Konoha: The thirty-year-old Uchiha is not motivated.

Despite the menacing appearance of the adult ninjas before him, Nagato displayed a composure beyond his years. He raised his fishing rod to a position behind him, tilted his head slightly, and spoke to Yahiko and Konan behind him.

"I'll stop them in a bit, you guys run deeper into the bushes."

"Are you an idiot? They're ninjas."

Overwhelmed by the strong stench of blood emanating from the people blocking his path, Yahiko's voice trembled as he spoke.

He now deeply regrets why he had nothing better to do than trick his two friends into going on an adventure. Wouldn't it have been better to just stay home and eat the meat that his older sister, Xiao Bei, grilled herself?

"I have my own way."

Nagato's heart was pounding, but he dared to step forward because he had something to rely on.

As he spoke, he glanced discreetly at the small backpack at his waist, which contained expired items he had secretly collected from the store's warehouse without his parents' knowledge.
A damp detonator should be able to explode, right?
In this situation, we might as well try anything, even if it's just a last resort. If it makes a sound, at least we can make some noise and let the Rain Ninja stationed nearby find out.

"What can you possibly do? We grew up together, I know exactly what you're capable of."

Even under such high pressure, Yahiko couldn't help but roll his eyes, then stepped forward, the fear in his eyes gradually turning into determination.

With their short legs, they definitely can't outrun each other. Their only option now is to give it their all and hope that the gift Jiraiya gave them will come in handy.
I'm sorry, Mom, I think I'm going to die. While I can still have children, you should live a good life with Uncle Jiraiya from now on.

Xiao Nan looked at the two boys blocking her way, a glimmer of light flashing in her bright eyes. She reached out and touched the white pony pendant hanging at her waist, then gently shook her head.
"Come together, leave together."

"you."

Nagato pursed his lips, his eyes filled with emotion. As the saying goes, true friendship is revealed in times of trouble. In this matter, Yahiko and Konan still chose to stand by him. He vowed that he would never betray this friendship.

"Hehehe, I love this kind of temperamental little girl, who can squirt water out with just a pinch."

The lewd ninja licked his lips, looking with satisfaction at Nagato, who was gripping his fishing rod tightly. A chilling silver glint shone in his triangular eyes.
"Captain, let's finish this quickly, or we'll be in trouble when the Rain Ninja reinforcements arrive."

The ninjas behind him exchanged glances, their faces full of helplessness.

"Tsk!"

Upon hearing this, the lecherous man, who had just become sexually aroused, clicked his tongue. He could still distinguish between the importance of his mission and his hobby.
"Then hurry up and remember not to kill this redhead."

He may not have time to play now, but he can pack it up and take it back to camp to enjoy!

"Yes."

Seeing several ninjas approaching step by step, Nagato forcefully threw the fishing rod forward, and quickly reached into the small backpack at her waist.
"Snapped!"

The ninjas casually snapped the oncoming fishing rod in two, a mocking smile playing on their lips.

What can a seven or eight-year-old child possibly pull out?

"what?"

The next second, everyone stopped in their tracks, several pairs of triangular eyes of varying sizes almost popped out of their sockets, and even the lewd man who had just looked cruel showed a hint of fear.
"Kid, put down what you're holding. We can talk this over."

"Nagato, you always carry this with you?"

Yahiko, who had his hands tucked into his robes, swallowed hard, staring incredulously at the two large stacks of explosive tags clutched tightly in Nagato's hands.
Although it looked a bit yellowed and damp, and large areas of the writing were quite blurry, he could still recognize the large "爆" (explosive) character in the middle.

"I usually save it up to use for frying fish."

Holding dozens of explosive tags, Nagato tried to remain calm and began to explain, prompting Yahiko to retort with a sarcastic comment.
"The Air Force guys really can come up with all sorts of dirty tricks."

"I want you to take care of it!"

"Little friend, don't touch it! This isn't a toy!"

Watching the two stacks of exploding tags crackle with Nagato's excitement, the ninjas who had initially held the upper hand showed visible fear on their faces, and their deliberately lowered tones softened considerably from their previous ruthlessness.

"We want to go home."

Nagato knew they were hesitant to act rashly, and while letting out a sigh of relief, he said in a stiff tone,

"Captain, should we wait until they're far away?"

One of the ninjas winked at the lewd-looking man, his lips twitching slightly.
As long as you keep your distance and snipe with concealed weapons, even if so many explosive tags explode at the same time, it will not have any effect on them.

"idiot."

The lewd man looked at his self-righteous subordinates with exasperation. Were they not making a move because they were afraid of the damage from the explosive tags?
No, what I fear is that the violent explosion will attract the Rain Ninja stationed nearby, causing their plan to frame me to be exposed.

"That"

"Let them go, since they don't know our true identities anyway."

After quickly finalizing the decision, the sleazy man revealed what he thought was a warm smile.
"Children, you can go now."

"What if you wait until we're far away and then use hidden weapons to snipe us?"

Nagato wasn't stupid; he didn't believe that the few enemy ninjas in front of him would let them go so easily.

