Chapter 320

320. Chapter 315: The Coveted Derriere

A few kilometers away from the town, there was a mass grave. In the chaotic Warring States Period, this was the burial ground for the nameless, but with the arrival of peace, this place became rarely visited, and the surrounding residents gradually forgot about it.

Deep within this gloomy mass grave, there was actually a cave that didn't look natural. A faint glimmer escaped from the cave, indicating that someone lived there.

"Hiss~ hiss~ hiss~"

Accompanied by a rustling sound, two figures walked out of the cave one after the other. In front was a young man with a haggard face, wearing a dark red short shirt, with a ponytail like weeds hanging limply behind his head, his vacant eyes carrying a bone-chilling indifference.

Following the young man was a young woman with an ordinary appearance. The skin exposed under her tattered robe carried no trace of blood, and there was no luster in her black eyes, like an exquisite doll.

"Eat... eat..."

The young woman followed closely behind the young man, her hoarse babbling adding a touch of eeriness to the already gloomy mass grave.

"Mako, endure a little longer. Once you've eaten your fill, you'll be able to recover."

The young man walking in front turned his head, his cold eyes carrying undisguised tenderness. Looking at the woman who was like a puppet, his tone was as gentle as a lover's.

"Eat... eat..."

The young woman didn't react, just kept whispering. The young man didn't mind; he turned around gently and hugged her, ignoring the pungent odor emanating from her body, and whispered,

"Mako, I will always be with you, and our..."

"Eat God-kun..."

After the woman named Mako was hugged, a flash of human sorrow flickered in her vacant eyes, but it was soon shrouded by boundless darkness.

In the town

Sarutobi Sasuke, who was searching alone, landed on the roof of a tall house, stretching his neck vigilantly to observe the abnormalities. Just as he was frowning and waiting quietly, several sneaky figures shuttled back and forth in the dark alleys of the street, instantly attracting his attention.

Daring to wander out in the middle of the night—there must be a ghost!

Sarutobi Sasuke immediately held his breath, slowly blending into the darkness, and headed toward those sneaky figures.

"Captain! We didn't find them."

Those sneaky figures gathered together, huddled in a dark alley to hold a small meeting. One of them reported to the man who was clearly the leader.

"That monster needs fresh flesh and blood every month. Within the Land of Fire, only this town has similar rumors. It must be them."

The leading man said with a sinister face. As a ray of moonlight shone down, the weed pattern on the forehead protectors worn by the group was very conspicuous.

Grass ninja? How could they come here?

Sarutobi Sasuke, lurking not far from them, saw the pattern on their forehead protectors clearly, and couldn't help but feel a bit of doubt in his heart. Although this town wasn't too far from the Land of Grass, these Grass ninja had actually snuck into the Land of Fire so brazenly—their purpose was definitely not pure.

Thinking of this, Sarutobi Sasuke's eyes rolled, and he decided to investigate. However, the other side had many people and their strength was unknown, so he could only wait until they were alone before taking action to capture and interrogate them properly.

"Captain, Konoha ninja are also in this town. It is said they accepted a commission to come here."

Another Grass ninja raised his hand and informed the Grass ninja captain of the information he had collected during the day.

"Konoha... what kind of background?"

The Grass ninja captain frowned. The Land of Fire was Konoha's territory; it was already against the rules for them to sneak in, and if they ran into Konoha ninja, it would be hard to end well.

"A middle-aged ninja brought six children under ten years old. It doesn't look like they're here for a mission; it looks more like they're here for an outing."

The Grass ninja provided all the information he knew. The Grass ninja captain's tightly locked brows finally relaxed slightly.

"If it's just a group of old and young, then there's no need to worry too much. If they really come to ruin things, just kill them. But the traces must be cleaned up."

"Yes!"

Several Grass ninja nodded busily.

Hoo~ this guy's strength isn't much, but his tone is quite big.

Sarutobi Sasuke, not far away, heard the Grass ninja captain's words clearly and couldn't help but slander him in his heart.

"Disperse!"

After arranging the Grass ninja, the Grass ninja captain waved his hand, and the group disappeared into the night like arrows from a bow.

