Farewell, Ringo Ameyuri: A Weapon Forged by the Will of Fire

"Young Master Ryo, where are we actually going?"

Outside Konoha's walls, the team sped across the open fields.

Might Duy, a Genin who usually did simple D-rank and C-rank tasks, kept looking nervously at the two Anbu beside their group--the Umino couple.

This mission feels way bigger than usual, he thought. It was clear this wasn't just another walk in the park.

Common sense said that if Anbu were involved, a mission was at least B-rank.

Might Duy had figured Young Master Ryo's invite was for a C-rank at most. He never imagined this. Excitement bubbled inside him, mixed with a healthy dose of fear.

"We might run into ninjas from Kumogakure..." Sarutobi Ryo said, sounding almost too relaxed.

Of course, he was just guessing.

In the original story, years later, the Third Shinobi World War exploded. Kakashi met an Iwagakure Jonin who mistook Kakashi's dad's, the White Fang's, short sword for Hatake Sakumo himself.

This meant Iwagakure Village didn't know Hatake Sakumo was dead at that point.

So, Hatake Sakumo's mission probably wasn't about Iwagakure Village.

Sunagakure's position was uncertain, but they had at least agreed to a ceasefire with Konoha, ruling them out, too.

That left Kirigakure and Kumogakure as the only options.

Considering Yakushi Nonou's sudden disappearing act, Konoha's leaders probably wanted her to sneak into one of those villages. She would find the perfect moment and turn the enemy into a weapon against Hatake Sakumo.

Kirigakure Village, under the Third Mizukage, was a cruel and bloody place, making sneaking in really hard.

That made Kumogakure Village the most likely target.

"Kumogakure, huh…" Might Duy muttered, staring into the distance.

The Umino couple were quickly going over everything they knew about Kumogakure.

"Kumogakure is ruled by the Third Raikage right now, and he has a lot of strong ninjas working for him," Yamanaka Hui said, organizing the information for the team.

Her cousin, Yamanaka Inoichi, led Konoha's Intelligence Department, which meant she had access to more information.

"But one-on-one, not many can beat Sakumo-sensei."

To beat Hatake Sakumo, they would probably have to rely on outnumbering him.

"The A-B Brothers, the Lava Release user, Sarui with his Black Lightning…"

Yamanaka Hui listed the powerful names.

The A-B Brothers were the Future Fourth Raikage Ai, the Third Raikage's son, and… the Eight Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee.

Before Killer Bee became the Jinchuriki, his partnership with his adopted brother, the Future Fourth Raikage Ai, was already famous across the Ninja World.

"That Killer Bee guy was super strong. He was already famous at five years old…" Yamanaka Hui said, impressed.

Sarutobi Ryo nodded.

This was real.

In the manga, Little Kid Killer Bee wiped out Iwagakure ninjas on a mission, leading them to say, "He's just a kid, but so strong! Are you the famous A-B Combo?"

The official data book, said Killer Bee was only five at the time and already famous with his adopted brother.

That was about the same time Sarutobi Ryo, Namikaze Minato, Yamanaka Hui, and the others had just graduated.

In the manga, when Future Killer Bee first fought Namikaze Minato, Killer Bee was only 15.

"The Ninja World never runs out of geniuses," Sarutobi Ryo said calmly.

"But don't worry. Our job this time is just to help out. Sakumo-sensei is the main fighter."

Hatake Sakumo's problem was:

Whether to complete the mission and leave his team behind.

Or save his team, fail the mission, and hurt the Land of Fire.

Kumogakure would send strong ninjas to keep Hatake Sakumo busy.

Then, they would attack Hatake Sakumo's teammates, targeting them on this mission from two sides.

So, what he needed to do was clear.

If he could find out the details of Hatake Sakumo's mission, allowing Hatake Sakumo to focus on fighting the enemy, Hatake Sakumo wouldn't have to make such a difficult choice.

