Encountering a Ghost in the Hidden Leaf Village-What Do I Do? Waiting for Answers Online, Urgent!

Night had fully fallen. Perhaps because there were too many clouds, the moon was obscured. It was not yet so dark that one could not see a hand in front of one's face, but it was close.

Amid the darkness, a figure moved forward.

For him, this darkness was practically heaven-sent assistance.

No one knew how many Anbu were hidden throughout the Hidden Leaf Village, patrolling its streets.

Even he could not guarantee that he could evade those Anbu ninja.

The good news was that he was already not far from the Hyuga Clan Compound.

He slipped into a shadow and surveyed the area.

If his senses were correct, there should have been several hidden sentries nearby.

He studied his surroundings, plotting a route through the blind spots of those hidden sentries.

Just then, a figure on the street was strolling leisurely from one end of the road toward the other.

He immediately sensed that something was wrong. Who would still be out on the streets at this hour?

But if it was a patrol, that did not make sense either. Patrols usually moved in teams; no one would patrol alone.

Still, he did not dwell on it. Perhaps it was just some drunkard who had had too much to drink.

The Anbu nearby who saw Black Shadow thought the same, so they did not pay him much attention.

But the man in black hiding in a corner was growing anxious.

With Black Shadow strolling so casually down the street, he could not change positions. The moment he stepped out, the person on the street would spot him.

But patience was the last thing a ninja lacked. He could wait for the person on the street to pass before continuing his mission.

Yet events seemed to be unfolding differently from what he had expected.

The Black Shadow swayed along the street like a drunkard, his head lolling from side to side. After pausing for a moment, he actually headed straight toward the man in black.

!!!

The man in black instantly tensed up.

Had he been discovered?

No, that was not right!

If he had been discovered, it would not be just one person coming for him, but an entire Anbu squad.

That drunk must have been looking for a place to throw up...

He thought to himself and hid even deeper.

At last, the moon slipped out from behind the clouds for an instant, bringing a faint trace of light to the dim night.

By that sliver of moonlight, the man in black finally saw what Black Shadow looked like.

In an instant, every hair on his body stood on end!

That was not a person. It was a pitch-black, humanoid monster.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but once he clearly saw the monster's appearance, he felt the temperature around him drop sharply. His cooling sweat left his entire body icy cold.

The Hidden Leaf Village was haunted!

That was his first thought.

Shaking his head, the man in black found his own absurd thought laughable.

How could ghosts possibly exist in this world?

As for that pitch-black figure, it was probably some kind of secret technique. Something like the Nara Clan's Shadow Secret Technique, for example.

If that was the case, then its undisguised approach toward him meant it had probably already noticed something unusual.

What should he do? Change positions?

Just as he hesitated, Black Shadow forced him to make a decision.

In the dim environment, the man in black could not see what Black Shadow had done. But the danger instincts honed on the battlefield warned him that danger was closing in!

Yet he did not act.

This was not the right time. If he stepped out now, there were not only this strange Black Shadow but also quite a few Anbu hidden nearby. He did not want to cause too much of a commotion—at least not before reaching his destination.

Now!

Just as Black Shadow was about to reach the man in black's hiding place, a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes.

This position was perfect. Black Shadow's body would just happen to conceal him, covering his movement to the next hiding spot.

The man in black did not hesitate. He immediately left his hiding place and brushed past Black Shadow.

At the same time, he drew a kunai and slashed it across Black Shadow's neck.

Though he did not want to kill anyone at this moment, letting this person live would likely cause him even greater trouble.

This strange person might possess some powerful secret technique, but it was already over. No one could survive for long with their throat cut open.

But in the next instant, his expression changed. The kunai in his hand had not given him the sensation of cutting through a throat, of flesh and bone separating.

It felt like the first time he had gotten a kunai as a child and happily used it to carve at a tree trunk. The feeling was strikingly similar!

While his mind was still reminiscing about childhood, his body had already tensed its muscles, trying to pull away at once.

But the kunai seemed nailed to Black Shadow's neck, and he could not pull it free. He decisively abandoned the kunai, but after taking only two steps, he stumbled as though he had stepped into empty air.

No, not as though!

One of his feet had already sunk into the ground, and the ground was still swallowing his body.

Before even two seconds had passed, the ground had swallowed him up to his knees.

Earth Style!?

But why had he not sensed any Chakra fluctuations?

Yet he had little time to think. He forced himself to focus and searched for a way out.

Did he have no choice but to cut off his leg?

As a ninja, one had to be ruthless not only toward enemies, but toward oneself as well.

In this situation, he could only sever his leg to survive!

He pulled another kunai from his tool pouch, gripped it with both hands, and viciously chopped at the thigh being swallowed.

But the kunai had barely pierced his thigh when, before he could sever the leg, the ground beneath his seated buttocks gave way.

Looking back, he saw that his buttocks had been swallowed too!

Though he had mentally prepared himself to endure the pain even if he had to cut off his leg, his mind immediately broke, and he cried out in agony.

Ah~~~~~~~

The piercing cry instantly echoed across the Hidden Leaf Village, but it was cut off halfway through as if something had interrupted it.

The cry drew the attention of more than half the Hidden Leaf Village's Anbu.

The Anbu, who normally hid who knew where, leaped onto the rooftops one after another and rushed toward the source of the sound.

At the same time, at the Hyuga Clan Compound.

Hyuga Hinata: "Father, have you ever seen a ghost?"

Hyuga Hiashi: "???"

As though she had not seen her father's confusion, Hinata continued, "Father, I think I just saw a ghost."

"Hahaha, child, there are no ghosts in this world," the Third Hokage said kindly from the side, his face slightly flushed from having had a few extra drinks.

"Yes, Hokage-sama is right. How could ghosts possibly exist in this world? You must be tired. I will have a maid take you to rest right away."

Hyuga Hiashi thought his precious daughter was simply tired.

Hinata seemed not to have heard either the Third Hokage or her father. She continued, "That ghost seemed to have targeted someone. The ghost's shadow has already swallowed that person's legs."

"Hinata, what are you talking about?" Hyuga Hiashi asked in confusion.

"...Now it has swallowed half his body..."

Ah~~~~~~~

Suddenly, a piercing scream tore through the sky and reached the Hyuga Clan Compound.

"...He died."

The previously lively banquet fell utterly silent.

If you cannot find it by searching the book title, try searching for the author instead. It may have simply been renamed!