"Will Prince Jun and Lord Kai be alright?" A Uzu-nin asked while registering civilians who wanted to go to the Land of Whirlpools, glancing worriedly at his companion. "Their expressions looked serious."
"Don't worry!" The other Uzu-nin replied casually. "Lord Kai is an elite jōnin, and Prince Jun..." His face filled with admiration. "He's invincible!"
"True! Someone as strong as Prince Jun definitely won't be in trouble."
"So let's just focus on our mission. They'll be back soon."
...
However, Uzumaki Jun had no idea that his recent displays of power had boosted the Uzu-nin's confidence in him to an absurd degree.
The truth was, he was only a jōnin!
But now...
Damn it!
He was facing an elite jōnin from the Aburame Clan!
The Aburame Clan was known for their versatility—whatever ability they needed, they could cultivate the right insects for it. Whether it was offense, scouting, or even medical ninjutsu, they could do it all. Wasn't that why Aburame Shino was sidelined in the later parts of the story?
Because his abilities were too overpowered! He remained undefeated throughout the shinobi world until Boruto's era...
Where he became less relevant and his strength was nerfed.
So...
Looking at the swarm of insects in front of him, Uzumaki Jun felt nothing but disgust. Every time he attacked, his opponent just used an insect clone. How was he supposed to fight like this?
Neither could gain the upper hand!
As for the other Root jōnin, he had taken them all out one by one through sneak attacks. Only this guy remained...
Truly a nameless, emotionless assassination machine. Even when all his comrades died, he remained unfazed.
Jun threw a Flying Thunder God kunai, instantly teleporting next to him, forming a Rasengan—
But it was another insect clone!
Jun knew this couldn't go on. The commotion from Uzumaki Kai's side had already died down, meaning Konoha reinforcements would arrive soon. But...
What should he do?
"Kage-level?" Aburame Wahei frowned as he observed the seven-year-old boy before him. His strength didn't match the intel.
A seven-year-old jōnin was indeed a genius, but calling him Kage-level was absurd.
Had the intel been wrong?
Otherwise, why would they claim this child was a Kage-level shinobi?
But...
Many had witnessed him suppressing a tailed beast—the sheer pressure, the destructive force...
It had been overwhelming!
Was it a forbidden technique?
One that required specific conditions to activate?
As for space-time ninjutsu, the boy clearly knew it, but that alone wouldn't be enough to kill him...
"It seems I need to relay this to Lord Danzō." A seven-year-old jōnin was far less concerning than a Kage-level threat. Danzō would surely eliminate him before he could grow stronger.
Uzumaki Jun frowned as he watched him...
"What should I do now?"
He knew this Aburame jōnin had already realized he wasn't Kage-level, just a jōnin. So...
He couldn't let him escape!
Because only a Kage-level reputation could deter other villages...
...
"He doesn't seem to be Kage-level after all. Were we all mistaken?" White Zetsu asked curiously, watching the battle unfold. "Should we still recruit him?"
A mere jōnin wasn't exactly rare for them.
"No. There was no mistake back then. That pressure..." Black Zetsu muttered. "It was unmistakable."
"Maybe it was a forbidden technique?"
"Let's keep watching. A seven-year-old jōnin will definitely reach Kage-level in the future."
"For now..."
"Let's test his worth. See if he's qualified!"
...
Nara Shikazo was at a loss for words. It seemed Danzō had sent a lot of people to their deaths.
This kid had suppressed a tailed beast! Sending so many to kill Uzu-nin and refugees...
Of course they'd get wiped out!
Even if Danzō didn't want them recruiting refugees, this wasn't the way! Killing innocent civilians like this...
And couldn't he have waited until they left before making a move?
Oh, right—that wouldn't work either, since the boy knew space-time ninjutsu!
At this rate, all Shikazo could do was collect the bodies. The only question was...
How many bounties would he have to pay this time?!
Dammit! Why did he have to open his big mouth and call them Konoha's wanted criminals? Now that they'd captured so many, would he have to pay up? These were all jōnin!
The frustration of paying someone for killing your own people was unbearable!
"Lord Shikazo, what should we do now?" A Konoha-nin glanced at the Uzu-nin and said angrily, "These were Konoha's ANBU!"
"Shut up!" Nara Shikazo snapped. "Act like you don't know them. They're just rogue shinobi!"
"Until the Hokage gives orders, we don't make a move!"
Especially now...
"Everyone, remember—we know nothing."
"Besides, these..."
Weren't Konoha's ANBU!
As for Uzumaki Kai nearby...
He completely ignored the Konoha-nin's whispers.
And Uzumaki Mashin...
Was staring at Lord Kai with admiration. It seemed that after following Prince Jun for so long, Lord Kai was no longer the cold, elite Uzumaki jōnin who could make people tremble with a single glare. Instead, he'd become... shameless? No—more cunning!
Who knew such tactics existed?!
Truly, this was Prince Jun's influence!
His admiration for Prince Jun grew even stronger. To kill another village's shinobi right in front of them and still get paid...
This move was absolutely brilliant!
"Have the children been taken to the relief point?" Uzumaki Kai asked.
"My clone returned. They've been taken care of," Uzumaki Mashin nodded.
"Good." Uzumaki Kai nodded. "Make sure they're looked after, especially..."
"That blonde girl."
"Understood!" Mashin replied, though confused. But since it was an order, he would carry it out faithfully.
"Don't worry. There might be benefits later," Kai said meaningfully. Though he wondered if Mashin would end up hospitalized forever...
Beaten up by the young lady!
"Huh?" Mashin was baffled. What benefits? But seeing that Lord Kai didn't elaborate, he stayed silent.
Kai sighed inwardly as he followed the Konoha-nin.
"Prince Jun's methods..."
He just couldn't understand them!
"Halt!"
Suddenly, Nara Shikazo raised his hand, signaling the team to stop.
"..."
The Konoha-nin fell silent at the sight of six masked jōnin lying dead before them.
But...
"Tsk. Your security here is terrible. So many jōnin criminals!" Uzumaki Kai shook his head, feigning concern.
"..."
The Konoha-nin glared at him. Damn it, could he just shut up? They were barely holding back as it was.
But...
Kai ignored them, sighing heavily as if deeply troubled by the Land of Fire's safety...
...
After an intense battle, Uzumaki Jun and Aburame Wahei separated.
Wahei frowned. He knew he couldn't keep this up. He had to retreat. At least this mission wasn't a complete failure...
"He's not Kage-level!"
Danzō would surely be pleased with this intel.
Besides, neither could defeat the other like this.
But...
Jun stared at Wahei's position and sighed in relief.
"Finally, he's not jumping around the trees anymore."
He'd been waiting for this moment!