Naruto：Immortality and the Eight Inner Gates[Double agent]

It turns out, Rinjin's defensive capabilities were quite decent—at least good enough to withstand Tsunade's monstrous strength.

Don't get the wrong idea—they were really just testing his defenses!

"Rinjin, come to the battlefield with me. You can be my naked meat shield!" Tsunade declared with a mischievous grin.

Hearing this, Rinjin was utterly speechless.

Can you even say something like 'naked' and still expect it to pass censorship?

And besides!

I'm not some legendary servant like Ah Chang from Xunge's family, who could stand naked on the city walls and magically keep the enemy from entering!

Seeing Rinjin's face full of reluctance, Tsunade didn't press further. Instead, she tilted her slightly flushed face upward, her amber eyes glistening like pools of water, silently staring at him.

Faced with this, Rinjin let out a long sigh.

If I'd known it would come to this, I never should've provoked Uchiha Ryota back then, forcing him to swap seats with Tsunade!

What rotten luck...

With a plan forming in his mind, Rinjin turned and slid open the door to the tea room.

"Let me make this clear first—I've got a mission to handle!

If my students aren't willing to go to the battlefield, don't blame me!"

Tsunade's lips curled into a confident smile, her eyes brimming with amusement.

Oh, please. Do you really think I don't know you by now?

That little girl Rii is so terrified of math, she'd rather raze Kusagakure to the ground than solve a single trigonometry problem!

As the door opened, Rinjin was greeted by the sight of his three students brawling over a bag of potato chips. He cleared his throat loudly.

"Ahem… I've got something to ask the three of you."

Hearing this, the trio immediately stopped fighting and sat neatly on the tatami mats, looking up at Rinjin with innocent, eager expressions.

Look at that posture—so proper! Clearly, these are kids who love to study, Rinjin thought, feeling secretly pleased. But outwardly, he maintained a composed demeanor as he asked confidently:

"Now, you've got two choices in front of you:

First, you can sit on these comfortable tatami mats and immerse yourselves in the boundless ocean of knowledge."

At this point, Rinjin's expression softened, his smile warm and kind.

Just as he was about to continue, Choza Akimichi waved his little hand enthusiastically and shouted, "Two! Two! I pick two!"

Seeing this, Tsunade couldn't help but burst into laughter, covering her red lips as her beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons.

Rinjin's face instantly darkened, his lips pressed into a tight line as his sharp gaze swept toward Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka.

"And you two?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The two boys flinched at the tone of his voice. Inoichi nudged Shikaku discreetly with his elbow.

Shikaku frowned, glaring at him before reluctantly muttering, "I… I… I choose two as well," his voice barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz.

Though the sound was faint, both Rinjin and Tsunade had sharp ears.

Hearing his response, Tsunade laughed even harder, no longer bothering to cover her lips as she threw her head back in mirth.

Glancing at the gleeful Tsunade, Rinjin cast a disappointed look at his three students, shook his head, and left the tea room with a scowl.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the morning of the fourth day, Rinjin appeared at Konoha's gates with Team Eleven in tow.

Unlike last time, when hundreds of ninjas were sent back for rest and recuperation, this time they wouldn't be traveling with Tsunade.

Instead, Tsunade's squad of four and Rinjin's team of four were tasked with escorting a supply convoy to the front lines, providing protection along the way.

Because of this arrangement, Hiruzen Sarutobi, always one to maximize efficiency, expanded the supply convoy's size to its limits. After all, it was a rare opportunity to make use of Rinjin's considerable combat prowess.

Before long, both squads were assembled.

Rinjin led his three eager students: Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara.

Tsunade's squad consisted of Dan Kato, Kugiri Kimoku, and Honma Hyuga.

Soon, a group of logistics ninjas carrying backpacks filled with sealing scrolls arrived at the village gates.

With all three parties accounted for, they did a final headcount. Tsunade's squad took the lead, while Rinjin's team covered the rear. The convoy, though not large, set off.

Unlike the three kids, who were brimming with excitement and anticipation, Rinjin seemed rather uninspired.

War is nothing more than large-scale combat, he thought. And combat? I've experienced more than enough of that.

What did excite him, however, was the prospect of reuniting with his old buddy, Jiraiya.

Word had it that Jiraiya was working on a book titled The Tales of a Gutsy Ninja. To this, Rinjin could only shake his head in disapproval.

That guy has absolutely no sense of priorities.

One of Rinjin's main goals for this trip was to confront Jiraiya as his number-one supporter and warn him:

Put that "Gutsy Ninja" nonsense aside for now—Icha Icha Paradise is the real deal!

His thoughts wandered to a new book that had recently surfaced in the Land of Hot Water.

Titled The Root Behind the Root: The Truth Behind Danzo Shimura's Schemes, the work had caused quite a stir.

Rinjin couldn't help but smirk at the thought.

Good writing. Now, tell me your address—I've got a custom kunai I'd like to deliver to you.

Lost in his musings, time flew by. In the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

Around noon, Tsunade called for the convoy to stop, organizing a break for everyone to rest and replenish their food and water supplies.

As the group settled down, about a kilometer ahead on the border, two bloodied Konoha ninjas were fleeing toward the convoy.

Behind them, a squad of elite Sunagakure ninjas was in hot pursuit.

This scene didn't escape the notice of Honma Hyuga, a member of Tsunade's squad.

With his highly pure Byakugan and the frequent use of his dojutsu during the war, his scouting range had reached the theoretical limit of one kilometer.

"Attention! At ten o'clock, a Sunagakure squad is pursuing two of our own!" he reported.

"How many are there on the enemy side?" Tsunade asked.

"Eleven, with six of them being puppet masters."

"And the two being pursued—are you sure they're ours?"

"Um… I can't confirm their identities just yet."

Hearing this, Tsunade frowned slightly, quickly analyzing the situation.

Eleven enemies, six of whom are puppet masters, chasing two Konoha ninjas whose identities are uncertain. There's a chance it's a trap.

Meanwhile, we've got a large number of logistics ninjas to protect.

Making a swift decision, Tsunade ordered her squad to stay with the convoy while assigning Team Eleven to intercept the enemy.

Tsunade's squad was well-rounded, with capabilities in reconnaissance, medical support, and combat. But when it came to raw fighting power, they couldn't hold a candle to Team Eleven.

It wasn't that Tsunade lacked confidence in her own abilities; she simply understood Rinjin's overwhelming combat prowess all too well.

Even skilled fighters like Rii, Teuchi, and Fugaku could only spar with Rinjin's shadow clones.

Though Rinjin often wore a playful, carefree smile, when it came to battle, he was a force to be reckoned with.

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