Chapter 167 : Akita And Orochimaru Have A Relationship
Riku said nothing as he moved forward with Ino and Shino close behind.
Samui quickly followed. Without any sensory-type ninja among their team besides Riku, they had no choice but to rely on his guidance. Otherwise, they might not make it out alive.
This mist wasn’t natural—it was Kirigakure’s signature jutsu, the Hidden Mist Technique. A large-scale version of it had been deployed here, cloaking the surrounding sea in thick fog.
This was the reason the Five Great Ninja Villages had managed to endure for so long—each had unique, formidable strengths. Unless someone like Uchiha Madara or Hashirama Senju appeared to dominate an era, even an alliance of the other four major villages would find it difficult to conquer a single village.
That was true for Konoha—and for every other village as well.
As they stepped deeper onto the island, Riku didn’t take action himself. Instead, he stood aside, letting Hinata and Shino handle things.
Both were sensory-type or possessed sensory capabilities, making them ideal for combat in this environment.
Ino remained at Riku’s side—combat wasn’t her specialty. Aside from her Mind Transfer Jutsu, she only had basic taijutsu and the standard Three Basic Jutsu.
At this point, she was on par with early-series Sakura.
Samui walked alongside Riku. She could sense Kirigakure shinobi lurking nearby, but with the thick fog obscuring everything, pinpointing their positions was nearly impossible.
After Hinata and Shino dealt with two Kirigakure Chūnin, only two Chūnin and eight Genin remained on the island.
Riku extended his sensory field. Within a radius of more than 20 kilometers, he could sense chakra signatures.
Among them, he located Akita’s position.
He looked at Samui. "Akita is here on the island. But when the fighting begins, keep things quiet. Don’t use any large-scale jutsu—otherwise, we risk disturbing the Three Tails. I’ve already sensed its location—it’s just one kilometer off the coast."
Samui froze. "What?! Only one kilometer away from the island?"
She couldn’t believe it—they were operating right under the Three Tails’ nose. One wrong move, and it would be upon them.
The island was isolated, dozens of kilometers from the mainland. The surrounding waters were infested with massive sharks. If they disturbed the Three Tails, they’d be trapped here—and the consequences would be catastrophic.
For the first time, fear broke through Samui’s composed exterior.
But Riku remained calm and even smiled slightly. "As long as we avoid large-scale ninjutsu, it won’t notice us."
Samui stared at him, shocked by his composure. "That’s a Tailed Beast. And at this distance, if it decides to attack, we won’t even have a chance to react."
Even a few Tailed Beast Bombs from the Three Tails could flatten the entire island.
There was good reason to be afraid—and the surrounding sea, teeming with sharks, made escape nearly impossible.
Only now did Samui understand why Riku had looked so serious before they set out.
Even for a Jōnin, once the Three Tails was alerted, this island would become a death trap.
Riku simply laughed. "That’s why I said not to alarm it. Don’t use wide-area techniques and you’ll be fine."
Samui frowned. "You say that like it’s easy. But now that we’re already on the island... there’s no turning back. Complaining won’t help."
She knew now that the real danger didn’t come from Akita—but from what might happen after they killed him.
If they disturbed the Three Tails, none of them would make it off the island alive.
Riku led Hinata and the others toward the center of the island.
Samui and her team followed behind.
They encountered several enemy ninja along the way—some were dealt with by Samui, others by Hinata or Shino. Karui and Omoi also demonstrated impressive strength—far above that of Hinata and Shino at this point.
Omoi specialized in Kumogakure’s kenjutsu, and so did Karui. Both had been trained by Killer Bee himself.
At their current level, they were close to Jōnin-class.
Samui, of course, was a Jōnin—skilled with a short sword and highly lethal.
The three of them favored swordsmanship or direct attacks, rarely relying on ninjutsu.
Riku wasn’t surprised—this was a known trait of Kumogakure shinobi.
Throughout the journey, Riku never once made a move. The eight remaining Genin were eliminated without him lifting a finger...
However, Hinata and Shino were nearing their limits. Their chakra was nearly depleted.
Hinata had taken out one Chūnin and one Genin. Shino had done the same.
Of the remaining six Genin, four had been killed by Karui and Omoi.
Samui herself eliminated two Chūnin and two Genin.
That level of enemy was nothing for her. As Kakashi once said—ordinary Chūnin were easy to take down.
After eliminating all of Akita’s subordinates, they finally found him.
Akita stood calmly in a clearing, waiting for them.
Unlike the rest of the island, this area was free of mist.
Since Akita was a former Konoha shinobi, he wasn’t skilled in Mist-style tactics. He had created a barrier to keep the fog out of this 200-meter-wide zone.
As Riku laid eyes on him, he smiled. "You weren’t easy to find."
Akita frowned when he saw Riku. "You made Jōnin at your age? Konoha’s assessment standards have gone insane."
Akita had made Jōnin at forty. Now nearly fifty, the sight of a teenaged Jōnin filled him with envy.
Riku didn’t waste time. "Our mission is simple—eliminate you, or bring you back to Konoha to rot in prison."
Akita laughed. "Kid, you think you have the ability? Clearly, you didn’t study me enough before coming."
He wasn’t wrong—Akita was strong. Worse, he’d aligned himself with Orochimaru, and most likely carried a Cursed Seal.
That alliance was what had turned him into a rogue.
Riku remained composed. "Oh, I studied you. You’re nothing but Orochimaru’s mutt. Maybe you’ve learned a few jutsu or techniques, maybe even a Cursed Seal—but those kinds of tricks only seem impressive to weaklings like you. If I’m right, the more you use that power, the more it eats away at your life span."
Akita’s arrogant smile began to fade.
Samui’s expression tightened. She hadn’t known Akita had ties to Orochimaru—or that he might possess a Cursed Seal.
But she did know who Orochimaru was.
One of the Legendary Sannin—and the one who had forcibly extracted the Eight Tails from Kumogakure’s former Jinchūriki.
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