"Oh?"
Jingyi narrowed his eyes.
Konoha had accepted all the missions from the Land of Rivers. But for those that weren't officially commissioned, the village couldn't intervene at least not immediately.
He studied Yahiko closely.
Did they really come all the way to the Land of Rivers just to do volunteer work?
"We're here to eliminate the bandits and bring peace to the Land of Rivers," Yahiko said calmly. "We have no intention of provoking Konoha or stealing missions."
Konan stepped forward, her voice soft but steady.
"Besides… we have a connection with Jiraiya-sensei. And we know well that Konoha is not a force we could challenge. Right now, the Akatsuki is still growing. Compared to your village, we're barely a breeze before a towering tree."
"Our goal is peace. We don't seek war."
Seeing that Jingyi hadn't attacked, Yahiko held onto hope. Konoha had just emerged from a brutal war surely they wouldn't want to risk conflict again so soon. If they did, it wouldn't be a lone operative like Jingyi confronting them, but the full force of the ANBU.
That thought brought him some calm.
Jingyi was about to respond when two chakra signatures rapidly approached one from the north, one from the south.
Nagato and Minato.
He quickly assessed the situation. This was no longer his decision alone. With Minato arriving, it was better to let Jiraiya's apprentices handle this among themselves.
Gathering chakra, Jingyi unleashed a subtle pressure to suppress any sudden moves then waited.
"Yahiko…" Konan's voice was tense.
Yahiko shook his head slightly.
Now wasn't the time for a fight. Not until Nagato arrived.
The atmosphere tensed then a moment later, a shadow clone of Minato appeared.
His eyes swept over the stand-off, a flash of surprise in his expression. He moved to Jingyi's side and asked quietly, "What's happening here?"
"They're from Amegakure. Claim to be clearing out bandits in the Land of Rivers. For free."
"Free?"
Minato blinked, confused.
No wonder Jingyi hadn't acted yet. On one hand, the village didn't want new conflict. On the other hand, letting them continue unchecked could mean bandits fleeing into the Land of Fire.
A diplomatic nightmare.
He glanced at the two strangers.
"Your names?"
"Yahiko."
"Konan."
Minato's brows furrowed. Those names were familiar… hadn't Jiraiya mentioned them before?
Konan opened her mouth to speak but Yahiko raised a hand to stop her. He knew she wanted to invoke their connection to Jiraiya, but that could backfire. Minato and Jiraiya were Konoha shinobi first.
Meanwhile, Jingyi turned north, eyes narrowing.
Nagato had arrived.
From the woods, the boy with striking red hair emerged his eyes scanning the scene. Seeing Konan and Yahiko seemingly at a disadvantage, he reacted instantly.
Shuriken flew. Chakra surged. Ninjutsu charged.
But before he could act
A flash of steel. Blinding light.
Nagato winced, turning his head. A rush of wind followed the sound of movement too fast for his senses.
Not good!
He activated his Rinnegan, barely managing to trigger Shinra Tensei as Jingyi closed in.
But it was a feint.
An afterimage.
Jingyi had already repositioned.
From beneath the earth_Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu.
Nagato leapt just in time, cold sweat forming.
He's fast. Too fast.
He tried to track Jingyi with the Rinnegan. It worked his eyes saw clearly, but his body couldn't respond fast enough.
A blow to his side Nagato was sent flying, landing heavily in front of Minato.
"Waitbdon't hurt him!" Konan shouted.
"Shinra Tensei is powerful," Minato muttered, "but… it has limits."
Nagato staggered, bracing for another attack.
Jingyi blurred again reappearing several meters away.
Nagato hurled a shuriken. Wind-style chakra followed.
Jingyi raised his hand Wind Release: Gale Palm.
The gust twisted the shuriken midair, redirecting them… toward himself?
He didn't flinch.
A shimmer chakra wrapped his body like armor.
Ding!
The weapons fell harmlessly.
Minato's eyes narrowed.
"That was… the Immortal Palm?"
He was about to step in when he noticed the strange glow in Jingyi's hand. A soft green light. He watched in awe as Jingyi appeared behind Nagato and struck him lightly.
A moment later, Nagato collapsed completely unconscious.
"What did you do to him?!" Konan demanded.
"Just put him to sleep. Palm Sage Technique."
Yahiko exhaled in relief. Jingyi could've killed Nagato with a single strike if he wanted to. He had shown restraint.
"He's just… difficult to negotiate with when he's on edge," Jingyi said, dragging Nagato beside Minato.
Minato turned toward the unconscious boy. That red hair suddenly, it clicked.
Jiraiya had told him once… about three war orphans in Amegakure.
"You're the ones…" he whispered. "The three children Jiraiya-sensei trained. He mentioned you."
Konan froze. Her heart skipped.
He remembered.
Jiraiya hadn't forgotten them.
Yahiko stepped forward.
"Minato-senpai, we mean Konoha no harm. We're only trying to realize Sensei's dream peace. Even if it's a small step."
Minato hesitated. On a personal level, he wanted to believe them. Jiraiya had spoken of these children with pride and hope.
But politically… their actions had consequences.
Before he could speak, Jingyi sheathed his blade and smirked.
"Want my opinion?"
Yahiko, Konan, and Minato looked to him.
"Your dream's noble. But your methods are reckless. You're helping the Land of Rivers by killing bandits but what then? The survivors flee to neighboring lands. You just push the problem around. That's not peace. That's a mess."