Fear Spreads

In the darkness, two locations in the village were burning. Billowing smoke mingled with the endless night, creating an indescribable sense of panic.

Undoubtedly, they had been invaded by an external enemy. The ninja might have anticipated the worst-case scenario of their main base being directly attacked, but ordinary civilians would find it difficult to cope with such a sudden change.

Casualties had already occurred, and what was more dire was that the village's important reserve supplies had been destroyed.

It was obvious to anyone with eyes that they might be able to salvage some of the war materials, but the large amount of daily necessities accumulated by the Tsugawa Clan would most likely be reduced to ashes in one fell swoop.

The Water Style ninja were all deployed like "fire trucks," but things like food, after a comprehensive ordeal of explosions, fires, and water, were simply reduced to damp carbonized matter. What use was that? It was probably less palatable than tree bark.

The Tsugawa Ninja, while desperately trying to control the flames and rescue their teammates who had just entered the underground warehouse, also quickly cleared the battlefield, unearthing several bodies buried by the ruins.

It seemed a high-ranking individual had arrived to direct the scene. Thus, after the sudden attack and a brief period of panic, these ninja began to carry out their duties under command.

That important figure squatted beside the pile of corpses. After a simple examination, he discovered that the way these ninja had died was almost identical.

"All four died from a surprise attack from behind, instantly receiving a fatal blow..."

"Three were stabbed in the kidneys, and one had their throat slit."

"But they still went the extra mile with unnecessary finishing blows, as if afraid they wouldn't kill them... A novice? Obsessive-compulsive?"

"Regardless of the enemy's identity, origin, or strength, what can be confirmed is that he is very skilled at hiding and ambushing."

"Death came extremely suddenly. Our people likely never saw the enemy's face from beginning to end... They were picked off one by one, and most likely died without making a sound."

"Furthermore, the enemy was able to infiltrate the underground warehouse silently, set traps, and then deliberately trigger the Barrier, thereby eliminating several of our ninja."

"If not for that, it would have been highly unlikely for us to discover someone had infiltrated the village in time."

"Report this to the Clan Leader."

"Yes, Elder." A ninja hurried away.

"Everyone increase your search efforts. The priority now is to find traces of the enemy and ensure he is not still lurking in the village."

"Understood, Elder!"

After the Elder issued his orders, a ninja behind him hurried to his side, delivering another piece of bad news:

"Elder, Captain Daisuke is dead."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged ninja, who had been trying to glean more information from the corpses, suddenly stood up:

"Who? Daisuke? Tsugawa Daisuke is dead?"

He seemed somewhat incredulous that a Combat Captain could die so silently.

"Yes, Elder, unfortunately... it is indeed Tsugawa Daisuke."

"Died from a surprise attack from behind?" the Elder asked subconsciously, his voice trembling slightly.

The ninja nodded and said, "He had just left home and seemed to be heading this way when he was ambushed."

"Take me to the scene... You all, protect their remains."

The ninja who delivered the bad news was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the Elder to make such a decision. Under the Elder's piercing gaze, he finally reacted:

"Elder, please follow me."

Led by this ninja, the two hurried to another incident site.

Soon, they found a corpse lying at the corner of a small alley. His legs were spread apart, and his upper body leaned against a wall, with a large amount of blood flowing from his back, smearing the white wall.

This "Tsugawa Daisuke" was a ninja the Elder had high hopes for, believing he might one day bear the fate of the clan. Yet, who would have thought he would die so ignominiously?

He hadn't even put up any resistance before dying, just like those ninja in the warehouse.

Stimulated by the loss of a talented individual and the grief of an elder outliving a younger one, the Elder appeared to be in great pain. He quickly strode to the deceased, crouched down, and looked at the corpse's waist.

"The kidneys again? If the enemy is skilled at ambushes, why are they so fixated on the kidneys? Wouldn't stabbing the heart directly be simpler and more efficient?"

In his opinion, stabbing the heart was definitely more decisive than targeting the kidneys. Why was the enemy so persistent about the lower back?

The ninja behind him thought for a moment, then cautiously tried to explain:

"Perhaps to reduce struggle? As someone who is neither a doctor nor an assassin, I might have only heard secondhand that attacking the kidneys reduces the victim's range of motion more than attacking the heart? After all, not everyone has a thorough understanding of human organ structures..."

"This..."

The Elder's expression was thoughtful. He looked at the deceased's face, a mixture of pain and confusion, and then suddenly realized something was wrong.

Wait, the way the ninja behind him was speaking felt a bit unfamiliar. The Tsugawa Clan had about a hundred ninja. While the Elder might not be intimately familiar with every single one, he could sense certain incongruities.

And looking at the bloodstains on the ground, it didn't seem to be from just one person; the amount of bleeding was too much.

"You..."

However, as he was frantically racking his brain, with a soft thwip, the Elder felt a chill behind him. Then, no matter how he opened and closed his lips, he could no longer make a sound.

He instinctively looked down at his waist, where a large amount of blood was gushing out...

Did I also get stabbed in the back?

Well, now he was sure. The enemy's so-called "heard secondhand" was likely correct.

Then, a hand rested on the Elder's shoulder, and he felt his life force and Chakra rapidly draining from his body.

He struggled to turn his head and saw the face that had belonged to his clansman quickly transforming into a completely unfamiliar one.

To Yuzhen, a "flaw" was simply an opening, and he was far too skilled at backstabbing.

As his consciousness was rapidly pulled away, something even more astonishing happened to the Elder: the intruder's figure rapidly grew taller, and their face returned to a familiar appearance... The Elder's mind was a bit oxygen-deprived, and after struggling to think, he finally realized it was his own face.

"What kind of Transformation Jutsu is this..."

This thought flashed through his mind, the Elder's last doubt in this life, destined to remain unanswered.

Yuzhen had already noticed the standardized uniforms of these Ninja, so he didn't need to do much. After stealthily killing the Elder, he transformed into his appearance and, at top speed, brought the corpse to a courtyard not far away.

Upon entering a room, he quickly dug a hole and buried the Elder's body.

This courtyard belonged to the Captain named "Daisuke." Since this Captain was single, he didn't have to worry about the Elder's body being discovered for a while after his death.

After all, the village had already descended into chaos.

The first person Yuzhen transformed into was a Ninja accompanying "Captain Daisuke." It was from this Ninja that he learned he was a Captain. Thus, after ambushing the two and disposing of one body while hiding the other, he returned to the first crime scene.

Then, he learned the Elder's identity from the surrounding Ninja.

However, the fact that they chose to follow Yuzhen to see Captain Daisuke's corpse was something he hadn't anticipated.

Captain Daisuke was truly a good person, having helped Yuzhen quite a bit.

It seemed he wouldn't need Uchiha Nanami's Summoning Beast for this operation. It was quite strange; even though it was his first time, Yuzhen felt as if he were perfectly suited for this kind of troublemaking work.

Next, he prepared to begin impersonating this Elder, whose name he hadn't yet confirmed.