"We Konoha ninjas have always valued integrity above all else. We can swear by the name of the esteemed Third Hokage that if we ever lay a hand on you again, the Third Hokage will never regain his former glory."

Although he didn't understand the meaning of the oath, Nagato could tell from the expressions of the ninjas how malicious it was.
"Shall we be leaving now?"

"Let's go~ Let's go~ Remember, whatever you do, don't tell the adults that it was Konoha that killed them."

The lewd man gave his men a look, and they quickly put away their hidden weapons and put on a smiling face to see the guests off.

"What is this thing? It works so well!"

Seeing this, Konan blinked, her gaze falling on the two thick stacks of explosive tags in Nagato's hand. Her little brain began to work rapidly, and she finally came to a simple conclusion.

This is a good thing; even the enemy will be afraid when they see it.

"Explosive tags, my sister, one of them can send us all to heaven."

Having been influenced by Jiraiya, Yahiko possessed some basic ninja knowledge and was naturally aware of the terrifying nature of explosive tags.
"Zun Du is fake Du?"

"You can tell by looking at those guys' reactions, right?"

Turning her head to glance at the unfamiliar ninja waving goodbye, Konan nodded thoughtfully.

She will definitely save up lots and lots of explosive tags in the future, so that no one will dare to bully her and her friends.

"Captain, are we really just going to let them go like that?"

Looking at the three members of the Nagato clan who had retreated nearly a hundred meters away from them, the subordinate, who had never been outmaneuvered by a commoner, especially a child, gritted his teeth and asked...
Do you know why you can't be the captain?

The sleazy-looking man glanced at him and asked in a cold tone,

"Because Captain, you are Lord Zi's brother-in-law."

The straightforward subordinate answered immediately.
"."

"You'll lead the attack next time."

"what?"

Ignoring his gossipy subordinate who looked like an old woman, the lecherous man glanced expressionlessly at Nagato as he walked away.
The lives of these three brats are actually irrelevant, and he has already revealed his identity as a "Konoha ninja," which will not only not cause trouble for the mission, but will also effectively advance the framing operation.

"Is it resolved?"

Just then, a burly figure descended from the sky. It was Shennong, who had just arrived from the sentry post. Seeing that the surroundings were empty, he couldn't help but frown.

“They were just three common kids. I let them go back and spread rumors.”

The sleazy man shook his head, not mentioning to Shennong, this outsider, the embarrassing incident of them being intimidated by Nagato's explosive tags.
"No, then wouldn't all my faking it have been for nothing?"

Shennong frowned upon hearing this. "You Iwa ninja are making him look stupid," he thought.
"That was all your own decision, it has nothing to do with us."

The two were not from the same system, so the lewd man had no reverence for Shennong. On the contrary, relying on his superior numbers, he spoke with a tone laced with sarcasm.

"Which direction are those kids going?"

"there!"

Before the lewd man could answer, the subordinate who had spoken out earlier pointed in the direction Nagato and the others had left.
"Hmph!" "You don't need to lead the charge next time; I have another important task for you."

Watching Shennong's departing figure, the lewd man glared at his talkative subordinate with a gloomy expression. He hated this kind of stupid and wicked person the most. Keeping him around would only cause trouble sooner or later, so it was better to sacrifice him sooner.

"Captain, what do we do next? Should we chase after them?"

Seeing his unfriendly expression, another subordinate quickly and cautiously asked inquiries.
"Chase! If the exploding talisman explodes, none of us will escape."

There are Rain Ninja sentries every so often along the shore of the lake. The signal flare has just been fired, and the Rain Ninja are probably on their way. If the explosive tag detonates now, their location will be completely exposed.

On the other side, seeing the Rain Ninja gradually disappear from sight, Nagato and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. The three survivors exchanged glances, their expressions still showing lingering fear.

"Remember to treat me to barbecue when you get back."

Nagato glanced at Yahiko, who was panting heavily behind him, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Actually, I also have some hidden treasures, but since you're the one who's taking the initiative this time, I can still arrange this barbecue."

Yahiko pouted unconvinced, slowly pulling his hand out of his pocket, along with a simple scroll.

"This is?"

Konan and Nagato, unaware of the item's purpose, blinked in confusion upon seeing this.
"Haha, this is Jiraiya-sama!"

"Lie down!"

Just as Yahiko was about to boast, Nagato's expression suddenly changed. He sensed a terrifying killing intent far surpassing that of the previous ninjas. Without a word, he pounced, pinning the other two to the ground.
"Whoosh!"

The next moment, a sharp, cold glint of light grazed his scalp.

"Nagato, are you alright?"

Seeing the red hair fall from his eyes, Yahiko quickly reached out and grabbed Nagato's head to check.

It turned out that only a large chunk of the back of his head had been shaved off; the skin and flesh were unharmed, which brought a sigh of relief.

"Your reflexes are pretty good, kid."

Before the three could stand up, Shennong's massive figure landed in front of them. Standing nearly two meters tall, he looked down at Nagato, who had just tackled his companion, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Don't move!"

