"Rie!" Teuchi shouted in alarm.
Just as the large hand was about to seize Rie, a spinning shuriken cut through the air toward the arm.
A few meters away, Fugaku Uchiha held his throwing stance, his small face cold, the two tomoe in his blood-red eyes spinning rapidly.
But the arm didn't retract. Instead, it suddenly extended, strange stitch marks running along its length. The connection point revealed black threads.
It stretched forward again, about to grab Rie by the neck before she could react—
Then—
"Boom!"
A piercing sonic blast rang out, followed by a dense cloud of dust exploding outward.
Everyone's vision was instantly swallowed by thick smoke.
Teuchi raised an arm to shield his face against the sand-filled gusts, squinting hard as he kept his eyes locked on where Rie had been.
Fugaku Uchiha did the same, his Sharingan still spinning, focused on the swirling haze.
In the distance, the scar-faced Kusa ninja turned toward the sound, eyes alight with anticipation.
If the sensor ninja in his squad managed to take down that dangerous little brat, any losses would be worth it.
The wind swept through the clearing, dispersing the dust and smoke.
As it cleared, all eyes turned toward the center.
There stood a tall man, perfectly upright—Rie tucked under one arm, the other casually picking his nose. Beneath his foot, he pinned down the mysterious masked man.
"So cool!!"
Teuchi burst out excitedly. A few meters away, Fugaku let out a silent breath of relief.
Rie squirmed helplessly under Reiji's arm, covering her face, legs flailing.
"Big bro! This is so embarrassing! Let me go—put me down!"
Reiji ignored her entirely, glancing down at the masked man struggling beneath him. With a grin, he flicked the booger away.
"Kakuzu. Long time no see."
Kakuzu's body froze. The black threads across him flared violently.
Reiji didn't hesitate—he swung his leg and launched Kakuzu straight at the scar-faced Kusa ninja.
Mid-air, Kakuzu took a brutal hit to the waist and coughed up blood.
In that instant, two of the hearts he had painstakingly collected detonated within him. He didn't even get the chance to externalize them.
Now, only his original heart remained.
Still, getting kicked off the battlefield like this—he figured it was a fair trade for surviving.
The scar-faced Kusa ninja didn't panic as Kakuzu hurtled toward him. He simply sidestepped and kept his gaze locked on Reiji.
As Kakuzu flew past him, Reiji vanished—Rie still under his arm.
In the blink of an eye, Reiji reappeared crouched on Kakuzu's back, smirking. His lightning-charged arm lashed out.
Impact.
A grotesque head soared skyward.
Still perched on Kakuzu's back, Reiji smirked and muttered, "That's Flying Thunder God, Second Stage."
Beneath him, Kakuzu felt a chill run down his spine.
And utter bewilderment—he couldn't explain it, but he had this nagging feeling that he'd somehow become... a prop.
Before he could process the thought, searing pain tore through his skull, the world spun, and everything went black.
Thud!
Kakuzu's face smashed into the ground, skidding to a violent halt.
After dragging for over ten meters, the trio came to a stop. Reiji, still holding a brick in one hand and Rie in the other, hopped nimbly off Kakuzu's back.
By now, Rie had stopped resisting. She slumped like a lifeless salted fish, utterly defeated.
No point pretending—her dignity was long gone.
Seeing everyone gawking, Reiji sheepishly tucked the brick behind his back and offered a guilty smile.
After all, a brick wasn't exactly standard ninja equipment.
In the sky above, Tsunade sat on the floating sword-plank, covering her face, torn between laughter and tears.
Reiji had looked cool the whole time—even picking his nose had a certain charm!
But that final brick strike? It just looked so... sleazy.
He set Rie down, made a quick hand seal, and summoned the floating sword, bringing Tsunade safely to the ground.
"Alright, regroup. Rest up and reflect."
He gave Rie a quick order, then lifted the unconscious Kakuzu, turning to Tsunade.
"Tsuna, I'm counting on you to watch these three. I need to head back to Konoha."
But he hesitated.
He could travel fast with Flying Thunder God, but he had no way of knowing if Tsunade's group would be safe.
After a moment's thought, Reiji grit his teeth, tossed Kakuzu aside, and formed hand seals with both hands.
Boar. Dog. Rooster. Monkey. Sheep.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
A puff of white smoke exploded, revealing a half-human-tall ancient-looking scroll.
Tsunade's amber eyes widened in surprise.
"Reiji, you know Summoning Jutsu?"
Reiji nodded, looking a bit uneasy. He grabbed the scroll and, with his back to her, opened it.
The first name on the list was still incomprehensible. The second: Amai.
Reiji folded and refolded the scroll behind his back, finally revealing only the third column, hiding the first two.
Turning back around, he clutched the scroll in both hands and handed it to Tsunade, trying to sound calm.
"Here. Sign the summoning scroll."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed with suspicion—female intuition kicking in full force.
"Got it." She nodded sweetly, stepping up to the scroll and raising her thumb to her mouth.
Then her eyes widened—and the next moment, her monster strength activated.
"Gimme that!" She snatched the scroll and unrolled it completely.
The moment she saw the names, her beautiful face darkened.
Reiji blinked, just realizing what had happened. He looked down at his empty hands, shrank his neck, and gave a sheepish grin.
"I have a reason! I can explain! I didn't mean to!"
Tsunade ignored him. She pursed her lips, bit her thumb, and deftly signed her name, pressing her handprint on the scroll.
She didn't know what kind of creature this thing would summon—but she trusted Reiji.
Watching her press her hand down, Reiji finally exhaled and scratched his head.
"If anything happens, use the summoning jutsu."
When Tsunade didn't respond, Reiji frowned.
"Did you hear me?"
"..." Tsunade gave a prideful snort and nodded, clearly annoyed.
Still, he had to admit—she looked pretty damn good when she was mad.