The leaders of Konoha had likely set up some useless teammates to hold him back on purpose.

And I 'm here to protect those deadweights, Sarutobi Ryo thought.

----

Soon after, Hyuga Ruri suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong, Ruri?" Yamanaka Hui asked right away.

"…"

Hyuga Ruri pointed.

Following her gaze, a blurry figure rose from a puddle of water on the ground.

"Careful… Kirigakure ninjas!"

The Umino couple warned instantly.

This kind of hiding, in puddles and hard to spot, was definitely the work of ninjas from the Blood Mist.

Were there more Kirigakure ninjas sneaking into the Land of Fire?!

Just as everyone was on edge, the figure stepped out of the water.

"Yo~."

A short female ninja with shark-like teeth and a cheerful look.

It was Ringo Ameyuri, who they hadn't seen in two weeks.

"It's you…" Yamanaka Hui relaxed a little.

When the Umino couple saw the scratch on Ringo Ameyuri's forehead protector, they realized what was going on.

"A rogue ninja?"

"Isn't that Ringo Ameyuri, the genius from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?! She betrayed Kirigakure?!"

They were both shocked.

Kirigakure Village was a secretive village that never talked to other villages.

So even if ninjas went rogue, other countries wouldn't know.

"What is it?" Sarutobi Ryo asked, sounding bored.

Sarutobi Ryo had sensed Ringo Ameyuri even before Hyuga Ruri pointed her out.

It was the "Will of Fire Imprint."

The cursed seal on Ringo Ameyuri's stomach, placed after infusing her with the Will of Fire, was how Sarutobi Ryo could find her.

Cursed seals were strange things.

The caster could always sense them nearby.

"I've become a bounty hunter~."

Ringo Ameyuri spun around like a dancer, stopping in front of the group.

"Young Master Ryo…" Might Duy said nervously. She was one of the famous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, after all.

Seeing Sarutobi Ryo knew one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist surprised the Umino couple.

"I have some information I can give you, to repay you for last time. What do you think?"

Ringo Ameyuri smiled, but she still seemed a little afraid of Sarutobi Ryo.

She would never forget his calm but scary personality.

And Sarutobi Ryo's warning--that the cursed seal could kill her anytime--made Ringo Ameyuri scared to do anything without thinking.

Maybe she came here to test him a little.

"Speak," Sarutobi Ryo said, his face blank.

"Well, it's like this…"

Ringo Ameyuri told them about her recent adventures.

After healing, she left the Port Town and went to an Underground Exchange in the Land of Fire, becoming a bounty hunter.

She completed two missions, saved some money, and was living a good life.

She learned that Kumogakure was planning a small attack on the Land of Fire.

Ringo Ameyuri's information matched Hatake Sakumo's current mission.

"Tell me more."

Sarutobi Ryo's lips curved into a slight smile, but his eyes stayed cold, making Ringo Ameyuri uneasy.

She quickly told him everything.

"Very good."

With Ringo Ameyuri's information, they were one step ahead.

"Then we can ambush them on the way… Target… the Land of Frost!"

Sarutobi Ryo decided to go faster than Hatake Sakumo and the others, getting ahead of them! He wanted to strike first!

This would take a lot of energy, which most ninjas couldn't handle.

"Everyone, do as you please. Ruri, Senior Duy, the three of us will go ahead."

"Oh, okay, Young Master Ryo." Might Duy, a hidden master of Body Art, sped up and followed him.

Hyuga Ruri, who had practiced Gentle Fist Body Art since she was a kid, looked small, but she was also very strong and had a lot of stamina.

The two chased after Sarutobi Ryo, and soon the three of them were gone.

"Young Master~~!"

Yamanaka Hui felt hopeless.

Whenever there was a test of stamina, it always ended like this.

"There's nothing I can do. I'm just not good at Body Art, sigh…"

Ringo Ameyuri: "Then let's catch up slowly from behind, ha…"

Umino couple: "…"