Following suit, Changmen raised the explosive talisman in his hand, hoping to scare Shennong away.

"Hmph! How could a little brat have so many explosive tags? You might fool those idiots, but you can't fool me, Lord Shennong."

Shennong scoffed disdainfully, and without a word, stretched out his large, fan-like hand to grab at Nagato.
"do not want!"

The lewd man who arrived at the scene turned green with rage. The Third Hokage had said this outsider was clever, but it was clear that his muscles had somehow become his brain.

"Explode!"

Seeing that Shennong was completely unfazed by his threat, Nagato recalled the steps his grandfather had taught him, gritted his teeth, pulled out an explosive tag, and threw it at him.

"Sizzle~ Sizzle~"

The pale yellow detonating tags began to spontaneously combust in the air. Shennong's expression changed abruptly, his arrogant demeanor vanishing instantly.

It's actually genuine!
"Shh!"

With a sudden burst of speed, he pushed off with both legs, retreating nearly a hundred meters and landing beside the group of sleazy men.

"You ruined our plans!"

The lewd-looking man glared at him angrily. Now things were really messed up; the noise of the explosive tags would definitely attract the nearby Rain Ninja.
Why didn't you say earlier that they had something so dangerous?

Shennong retorted with a livid expression.

"Yahiko, Minami, I'm sorry, I..."

Seeing the explosive tags billowing thick smoke, Nagato, knowing an explosion was imminent, looked at Yahiko and the other person with a face full of self-reproach.
"Pfft~"

Before he could finish his self-reproach edict, the blazing explosive tag emitted a comical muffled thud, like a fart, before turning to ashes and falling to the ground.
"Uh?"

Not only were the three members of the Nagato clan stunned, but even Shennong and the lewd man, who were arguing amongst themselves, were completely bewildered.
"A dud?"

"It might be damp."

Nagato scratched his head awkwardly, and taking advantage of the moment when the distant ninjas were stunned, he grabbed his two friends and ran into the bushes.
"Chase!"

Feeling like he'd been tricked, the lewd man was furious, his face turning red. He vowed to capture the red-haired girl alive and let Nagato experience the ultimate humiliation!

"Shh! Shh! Shh!"

Seeing the ninja closing in on him within seconds, Nagato, disregarding whether the explosive tags in his hand would actually detonate, tossed them out like they were free.

The sight of the large number of exploding tags bursting into flames was quite visually striking, and the wary ninjas, unwilling to take the risk, deliberately slowed their pace.

Although that one was a dud, who can guarantee that there aren't one or two normal explosive tags among so many?
"Pfft!~"

"Pfft~"

"puff!!"

"Pfft~~~"

However, with each comical, muffled fart, the ninjas' expressions grew increasingly grim.

"I've been tricked."

Looking at the vast expanse of ashes from the duds before him, the sleazy man gritted his teeth and forced out three words.

This is an utter disgrace; if word gets back to the village, people will probably laugh at us until Boruto.

"Nagato, why is this thing of yours so unreliable?"

Yahiko, running through the bushes, stared strangely at Nagato, whose hands were now empty.
"It seems that Father has disposed of all these expired explosive tags."

Nagato then belatedly realized that the reason her father had kept such dangerous things in the warehouse was because they were all duds with no lethality.

Given a ninja's speed, he naturally wouldn't be outrun by a few children.

They quickly cornered the three, among them the lecherous man, whose face was flushed with anger, glared dangerously at Nagato.

"Kid, are you ready to receive my beating?"

"Don't lay a hand on my friend, come at me if you have a problem!"

Yahiko knew that Nagato had done his best, and it was time for him to step in. He strode forward, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the lecherous man.
"You? Dream on!"

"what?"

Seeing the lewd man's disgusted expression, Yahiko, already furious, abruptly pulled open the scroll in his hand. At the center of the densely packed spells, a large character for "sugar" stood out starkly.

"puff!"

A spirit scroll?

As thick white smoke rose from the scroll, Shennong and the others, who were about to take action, suddenly frowned.
Here we go again?

Last time you used a fake explosive tag to scare people, this time you used a fake psychic scroll. Do you sell counterfeit goods at home?
"Kid, remember this: you can't use the same move twice on a Konoha ninja!"

The lewd man's eyes narrowed; he wouldn't be fooled again this time. He immediately tossed several kunai at Yahiko and the others.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!~"

The next second, a piercing metallic sound rang out, and the lewd man, his face tightening, quietly took half a step back and retreated behind the crowd.
"who?"

"Yo~ Hoo~ Hoo~ Hoo~"

The kunai, bounced back, landed on the ground, and a series of boisterous noises that made Yahiko's face burn emerged from within the white smoke. A comical figure, gesturing wildly, also appeared within the smoke.

"The Toad Sage is a name I conceal from the world. There's nothing to hide. I am the invincible white-haired boy, the Toad Messenger, who knows no east, west, north, or south, the handsome man who can silence even the most weeping child! Mount Myōboku! Toad Spirit! Sengsōdō! Jiraiya—reporting for duty!" (End of Chapter)