Should I continue being a villain in the ninja world after transmigrating?

Chapter 123 Encounter with Konoha

Looking at the old man who was floating in mid-air with no support beneath his feet, a hint of apprehension flashed in Jiraiya's eyes.

His fingers twitched slightly, as if he were weighing whether to take immediate action.

Neji, with his Byakugan activated, couldn't help but widen his eyes. The Byakugan's perspective penetrated August's appearance, allowing him to see the dazzling, sun-like energy within the other's body.

Neji's voice trembled slightly: "Jiraiya-sama, Guy-sensei, the energy within this person is incredibly strong! And it's not chakra!"

Kakashi's gaze sharpened slightly as he noticed that August was not wearing the Akatsuki's signature black robe with red clouds, which gave him his answer.

He asked tentatively, "Do you know Jeff and Mavis?"

Upon hearing these two names, August paused slightly in his attack, and the faint light condensing on his magic staff gradually dissipated.

His gaze swept over Kakashi and the others, then glanced at the Three-Tails, his eyes slightly lowered, as if he were pondering something.

The next moment, the Three-Tails, enveloped by the barrier, began to slowly rise, its enormous body hovering at the same height as August in the shocked gazes of Kakashi's team and Guy's team.

"The pattern on this headband...you are ninjas from Konoha?" August's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

August had later heard that Zeref and Mavis's first stop in the ninja world was Konoha.

Sensing that Augustus's attitude seemed to have softened somewhat, Kakashi's heart stirred. Zeref's attitude was unclear, but Mavis's attitude towards Konoha had always been benevolent.

At this moment, Naruto's patience had reached its limit, and he shouted, "Hey! Where's Sasuke?! What did you guys do to Sasuke?!"

Augustus ignored Naruto's shouts and said coldly, "I must take the Three-Tails with me. Considering you are Konoha ninjas, I will let you leave safely as long as you do not obstruct me."

After a moment of silence, Jiraiya slowly said, "Tailing the Three-Tails away is probably not an option."

On the issue of the Three-Tails, no one is destined to back down.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense, as if even the air itself had frozen.

Suddenly, a violent explosion was heard in the distance, and the huge shockwave caused the Konoha members to involuntarily take a few steps back.

From their perspective, two figures rapidly approached each other amidst the aftershocks of the explosion.

In the blink of an eye, Eric and the wounded Deidara appeared in everyone's sight.

Deidara's eyes were fierce, and his hand, which was about to pull out a bomb that could explode inside human cells, paused when August appeared.

“Let’s go back and fight! I’m going to blow you to smithereens!” Deidara said through gritted teeth, staring at Eli.

Despite Deidara's harsh words, Eri remained unfazed. His gaze swept over the members of Konoha, finally settling on Naruto and Sakura.

A smile with a hint of mockery lingered on Aili's face as he greeted the familiar faces of Konoha, saying, "Long time no see, everyone. My portrayal of Sasuke is quite convincing, isn't it?"

Naruto and Sakura's expressions instantly turned grim. They were now completely certain that the "Sasuke" in front of them was not the Sasuke they knew.

Kakashi, however, remained remarkably calm and said, "It seems that the person we've been seeing in Konoha all along is you."

Eli shrugged, his smile widening: "Isn't it obvious? After all, if it were that rookie Sasuke, he wouldn't even be alive after returning to Konoha."

Hearing this, Naruto's eyes blazed with anger, and he retorted loudly, "Sasuke is not weak! Besides, you self-destructed! If Sasuke had returned to Konoha on his own, nothing would have happened to him!"

Eli seemed amused by Naruto's words, and he burst into unrestrained laughter: "Pfft, hahahaha—"

The laughter was extremely grating to Naruto's ears.

After finally finishing laughing, Ali pretended to wipe away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes and exclaimed, "Seriously, I laughed so hard I cried."

Naruto clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

For the first time, he realized that Sasuke's face could actually display an expression that infuriated him even more than indifference and disdain.

"You bastard!" Naruto gritted his teeth and was about to rush forward when he was interrupted by Deidara's voice.

"You dare to ignore me like this!" Deidara's voice was filled with a chilling killing intent, and his blue eyes darkened.

Despite angering both sides, Aili felt no pressure and even seemed to be more interested.

Just then, August's cold voice rang out: "Enough, you're dawdling too much, Eric."

After saying that, Augustus vanished instantly and reappeared beside Deidara the next moment.

He gently placed his hand on Deidara's head, his voice slightly low: "Deidara, I've said it before, I'm determined to have the Three-Tails. If you continue to pester me, I won't hold back."

"You know I mean what I say."

Deidara's body stiffened slightly. He remained silent for a moment, then finally snorted coldly, "I understand!"

Deidara glanced at Eric with resentment, then rode his clay bird and quickly flew off in the opposite direction.

Seeing how Augustus easily persuaded Deidara to retreat with just a few words, and how easily Eri fought against the Akatsuki members, Kakashi and Jiraiya exchanged a more cautious glance.

They knew that the enemy before them was far more powerful than they had imagined.

Meanwhile, Sasuke and Kimimaro are fighting against other Akatsuki members.

Compared to Eri's effortless handling of the situation, Sasuke's battle with Kisame was more in line with the style of ninja combat.

Compared to Itachi Uchiha, who was skilled in genjutsu attacks, Sasuke was more adept at a fighting style that combined taijutsu and ninjutsu.

This can be seen from the different styles of their Mangekyou Sharingan.

After awakening the Mangekyou Sharingan, Sasuke's perception was greatly enhanced, making him more agile and swift in battle.

However, his opponent was Kisame, who was also skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, he wields Samehada, a sword capable of absorbing chakra, and his chakra reserves and combat experience far surpass those of Sasuke.

Therefore, even though Sasuke could see through Kisame's movements, his response was still somewhat inexperienced.

At this moment, after a fierce battle, Sasuke already had several wounds cut by Samehada on his body.

However, Sasuke's progress in the battle was also obvious. He adapted to Kisame's attacks at an astonishing speed, showing no intention of backing down.

Realizing this, Kisame grinned slightly and suddenly repelled Sasuke with his powerful strength.

The next moment, Samesho released his grip, and Kisame's hands quickly formed hand seals. The instant Sasuke regained his footing, an enormous water sphere, far beyond the comprehension of ordinary ninjas, completely enveloped Sasuke.

Sasuke had encountered a similar Water Prison Technique in the Land of Waves under Zabuza's command, and suffered greatly as a result.

However, compared to Kisame's Water Release technique, Zabuza's Water Prison Technique was like children playing house.

Trapped by the Water Release technique and unable to breathe, Sasuke struggled to swim towards the edge of the water sphere, only to find that the Water Release technique was constantly changing direction, making it impossible for him to reach the shore.

Kisame didn't even enter the water sphere to attack.

Looking at Sasuke, who was trapped in the water-style magic and unable to use his abilities, Kisame's lips curled into a cruel smile: "It seems that Itachi's brother will eventually die by my hand. I hope Itachi will forgive me when he finds out."