Chapter 16

After observing Itachi's setup of the warning traps, Hyuga Kagami casually picked a clean patch of grass, leaned against a tree trunk, and closed his eyes for a light nap.

Because they had been traveling on foot the entire way—thanks to their client Shinnou—it was hardly a burden for someone like Hyuga Kagami. Even after a full day of walking, he didn't feel the slightest fatigue.

As he rested, his mind wandered to his own matters.

Right now, what was holding back his growth in strength, aside from the lack of inheritance or deeper understanding of the Tenseigan, was his chakra capacity.

Ever since his Tenseigan entered a stable state, his chakra had continued to increase daily—but not nearly as significantly as it had during the adaptation period. Though he was already one of the top among his peers in terms of chakra, he wasn't satisfied. He knew that with his current capabilities, he was far from reaching the dazzling brilliance of the Fourth Hokage.

There were ways to solve this problem, of course.

Tailed beasts were essentially walking chakra batteries. Almost all Jinchūriki possessed vast, seemingly endless amounts of chakra. The only difference was whether they could actually control the beast within them.

But the nine tailed beasts were all in the hands of the Five Great Nations. On top of that, they were future targets of the Akatsuki. Trying to snatch one was no different from stealing food from a tiger's mouth—a single misstep could lead to disaster.

However, the Zero-Tails was different. It was an artificial tailed beast. Though inferior to the Nine Tailed Beasts in terms of power and stability, it might just do the job if used as a mere "battery."

Hyuga Kagami glanced casually at Shinnou, who was resting not far away, and thought, "By the time the Zero-Tails shows up, Naruto was already pretty grown. If I wait that long, the opportunity will have long passed."

---

The next morning, the three packed up and hit the road again. But after crossing into the Land of Fields, they were quickly tailed by a group of rogue ninja.

Rogue ninja were often made up of missing-nin from major villages or remnants from defunct minor ones. They were generally not too powerful and typically lurked in small nations like the Land of Fields—places without a hidden village of their own—where they could loot and pillage as they pleased.

Spotting the group trailing behind them, Itachi asked, "Captain, what should we do?"

Hyuga Kagami scanned the area and replied calmly, "There are three ambushing ahead and three trailing behind. I'll take the front; you handle the rear. Make it quick."

Swish...

Swish...

With a flicker of movement, both Hyuga Kagami and Itachi turned into blurs and launched themselves at their respective targets.

Hyuga Kagami didn't use his Six Paths Rods or any high-level techniques. He simply relied on his Tenseigan's exceptional insight and neutralized the three enemies ahead using precise Gentle Fist strikes.

By the time he turned around, Itachi had also finished his side.

With expertly thrown kunai and swift taijutsu devoid of any excess motion, Itachi's combat style was equally crisp and efficient, on par with Hyuga Kagami.

The skirmish felt more like a minor interruption than anything else. The three continued on their journey.

---

Half a day later, Hyuga Kagami suddenly stopped.

Both Itachi and Shinnou looked puzzled, but seeing the seriousness on Hyuga Kagami's face, they instinctively went on alert.

After a few breaths, Hyuga Kagami muttered, "We've got trouble."

"Is it from the Hidden Cloud?" Itachi asked.

Hyuga Kagami nodded.

Four chakra signatures were rapidly approaching. The leader's chakra was immense—greater than anyone he had ever seen before, even the Third Hokage.

What's more, the group didn't bother hiding their approach. They came in boldly and directly, clearly confident in their advantage.

By now, Hyuga Kagami had no doubt: Shinnou had stolen something very important from the Hidden Cloud. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dispatched such an elite squad.

Moments later, four figures landed on the surrounding trees, casting watchful gazes down at the trio.

Hyuga Kagami observed them in return.

The leader appeared to be a female ninja about his age. Based on memories from his previous life, he vaguely recognized her—though he couldn't remember her name, he was fairly sure she was the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails.

The other three seemed to be elite jonin-level, probably handpicked guards assigned to the Two-Tails Jinchūriki.

After a brief standoff, the female ninja called out coldly, "Hey, Konoha brats, scram! Go back and tell your village you ran into Yugito of the Hidden Cloud. They won't blame you for abandoning the mission."

Even though they were likely the same age, being called a "brat" obviously irked Hyuga Kagami.

This Yugito clearly had a lot of confidence in her strength. She completely dismissed Hyuga Kagami and Itachi. In his memories, he recalled she eventually challenged the Akatsuki's immortal duo on her own—and paid the price for her arrogance, losing both her tailed beast and her life.

Shinnou's face was pale and conflicted.

Though he had traveled far and wide, and knew how strong Hyuga Kagami and Itachi were, they still paled in comparison to someone like Yugito, a Jinchūriki.

Itachi, ever the perceptive one, had already guessed Shinnou was hiding something from them based on Hidden Cloud's aggressive approach.

Seeing that Hyuga Kagami and Itachi remained unmoved, Yugito continued, "This guy, Shinnou, stole vital secrets from our village. He's a liar through and through. Is he really worth dying for?"

Shinnou quickly defended himself, "I've never even been inside your village! How could I have stolen anything? This treatment of a medical professional is disgraceful!"

Yugito smirked, "No need to argue. We'll get the truth out of you once we take you in."

Hyuga Kagami found himself hesitating. He was doing this mission to build reputation. If he gave up the client without a fight, not only would he lose credibility, but he might also be penalized by the village.

However, going up against a Jinchūriki was no small matter. Once they started fighting, things could spiral out of control.

BOOM!

Just then, a loud explosion rang out in the distance.

Everyone turned to look.

Hyuga Kagami narrowed his eyes. In the direction of the blast, two figures were engaged in battle—figures he recognized clearly: Jiraiya and Orochimaru, two of the Legendary Sannin.

At that moment, he noticed a fleeting expression of delight flash across Shinnou's face...