BOOM!
The loud explosion coming from the other end of the phone almost made Ijichi swerve off the road.
"My goodness. Was that a bomb?"
The man asked, clearly startled.
"Don't know. But it definitely sounds like it." Gojo said, equally alarmed by the sudden development.
"Hey kid, what's going on. Are you ok?"
Meanwhile, In The Ninja World,
BOOM!
Dust, smoke and fire emerged in the sky around the target with the explosion of the detonating Tags.
"Did we get em?"
On the Trees around the surrounding area, a Hidden Rain Shinobi asked her Captain beside her. The Captain didn't reply, unsure of the answer.
Time elapsed.
In seconds, the smoke was cleared under the constant downpour to reveal what was hidden underneath.
Nothing.
"Not there. They must have dodged midair."
Elsewhere, a black blur fell from the air.
"Hey Kid, can you hear me? What's going on?"
"I'm fine." He replied while looking at the dissipating black cloud. "Just busy at the moment." His eyes turned as he finished his sentence.
Multiple shuriken cut through the rain straight in his direction.
'Dammit! Ninjas of The Hidden Rain." Jiraiya thought inwardly.
'This is pointless.' Ryota thought as the projectiles approached.
His hand moved at rapid speed, turning into blurry afterimages as he grabbed in all directions.
"Hey don't .... "Jiraiya called out in alarm before pausing. Eyes wide at the operation before him.
Before he could utter another word, Ryota did something else.
"Thanks." He uttered to the Ame Ninja who looked like he had just seen a ghost. "I've had a good look, so you can have them back now."
Then, with his phone still sandwiched between his shoulder and his ear, he threw them back. Quite literally threw them back. Except the speed of their return far outclassed their previous pace. The Ninja had his eyes widen in alarm, which was as much as his natural reaction speed would allow him to do.
Following which, his body was penetrated by nearly a dozen of his own throwing weapons.
Not all hit him though. Others strayed outside the target, slamming into trees and demolishing them with no decline in momentum.
With his hand free, he reached back for his phone to deal with what he considered a bigger issue.
"Is there any problem?"
"Um. Where are you exactly? The First and Second Years called saying you mysteriously vanished. Thought you'd been kidnapped by a cursed spirit. Is it raining over there? And who's with you?"
"Um ..." Ryota looked around. Dense trees, constant rain, another universe.
"I may or may not be in Tokyo right now."
"That's Vague."
Ryota didn't even need to turn to sense The one behind him currently weaving hand seals at a snail's pace.
'Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu (Suiton: Teppō no Jutsu, 水遁・鉄砲の術)'
Upon completion, he took in a deep breath and spat out a stream of highly pressurized water straight at Ryota. The water style Jutsu stream through the air and tore through the earth Ryota stood in a moment ago.
Listening on the phone,
Gojo heard another crashing sound equivalent to the earth being destroyed. Then a pained scream and the sound of cracking bones.
His eyes moved to look at the rearview mirror where Ijichi's gaze met his.
They seemed to be practically screaming,
'How Much More Of A Menace Could You Be Than This.'
"I don't even wanna Know." Ijichi said.
"Should I be worried. Need any help?" Gojo sighed and said over the phone.
"Not really. Doubt you could find me. Not currently in the country. Hey, can I call you back later though?"
In the Ninja world, Ryota replied, while looking at the Rain Shinobi in a crater at his feet before looking up. Numerous Ninjas had surrounded them, there expressions all carrying something akin to shock and fear.
"... Currently I'm in the middle of helping a Friend out of a Terrorist problem."
In the black Sedan,
Gojo was stunned "Hold on. You have friends?"
He received silence as a response. Turning to look, he saw the call had been hung up.
".."
"Hung up huh?" Gojo said before putting the phone down and relaxing on his back. "Have to say, I've never stumbled upon such a situation before. That's quite interesting."
Ijichi listening was stunned. "Is that all you're gonna say? Gojo-san?"
"Pretty much." Gojo chuckled in response.
"But ... He's ..."
"Yeah, I know." The man said, his smile fading as he fell into thought. "Though I can't really do anything about it right now, can I?"
"You ... You can't?"
"Nah. If he wanted help, he would have told me his location. He didn't, and I can't go wherever he is if he doesn't tell me."
".." Ijichi fell silent.
"But, shouldn't we do something?"
"Nothing we can do. I doubt they'll be any problems though. The kid can Teleport. I can deduce that at least. He should have no problems running away if it gets too dangerous. But I guess you're right that we need to do something. I'll call Tech support. See if they can trace his phone." he said, doing exactly that.
"Might as well inform the First and Second Years about the situation. They'll need to hear this."
___
Two Minutes Later.
## Tokyo Jujutsu High - Student Dormitories
"Okay. Got it. Thanks." Megumi said, ending the call and sliding it back into his pocket.
"Any news?" Nobara asked, spinning a chair backward and sitting in it like a delinquent in a school drama.
"Yeah. Gojo got through to him."
"About Time." Maki scoffed. "And? Where'd he disappear to?"
Megumi rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly perplexed. "Well... apparently he left the country."
Dead silence.
"He WHAT?" Nobara shrieked.
"Left the country," Megumi repeated. "On his first day. Gojo-sensei was pretty vague about the details, but he mentioned something about Ryota helping a friend with a 'terrorist problem.'"
