The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind

Night fell.

Sahara Mizu walked along the road towards Tsunade's residence.

After over a month of 'performance,' he had managed to make a small correction to the regrettable Worldline depicted in the original story.

However, this seemingly grand performance didn't have much practical effect. It merely demonstrated the Senju Clan's rallying power to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was gradually becoming more and more autocratic.

But in the cruel ninja world, ninjas ultimately had to rely on strength.

For this reason, even if Sahara Mizu used ambiguous language to rally some civilian ninjas who were truly struggling, he didn't think they could extract much benefit from the Hokage Building all at once. This was because the power they possessed was incomparable to the power Sarutobi Hiruzen wielded.

In fact, given Sarutobi Hiruzen's indecisive nature, Shimura Danzo would likely be protected by him again this time. At most, he might just have some of Root's power curtailed, or they might change their name to conceal themselves.

However, Sahara Mizu wasn't in a hurry.

You have to slice a sausage one piece at a time.

But...

"If only that idiot Danzo would expose himself more."

Sahara Mizu looked at the cold, deserted street at night, rubbed his chin, and muttered softly.

Just as he was thinking this, his steps suddenly paused.

His deep blue eyes, containing sparkling stars, snapped open. He turned his head and looked into the distance.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"What a prosperous village."

Kakuzu, dressed in black, walked slowly along the road. He looked at the street, which wasn't completely deserted even at night, and sighed softly.

Compared to his hometown, Hidden Waterfall Village, the commercial environment here was clearly much better.

Even though the front lines were still engaged in a difficult war...

As for the security barrier around Konoha, in front of a master of his caliber, it was practically non-existent.

After entering the village, Kakuzu first met with his informant to get the target's exact location. Then, he started preparing the small tools needed for the mission.

"Hey, boss."

He walked slowly into a strange novelty store and said in a hoarse voice, "I want a vibrator, five speeds, the largest size."

"?"

The boss was also experienced. Seeing the man's sturdy muscles, which even the black cloak couldn't hide, his lecherous eyes, and his powerful aura, he paused for a moment before showing a look of understanding.

He turned around and picked out a half-meter-long item directly from the shelf.

"Don't worry."

"We have the best proctologists in the entire ninja world here in Konoha."

"No matter how you use it, you'll be fine."

Kakuzu took the item and turned to leave before the boss could react.

The experienced boss was stunned and immediately chased after him from behind the counter, rushing outside. "Customer! You haven't paid! You haven't paid yet!"

However, as soon as he chased him out the door, the figure of the lecherous muscleman was already gone.

Want to take money from his pocket?

Dream on.

Kakuzu strode quickly across the rooftops, heading towards the informant who was staking out.

He was a professional.

The mission sheet said it was a 'sexual assault' order, so not a single step could be missed.

As a professional assassin, he had seen too many love-related murders among important figures. Why would those big clients pay such a high price for someone with mediocre strength?

It was because they wanted them to die a truly miserable death!

As a dedicated professional assassin, one of the leaders in the underground assassination service industry, Kakuzu only needed to do one thing to maintain his repeat customer base.

Satisfy the demand!

In just two or three minutes, he found the informant who was staking out in the shadows. The informant pointed towards a back on a distant street.

Almost the moment he spotted the target, Kakuzu had already grabbed the censored object and shot out.

"For one and a half million ryo!"

"Tentacle Fist!"

The next moment, everyone on the street heard a 'thud' sound, and saw a dull-colored arm, like that of a dead person, connected by countless fine, tough black threads, shoot forward like a rocket.

"Clang!"

Sahara Mizu had already detected the other party's presence. He twisted his body and swung his arm at just the right moment. The kunai in his hand immediately made a sharp metallic collision sound with the object attacking from behind.

"Who's there?!"

Just as he righteously shouted this, he finally saw what was shooting towards him.

Only to see a purple staff, over half a meter long, swaying back and forth in a rather bizarre manner, emitting a strange buzzing sound. It shot out dozens of meters in one go, hitting the blade's edge perfectly.

What the hell is this thing?!

This kunai's useless now.

In that brief instant, these two thoughts flashed through Sahara Mizu's mind. He retreated rapidly, as if encountering a powerful opponent unexpectedly, running nearly twenty meters away in one breath.

At the same time, he looked at his distant adversary with an unsettled expression.

That look of "You, a venerable legendary assassin, are actually using such low-down methods against a junior? Have you no shame?" was practically printed on the surface of his pupils.

"Oh?"

Seeing his reaction, Kakuzu's face showed a hint of surprise.

He first coughed, pretending to casually discard the staff, and the extending tentacle hand 'slapped' back onto his original arm:

"To react like that..."

"Could it be... you recognize this old man?"

At this moment, Sahara Mizu, like a novice who has just entered the wilderness and run into a red-named big boss, gave a somewhat strained smile. He kept the kunai held in front of him, feigning vigilance and asking:

"It should be me who's confused here."

"The legendary assassin, Kakuzu."

"Right?"

"Just how much money did those people spend to get a big shot like you to infiltrate Konoha and target a small fry like me?"

"You recognize this old man, yet you didn't flee immediately..." Kakuzu watched him quietly, his gaze drifting to the hand hidden behind his back, the corners of his lips curving into a grin beneath the black cloak.

Clearly.

Having experienced too many sudden events, Kakuzu accepted the current situation after only a moment's pause.

"It seems the intelligence had quite a few errors."

"In that case, after I kill you, I'll go slaughter those bastards who gave the mission."

The moment his voice fell.

Kakuzu's figure shot out like an arrow from a bowstring, suddenly flying towards the young man.

Simultaneously, a Signal Flare also shot out from Sahara Mizu's hand hidden behind his back.

However...

"Snap."

Almost as soon as it had risen less than a few meters, a figure emerging from underground leaped up.

He actually gripped the exploding flame of the Signal Flare with his hand as it ascended, and at the same time, brought his hands together, smashing down with a crash from above.

"Boom!"

The figure falling from the sky hit the ground, sending out a ripple of expanding air.

Sahara Mizu propped himself on the ground with one hand, flipping halfway around, his 360-degree vision simultaneously looking in two directions.

Earth Clone?

However, before the clone could make another move, Sahara Mizu had already stepped several meters forward, facing off against the other figure charging towards him.

The scattered figures of people around, amidst screams, skillfully fled in various directions.

Sahara Mizu held the two kunai in his hands, one in a forward grip, the other reversed. His consecutive attacks were sharp and swift, the kunai and short blades clashing continuously, sending out bursts of dazzling sparks.

However, his clear blue eyes seemed somewhat vacant, or perhaps they weren't fully focused on the two figures in front of him. Instead, it was as if he were gazing into the distance.

Three hundred meters away from the battle circle.

Over a dozen figures in Root's black uniform, led by a tall, white-haired young man, stood on a rooftop.

The surrounding crowd had already been cleared out.

Even further away were many other figures, subtly surrounding the area completely.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Hiruko watched the two figures in the battle, his gaze deep.

Whether he could atone for his sins depended on tonight.

His elaborate plan was very clear.

The Hidden Cloud ninja recruited with 25 million Ryo was definitely a formidable expert from Hidden Cloud Village. Once they finished off Sahara Mizu, their group would immediately swarm in for a double-cross.

This way, they would save face and gain substance, achieving a world where only Sahara Mizu was harmed.

However, the biggest problem now was...

Hiruko looked strangely at the figure in the distance, a bad feeling in his gut. He asked those around him:

"Where are the Hidden Cloud people?"

One more chapter.