Chapter 191: Training with Kakuzu

Not only him, but even his accomplice turned into white smoke, apparently also a shadow clone.

The group, having lost their target, could only stare in frustration.

At this moment, the team members, who were bound together by interests, naturally couldn't avoid blaming each other for the failure: "Hey, this isn't what we agreed on. How did it turn out like this?"

Jikou, in a bad mood, retorted: "You ask me, who should I ask?"

Kojirou looked grave: "Given the nature of those two, they will probably seek revenge on us next."

The group's expressions turned ugly, and they were already starting to regret this operation.

Just as they were thinking about how to deal with the impending revenge from those two, they suddenly noticed a spherical object rolling into the room.

The group was stunned, and before they could react, the object suddenly emitted a bright light, followed by a huge explosion. Those who reacted slowly were immediately injured by the blast.

Jikou dodged the explosion. He had expected revenge from those two, but he didn't expect it to come so quickly, nor did he expect it to involve a group of people.

The leader of the group shouted: "Phantom Troupe, surrender, you are surrounded."

Jikou was stunned: "Who are you..."

The tall leader tore off his clothes, revealing his true identity: "We are the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Daimyo, you scoundrels who dared to kidnap Prince Shinji."

Jikou and the others gasped, their faces ashen, and forced a smile,Argument: "You've got the wrong people, we are law-abiding citizens."

The Guardian Ninja sneered: "Someone reported that you were gathering here. Whether you are law-abiding or not, we'll find out after some interrogation."

Reported?

The Phantom Troupe's operations were always covert, making it difficult for anyone to report them. It must have been someone within their organization who reported this operation.

And the person who reported them, with a little thought, it was easy to figure out.

After understanding what had happened, Jikou's face twisted in anger.

The team members beside him started to argue, blaming and shirking responsibility.

"Shut up, all of you. If you want to live, then let's fight our way out together."

Jikou quickly formed hand seals, gathering a large amount of chakra in his mouth, and unleashed a powerful fire jutsu, the flames surging like waves.

The Guardian Ninja countered, forming a water wall around them.

Fire and water are incompatible, creating thick steam and a brief blind spot.

Jikou and the others seized this opportunity, scattering like birds and beasts, running for their lives.

Seeing their targets fleeing, the pursuit team split into several squads to chase them.

The Konoha squad also joined the pursuit. After a chase, Tōshirō and others caught up with two members of the Phantom Troupe and surrounded them.

Tōshirō smiled slightly upon seeing the two they had caught up with: "What a small world."

Jikou cursed: "You guys are really persistent."

One of the surrounding ninjas shouted: "You are at the end of your rope, surrender."

Surrender?

Jikou retaliated by throwing a kunai wrapped with an explosive tag.

Of course, such a direct attack wouldn't work. The ninjas chasing them were carefully selected and wouldn't be easily defeated.

Jikou knew they were completely done for today. Surrender was not an option; the crime they committed was too severe, and what awaited them was a fate worse than death.

Rather than that, it was better to fight to the death. Jikou quickly formed hand seals, and the water from a nearby pond was drawn up, forming a water dragon that flew towards a medium-built youth.

Perhaps because this youth's build was similar to that detestable Yagura, Jikou chose to attack him with the Water Dragon Bullet.

Tōshirō was stunned. Why was he the target among so many people?

But it was just as well. He had a jutsu he wanted to try. He quickly formed a hand seal.

In the blink of an eye, the water dragon was upon Tōshirō, about to hit him. He raised his right hand, and the dragon's head began to freeze.

"Crackle, crackle..."

Accompanied by the sound of freezing, the water dragon froze at a visible speed, section by section, eventually forming a majestic ice dragon.

Tōshirō raised his left hand, forming a sword seal with his index and middle fingers, and with a single hand seal: "Ice Release: Crystal Ice Dragon."

The ice dragon, under his control, circled around him and flew into the air.

Tōshirō leaped up, landing on the dragon's head, grabbing its horns to steady himself.

This jutsu was developed by Tōshirō with the help of that penguin. Although it was still a work in progress, it could be used and even allowed for simple flight.

The power of his ice dragon aside, its appearance was quite impressive. Everyone who saw it looked up in surprise, amazed by this jutsu.

Orochimaru smiled: "It seems Tōshirō has been developing interesting jutsus lately."

Back in Konoha, the two would often spar and grow together. Orochimaru was quite familiar with Tōshirō's jutsus.

Tōshirō controlled the ice dragon, which let out a low roar and charged forward.

Jikou jumped to the right to dodge.

The ice dragon, missing its target, crashed into the ground. As the dust settled, Tōshirō walked out slowly.

This move was indeed flashy, but it was also a bit fragile, and control was an issue.

As soon as the ice dragon's speed increased, Tōshirō would lose control. Just now, he had seen the enemy dodge, but the ice dragon, like a car without brakes or steering, could only crash into the ground and shatter.

Tōshirō exhaled, thinking about how to improve this jutsu, when something shot towards him from the side at high speed.

Tōshirō slid and turned, barely dodging it. He saw the object, which missed and quickly retracted.

Following the direction of the retraction, Tōshirō saw a man with a sharp mouth and monkey-like cheeks. It was Kojirou, a member of their organization.

This was his secret technique: Mouth Release, which allowed him to extend his protruding mouth like a woodpecker to attack.

Tōshirō glanced at Orochimaru, who was watching the show.

In this world, there were secret techniques that allowed one to extend their hands or even their necks freely, so a technique that extended the mouth wasn't surprising.

Tōshirō knew the strength of these two well. Fighting one against two wasn't his interest, so he called out: "Hey, you guys can't just watch me perform alone, right?"

Reminded by him, the group snapped out of it and rushed forward without any martial ethics. Even if Jikou and Kojirou resisted desperately, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

But there was no helping it. The Daimyo's son, seeking revenge, spared no expense in hiring a large number of ninjas to hunt down the Phantom Troupe. It was already quite an achievement for the Phantom Troupe members to escape for a while after being discovered.

"They died in battle..."

(End of Chapter)

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