Sarutobi Sasuke's eyes lit up at this sight, and he immediately found a Grass ninja who had left and started a tailing game.

"So troublesome. Don't let me run into that monster..."

A Grass ninja with a face full of fat ducked into a dark alley. The damp and cold environment made him tighten his coat. Recalling the target of this mission, he couldn't help but shiver, his face carrying a bit of fear.

"Monster? Can you tell me about it?"

Suddenly, a hand quietly rested on the Grass ninja's shoulder. The strange tone in his ear scared him so much he almost wet his pants, but his training as a ninja allowed him to recover quickly. He pulled a sharp kunai from his palm and stabbed backward without looking back.

"Clack~"

However, his full-force strike was easily blocked by the person behind him. Accompanied by a sharp pain in his wrist, the kunai in his hand instantly slipped away.

"Quick..."

The Grass ninja, startled, knew he was no match and prepared to call for his teammates, but was knocked unconscious by a chop from Sarutobi Sasuke, who was quick-handed.

"Slap, slap, slap~"

After looting all the ninja tools on the Grass ninja and checking that there was no poison in his mouth, Sarutobi Sasuke brought him to an abandoned house and woke the unconscious Grass ninja with a series of slaps.

"Ugh... I, your grandfather, am a Grass..."

Under the intense pain, the captured Grass ninja slowly woke up. Upon realizing he had been captured, he glared angrily and shouted at the strange man sitting composedly before him. But after catching a glimpse of the Konoha symbol on Sarutobi Sasuke's forehead, his arrogance vanished instantly, and he became obedient.

"Grass what?"

Sarutobi Sasuke lowered his head and asked with a sneer.

"Nothing, nothing~"

Although this Grass ninja's strength was lacking, his ability to read the room was top-notch. He was a famous fence-sitter in the Grass Village. Seeing Sarutobi Sasuke's displeased expression, he immediately shook his head like a rattle.

"Speak. What is your purpose in coming here, you Grass ninja?"

Sitting before the Grass ninja with his legs spread, Sarutobi Sasuke took out his kunai and gestured up and down.

"Misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! We were just passing by~"

Staring tightly at the kunai swinging up and down, the Grass ninja replied with a face full of fear.

Heh, still not being honest. Looks like he needs some punishment~

"Do you think I look like a fool?"

No, you look like a monkey.

The nervous Grass ninja looked at Sarutobi Sasuke, who resembled a monkey, and swallowed the words that had just reached his lips.

"I'll give you two choices now: answer the questions completely, or answer after missing a few important parts."

Sarutobi Sasuke, with a displeased face, squatted down and held the kunai in front of the Grass ninja's eyes, then moved it down slowly until it stopped between his legs—the target was very clear.

"Don't!"

The Grass ninja was so scared he clamped his legs together. He had been single for thirty years; this part was still brand new and had never explored a nest.

"So, are you going to talk or not?"

"Talk, talk, talk!"

After weighing the choice between his lower half and his future life, the Grass ninja gritted his teeth and replied.

"Don't try any tricks. I have ten thousand ways to make you wish you were dead."

Not expecting the Grass ninja before him to surrender so easily, Sarutobi Sasuke looked him up and down with some suspicion, then threatened him.

"We Grass ninja have always valued integrity."

Huh? A famous fence-sitter of the ninja world daring to boast of integrity? If that got out, I'm afraid the Sage of Six Paths would laugh himself back to life.

"We came here to find a missing-nin from the Land of Grass."

After organizing his words, the Grass ninja slowly began to explain.

"Missing-nin?"

"That's right. It's a guy who defected from the Land of Grass before our Grass Village was even established."

Seeing that Sarutobi Sasuke didn't quite believe him, the Grass ninja added hurriedly.

"Is it worth making such a big fuss over one missing-nin?"

Recalling the large number of Grass ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke's doubts only increased.

"That's because he..."

The Grass ninja, about to explain, seemed to recall something terrifying, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

"Because of what?"

Feeling that he was close to the truth, Sarutobi Sasuke urged him.

