Seeing this scene, Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who were entangled by the Mist ninjas, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
This guy… is ridiculously strong.
In just two moves, he took down a Kage of an entire village.
Tsunade glanced at Rinjin, and though she tried to act indifferent, the corners of her mouth betrayed her with a slight upward curve as she muttered under her breath:
"This guy… always showing off. Seriously~"
At the same time, the Mist ninjas were utterly terrified, their scalps tingling as their fighting spirit evaporated.
Terrifying!
Caught completely off guard, they had been smug just moments ago, only to be scared out of their wits the next.
This guy didn't just take down anyone—he subdued the Third Mizukage, the leader of the Hidden Mist Village, one of the Five Great Nations!
Is he even human?!
Just then, the pale-faced, teeth-gritting Third Mizukage suddenly opened his eyes and turned his head, roaring:
"Dammit! Is Konoha declaring war?!"
Hearing this, Rinjin shrugged nonchalantly, patting the Mizukage's cheek lightly as he chuckled:
"Do you think you're qualified to ask that?
Remember your place—you're just a prisoner now, kiddo!"
After saying this, Rinjin turned his gaze to the Mist ninjas, pondered for a moment, and then spoke:
"Alright, fifty million ryō. Pay up and take your Third Mizukage back.
If not, I'll come to your village and collect it myself!"
Hearing this, the Third Mizukage, lying beneath Rinjin, weakly but urgently shouted:
"Pay him! Pay him the money!"
With their Mizukage's orders, the Mist ninjas could only nod reluctantly, their faces pale.
Seeing this, Rinjin smiled with satisfaction. Suddenly, lightning crackled in his hand, and he pressed it against the Mizukage's severed leg.
In an instant, there was a sizzling sound, and white smoke rose.
The intense pain made the Third Mizukage's body tremble violently, and his piercing screams echoed throughout the cave.
However, the bleeding stopped.
"I'll wait for one day! Now, off you go!" Rinjin's leisurely voice rang out.
The Mist ninjas exchanged glances and quickly left.
For a moment, the cave fell silent. Apart from Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, the only ones left were the exiled Mist ninjas trembling in the corner.
In their minds, the once-invincible Third Mizukage was now pathetically subdued, completely overturning their worldview.
At this moment, Puhara, the leader of the three exiled Mist ninjas, suddenly knelt down and performed a perfect dogeza (full prostration) toward Rinjin.
"Great Lord, I beg you, please help us!"
Hearing this, Rinjin turned his head to look at the man who had completely abandoned his dignity and shook his head mercilessly.
"No! You guys are the bad ones!"
Hearing this, Puhara's body trembled, and his head lowered even further.
"Lord, we… we… we had no choice!
The Third Mizukage… he closed off the village, cutting off all contact with the outside world and finding every excuse to stir up conflicts between the clans.
Not only that, but he frequently sent people to assassinate talented young ninjas within the village.
We… we couldn't stand his rule anymore, so we came up with the idea to kidnap members of the Uzumaki Clan!"
Listening to the tearful and desperate Puhara, Rinjin remained stubbornly resolute, shaking his head again.
"No, this is your problem. It has nothing to do with me."
The waters of the Land of Water ran deep, and without sufficient preparation, he had no intention of getting involved.
Not to mention the "Blood Mist" era under the Fourth Mizukage, even the Third Mizukage's isolationist policies were bizarre enough.
He even suspected that a certain unspeakable name was lurking in the shadows, secretly manipulating this country.
After all, during the Third Ninja War, Rin's death seemed far too orchestrated.
Only Obito, that sweet little fool, had no suspicions whatsoever.
As someone with a background in espionage, Rinjin was accustomed to acting only after careful planning.
Most importantly, he had always tried to avoid crossing paths with the Uchiha clan's lunatics.
Those eyes… they were downright terrifying. Susano'o? Not a big deal. Tsukuyomi? Whatever.
If it were Itachi's type of stabbing-genjutsu, Rinjin believed he could handle it.
What's a little stabbing, anyway? Who'd be scared of that?
Amaterasu? Meh, he had a hunch that he might be highly resistant to burning!
Maybe, by the time others' eyes were blinded, he'd only have a minor burn.
But what he truly feared was Kotoamatsukami, a genjutsu that defied all logic.
Of course, all of this assumed that the "cat" was on duty.
If the "cat" happened to be on vacation or out on a spring trip, then facing genjutsu would leave him completely helpless!
So, for now, Rinjin had no intention of meddling in the Hidden Mist Village's mess.
However, when the time was right, he fully intended to swoop in and reap some benefits.
After all, he still had a deal to discuss with Madara Uchiha.
Having coldly rejected the exiled Mist ninjas, Rinjin turned to the somewhat dumbfounded Jiraiya and his companions, giving them instructions:
"Take the kidnapped children back to the village, then wait for me for a day. I'll give you a share of the profits!"
"...???"
"Profits?"
Hearing this, Jiraiya froze, his eyes suddenly blazing with anger as he pointed at Rinjin, shouting:
"You bastard! You're Rinjin from the North!"
Without another word, he lunged forward, grabbing Rinjin by the collar.
"You son of a bitch! Only you would use the word 'profits.'
And also! You piece of shit, you stabbed me… stabbed me…
I'm gonna kill you!"
On the side, Orochimaru and Tsunade looked on with exasperation.
Rinjin was equally stunned. This bastard Jiraiya, while often reckless, could be scarily perceptive at times!
As Jiraiya grabbed his collar and shook him violently, Rinjin became furious and grabbed Jiraiya's collar in return.
In an instant, smoke billowed as the two began rolling around on the ground, fighting like they used to.
"You bastard, Rinjin! How dare you sneak attack me!" With two black eyes, Jiraiya was enraged, clasping his hands together.
"Sage Mode, activate!"
In the next second, the invulnerable Jiraiya rejoined the fight.
Seeing this, Rinjin was equally infuriated.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Armor, activate!"
With a roar, he dove back into the fray.
The two of them rolled around on the ground, fighting like a pair of hooligans.
"Screw you! Frog Kata!"
"Hah? Flopping Strike: Four Consecutive Stabs!"
Watching the rocks fly and the ground tremble from their battle, the Third Mizukage, lying on the ground, gulped nervously.
Are all Konoha brats this terrifying?!
As for Tsunade, her face had turned completely dark.
Embarrassing. Absolutely embarrassing!
She strode forward, chakra surging into her fists.
BAM! BAM!
Two heavy thuds.
Jiraiya and Rinjin immediately clutched the large bumps on their heads, shrinking to the side with terrified expressions as they stared at Tsunade, whose fists were still smoking.
Oh my god~ Is this woman a paladin? How is all her damage true damage?!
Seeing this, the exiled Mist ninjas instinctively huddled together, shrinking into the corner. Their gazes toward Tsunade were filled with fear.
Those two men were already terrifying enough, but this woman? She was even scarier!
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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