After three days of traveling, Team Eleven finally arrived at a small town located at the border shared by the Land of Fire, the Land of Grass, and the Land of Waterfalls.
Looking at the somewhat familiar Nihuto Town in front of him, Rinjin let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally, they had reached a place with people. Over the past three days, he had almost been driven insane by Teuchi, the chatty little kid.
This was probably Teuchi's first time traveling far from home, as he kept asking the same question over and over:
"How much farther is it?"
No wonder this kid would one day create the ramen that would take Konoha by storm. With this level of persistence, how could he not succeed?
Gathering intelligence was a simple task, something even the Ninja Academy had taught them. Rinjin didn't waste any time and immediately gave the order.
"Don't split up. The three of you should start collecting information in this town."
After giving his instructions, he turned and walked into the town.
Behind him, Teuchi called out loudly, "Rinjin-sensei, what about you? Aren't you coming with us?"
Hearing this, Rinjin quickly waved his hand in refusal, rejecting Teuchi's enthusiastic invitation.
As Rinjin walked away, Tsunade quickly crouched down, whispered a few words to Riyi, and then caught up with him.
"Rinjin, aren't you going to keep an eye on them?" Tsunade asked, puzzled.
"I am keeping an eye on them! My sight has never left them," Rinjin replied confidently.
Although he was only a half-baked sensory ninja, he was still a sensory ninja.
This town had quite a few ninjas, but none that posed a significant threat to Riyi and the others.
Besides, Rinjin had marked all three of them with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
And most importantly, dealing with kids? That's what shadow clones are for! Why should he personally get involved?
Meanwhile, as Rinjin left, Riyi, Teuchi, and Fugaku also entered the small town.
"Boss Riyi, what should we do first?" Teuchi asked enthusiastically, trailing behind Riyi.
"Eat," Riyi muttered, her eyes discreetly scanning the bustling street before leading the way into a simple izakaya.
Seeing this, Teuchi and Fugaku followed her lead—not because she was the oldest, but because her strength was genuinely impressive.
Having grown up fending for herself, Riyi feared little in life, except for math.
Entering the izakaya, Riyi waved her hand in an old-fashioned manner and ordered,
"Five skewers of grilled bird, and two pickled plum rice balls!"
After placing her order, she sat down and gestured for Teuchi and Fugaku to order as well.
Soon, the food arrived.
At that moment, a man radiating thug-like energy leaned against their table, his eyes gleaming with malice as he stared at Riyi.
"Little girl, is this all you're eating?" he sneered, picking up the rice ball in front of Riyi and tossing it lightly in his hand.
"Why don't you come with me? I'll treat you to something better."
Riyi glanced at the man's forehead protector, which bore the symbol of the Land of Grass. She sighed in exasperation and muttered under her breath,
"Big brother was right. There's something wrong with this world. Why do I always run into brainless idiots like this wherever I go?"
"What did you say, little girl?" The Grass ninja leaned in closer, his face twisted into a lecherous grin.
In an instant, Riyi's expression turned icy. She activated her Lightning Release Chakra Mode with a silent command in her mind.
Electric currents crackled violently around her, and before anyone could react, Riyi's right hand shot out at a speed too fast for the eye to follow, grabbing the Grass ninja by the throat.
Standing up abruptly, she slammed him onto the ground with a loud thud.
"You bastard! Do you see the forehead protector on my head? I'm a ninja from Konoha!
How dare you look down on me, you little shit!"
Her words had barely left her mouth when seven or eight other Grass ninjas at a nearby table stood up, their crude voices echoing across the izakaya.
"Hey! Let go of our friend!"
"Kid, do you know where you are? This is the Land of Grass! How dare you lay a hand on one of us?"
"Feisty little girl, aren't you?"
Teuchi stood up in a panic, his face showing a mix of fear and determination. Despite his nervousness, he positioned himself beside Riyi, keeping a wary eye on the Grass ninjas.
As for Fugaku, though he was stunned by Riyi's speed, he still stood shoulder to shoulder with her.
Riyi's gaze swept over the Grass ninjas who were shouting at her and the man she had pinned to the ground, whose face was now red from lack of air. Her brow furrowed, and she tightened her grip.
Crack!
The crisp sound of bones breaking echoed through the izakaya, plunging the entire room into silence.
The Grass ninja on the ground lay motionless, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle—clearly dead.
The other patrons in the izakaya instinctively shrank back, intimidated by the ruthlessness of the young girl before them.
Damn… this girl is vicious.
What they didn't know was that Riyi had witnessed the horrific deaths of her parents—her father bound and her mother violated. The darkness in her heart was far deeper than anyone could imagine.
If not for Rinjin, this girl would either be dead or, at best, a violent criminal consumed by hatred.
Her current state was already the result of Rinjin's efforts to heal her inner darkness.
Standing up slowly, Riyi looked at the remaining Grass ninjas and formed a series of hand seals without saying a word.
The Grass ninjas were startled and immediately drew their weapons, charging at Riyi from all directions.
"Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet!"
In an instant, a torrent of blazing fire erupted from Riyi's mouth, growing larger and more intense as it surged forward.
The entire izakaya was engulfed in flames.
The Grass ninjas' expressions changed drastically. This little girl, despite her young age, had a hand seal speed and chakra reserve that rivaled—or even surpassed—that of a Chunin.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
From within the flames, a panicked voice shouted.
The next moment, a massive wall of water rose up, blocking the flames and creating thick clouds of steam as the two elements clashed.
"Hmph!" Riyi snorted coldly, forming another set of hand seals.
Although she didn't know any particularly advanced techniques, her abundant chakra allowed her to spam ninjutsu recklessly.
"Water Release: Starch Syrup Gun!"
Ptooey!
"Water Release: Starch Syrup Rapid Fire!"
Ptooey ptooey ptooey!
"Earth Release: Falling Mud!"
"Earth Release: Descending Clay Lid!"
Under the stunned gazes of Teuchi and Fugaku, Riyi radiated killing intent, resembling a living ninjutsu turret. She unleashed an array of bizarre techniques at a dizzying speed.
First came large globs of sticky spit, followed by smaller spit bullets.
Then came a rain of sticky mud from above, culminating in a giant turtle-shaped clay lid that crashed down, reducing the entire izakaya to rubble.
Watching from the shadows, Rinjin covered his face in utter despair.
This… this… THIS!
I taught her Earth Release, and this is what she came up with?!
Fire, spit, mud, and a giant lid?!
Riyi, do you have some kind of mental problem?!
Beside him, Tsunade's eyes widened in shock, her face openly displaying her amazement.
"This little girl… I haven't seen her in a while, and she's already become a ninjutsu prodigy."
And the power of her techniques was nothing to scoff at either.
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