"Because he took away a monster—a devil returned from hell."

Under the threat of being turned into a eunuch, the Grass ninja gritted his teeth and poured out everything he knew.

It turned out that five years ago, a ninja from the Land of Grass had secretly taken away their important experimental subject and had been missing ever since. The Grass ninja had turned the Land of Grass upside down but found nothing.

The following year, because of the establishment of the Grass Village, there was a shift in power within the leadership, so the matter was temporarily shelved until the experiments were restarted in recent years.

Only then did the Grass Village leadership remember the ninja who had defected five years ago with the only experimental subject. They issued a bounty to find clues and sent out several squads to find the whereabouts of the traitor and the subject.

"What is the name of that missing-nin?"

After listening to the bizarre story told by the Grass ninja, Sarutobi Sasuke pondered for a moment and asked.

"Seeing Shenhuo. The traitor's name is Seeing Shenhuo."

Naturally, the Grass ninja knew the information about his mission target by heart.

"Seeing Shenhuo? Seeing Shenhuo... Fire God!"

Muttering the familiar name repeatedly, Sarutobi Sasuke suddenly remembered that Uchiha Kagami had once uncovered information that a wandering ninja who had supposedly died in the mouth of a ghost five years ago was named Fire God.

"Then what is that experimental subject?"

Sarutobi Sasuke temporarily suppressed his wandering thoughts and continued to ask about the subject.

"I don't know the information about the subject. I only heard that she is a monster returned from hell."

Mentioning the subject, the Grass ninja was clearly a bit timid, his eyes filled with faint fear.

"A monster?"

"Yes, she is a monster. A man-eating monster—a devil that goes crazy without fresh flesh and blood!"

Recalling the scene of the monster eating people, the Grass ninja couldn't help but tremble. He had once had the fortune to guard that monster and had seen the cruel and bloody side of her.

Not expecting the culprit behind the town's cannibalism to be an experimental subject that had escaped from the Grass Village, Sarutobi Sasuke naturally didn't dare to underestimate such an enemy that exceeded common sense.

"Oh no!"

Thinking that the children he brought might face such a monster, Sarutobi Sasuke jumped up in a hurry. He didn't even have time to deal with the captured Grass ninja and disappeared from the spot with a Body Flicker.

"Ah? Let me go first!"

Looking at the abandoned house with no doors or windows, the Grass ninja shouted in despair. But this place was in a remote area of the town, and no one could find him. Now he could only pray that the monster wouldn't find this place.

"Tap~ tap~ tap~"

Not long after Sarutobi Sasuke left, the Grass ninja, who had been left captured in place, suddenly heard footsteps. Overjoyed, he was about to call for help, but a hoarse babbling reached his ears.

"Eat... eat..."

"Ugh!"

The Grass ninja immediately closed his mouth, his eyes flashing with fear. He held his breath, not daring to make a sound.

Although he had only heard this sound once, he would never forget it in his life. This was the whisper of the monster that had been locked in the prison when she was hungry.

"..."

As the footsteps disappeared, the Grass ninja finally let out a sigh of relief. The luck of surviving made a smile tug at the corner of his mouth. However, the shadow that suddenly appeared at the door made his spine turn cold instantly.

"Yo, it's an acquaintance!"

The figure standing at the door was none other than the haggard-faced Fire God—or rather, Seeing Shenhuo. He had a kind smile on his face as he slowly stepped into the abandoned hut and greeted the stiff Grass ninja.

"Shen... Seeing Shenhuo, you and I have no grudges. I was just following orders. You guys go ahead; I can pretend I never saw you."

Smelling a foul, rotting stench, the Grass ninja was so scared he almost died on the spot. But the desire to survive temporarily overcame his fear, and he gritted his teeth and said in a very sincere tone.

"Oh my, what a warm-hearted fellow countryman."

Seeing Shenhuo's smile didn't fade, giving the desperate Grass ninja a glimmer of hope.

"Yes, yes, I'm a famous warm-hearted person in the Grass Village~"

"Really? My Mako has been having a cold stomach lately and just needs to eat something hot to nourish herself..."

