"Don't move, if you still want this brat's life!"
After Mirai's shout, realizing that slipping out of the village unnoticed was impossible, the opposing Kumogakure ninja immediately changed his modus operandi.
It was the only possible, yet incredibly scummy, change.
This was essentially a desperate act. Although his combat style and physique clearly marked him as a Kumogakure ninja, his actions were not very "Kumogakure" at all.
He chose to threaten them.
But orthodox ninjas generally didn't fall for this trick. Threatening a ninja only worked in extreme situations—for instance, if the hostage in his hands was a crucial figure Konoha couldn't afford to lose.
When necessary, a ninja could even brutally tear themselves to shreds... If they could so easily disregard their own lives, could you really expect a ninja to show mercy to a random child?
"I have to say, using a Konoha resident to threaten other Konoha residents inside Konoha... is very creative, but not a smart choice. If we don't move, what do you want to do?"
Hagoromo really didn't move, acting as if he had accepted the threat.
"Step aside!"
The Kumogakure ninja was still thinking about escaping Konoha with his "target," but Hagoromo's group was clearly blocking his path, so he demanded these obstacles step aside.
He had to act fast; otherwise, a large number of Konoha ninjas would surround the area, and he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to.
"I heard you Kumogakure folks came to Konoha this time to negotiate a peace treaty. Your current actions seem to have nothing to do with the word 'peace'. It only makes people doubt Kumogakure's sincerity."
"So, under the circumstances of no peace, what exactly are you doing in Konoha? I solemnly declare that your actions will now be judged by the Konoha Joint Protection Foundation for Women and Children..."
Hagoromo naturally didn't step aside. Was he the type to easily comply with an enemy's wishes?
The Anbu ninja beside him, Tenzo, was completely bewildered by Hagoromo. Konoha was a hidden ninja village; since when did they have an organization that sounded so "human rights" oriented?
The rumors were indeed true. This incredibly strong Jonin often spouted nonsensical and completely off-key remarks... Tenzo just didn't notice that at least one other person present was perfectly in sync with Hagoromo.
Mirai was nodding her head vigorously, expressing extreme agreement with Hagoromo's words.
"Step aside, or el—"
Hagoromo interrupted him and pointed a finger at the man's arms. "Before you repeat your threat, first take a look at exactly what you're holding."
Prompted by Hagoromo, the man seemed to notice the abnormal texture at this moment. What happened to the soft, light body? Why was it so stiff?
Because the thing in his arms was no longer a child, but a wooden log.
Looking back across the way, the child was already safely in the hands of the person speaking.
The night sky and the slanted lighting hid the other party's upper body in darkness, making his facial features unclear.
A Space-Time Ninjutsu? No, it was merely a Body Replacement Jutsu. But this jutsu wasn't just applied to a third party; more importantly, it was ridiculously fast.
When did he weave the signs? No one present had even noticed.
Hagoromo looked down at the child in his arms. Her gaze was dull, seemingly trapped under some sort of genjutsu.
"Look how scared this child is, her eyes have rolled back (turned white)..."
Wait a minute, this wasn't just her eyes rolling back, right? This little girl, even without rolling her eyelids, had Byakugan.
At this point, Kumogakure's intention for a truce with Konoha was genuine, but since they had finally made it into Konoha, they didn't mind grabbing a little souvenir on their way out. The "Byakugan" was undoubtedly an excellent choice.
Kumogakure actually had good taste. The ninjas they tried to kidnap were never ordinary; they all possessed considerable strategic value.
"It seems I have no choice but to kill you all..."
Pressed for time, the Kumogakure ninja honestly didn't want to fight, but he had to take action—to recapture the mission objective.
Kill them? Hagoromo shook his head and stepped out of the shadows, step by step.
Life has three great illusions. If placed in the ninja world, they would be:
I can learn this ninjutsu too.
She likes me.
And... I can pull off a counter-kill.
Now that Hagoromo had finally stepped out, at this very moment, the Kumogakure ninja thoroughly remembered the terror of being dominated by the white-haired demon...
"White... Yaksha..."
According to Kumogakure's intelligence, this man shouldn't be in Konoha right now. Why did he appear? For this ninja, pondering such a question was now meaningless.
"Kimimaro, Haku, Mirai. The enemy is a Jonin. Be careful. Go try and see if you can handle him," Hagoromo said.
In this situation, there was no need for him to intervene personally, but he could let these three get some practical experience.
Then Hagoromo turned to Tenzo beside him and said, "Provide support, and prevent him from committing suicide."
By now, a large number of Konoha ninjas had also arrived, especially members of the Hyuga clan.
The current situation was terribly grim for the Kumogakure ninja. Fighting and winning was already impossible. His best option was to flee, but realistically judging the scene, that was also impossible. As for the last remaining choice... suicide.
Once he died, as a Kumogakure ninja dead in Konoha during a period of peace negotiations, he wouldn't have to take responsibility for the kidnapping. Instead, the blame for the entire incident would shift to Konoha.
A peace envoy dying in the village of the negotiation target—Kumogakure would have countless ways to use this as an excuse to make a fuss and demand reparations... Therefore, he couldn't be allowed to die.
Tenzo nodded, indicating he understood.
In reality, the Kumogakure ninja before them was the "true" envoy, the leader of the Kumogakure negotiation team. The strength of a ninja entrusted with such a mission was naturally not to be underestimated. For Mirai and the other two to defeat him was practically impossible.
If Kimimaro went all out, they might put up a better fight in a three-on-one situation. But having Kimimaro use the Twinsword Hiramekarei right now, before he had truly mastered its usage, would make it less useful than a basic kunai.
