treat you as an enemy."
Yuto spoke plainly. Although his words were somewhat stern, his tone was very relaxed, clearly showing he didn't take it too seriously.
Sensing that Yuto wasn't angry, Fu finally let out a heavy sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.
"Good grief. It seems Utakata has been fairly trusting of you."
With that, Yuto lifted his foot and headed toward where Utakata was.
If Fu was able to come here alone, whether intentionally or not.
That proved Utakata was relatively at ease with Fu and hadn't been paying her too much attention.
[
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