Water surged into existence and instantly solidified.
In front of him, a massive, ferocious water dragon took shape and lunged forward with a violent crash.
Not far away, Amegawa stood with his hands forming seals, eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of vengeance.
Ordinarily, even though the battle had ended in an instant, as a covert operative—especially one as cautious as Amegawa—he should have retreated immediately. But now, he couldn't be bothered.
He just wanted to watch. To see Reiji torn apart by the water dragon, to watch it turn crimson with his blood. To see him struggle helplessly in the water, caught between life and death.
"Die, you cursed brat! I'll rip you to pieces!"
Amegawa snarled through gritted teeth, bloodshot eyes twisted in a sadistic grin.
As the Water Dragon Bullet hurtled toward Reiji, Hiruzen Sarutobi, hidden in the shadows, could no longer stay still.
Reiji couldn't die—he was still valuable!
That thought alone had Hiruzen forming seals at a speed barely visible to the naked eye.
"Earth Release: Earth—"
But then he froze, the jutsu halting mid-cast.
He saw Reiji... smiling.
Then, a calm and carefree voice came from Reiji's mouth.
"Since you've already seen my ninjutsu, now! Let's take a look at my taijutsu!"
The moment he finished speaking—
A thunderous boom erupted. The ground beneath Hiruzen's feet trembled violently. His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
Reiji bent his knees slightly into a sprinter's stance. In the next instant, the ground beneath him cracked open, forming a semicircular pit three meters wide—and he vanished.
The water dragon charging toward him exploded into a spray, raining water in all directions.
A second later, Amegawa, still hiding, had his head blown apart. A burst of brain matter bloomed like scattered peach blossoms.
Watching it happen, Hiruzen felt his scalp go numb.
This brat—he's a walking beast.
Is this what ninja combat is supposed to look like?
Even the samurai from the Land of Iron weren't this brutal!
Instinctively, he recalled the Second Raikage, whom he had recently clashed swords with.
Reiji's fighting style was almost identical—raw, violent, and possessed of a brutal elegance.
Snapping back to reality, Hiruzen quickly scanned the area. Behind Amegawa's slowly collapsing body, he spotted Reiji.
Dark iron particles crawled slowly over Reiji's fists, coating them like armor.
Beneath him, pale brain matter mixed with blood was strewn across the green leaves, tree trunks, and forest floor—dense and chaotic, like a sudden fall of peach blossoms overnight.
"The wind rages, peach blossoms weep, and red rain falls in drops."
A faint sigh faded into the breeze.
From their hiding places in the trees, the ANBU looked as though they'd seen a ghost. Eyes wide, they exchanged nervous glances.
One of them, wearing a dog mask, felt a chill down his spine. When he reached back, he found his windbreaker soaked in cold sweat.
I-I didn't offend this monster… right? I-I should be fine!
But… does watching him poop count?
Damn it, Hiruzen-sama, what kind of monster did you have me tail?! I'm gonna die from fright.
At that moment, the dog-masked ANBU felt like the world itself was out to get him.
Meanwhile, haunted by the stray dog's silent grudge, Hiruzen Sarutobi took out a scroll, spread it across a branch, and updated Reiji's file.
Name: Reiji Sakuhō
Affiliation: Undercover agent from Amegakure
Intelligence: S (S-tier in both strategic planning and battlefield awareness)
Chakra Capacity: Roughly equal to an average Chūnin
Kekkei Genkai: Magnet Release
Specialty Weapon: Senbon
Ninjutsu: B (Chūnin level)
Taijutsu: A+ (Elite Jōnin, extremely dangerous—avoid close combat)
Genjutsu: Unknown
Overall Rating: B+
Ninjutsu damage is moderate, but excels in battlefield awareness, raw power, speed, and explosive force.
Role: Strategist, advisor, close-range bodyguard. Fulfills a role overlapping slightly with the Akimichi and Nara clans.
After updating the intel, Hiruzen quickly rolled the scroll, tucked it into his robes, and leapt from his hiding place.
In the distance, Reiji stood with arms at his sides, expressionless, gazing at the cold moon as the breeze stirred the falling leaves.
Hiruzen slowly approached, quietly impressed.
What a composed young man. Even after vanquishing such a powerful foe, he remains calm and unfazed.
