This puppeteer is a bit... well...

Chapter 222 A Strange Reunion

Mukai has been having a tough time lately.

Being absorbed by the Hyuga clan and then driven away by them... This kind of thing, with the Konoha leadership keeping the matter a secret, is the talk of the town.

Mukai himself didn't care about any of that.

Mukai's elders had died in the war, and he grew up alone, which fostered his carefree and unrestrained personality. He usually dressed very sloppily and drank and smoked at will, regardless of the occasion, and was used to being pointed at and talked about.

He may not care about himself, but he can't help but care about his wife.

He was even more concerned because his wife had recently become pregnant.

However, this was not the most difficult part. The most difficult part was that after his failure to lead the Hyuga branch family to break away from the main family, he became a dangerous individual under close observation. He was unable to leave the village to carry out missions, and his range of activities was restricted. Everyone who had spoken with him would be interviewed afterward to understand the situation.

If he hadn't considered the possibility of failure before seeking help from the Hokage and hadn't established a secret code with his comrades who were also resisting the main branch's control, he would have truly been trapped with nowhere to turn.

"I wonder if Takesang has made contact with Ryuji, and whether he has figured out a way to break the Caged Bird Seal!"

Mukai sat in the courtyard, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his weary eyes staring blankly outside, his mind preoccupied with his companions' actions.

This is their only chance.

If even Ryuji fails, then he'll have to live like this for the rest of his life.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Hearing the gentle comforting voice behind him, Xiang Jing snapped out of his reverie. He forced a smile, threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out, then turned around and embraced the woman, who appeared to be around twenty-five years old and had her black hair piled up on her back. He whispered comfortingly, "Of course, no matter what happens, I will make sure you and the child are happy."

"Um!"

The woman replied softly, resting her head on Mukai's chest.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Suddenly, four heavy thuds were heard around us.

Both of them were startled. Looking over at the sound, they saw four corpses of ANBU lying under the big trees around the house, while three people were standing on the trees... Ryuji Ayaki, Kuro, and Takesaku Hinata.

As the two looked over, all three of them also looked over.

Ryuji Ayaki waved to them and teased, "Haven't seen you for half a year, and you're already showing off your love right away, that's really something!"

Mukai didn't seem to care, and said with a smile, "The fact that you're here means our plan succeeded, right?"

As he spoke, he looked at Zhu Sang, who was standing next to Long Er.

Zhu Sang nodded and took off her headband.

His smooth forehead was spotless, without a single mark.

"It's really... really solved!?"

Mukai's pupils widened slightly.

Although he knew that Ryuji's talent was unparalleled, the Caged Bird Seal was, after all, a high-level curse seal that had existed for hundreds of years and no one had been able to break.

Therefore, he wasn't sure if Long Er would succeed; he was just giving it a try, thinking that things couldn't get any worse.

Unexpectedly, it actually succeeded.

"A mere caged bird, nothing to worry about!" Ryuji said, trying to sound smug, as he jumped down from the tree and approached the two men. "Go and gather everyone together, then we'll leave together."

"How do I leave?"

Ryuji did not answer, but instead opened a portal behind him.

Through the vortex-like spatial portal, Kohinata Mukai saw the vast space inside. His mouth gaped open, and it took him a long time to recover before he exclaimed in admiration, "...You can even do something like this! You're truly amazing!"

Although Ryuji's fame has spread throughout the ninja world, carrying around an alternate dimension is still too much of a cheat.

"If we can't even do something like this, how are we supposed to fight against the entire ninja world?"

"Seeing how confident you are, I'm relieved."

Mukai nodded and instructed his wife, "Tamako, go pack your luggage. Just take what's easy to carry. I'll go and gather the others."

"Um!"

Yu Zi nodded, turned around and went inside to pack her things.

Ryuji then looked at Mukai and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No need. Just wait for Tamako to pack her things, put her in the alternate dimension, and then wait for me at Training Ground 44."

"Understood!"

"That's settled then!"

After saying that, Mukai left with Takesang.

……

Because of the difference between men and women, neither Ryuji nor Kuro went inside to help.

It's better to be safe than sorry.

If Mukai Makoto suddenly had to rush back and happened to witness a scene that could easily be misunderstood, then things would be bad.

Although he didn't think that kind of melodramatic plot would happen to him, and theoretically Kohinata couldn't possibly get back quickly, it was still best to be cautious in the face of such an important matter.

"Master, someone is here."

Suddenly, Hei spoke up.

"How many?"

"Two of them. Their chakra looks familiar. They're Kakashi and Obito."

"Those two..." Ryuji stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, and then said, "Hide those ANBU members inside the house, and tell Tamako not to pack anything for now, so as not to give away any clues."

"Yes."

He nodded, then dragged the four secret agents into the house twice, one in each hand.

Then Ryuji used a transformation technique to transform into Mukai's appearance.

A moment later, two figures appeared at the end of the road.

One person was wearing a green vest, and the other was wearing a black bodysuit.

Has this guy become a Chunin?

A hint of surprise flashed in Long Er's eyes.

"Mr. Mukai!"

Obito and Kakashi didn't hide anything and came to the courtyard gate openly. They bowed deeply to Ryuji inside and said, "We are very sorry for disturbing you."

Ryuji frowned slightly and replied in Mukai's tone, "What is it?"

"There are some things I'd like to ask Mr. Mukai."

"Come in!"

"Thank you, Mr. Mukai."

Kakashi thanked Obito and then came in.

"Here's what happened. While we were on a mission, we encountered a small group of suspicious Sand Village ninjas and seized a scroll from them."

"Oh~"

Ryuji's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself: Could it be that the team sent by the Third Kazekage to gather intelligence has been captured?

"This scroll seems to hold a great secret, and that squad is willing to risk their lives to keep it from falling into our hands."

"Since it's such an important scroll, why aren't you giving it to the Hokage? What are you doing here?"

Ryuji looked at them strangely, thinking to himself: If it really is some important information that has fallen into Konoha's hands, then I will fight to the death to get it back.

"that……"

Obito scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Kakashi couldn't stand it anymore and said, "There's nothing shameful about it. In fact, because of their fierce protection, we only managed to snatch a corner of the scroll, and Mr. Mukai's name was written on that corner, so we came here specifically to ask Mr. Mukai if he has any clues."

As they spoke, the two stared intently at Long Er's face.

(End of this chapter)