Most people just stared blankly as only three little kids stepped forward. But this didn't mean the Kumogakure ninja felt relieved, because Hagoromo was present.
With Hagoromo standing right there, how big of a heart would one need to completely ignore him and focus solely on the kids? Even the Raikage couldn't do that, so the Kumogakure ninja had to dedicate most of his attention to guarding against Hagoromo.
Hearing they were going to fight a Jonin, Mirai immediately raised her hand to ask, "Hagoromo, can I use any jutsu I want?"
"...You may."
Looking at her eager expression, Hagoromo knew exactly what Mirai wanted to do. After a moment's thought, he gave an approving nod.
Due to her age, under normal circumstances, Hagoromo strictly forbade Mirai from using highly chakra-consuming jutsu, but the situation right now was a bit special.
The audience was fully assembled, and the enemy was perfectly positioned. The Konoha Princess's first return naturally required a spectacular debut to declare her presence.
The current situation was clearly the newly returned Hagoromo wanting three underage ninjas to team up and practice against an elite enemy. Although a bit inappropriate, the surrounding Konoha ninjas couldn't voice any objections.
Even the Hyuga clan wasn't anxious anymore, because their main branch heiress was already safe in Hagoromo's hands.
"Heh!"
Having received Hagoromo's permission, Mirai, Kimimaro, and Haku stepped forward.
As the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. In this squad, Kimimaro was the DPS, while Haku was the tank—Ice Style was indeed very suitable for defense.
Of course, this arrangement also had a bit to do with their respective personalities.
So their formation was: Kimimaro wielding Hiramekarei at the very front, Haku holding the mid-line, and Mirai temporarily taking the rear. Although acting primarily as defense, the demands on Haku actually increased. He had to constantly perform snake-like evasive maneuvers to provide appropriate defensive cover.
As for Mirai in the back, it wasn't that she was cowardly. Rather, to fight at "full strength," she needed a moment to refine her chakra.
Feeling she was ready, she advanced while weaving signs.
The "Water" sign followed by the "Ox" sign. For Mirai, these two signs weren't for one jutsu, but two—the A-rank Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu, plus the A-rank Chidori Current.
Mirai split into ten. Immediately, the piercing sound of chirping birds rang out as powerful Lightning Style surged wildly among the ten clones. The intense flashes of light seemed to illuminate half the night sky.
The "Misaka Sister Network" was a lost cause for Hagoromo in this life, but the "Mirai Sister Network" wasn't an unreliable hypothesis... The Super S-rank forbidden jutsu, National Power Grid Jutsu, was officially under development.
Hagoromo's esper ability couldn't be used on shadow clones, and replicating the effect purely with chakra was too exhausting for him to handle. His chakra was limited, but someone else had naturally massive reserves and could spam it to her heart's content.
In short, at this very moment, the so-called "return effect" had been wildly achieved.
At this exact second, any ninja present who recognized the significance of her "red hair" had only one thought in their minds: As expected of the Fourth Hokage's daughter.
Talent is talent. Commanding this amount of chakra simultaneously was something even Jonin couldn't do. Attributing it to an age-defying "talent" was not an exaggeration.
Although it was Kushina who bestowed Mirai with this foundational ability, marveling that Mirai was the Fourth Hokage's daughter wasn't wrong either.
Hagoromo once said that "names and titles" were very important, so Mirai spoke up loudly:
"For this battle, I've already thought of a very fitting operation codename..."
"It's called: In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
She said this to the enemy, but that deliberately serious little round face looked somewhat awkward no matter how you looked at it, and her claim to 'punish' didn't make anyone feel the least bit threatened.
The main issue was that her words didn't fit the scene at all—tonight happened to be completely overcast.
Then, Mirai... and her clones charged straight at the Kumogakure elite Jonin.
Even though she was fierce, had plenty of style, used unbelievably strong jutsu, and looked as if victory was already in her grasp, however...
Less than five minutes later, her clones were entirely wiped out—and this was even with Haku and Kimimaro's support.
It couldn't be helped. The Kumogakure ninja was also very adept at Lightning Style. While wielding powerful Lightning Style himself, he had immense resistance to the Chidori Current.
As for Nintaijutsu or combat experience, how could five-year-olds compare to an elite Jonin? So this result was entirely within Hagoromo's expectations. The three kids were in a fluster; let alone hurting the enemy, just avoiding severe injury was a feat in itself.
They also had to thank the White Yaksha, who had been glaring menacingly from the sidelines the entire time, keeping the Jonin too paranoid to fully commit.
"Had enough playtime. Do it."
The practice session was over. Hagoromo signaled Tenzo to make his move.
Tenzo nodded. Watching this battle had made his eyes physically hurt, with blinding light everywhere... The Lightning Style was indeed astonishing, but it totally felt like watching moths darting into a flame.
Hagoromo told Tenzo to act, but he didn't expect how he would act. Tenzo swiftly wove hand signs, and instantly, a cage made of wooden pillars and crossbars erupted from the ground beneath the enemy's feet. Caught completely off guard, the Kumogakure ninja became a dead fish trapped in a net.
Tenzo had even directly created torture devices; wooden stocks instantly clamped around the enemy's neck and wrists, immobilizing him entirely.
This is... Wood Style?
Hagoromo blinked. So this Anbu ninja was actually this "special"? He had been treating him like an ordinary errand boy ninja all along.
One shouldn't keep such a low profile; otherwise, it's very easy to be mistaken for an extra.