However, Seeing Shenhuo's next words made the Grass ninja feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and he slumped on the ground as if he had lost his soul.

"Eat... eat..."

Seeing Shenhuo, who had seen expressions even more desperate than this, shook his head in boredom and stepped aside. The woman behind him, who had been hungry for a long time, had scarlet eyes and immediately walked toward the Grass ninja step by step.

"No... don't!"

Shrouded in the aura of death, the Grass ninja struggled vigorously. Unfortunately, Sarutobi Sasuke had long since sealed his chakra, and now he was just a lamb with better-quality meat than an ordinary person.

"Eat... eat..."

The woman lifted the Grass ninja's tear-streaked face with both hands and slowly opened her small mouth. The darkness overflowing from it instantly swallowed the burly Grass ninja whole.

"Hiccup~ Eat... eat..."

"Still not full?"

Seeing that Mako hadn't stopped after eating a Grass ninja, Seeing Shenhuo rubbed his temples helplessly.

Ever since that incident, Mako's appetite had grown larger and larger. Usually, she only needed to eat one or two people a month, but now she had to eat at least seven or eight.

"Eat... eat..."

*Sigh*

Sighing slightly in his heart, Seeing Shenhuo turned and stroked Mako's hair, saying in a slightly doting tone,

"It's okay. There are quite a few fellow countrymen who came this time; it's enough for you to have a full meal."

On the other side

The Sarutobi Hiruzen trio, lurking at the town exit, began to lose their energy as the night grew deeper. So, they discussed it and started taking turns keeping watch.

"Then I'll keep watch first. You guys rest assured."

As the captain, Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up first without hesitation. Shimura Danzo and Uchiha Kagami had no objections and leaned against the wall to doze off.

"Hoo~ why is it so cold here!"

The environment in the dark alley was too damp. Before long, Shimura Danzo couldn't take it anymore. Even if the meat on his butt was thick, it couldn't resist the bone-chilling cold.

"Danzo, you are a ninja, not a delicate aristocrat. A ninja must adapt to all environments. Look at Kagami, he..."

Hearing his childhood friend's grumbling, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was keeping watch seriously, spoke up sternly to educate him, pointing to Uchiha Kagami, who had been very quiet, intending to use him as a model for Danzo to learn from. But halfway through his sentence, he froze in place.

"..."

In the cold, dark alley, Uchiha Kagami was actually emitting waves of heat. Looking at the blanket draped over him, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzo were speechless.

"Er... if you're cold, I have an extra heating blanket here."

Uchiha Kagami, awakened by the sound, looked at his two stiff-faced classmates and scratched his curly hair shyly, then pulled an identical blanket from the backpack behind him.

"Hmph! Hiruzen, look at him. As a ninja, he's actually so extravagant."

Finally catching Uchiha Kagami's slip-up, Shimura Danzo, who had been feeling stifled, immediately pointed it out.

"Kagami, you... are actually so meticulous. You truly are a student valued by the teacher!"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was stunned for a long time. Feeling a bone-chilling wind, he subconsciously took the heating blanket from Uchiha Kagami's hand, then put on an appreciative face and praised him heavily.

"Huh?"

Danzo stared with wide, confused eyes, touching his ears, thinking he had misheard.

"Sigh! Danzo, you must learn more from Kagami in the future and strive to be a comprehensive ninja."

While educating Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen draped the self-heating blanket over himself. Feeling the warmth like a spring breeze, he was deeply moved in his heart, feeling more and more that Uchiha Kagami was a 'Godfather' worth recognizing—when there was trouble, he really stepped up.

Unlike Danzo, a standard fair-weather friend who only knew how to gossip on the sidelines.

"No, Hiruzen, you..."

Feeling betrayed, Shimura Danzo's heart turned to ash. He was the childhood friend; why was the monkey drifting further and further away from him?

It was clearly me who was first...

"Danzo, it's your turn!"

Just as Shimura Danzo fell into deep emo, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had timed it perfectly, came to change shifts.

"Okay!"