"Reiji, nicely done."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Reiji gave an awkward grin and plopped down like a deflated balloon, shouting in complete disregard for appearances.
"Old man, what took you so long? My neck's sore from holding that pose!"
Hearing that, whatever bit of admiration Hiruzen Sarutobi had was instantly gone, vanishing like smoke. He pinched the bridge of his nose in silence.
Damn it! The atmosphere! The vibe! Give me back my admiration!
At that moment, Hiruzen felt like he'd been blind.
The second this guy opened his mouth, all the tension and drama dissolved into farce.
Seriously, what kind of mess did the Jashin cult and Amegakure raise? Complaining about a sore neck—meanwhile I've been crouching in a tree half the day and didn't even gripe about numb legs!
Rolling his eyes, Hiruzen walked past Reiji with an exasperated expression and crouched beside Amegawa's body.
Seeing that, Reiji scrambled over like an eager monkey, rubbing his hands together with excitement.
Looting time! Buddha, Jade Emperor, bless me now!
I'm greedy, I'll admit it—I don't need Frostmourne or Ashbringer, just give me some gold!
Unaware that Reiji was off in his own little Lordaeron fantasy, Hiruzen reached out toward Amegawa's corpse.
"Wait!"
Reiji suddenly shouted, making Hiruzen flinch.
"Captain Hiruzen, aren't you gonna light some incense first?" Reiji asked meekly.
Hearing that nonsense, Hiruzen let out a sharp snort and rolled his eyes hard.
He ignored Reiji and reached again for the body.
"Wait!" That irritating voice rang out once more.
"What now?" Hiruzen snapped.
"Um, maybe you should wash your hands first? I'm worried you'll jinx it!"
"Scram!"
Hiruzen kicked Reiji away and, scowling, resumed searching the body.
Before long, a pile of random items appeared before him.
Loose change, scrolls, a ninja tool pouch, kunai, explosive tags—it was a mix of everything.
Right then, Reiji slinked back over with a smug grin and crouched down beside him.
"Hey, Old man, how about a deal? I take the cash, you get the body, gear, and intel. Sound fair?"
Hiruzen didn't respond. He picked out a scroll from the pile and slowly spread it open on the ground.
After studying it for a while, he pulled out a brush and ink, then began tracing the intricate lines on the scroll.
Soon, a complex and ornate sealing array took shape.
Hiruzen reached out, wiped a trace of blood from Amegawa's body with his thumb, and pressed it to the scroll.
"Seal—release!"
With a puff of white smoke, the scroll activated.
As the smoke cleared, Reiji instinctively looked over.
A wide array of items were now neatly laid out.
Bundles of explosive tags, shuriken and kunai strung together with iron wire—Reiji even spotted several Fūma shuriken nearly half his height.
Damn, these are serious contraband.
Never mind the Fūma shuriken—just those explosive tags alone could cause a disaster.
And right in the middle of the stash was a black leather case.
Even from a distance, Reiji could practically smell the money.
As much as he was itching to grab something, he didn't move an inch.
He could mess around with Hiruzen Sarutobi, even mess with Danzō Shimura in front of the Second Hokage, but at times like this, there was no room for carelessness.
Even though he'd been the one to kill Amegawa, not much of the loot was truly his.
After all, there was no telling if Hanzō of the Salamander had hidden crucial intel in one of these seemingly insignificant items.
Hiruzen Sarutobi wasn't about to take chances, and Reiji wasn't eager to give Konoha's higher-ups any reason to be suspicious.
Seeing Reiji practically drooling over the loot yet still obediently squatting in place, Hiruzen let out a sigh of relief.
This guy might be a mess when it comes to small things, but when it really counts, he's sharper than anyone.
Hiruzen had no interest in souring their relationship over a pile of war spoils.
In his heart, Reiji Sakuhō was already a Konoha citizen.
After packing up the ninja tools and explosive tags, Hiruzen picked up the black suitcase and walked over to Reiji.
Click. The case opened with a light snap.
The next second, the sight of colorful bills filled their eyes.
"Holy crap! Money!" Reiji's mouth stretched into a massive grin, drool dripping down his chin.
"Quick, Old man Hiruzen, count it! Count how much there is!" Reiji's eyes sparkled as he urged him on.
