A Family of Three

Jiang Rui raced across the rooftops, heading straight for his target.

Halfway there, he pulled down the mask on his head, plunging half his vision into darkness.

Mm, it really was more comfortable to wear the mask tilted on top of his head.

And it looked better too!

After quickly adjusting to the mask's field of vision and perception, he quietly infiltrated the target's residence.

This was a residential district for dock workers, with countless houses crammed tightly together. The mission also required him not to alert any other civilians, and there was no guarantee that other Konoha ninjas were not lurking nearby.

Clearly, assassination squad missions rarely called for ninjutsu, especially not the abundant and indiscriminate Water Style.

But the Water Gun Technique was obviously an exception.

Jiang Rui observed in secret for a while.

Mm, it was quiet.

It was evening now.

They should have been preparing dinner already, right?

Jiang Rui carefully vaulted over the wall and landed inside. It was a very, very small courtyard.

Jiang Rui swept his gaze over it, raised a hand, and formed a clone that melted into water and slowly flowed through the gap beneath the door.

Cowardice came first in all things. There was no harm in being careful.

Sure enough, lightning instantly spread through the room, while a kunai pierced the stream of water formed by the Water Clone.

Clearly, they knew the relevant intelligence, including the fact that Lightning Style countered the Water Transformation Technique!

At the same time, a sharp whoosh came from behind the door. A black shadow flashed, and a kunai was already in front of Jiang Rui.

For an instant, Jiang Rui wanted to transform into water, but then he remembered the mask on his face. Mm, Rei-chan's first gift had to be cherished.

So he swiftly tilted his head to dodge, while condensing a water bullet in his hand and slamming it into the black shadow with his backhand.

Bang!

The water bullet exploded, sending the black shadow flying into the wall of the tiny courtyard. Whether they lived or died was unknown.

Beside him, the female ninja who thought she had dealt with the Water Clone cried out in alarm, her voice mixed with distress as she rushed forward.

Jiang Rui tilted his head and glanced over. Behind her, the Water Clone slowly re-formed amid the Lightning Style, while a Water Blade condensed in its hand.

Her Lightning Style had clearly not worked as well as she had hoped.

Whoosh!

With a piercing shriek, the Water Blade plunged directly into her back, scattering a crystalline blossom of blood.

Ah, the Hozuki Clan's lightning resistance was really terrifying.

But...

Was their vigilance really this high?

They had actually set an ambush for him in advance?!

Or were his infiltration skills just that awful?

Just as Jiang Rui frowned and considered where he had gone wrong.

The male ninja's body twitched twice before he slowly climbed back up. Yet instead of attacking, he limped toward the female ninja who had been stabbed through the back by the Water Blade and fallen to the ground.

The one who had used lightning.

Jiang Rui could not help but mock the scene inwardly:

What a touching sight... Why does this make me feel like the villain?!

"Energy signatures are still detected inside the house."

Oh?

Jiang Rui released his magic perception and sensed only a weak source of energy not far away...

They had a child? And the child had cultivated Chakra too?

No wonder they had been discovered...

Jiang Rui fell silent for a moment. Tch, he seemed even more like a villain now.

He took two steps toward the house and saw the two ninjas, who had seemed to give up resisting, tense up at once.

Jiang Rui felt that if he took one more step, the two of them would immediately pounce on him in a fight to the death.

Suddenly, he understood what Ito Rei had meant when she said the situation differed somewhat from the intelligence.

They had not merely been hiding together.

They had supported and relied on each other, and in the end, they had even had a child.

Tch, how irresponsible.

He narrowed his eyes and stared at the tense "husband and wife."

A man whose strength was roughly at the level of a High Ninja had been taken down by him in two moves. Clearly, he had truly grown accustomed to a peaceful, danger-free life.

He had not honed his skills in dangerous environments, had become increasingly complacent when facing the village's missions, and had even brought that little one into the world amid chaos and war.

Whether toward himself, the village, or that child.

It was an extremely irresponsible act.

Jiang Rui lightly tapped twice. The Finger Gun activated, and without a sound, the two of them died before they could even react.

He walked over and examined the bodies. No golden radiance flowed over them.

No loot below High Ninja level?

After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Rui still withdrew the surging black mist.

Generally speaking, other interrogators would definitely come later to deal with the corpses. After all, a dead person's brain could sometimes be an excellent source of intelligence.

He turned and entered the house. It was quiet and somewhat dim. Jiang Rui opened his magic perception and swept the area.

There were two small rooms. The outer one was the main hall, and the inner one was the bedroom. When he entered the latter, he saw the little one huddled in a corner, his body trembling uncontrollably from fright.

Deep terror and hatred filled his bright little eyes.

Clearly, this child of only six or seven already understood what had happened.

Two scrolls lay on the table beside him.

Jiang Rui casually picked them up and looked. They were Lightning Style: Earth Run and Lightning Style: Lightning Sound Bead.

Two weak C-rank ninjutsu...

Though they needed to be turned in, at least he would have an explanation if he was ever forced to use Lightning Style in the future.

He pondered for a while, then casually removed his mask and gently stroked it in his hand.

He was strengthening his resolve to kill.

It was also his final shred of mercy toward the other party. Dying at the hands of someone whose face he never even saw would be a little too pitiful.

He raised his hand and aimed the Finger Gun at the little boy.

The boy shuddered and tightly shut his eyes.

After a long while, Jiang Rui sighed.

This was too difficult...

Forget it!

He turned around, put the mask back over his face, and prepared to leave.

"I can do it for you."

Great Sage's voice suddenly rang out.

Jiang Rui stopped, somewhat stunned. Great Sage had begun referring to itself as "I," which meant it was continuously refining its logic and strengthening its self-awareness through learning.

Very soon, it might grow into a conscious entity with a personality entirely different from his own.

Even if their memories and consciousness originated from the same source.

He did not know whether that was good or bad, but he knew that once Great Sage evolved into Wisdom King, it would definitely possess its own consciousness.

But that was fine. If he died, it would be finished too, so it was enough that it definitely would not harm him.

He reconsidered and replied, "No need. My mission is already complete."

The child had not been among the mission targets.

"This is an assessment."

"I know."

"Killing Konoha ninjas is your pledge of allegiance, confirming that you can be accepted as a ninja. But whether you kill that child determines whether you can follow the Anbu code and join the Anbu to carry out missions."

The Anbu code.

Jiang Rui froze. Yes, kill witnesses whenever possible to ensure the operation remained secret.

Uproot the grass and remove the roots. No future trouble could be left behind.

Water Shadow's meaning was very clear. You wanted to join the Anbu?

Fine. Kill him and prove it to me.

"Besides, he saw your face."

"If you fail to eliminate the root, the last person who did that has grave grass taller than you."

???

No, this atmosphere was so serious and gloomy. How did you suddenly change the tone just like that?!

You're a fake, aren't you?!

Actually, Jiang Rui had not been conflicted at all this time. The mission targets were dead; naturally, he simply would not kill those he did not want to kill. Besides, he could not bring himself to do it.

But seeing Great Sage rack its brain to question him, Jiang Rui became interested.

After a brief moment of thought, Jiang Rui asked with amusement:

You think I should become a Demon Lord. Then what is a Demon Lord?

"Doing whatever one wants?"

It was following one's heart.

"They're the same."

They were not.

Jiang Rui shook his head and spoke to Great Sage very seriously:

And a Demon Lord would never fear any challenge, including revenge.

Ahem, lol.