Danzo, who quickly pulled himself out of his sadness, immediately took over the watch position, but the bone-chilling wind was nothing compared to his cold heart.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, wrapped in the warm blanket, fell into a sound sleep.

"Hoo~ hoo~"

After a while, Danzo, who hadn't rested, couldn't help but let his eyelids droop. In the end, under the attack of fatigue, he was defeated and fell into a deep sleep in the corner.

"Tap~ tap~ tap~"

Just when the Sarutobi Hiruzen squad was completely unaware, two figures slowly walked down the street in the distance. Seeing Shenhuo saw Shimura Danzo sleeping in the corner at a glance, a flash of complexity in his eyes.

"Eat... eat..."

"Mako, children need to be fattened up before they're good to eat. Let's skip such a scrawny one~"

For some reason, Seeing Shenhuo blocked Mako, who had reached out her hand behind him, and shook his head at her.

"Eat... butt..."

"Huh?"

Seeing Shenhuo blinked in confusion. It was rare for Mako to say anything else in her hungry state. He immediately looked in the direction she was pointing, only to see Danzo, leaning in the corner, turn over and reveal his unusually large, perky butt.

Mako, who had eaten countless people, couldn't let go of such a rare, plump delicacy. She immediately pushed the confused Seeing Shenhuo aside and walked toward the sleeping Danzo.

"Tsk."

Seeing Mako so persistent, Seeing Shenhuo had to follow helplessly. He had just recognized the Konoha forehead protector on Danzo's head and naturally guessed that he was a Konoha ninja here on a mission.

"Sigh~ I'll have to change places after eating this meal."

Seeing Shenhuo, who didn't want to provoke the big trouble that was Konoha, couldn't stop Mako's appetite and had to plan where to go after tonight.

"Eat... butt..."

As she spoke, Mako had already leaned down and reached out her hands toward the sleeping Danzo. Just as her lips parted slightly, a black shadow flew out from the depths of the alley and smashed straight into her face.

"Who's there?"

Seeing Shenhuo frowned, not expecting an ambush. Just as he was about to check if the hidden weapon had hurt Mako, he saw a short figure jump out from the alley.

"A monkey?"

Not expecting the ambush to be a small monkey wearing a tiger-skin skirt, Seeing Shenhuo looked at Mako again and realized that the so-called hidden weapon was actually a clean banana peel.

"A ninja animal, huh..."

Seeing Shenhuo was quite knowledgeable and immediately judged that the monkey before him wasn't an ordinary beast, but a ninja animal raised by a ninja. Not wanting to cause too much trouble, he raised his hand, and a sharp gust of wind shot out, sending the monkey, which was about to signal Sarutobi Sasuke, back to its hometown.

【Grass Shadow Style: Blast Palm】

"So it's a summoning animal. Troublesome."

With a powerful Blast Palm, he turned the monkey into white smoke. Seeing Shenhuo felt a chill in his heart and then said to Mako, who was playing with the banana peel,

"Eat quickly, Mako!"

The only plan now was to finish eating these brats and then take Mako and leave this place of right and wrong quickly.

"Eat..."

Receiving the order, Mako threw away the banana peel in her hand. Her two scarlet eyes stared at Danzo's butt again, her covetousness undisguised, and her two pale hands slowly reached toward the plump delicacy.

"Swish~ swish~ swish~"

Just as Danzo was about to lose his butt, several shuriken with cold light shot out from the dark alley at a very tricky angle toward Mako, who was full of covetousness.

"Puchi!"

Several shuriken hit Mako's chest instantly, but she didn't scream. Instead, she stopped her reaching hands and looked down in confusion at the shuriken stuck in her chest.

"Swish!"

Just as she was stunned, two figures flashed out of the alley at high speed. Uchiha Kagami, holding a sword in both hands, watched the two strangers vigilantly, while Sarutobi Hiruzen grabbed Danzo, who was still fast asleep, and pulled him over.

Under such violent movement, Danzo finally woke up slowly. He looked suspiciously at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was hugging him, and subconsciously protected his giant butt.

"Monkey, I treated you as a brother!" (End of chapter)