"What?! Shisui, you actually killed the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii?"
Upon hearing that Shisui and Byakuya had teamed up to kill the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Tekka Uchiha's eyes widened in disbelief. His face was filled with astonishment.
He had seen Yugito Nii's strength before which was far beyond what an ordinary jonin could handle.
The fact that Shisui had not only fought against but also defeated and killed Yugito Nii made him feel like the world had become unreal.
Shisui nodded and then said, "To be precise, it was only possible because I teamed up with Lord Byakuya. Without him, I probably would have died along with the Two-Tails Jinchuriki."
"Stop being so modest, Shisui. You're already the strongest in the clan now!" Tekka completely ignored Shisui's explanation. Real accomplishments spoke much louder than words.
Shisui did not deny being called the strongest in the clan. Before awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, he might not have been a match for the clan leader, Fugaku, but now that he had the Mangekyo, he was undoubtedly the strongest jonin in the Uchiha clan.
Such is the dominance of the Mangekyo Sharingan over the ordinary Sharingan.
At that moment, Tekka seemed to remember something. He glanced at both Shisui and Byakuya before asking, "Where is the body of the Two-Tails Jinchuriki?"
Shisui and Byakuya exchanged a look, then gave the prepared explanation.
After hearing that the body of Yugito Nii had been destroyed in the explosion of the Tailed Beast Bomb, Tekka looked disappointed and sighed quietly.
A living Jinchuriki was far more valuable than a dead one.
Not only was the value of the Tailed Beast itself significant, but Yugito Nii's status as a high-ranking member of Kumogakure could have provided a wealth of intelligence, potentially enabling them to launch a surprise attack on the Kumo's forces.
However, since Shisui had defeated the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, it wasn't entirely impossible that one day he could also defeat the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee.
After learning the details of the battle, Tekka turned his attention to the unconscious Yakumo.
"What happened to Yakumo? Why is he unconscious?"
Shisui sighed softly. "Yakumo was attacked by Yugito Nii. If Lord Byakuya hadn't treated him in time, he would've been in grave danger."
Upon learning that Byakuya had saved Yakumo, Tekka's attitude toward Byakuya shifted to one of more respect.
First, because Byakuya had saved one of his clan members, which was enough to cancel out any past grudges. Second, medical ninjas are held in high esteem in the ninja world, especially those who are also capable in combat.
Noticing Tekka's expression, Byakuya remarked nonchalantly, "Don't stare at me. You Uchiha won't be dodging the medical expenses. Don't think you can freeload off my supplies."
---
A few hours later, Byakuya's group arrived at the Konoha camp.
The nearby Konoha ninja recognized Shisui and the others, but they were suspicious of Byakuya, who clearly wasn't a Konoha ninja based on his attire with flame cloud patterns. Particularly since Byakuya was loudly asking to meet Jiraiya.
Just as Shisui was about to explain Byakuya's identity, one of the jonin in the group suddenly seemed to recall something and said with a smile, "You must be Byakuya, the jonin from Amegakure. Lord Jiraiya specifically instructed us that if we saw you, we should bring you to the command center."
"Oh?" Byakuya looked at the Konoha jonin with interest and laughed. "Is that so? How did you recognize me so quickly? Could it be that my name has already spread across the entire ninja world?"
"Indeed, that's the case."
The Konoha jonin nodded quickly but couldn't help thinking to himself: That's not what Lord Jiraiya said at all. He actually said that Byakuya is the most arrogant brat around and easy to recognize at a glance.
Now it seems Jiraiya was right. This kid is so cocky that even an Uchiha jonin addresses him as "Lord." That's no ordinary level of arrogance.
Byakuya had no idea what the Konoha ninja was thinking, but he nodded in satisfaction. Following the jonin's lead, he headed towards the command room.
As the door to the command room swung open, Byakuya saw Jiraiya deeply immersed in handling military affairs. Compared to six months ago, Jiraiya's usual easygoing demeanor had faded, replaced with exhaustion. The long months of war had clearly taken a toll on him, both physically and mentally.
Jiraiya, who had already sensed their arrival, lifted his head to look at the group. Seeing Byakuya standing with Shisui and the other Uchiha, he looked surprised, silently wondering why Byakuya was with them.
As if reading Jiraiya's thoughts, Byakuya pulled out a bag full of ninja tags and headbands and said, "Jiraiya, these are all my spoils of war. You better be prepared to pay up."
Jiraiya glanced at the headbands, all of which bore the insignia of the Hidden Cloud, while the ninja tags indicated their ranks and identities. After a closer inspection, Jiraiya's eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "Twenty-one chunin, five jonin! Did you really take down this many Kumo ninjas by yourself, Byakuya?"
"I'm just doing the job I was paid to do, isn't that what was agreed?" Byakuya frowned slightly. "Jiraiya, you're not thinking of shortchanging me, are you? Because if you are, I might just take my talents to Kumogakure."
This statement startled the nearby Konoha ninjas, who now eyed Byakuya with heightened caution and suspicion.
Jiraiya quickly motioned for his subordinates to stay calm and responded, "I promised you'd get paid, and you will. Every ryo will be sent to Amegakure as agreed. You have my word."
Only then did Byakuya's expression soften slightly. "Good. I was starting to think Konoha might be unable to afford it. After all, my subordinates have been hunting Kumo ninja as well. I was worried you wouldn't be able to pay for all that."
Jiraiya thought to himself, 'You might be making a killing, but Konoha certainly won't be losing out either...'
Shifting his focus, Jiraiya turned to Shisui and asked, "We've cleared up the payment, but why are you with Shisui and the others?"
Byakuya, as if suddenly remembering, chuckled and said, "Oh, right. I also saved these Uchiha when they were fighting the Two-Tails Jinchuriki. If I hadn't intervened, they would've all died along with her. These Uchiha are your people, so you'll have to pay for saving them too."
Jiraiya blinked, almost unable to believe his ears. "Byakuya, what did you just say?"
Byakuya repeated without missing a beat, "You'll have to pay me for saving them."
Jiraiya shook his head and, his expression becoming more serious, asked, "No, not that. You said earlier that Shisui and the others almost died... against whom?"
"They almost died fighting the Two-Tails Jinchuriki."
Once Jiraiya was sure he hadn't misheard, he asked, "You mean they almost died, but they managed to defeat Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchuriki?"
"That's not quite accurate," Byakuya corrected with a pause. "We killed the Two-Tails Jinchuriki."