"Here!"
The Anbu whose name was called immediately lowered his head.
Honestly, this Anbu was panicking!
I'm just delivering a message—why do I have to face such a terrifying situation?!
"Go back and tell Hiruzen Sarutobi that I will absolutely not hand over the Two-Tails' Jinchūriki. Also, tell him not to meddle in my battlefield. If he's so capable, he can go fight the Hidden Cloud Village himself!"
"This…"
The Anbu hesitated. Did he really have to deliver such a message?
"Any objections?"
"None!"
One look from Aoyama Ryuyun, and the Anbu instantly cowered.
He nodded quickly and immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish.
Aoyama Ryuyun's dismissive attitude made Shinnosuke even more displeased.
"Aoyama Ryuyun! Don't forget you're a Konoha shinobi! How can you defy Hokage-sama's orders!"
"One more word, and I'll kill you."
Aoyama Ryuyun truly didn't want to hear any more nonsense from Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
"You—"
"Hmm?"
Shinnosuke still wanted to argue,
but one glance from Aoyama Ryuyun made him instantly fall silent.
Because he noticed that Ryuyun's eyes had turned dangerous—
the same look he gave him back when he severed his arm.
Aoyama Ryuyun would really act.
"Scram."
Aoyama Ryuyun gave Shinnosuke a disdainful glance, spoke that one word, and then ignored him entirely.
"…"
Shinnosuke didn't reply. Though his heart burned with fury, the gap in strength forced him into silence.
Watching him walk out of the command tent, Aoyama Ryuyun sneered.
"Idiot."
No power, yet he loves to shout.
When I'm in a good mood, I'll joke with you. When I'm not, I'll just kill you.
"Ugh…"
Aoyama Ryuyun didn't bother lowering his voice,
so the other shinobi in the command tent clearly heard him.
However, everyone remained silent. No one dared to say a word.
They simply listened—and stayed still.
Finally, Aoyama Ryuyun waved his hand and issued the next order.
"Alright! Stay alert for the Hidden Cloud's movements. You're dismissed!"
"Yes, sir!"
---
Outside, Sarutobi Shinnosuke stormed off, his anger boiling over.
"Damn it!"
The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt. He couldn't tolerate this humiliation.
Grinding his teeth, Shinnosuke strode toward a certain location—
a place where a Hidden Cloud spy was secretly stationed within Konoha's camp.
Every village had spies from opposing nations. Kumo had its eyes in Konoha, and Konoha had its spies in Kumo.
That was simply how the shinobi world worked.
What mattered was whose spies were better at avoiding detection.
Originally, Shinnosuke had planned to eliminate this spy.
But now… he had other plans.
"Hmph! Aoyama Ryuyun… I refuse to believe you're truly invincible in this world!"
Sarutobi Shinnosuke had made up his mind: Aoyama Ryuyun had to die.
Even if it meant temporarily betraying Konoha, he didn't care.
"I'm doing this for Konoha's future!"
Yes, just like Hiruzen Sarutobi—always claiming everything he did was "for Konoha."
Utterly shameless.
---
But what Shinnosuke failed to realize was how far Aoyama Ryuyun's Kenbunshoku Haki could reach.
"Idiot," Ryuyun muttered under his breath.
His Observation Haki blanketed the entire Konoha encampment.
Whatever Shinnosuke did or said, Ryuyun could perceive it instantly.
"I was already planning to find an opportunity to kill you… I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to me."
Shinnosuke might be Hiruzen's son,
so under normal circumstances, Ryuyun couldn't act openly.
But since Shinnosuke had now taken the initiative to seek death—
Ryuyun saw no reason to show mercy.
"If you're so eager to die, you can't blame me."
Smirking faintly, Aoyama Ryuyun made no move to stop what was coming.
---
"Brother Liu Yun!"
Just then, Kurenai Yūhi's figure appeared at the entrance of his tent, her voice urgent.
"What's wrong?"
Withdrawing his Observation Haki, Aoyama Ryuyun turned to her with mild curiosity.
"Is it because this is your first battlefield? Feeling a little uneasy?"
Although she already had Chūnin-level ability,
this was Kurenai's first experience in a real war.
It was natural to feel unsettled.
"No, it's not that! I wanted to ask—can I stay here tonight?"
"...Huh?"
Aoyama Ryuyun blinked, certain he'd misheard.
"…What did you say?"
"Didn't you hear me?" Kurenai tilted her head innocently.
"I said, I want to stay here with Brother Liu Yun!"
Thinking he hadn't caught it the first time, she kindly repeated herself.
But—
"Where's your own tent?"
Aoyama Ryuyun frowned. Surely Konoha's camp wasn't so short on tents that a Genin didn't have her own.
"I don't want to go."
"…"
Straightforward as ever.
Staring at Kurenai, who spoke with such earnestness, Ryuyun could only roll his eyes.
"Oh, it's fine!" she said with a dismissive wave, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Anyway, Tsunade-sensei isn't around these days,
so let me take care of Brother Liu Yun instead!"
She looked up at him, her crimson eyes wide and full of expectation.
"Cough, cough…"
Damn it—he was actually tempted.
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