Panda's jaw dropped—an impressive feat for someone whose jaw was technically just stitching. "Terrorist problem? On a Tuesday? That escalated quickly."
"Salmon roe," Inumaki said, which probably translated to something like 'that's insane.'
Maki stared at Megumi like he'd grown a second head. "Wait, back up. He has friends? Wasn't he supposed to be some antisocial loner who can't talk to people without looking like he'd rather be literally anywhere else?"
"That's what I thought too," Megumi said, equally confused. "But apparently he knows someone well enough to drop everything and fly to another country to help them."
"Maybe it's a girl," Nobara suggested with a grin. "Secret girlfriend he's been hiding? That would explain the mysterious disappearance."
Panda gasped dramatically. "Plot twist! What if he's actually some kind of international spy? That would explain the whole 'emotionally detached' thing. It's all an act!"
"Kelp." Inumaki added.
"Be quiet, both of you." Maki rubbed her head with an exasperated sigh before looking seriously.
"So. Do we have one less First year or what?"
"Not likely."Megumi paused, like he was still trying to process what to say. "He didn't run away. At least, that's what Gojo says."
"Then where is he?"
"No clue. His cell signal can't be traced for some reason. He says Ryota's fine and in his words, 'He didn't sound like he was dying, so that's something.'"
".."
Maki said, narrowing her eyes from where she was polishing her glasses.
"Terrorists on the first day of school huh?" Maki said, taking off her glasses before proceeding to clean them. "Should we even believe this?"
"My advice. Take it with a grain of salt. Gojo's still trying to trace him so, there's that."
Panda flopped back in his chair. "Man, and here I thought our first week was going to be boring. New mysterious classmate disappears internationally on day one to fight terrorists. This is going to be a long semester."
"Think he'll be back soon?" Nobara asked.
"Who knows," Megumi replied. "Gojo-sensei just said to give him some time and that he'd handle the situation."
___
Ninja world
The border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rain lay smothered beneath a curtain of pale clouds. The sky hung low, stretched taut and heavy, threatening rain but offering none—only a cold dampness that clung to skin and spirit alike. Trees stood in eerie stillness, their scorched trunks steaming faintly where fire had licked the bark clean. Not a breeze stirred. The silence was thick.
Below the sky's weeping canvas, the earth told a different story.
Corpses littered the clearing like discarded dolls, their limbs twisted in unnatural angles. The ground was soaked—not with rain, but with blood. Blackened craters marred the soil, limbs charred to the bone scattered near them. Ash floated gently, mixing with the copper scent of blood and burnt flesh. The stench was suffocating.
At the center of the carnage stood a man. His cloak was tattered but unmistakable—black with red clouds. Kakuzu.
Long, writhing tendrils of thread extended from his back like grotesque puppet strings, lifting the limp form of a young woman high into the air. Her Konohagakure forehead protector was dented and bloodied, and her Chūnin vest had been half-shredded by some unseen force. Blood dripped steadily from a wound in her gut, staining the muddy earth below.
"You won't get away with this…" she rasped, her voice thick with pain and fury. "The Akatsuki will pay for their crimes."
Kakuzu's stitched eyes showed no emotion.
"Funny," he replied flatly. "It's been close to a week. You've all been tracking me down... and dying just the same. This is the third team, isn't it?"
The girl struggled against the tendrils tightening around her, coughing up blood.
"We're not afraid of you."
"Doesn't matter," Kakuzu said, voice low and dismissive. "Fear doesn't change the outcome."
The threads twisted. Her body jerked once—and then went still.
"Pitiful," Kakuzu muttered.
He let her fall. The body hit the ground with a dull, wet thud. Without another glance, he turned away, adjusting the large sack over his shoulder.
The battlefield remained behind him, a graveyard of the Hidden Leaf's finest.
A muffled voice crackled from inside the bag.
"Hey, Kakuzu. Is it over?"
Kakuzu didn't respond.
"Come on. Quit ignoring me. I know you can hear me."
"I can," he said after a long silence. "I'm just choosing not to."
The voice scoffed. "You can't leave me like this forever."
"Is that a dare?"
Silence.
A well cherished silence that lasted for some time. Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever.
"You can't do this, Kakuzu."
"Keep it up and I might just throw this into the nearest bottomless cavern." That threat seemed to do it.
"Ok, ok. I'm just saying… I'm trying to be helpful here. Comrade-to-comrade. Protecting you from throwing your own life away."
"Funny how your recklessness and inability to defeat a brat was what contributed to me nearly losing it."
"Hey! That's not far. That kid with his annoying shadow Jutsu was ..."
"Shut up, Hidan."
Kakuzu's footsteps continued. Fading as he walked further away.
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden? Are you stupid? It's suicide. You know what happens if you betray the Akatsuki. The Leader will come after you. Even with five hearts, you'll lose."
"Maybe," Kakuzu said calmly. "But I already died for the Akatsuki once. It's not worth doing it a second time."
He kept walking, boots splashing through shallow pools of red-streaked water. Behind him, the trees swallowed the clearing, and the corpses of Konoha's shinobi were left to rot in silence.
By the time the first drops of rain finally fell, Kakuzu had already vanished into the mist.
______