Seeing Reiji still squatting properly in place, Hiruzen's appreciation grew.
This guy's really saving me trouble. If all ANBU were as tactful as him, would I only have one kid?
I could've spent my days loafing around at home with Biwako making more babies!
He'd decided. Once he got back, he'd talk to Biwako about having another one. He'd call him... Reiji Sarutobi.
Seeing Hiruzen grinning to himself like an idiot, Reiji started getting impatient.
This monkey—here I am holding back my excitement, hands shaking, waiting for you to count, and you're off in la-la land?
"Hiruzen! Hiruzen! It's late! Hurry up and finish your business and go play with your wife!"
Hiruzen's face instantly darkened. In his heart, the name Reiji Sarutobi got trampled into mush.
If he had a kid like this, he'd shave at least ten years off his life!
Expression flat, eyes rolling, Hiruzen took out stack after stack of bills and started counting carefully.
But Reiji, with his keen nose for cash, had already roughly gauged the total.
It looked like a lot, but most bills were small denominations—only around 170,000 to 180,000 ryo in total.
"Broke. Seriously broke," Reiji muttered, looking disgusted.
"Forget it, old man! It's two hundred thousand ryo tops!
Let's say, with these four corpses and all the ninja tools thrown in, give me six hundred thousand ryo."
"What?! Six hundred thousand?! Why don't you just rob me?!" Hiruzen snapped, then cursed out loud.
"You think I wouldn't if I could?" Reiji mumbled, flashing a sly, streetwise grin.
"Old man, six hundred thousand's not even that much.
Think about it! Without me, would you have caught these four undercover agents? No way!
And don't think I don't know—you'll still get intel out of their heads, even if they're dead.
Plus, these explosive tags and shuriken? Top-grade stuff! There's a war going on up north—this gear's hot on the market!
I'm telling you, six hundred thousand isn't much!"
Hiruzen folded his arms across his chest, face drawn tight, completely unmoved.
"Forget it. Three hundred thousand, max."
"Huh?" Reiji's jaw dropped, his head practically wobbling.
"No way, no way! Minimum five-fifty!"
"Three-fifty!"
"C'mon, we're friends, right? Five hundred! I'm not even making a profit here!"
"Nope! I dragged ANBU all the way out here to play bodyguard—four hundred, that's it!"
At that, Reiji rolled his eyes hard.
"If you hadn't brought it up, I'd have forgotten! You guys sat in a tree and watched the whole damn show! I didn't even charge you for a ticket! Forty-eight—take it or leave it!"
"Squatting's not easy, you know! My legs are numb!" Hiruzen grumbled, stiff-necked.
Not far away, the ANBU agent Tsuchigami, busy checking corpses, stared blankly at the scene—his superior squatting like a fool, bickering with a brat.
Was this really the same Hiruzen he knew—calm, reliable, always composed?
He looked more like the old lady selling salted fish at the village entrance.
Clearly, Tsuchigami wasn't alone in this thought.
Scattered around the area, the ANBU hidden behind animal masks all wore equally baffled expressions.
In the end, Reiji couldn't out-haggle the shameless Hiruzen and settled at 430,000 ryo.
Thinking about how he'd just lost nearly 200,000 thanks to that old scoundrel, Reiji's face turned pitch-black.
Meanwhile, Hiruzen—beaming with victory—shot Reiji a smug look.
"You brat, instead of wasting energy bargaining with me, you better think about how to deal with Hanzō of the Salamander!"
Reiji gave him a sideways glance and scoffed.
"Mind your own business. I'll just pretend I don't know anything, eat when I'm hungry, drink when I'm thirsty."
With that, he dusted off his pants and headed back to the village.
...
Watching Reiji leave, Hiruzen hummed cheerfully and looked around. His ANBU team was working in perfect order.
Seeing there was nothing for him to do, he crouched down in front of the black suitcase again and happily started counting bills.
After one count, his smile froze. He quickly counted again.
"What the hell—there's no two hundred thousand here! It's only one seventy! You bastard, you scammed me again!"
Just as Reiji finished putting away his gear, he heard Hiruzen's anguished howl behind him.
He couldn't help but grin wide, face lighting up with pure joy.
"I'm outta here~"