Dusk Town was remote, and places like it were fertile ground for all kinds of crime.
The shop assistant was an informant trained by a gang of thieves, always on the lookout for easy, wealthy targets.
At first, the ordinary-looking Kyosuke had failed to catch the assistant's interest.
Who would have thought a single "careless" gesture would reveal just how much money he had?
If the assistant hadn't been sharp-eyed, he might have missed this easy mark who had walked right into his lap.
"Shit, he almost fooled me." Using a bathroom break as an excuse, the assistant slipped outside and released a carrier pigeon.
Before long, the thieves' contact would arrive in town.
With him around, the young traveling merchant would never escape their clutches.
"Heh heh, blame your own stupidity." The assistant's sinister chuckle vanished beneath the noise inside the shop.
Out on the street stood a seemingly unremarkable roadside stall.
Watching the pigeon overhead, the rough-looking middle-aged man behind it swore furiously to himself.
He had been running his stall for several days. How could he not see what the shop assistant was up to?
Murder and robbery meant nothing to him. He was only worried that their reckless activities would create unnecessary trouble for the plan.
"I'll see how things go tonight. If there aren't any problems, I'll quietly kill the bastard." His eyes narrowed as he tried to conceal the killing intent within them.
He was one of the four Chunin who had come with Teppei Nara, tasked with watching everyone who tried to approach the trap.
No one escaped his eyes, Kyosuke included.
Naturally, he had noticed the assistant's little tricks too.
Meanwhile, after finishing his meal, Kyosuke picked an inn at random nearby.
There was nothing else to do. He had waited and waited, but the assistant hadn't made a move, which meant the other side still needed time to prepare.
With a rough idea of what was happening, he simply settled down to rest, playing the fearless, clueless boy to perfection.
By day, he wandered around, harmless as could be.
By night, the mask went on, and mercy went out the window.
Once his subordinates returned from scouting, tonight would be the perfect time to strike.
"The hunting game has begun." The boy kept grinning wickedly.
Soon, night fell.
Apart from the drunks lingering in the taverns, the streets had long since emptied.
The ninja who had spent the day in disguise had now gathered around the wooden shop, waiting for the enemy who might arrive at any moment.
Suddenly, a cry came from the end of the street.
"Help!"
In an instant, all seven hidden figures went on alert.
"That's... the boy from earlier today." Watching the figure sprint desperately down the street, one of them discreetly made a hand signal.
Safe.
"Help!" The boy noticed the bleary-eyed drunk on the street corner and raced toward him as though he had found his salvation.
At that moment, the Chunin nearly cursed aloud.
A commotion this loud could easily attract the target's attention.
He couldn't expose himself, or he would very likely tip the enemy off.
The Chunin disguised as a drunk swore that once this was over, he would kill every last one of these bastards.
He let the boy cling to him, planning to pretend he had passed out drunk. No one would take an interest in a down-and-out, middle-aged drunk anyway.
Just then, a sharp pain pierced his chest. Before he could react, his life was gone.
[System notification: Killed a Chunin of the Yamanaka Clan. Gained 300 points.]
Scrambling to his feet in a panic, Kyosuke continued sprinting forward, still playing the boy fleeing for his life.
There's a Jonin hiding here. The corpse won't go unnoticed for long.
Five seconds at most before they discover the Chunin's death...
One second passed... Teppei Nara, hidden inside the building, had yet to notice anything wrong.
Two seconds passed... He wondered why his subordinate still hadn't signaled.
The third second... His expression turned deadly serious.
"Watch out! Enemy attack!"
Almost the instant his shout rang out, a savage, roaring fire dragon engulfed the entire shop.
The towering flames jolted the sleeping town awake.
"What's going on..." Before the Chunin hiding in the neighboring courtyard could react, the space around him began to twist.
"Genjutsu?!" Horrified, the Chunin desperately stirred his chakra, trying to break free.
But how could a genjutsu cast by the Three-Tomoe Sharingan be so easy to dispel?
A few seconds later, Uchiha Maya slipped away from the shadows, leaving only a corpse with unseeing eyes wide open in the courtyard.
Elsewhere, seeing that the enemy had detected the attack early, Kyosuke immediately dropped his disguise.
After a few simple hand seals, lightning accompanied by the cries of a thousand birds drowned out the roar of the explosion.
"Damn it!" The shadow extending from the darkness couldn't catch the figure charging at blinding speed.
"What the hell kind of ninjutsu is that?" Teppei Nara was beside himself with frustration.
He couldn't understand how their supposedly perfect ambush had been exposed so completely.
Was their opponent's perception really that extraordinary?
Or had they known something from the very beginning?
A deeply ominous feeling began to stir within him.
Low-ranking ninja had access to very little information. Capturing them was hardly useful.
A Jonin, however, absolutely could not fall into enemy hands.
In the past, the Three Clans had coordinated flawlessly, giving the Uchiha no openings.
Yet today, he had willingly exposed himself to the enemy.
And for what? Some bullshit Evil-Faced Rakshasa?
At that moment, Teppei Nara finally came to his senses. Unfortunately, it was already too late to leave the game.
[System notification: Killed a Chunin of the Akimichi Clan. Gained 350 points.]
Against the combination of the Sharingan and Chidori, a mere Chunin had no way to respond.
Even the Akimichi Clan, renowned for their formidable combat strength, could not escape death.
Pulling his hand from the enemy's hot chest and dodging the spray of blood, Kyosuke shifted his gaze and vanished from the spot.
Damn it. Rumiko Yamanaka cursed inwardly. She hadn't expected him to be so vigilant.
Had he been even a moment slower, she could have taken over the boy's body and completed their plan to capture the target.
Now she had failed to catch him and exposed her own position. With a sigh, she smashed through the partition and rushed out of her hiding place without hesitation.
The next second...
Boom!
A fire dragon surged skyward, turning everything behind her into a sea of flames.
Seeing this, Kanbei Akimichi abandoned concealment and unleashed a high-powered Partial Multi-Size Technique.
An arm like that of a towering giant came crashing down toward the enemy's hiding place.
Left with no choice, Uchiha Izumi emerged to face him.
Three Jonin and four Elite Chunin made for an exceptionally powerful squad.
Yet they had barely engaged the enemy before losing two of their fighters in quick succession.
Just as he was about to issue combat orders, a familiar chirping in the distance suddenly caught his attention.
This time, however, it wasn't Kyosuke using Chidori, but Uchiha Izumi, her face filled with murderous intent.
To strengthen their fighting power as much as possible, he had taught her the ninjutsu without reservation.
As a Chunin, he could use Chidori to kill opponents of his own rank instantly.
Then just how much stronger would it make Uchiha Izumi?
Before you continue