Hearing Yagyu's words, anko's mouth twitched. Her face darkened as she spoke.
"Hey, brat. I'm teaching you mission experience, and you're telling me not to talk?"
No, no.
You're clearly planting flags for this mission.
Yagyu complained inwardly, but he could not really say it out loud.
After all, things like raising flags were mysterious and impossible to explain.
Just as Yagyu was about to say something,
Jingle.
The sound of a wind chime suddenly rang out.
In an instant, Yagyu's body tensed.
His expression immediately became serious before quickly returning to normal.
"What a powerful presence."
Along with the wind chime sound came three powerful auras that made every hair on Yagyu's body stand on end.
The pressure they emitted was terrifying, completely on a different level.
Kage level.
Without question, they were Kage level.
After sparring with the Third Hokage for so many years, Yagyu was extremely familiar with the aura of Kage-level experts.
Even without seeing them, he could confirm it.
The three presences that had suddenly entered his perception were undeniably Kage-level.
And the fact that they had approached so close before he sensed them meant they could only be Kage-level shinobi.
Yagyu immediately shut his mouth and followed Anko forward step by step.
The movement of his hands became almost imperceptibly smaller.
He was ready to draw his sword or grab any ninja tool at any moment.
Jingle.
Jingle.
Jingle.
As Yagyu prepared himself for battle, the wind chime sound grew closer and closer.
At the same time, three unhurried footsteps approached.
"Hm…"
As they got closer, Anko stopped speaking.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
She had also sensed that something was wrong.
At the corner of the road ahead,
Three figures walking almost side by side appeared in front of Yagyu and Anko.
When Yagyu saw them clearly, his pupils shrank uncontrollably and his breathing faltered for a brief moment.
"Damn. We're screwed."
Inside his mind, Yagyu cursed while quickly stabilizing his composure.
"We ran straight into the main targets? Anko's mouth must be blessed with prophecy."
The three people approaching them wore straw hats with small wind chimes hanging from them. Every step they took produced a faint jingling sound.
The clothes they wore were extremely familiar to Yagyu.
Black cloaks with red clouds.
The uniform of the Akatsuki.
From the appearance of the three figures, Yagyu instantly recognized who they were.
"The one who looks like a hunched old man must be Sasori of the Red Sand."
Yagyu subtly observed the three figures drawing closer.
"And the one carrying the large object wrapped in white bandages must be Kisame Hoshigaki, the so-called Tailed Beast without a Tail. That means the one in the middle can only be…"
The target Yagyu and Anko were supposed to track.
Uchiha Itachi.
At that moment, Yagyu felt utterly helpless.
Anko had just said it was unlikely they would encounter him.
Yet here they were, meeting "love" right around the corner.
"Let's hope Anko doesn't recognize Uchiha Itachi, and that they don't want to cause unnecessary trouble."
As the distance between the two sides grew shorter, Yagyu's mind became increasingly tense.
"Otherwise, things will become very difficult today."
Facing three Kage-level experts,
What had originally been a situation where they might be defeated had now become a certainty.
They would absolutely be crushed.
They might even lose their lives.
As expected, this mission was exactly as dangerous as Yagyu had initially suspected.
Yagyu remained silent.
He kept his eyes forward, completely ignoring the approaching trio of Uchiha Itachi, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Sasori.
Anko, who had also sensed something wrong, behaved the same way.
Her hands stayed in her pockets.
Her breathing and gaze did not change at all, as if the three approaching figures were complete strangers.
Compared to Yagyu, who was still relatively inexperienced, her composure was far better.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The footsteps of both sides overlapped.
They passed each other face to face, neither side revealing the slightest reaction.
After Yagyu, walking behind Anko, had passed them by three or four steps,
Whoosh.
A sharp sound of air tearing suddenly rang out.
Behind Sasori,
A steel puppet scorpion tail shot out toward the back of Yagyu's head.
The blade at its tip glowed with a dark blue light.
It was clearly coated in deadly poison.
Hearing the sound behind him, Yagyu's expression changed.
Clang.
Gripping his Chakra Blade in reverse, he instantly drew it from its sheath.
Whoosh.
His body spun rapidly as he raised the blade in front of him.
Clang.
Sparks burst in the air as Yagyu's Chakra Blade precisely blocked the scorpion tail.
"Oh?"
Sasori's hoarse voice sounded with a cold laugh.
"This little brat has quite good reflexes. But that's as far as you go."
The moment his words ended,
Yagyu felt a tremendous force surge through the scorpion tail.
Instead of resisting the force, Yagyu used it to propel himself backward, pulling Anko along with him.
In an instant, they retreated more than ten meters.
Creating a relatively safe distance.
"Sosuke…"
Being dragged backward by Yagyu, Anko's expression changed slightly.
After glancing at him, she fixed a cold and vigilant gaze on the three figures ahead.
She stepped forward, placing herself in front of Yagyu.
Her face darkened.
"You… who are you?"
Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki stopped walking.
Both slightly turned their heads to look at Anko and Yagyu.
But neither of them spoke.
"No answer?"
A cold look filled Anko's eyes as a faint killing intent slowly spread from her body.
"Whoever you are, you attacked us. That makes you enemies."
Standing behind Anko with his Chakra Blade in hand, Yagyu could not help twitching his lips.
Please don't act tough.
We are literally snacks for them.
But obviously, Anko could not hear Yagyu's thoughts.
At that moment she was filled with anger.
Of course, she had not lost her reason yet and did not foolishly attack.
The pressure coming from the three opponents was immense.
"Anko-nee, be careful. They are very strong."
Unable to think of a solution for the moment, Yagyu stepped closer to Anko and spoke with a serious expression.
"Especially the one in the middle. He is the strongest among them."
Anko nodded slightly.
She understood.
Just after Yagyu and Anko finished speaking, the three people opposite them finally moved.
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