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Out on the streets, Jiraiya drifted from one shady shop to another.
After asking around a bit, he more or less pieced together what was going on.
Suddenly, he stopped walking.Someone was watching him.
A moment later, a greedy glint flashed across his face, and he chuckled as he slipped into yet another questionable shop.
Not long after, muffled giggles and rustling came from inside.
A shadow outside flickered and vanished.
…
Back at the inn, after a long discussion, it was already late into the night.
Leo was practicing with a kunai, treating it like a short blade.
The more he trained, the more he could feel his body absorbing the techniques that came with his "reward."
Kakashi watched from the side, expression slowly flattening into stunned disbelief.
Not because Leo was beyond teaching—far from it. He still had tons of things he didn't understand, and his swordsmanship wasn't exactly impressive yet. But his stance, the way he generated force… everything was already textbook perfect.
Was this what they called talent?
Kakashi felt complicated emotions rising, then sighed quietly and focused on studying the Body Flicker technique again.
Leo's insight from earlier would help him too.
Leo was completely lost in practice, unaware of Kakashi's shifting mood.
He was working through White Fang's sword style.
Hitting a target was easy enough. But what if the thing in front of him was an enemy?
He imagined that scenario, swinging each "strike" with full seriousness.
Eventually, they wrapped up and went to sleep for the night.
Leo was sleeping soundly when his instincts suddenly screamed. His eyes snapped open, and he shot up, hand gripping the kunai like it was an extension of his own life.
"Ribbit!"
His kunai stabbed into the wooden floor as a tiny toad leapt away in shock, trembling in the corner.
Leo blinked, then slowly put the kunai away.
"Sorry. Thought you were an enemy."
"It's fine. This is Jiraiya's fault anyway. He shouldn't have made me deliver messages in the middle of the night."
The little toad was surprisingly understanding.
He hopped closer and looked Leo over before saying, "Jiraiya asked me to tell you: during his investigation, he discovered someone tailing him. He hasn't figured out who yet."
"What's his plan?"
"He'll go into hiding for now. You don't have to worry, but don't act too relaxed either. Basically… use your judgment."
"…Huh?"
Leo had no words.
Don't act too relaxed?
What kind of unreasonable request was that?
Does he think I'm some kind of award-winning actor?
Telling only me all this… he's setting me up to take the fall!
Leo thought it over before saying, "Please tell sensei I'll do my best. But I'm still just a genin."
"Got it."
The toad disappeared.
Leo got up for a drink and glanced outside.
The mountains were wrapped in a thin mist.
Carefully, he refined his chakra and let it seep outward.
With the moisture in the air acting as a conductor, he checked for any signs of chakra influence nearby. Only when he found nothing did he relax a little.
Someone was following Jiraiya…
Mist-nin?
Leo pondered for a long while before getting up and heading next door.
Hearing footsteps, Kisame's tiny beady eyes shot open, filled with despair.
If he didn't know what Kirigakure was like…
He might've actually believed Leo's act earlier.
Kirigakure's genin grew up on piles of corpses. This little difficulty wouldn't scare him.
But the other guy…
The other prisoner had been out of it since earlier. Kurenai had tried checking him, but it didn't help. For now, he was basically only alive thanks to Kurenai's chakra control—and serving as her patient while they kept him restrained.
Leo sat down on the first floor, eyes closed in rest.
Kisame silently let out a long sigh.
This brat wakes up at the tiniest sound. What a pain.
He had finally found a small window of opportunity.
Too bad.
If they were outside—one on one—Kisame was confident he could use the terrain and his ninjutsu to beat the kid. Worst case, he'd still escape.
But right now?
His chakra was sealed. His whole body was tied up. He only had two fingers to work with to undo the ropes. Beating this kid under these conditions?
Yeah. No way.
Ugh.
Who would've thought they'd run into Jiraiya?
Captured by a ninja like that, getting sealed was child's play. There was no chance a genin-level escape trick would ever work.
Kisame stared at the ceiling with a long internal sigh.
Before long…
Upstairs, Kakashi peeked down. Seeing Leo below, he retreated again.
But that spot he'd popped out from was the hallway right outside Matsuyama Ichirō's room.
He was guarding it in case anything happened.
Say what you will about Kakashi's personality—on missions, he was reliable. He rarely dropped the ball.
Still, being on the receiving end of his cold professionalism wasn't exactly pleasant.
Thinking about it, the fact that Obito and Rin ever managed to get along with that Kakashi… they really had incredible personalities. If Leo had been in their shoes, he would've confronted Kakashi on day one.
Later on, it was only thanks to his continuous displays of skill that the team dynamics stabilized.
If not, both he and Kurenai would've ended up like Obito and Rin: constantly dismissed.
Just as Leo was thinking about this…
The mist outside grew heavier.
Leo's eyes snapped open, focus razor-sharp.
Night mists were common in mountain areas—easy to overlook.
But inside the mist…
Chakra flickered like tiny fireflies.
Mist Concealment Jutsu.
Leo drew chakra and let it bleed into the fog around him.
From within the mist, threads of killing intent pressed in, prickling his skin.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
Thankfully, Jiraiya hadn't actually left. He'd just hidden himself and could rush in at any moment.
Probably…
Right?
Another drop of sweat.
Whoosh!
Kurenai dropped in front of Leo.
In the next heartbeat—
"Back upstairs! Protect Mr. Matsuyama. He's our mission target."
Leo barked the order.
Kurenai wasn't as fast as him. Rushing in here now was basically suicide.
"But—"
"We can abandon the other two if we have to."
Leo said flatly.
Kurenai hesitated for a moment, then nodded and ran upstairs to help Kakashi guard their client.
Right then—
Crash!
Leo spun and slashed, his kunai cutting through the air like a blade.
But—
The attacker's head burst into water, and his other arm suddenly swelled and swung toward Leo.
Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique.
Hozuki Mangetsu smirked viciously.
But then—
Boom!
Leo shattered into a block of wood.
…?
What?
Mangetsu's eyes widened.
The kid had used Body Flicker to escape and left a substitution behind.
A subtle trick, timed perfectly with instantaneous movement. It fooled him completely.
And that wasn't all.
The first time, the kid dodged his assassination and counter-threw a kunai right into his head.
The second time, he used Body Flicker and Substitution again to deceive him.
This level…
No way this brat was just some random Konoha genin!
Mangetsu turned just in time to see Leo leaping to the second floor, already forming hand signs midair.
A wave of water came crashing down toward him.
He wants to drown me?
Mangetsu no longer dared underestimate him. He treated Leo as an equal-level threat and retreated instantly.
Then—
Crackle!
Lightning surged from above, racing through the falling water and flooding the entire floor. Both Kisame and the other prisoner spasmed violently under the electric shock.
Mangetsu, having retreated fast enough, avoided being hit.
Still—
Two failed attacks. No clean hit. And now he looked like an idiot getting pushed back by some kid.
How humiliating.
Mangetsu prepared to strike again—
"Enough. Stop playing with them. Grab the targets and go."
A cold voice floated through the mist.
"Yes!"
A massive blade cut through the fog a moment later, roaring toward Leo.
Judging by the shape… the Executioner's Blade.
Leo narrowed his eyes.
The Executioner's Blade… Zabuza Momochi?
Were even more Mist jonin hiding in the shadows?
"....."