Enemy from Kirigakure

Kato Dan, a man not from a ninja family, had a special, forbidden technique passed down to him. It was called the S-Rank Spiritual Transformation Technique.

During the Second Shinobi World War, he became close to Tsunade, who was very sad because her brother had died. Kato Dan's sister had also died, so they understood each other's pain.

They fell in love.

Later, Konoha got a request for help from the Land of Whirlpools and sent a team to assist.

Tsunade, Kato Dan, Kigume Isao, and others went together.

However, the leaders of Konoha made a mistake about how many enemies there were. When Tsunade and her team arrived, they were attacked by a huge number of ninja.

They fought hard and managed to escape, but sadly, Kato Dan was killed.

"Because they were surrounded by so many enemies, Princess Tsunade couldn't take his body with her. She buried her lover here..." Sarutobi Ryo explained about Kato Dan's life.

Some people believe that Kato Dan wanted to become Hokage, and he was getting too close to Tsunade, who was the rightful heir to the Will of Fire. So, the leaders of Konoha didn't like him and sent him to his death.

Whether those rumors are true or not, the fact is that Kato Dan was a ninja of Konoha. He was loyal to the village and died fighting for it.

"Young Master..." Yamanaka Hui looked at Sarutobi Ryo.

"Collect his remains and take them back." Sarutobi Ryo said immediately.

Fallen leaves return to their roots. It was time to bring him home...

-----

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

As Sarutobi Ryo was collecting Kato Dan's remains, a group of people arrived above the entrance to the secret passage.

They wore blue clothes in a unique style, and almost all of them had teeth like sharks.

The leader was a female ninja who wasn't very tall. She carried two long ninja swords with jagged edges on her back.

She had reddish-brown hair styled into upward-pointing pigtails that looked like rabbit ears.

"Finally, someone's here. I thought Konoha would never send anyone," she said.

She put her hands on her hips, grinned, and showed off her impressive teeth.

"Ringo Ameyuri, what should we do now?"

The ninja around her were like bloodthirsty sharks, filled with a strong desire to kill. It was clear from their expressions and presence that they were not ordinary ninja.

This team was from Kirigakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Kirigakure was also one of the main reasons why the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed.

"Of course, we go in and block them off."

Ringo Ameyuri, known as the "Kirigakure Genius Girl," became one of the "Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist" at a young age, showing that she was incredibly strong.

"This secret passage has been investigated many times. When it was built, it had several exits, ventilation shafts, and drainage systems. So, simple plans like burying them or flooding it won't work..."

The best plan was to go down and guard the main passages, cutting them off from escaping!

"Move out!"

Following her command, the ninja went into the tunnel one after another.

Unlike Konoha, which usually sent the strongest ninja first, Kirigakure and other villages sent the weaker ninja first, followed by the strong.

This difference in fighting style showed how different their cultures were.

The strong ninja of Kirigakure saw the weak as just tools to be used, existing only to help them survive.

The most important thing was for them to stay alive.

After all her subordinates had gone in, Ringo Ameyuri slowly walked down the stairs towards the underground...

-----

"Young Master, someone's coming." Yamanaka Hui turned her head, sensing several people approaching quickly.

The traps and barriers on Kato Dan's coffin were hard to disarm.

Even Sarutobi Ryo had to be careful.

Sarutobi Ryo figured that Kigume Isao, the Elite Jonin who was with Tsunade, had set up the barrier.

Kigume Isao, who seemed like just another person there, was actually in the same class as Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru.

He graduated with Hatake Sakumo.

When Kato Dan died, Kigume Isao was the one who scolded Tsunade, telling her to pull herself together.

Even though an Elite Jonin's traps might have weakened over time, the barrier and traps still needed to be handled with great care.

"They're not our people... they're splitting up... I see, they want to block all the passages in the secret chamber to trap us!" Yamanaka Hui reported what she sensed.

"You guys go first." Sarutobi Ryo said, focusing on the barrier on the coffin and channeling Chakra. He didn't turn his head.

He was concentrating on disarming the traps, like running a hacking program. He was carefully opening the many seals, one by one.

Sarutobi Ryo was confident that he could break the restraints with his great knowledge and intelligence.

"..."

Yamanaka Hui looked at her Young Master, knowing that once he made a decision, he wouldn't change his mind.

He clearly doesn't want to burden us. He had decided to bring Kato Dan's remains back home.

"You're coming with me." Yamanaka Hui suddenly pointed at Hakumo Hayama.

"Huh?" Hakumo Hayama was confused.

Confused, he followed Yamanaka Hui.

As the two left, the tomb chamber became quiet.

Hyuga Ruri stood to the side, her eyes lowered, staring at the ground, as if lost in thought.

She didn't speak, and Sarutobi Ryo focused on breaking the barrier.

For a moment, the tomb chamber was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

And soon after...

Shouts of battle and war cries rang out.

Yamanaka Hui and Hakumo Hayama had clearly met the enemy.

Sarutobi Ryo frowned slightly when he heard the sounds.

It wasn't that he was worried about Yamanaka Hui's safety.

With her mischievous mind, if she was in danger, she would probably sell out Hakumo Hayama first.

How should I put it? In the beginning, human nature is both good and evil. Some people are born good, others... are born little devils.

Before long, footsteps sounded again, getting closer.

When the figure appeared at the entrance, what awaited him... was a pair of seemingly delicate hands.

The girl's slender arms moved, repeatedly striking with her fingers.

With the pop pop sounds of Chakra exploding, a blue vortex flashed in the air.

Before the enemy could react, he fell to the ground with a thud.

Before he died, what he saw... was an extremely adorable face. Especially those white, crystal-clear eyes, which inspired endless fantasies.

"Trigram... Four Palms."

Only when the enemy's shattered heart stopped beating, and darkness covered his vision, did Hyuga Ruri whisper the name of the technique.

The Hyuga Clan's special Kekkei Genkai fighting style... Gentle Fist!

"..."

Seeing the Hyuga girl's actions, Sarutobi Ryo couldn't help but smile slightly.

Hyuga Ruri stood by the door, her head lowered, returning to her silent state.

However, some things didn't need to be said to be understood.

One good turn deserves another. You help me, and I will help you.