"In This One's Name, Shimura Danzo"

Early the next morning, Huo Yuhao got up at dawn.

Outside the window, nameless little birds chirped as they searched for food. Huo Yuhao pushed open the inn window, and a morning breeze carrying the mingled scents of dew and earth brushed across his face.

It immediately cleared the fog from his mind after a night of deep sleep.

Huo Yuhao washed up briefly, then went to the inn's front desk to check out.

A single night had cost him one Silver Soul Coin, making Master Huo's already meager finances even worse.

But there was no time to mourn the lost Silver Soul Coin. He needed to set off for the city's East Gate immediately.

After learning yesterday that Mercenary Groups gathered at the city's east gate to form teams and accept missions, he had decided to take a look.

However, Huo Yuhao did not head there directly. He first entered an empty alley, summoned the panel, and took out the Faceless Mask he had obtained from his previous Lottery Draw.

Huo Yuhao had thoroughly absorbed the essence of fantasy webnovels from his previous life—alternate identities.

When traveling the world, one's identity was whatever one said it was. What decent person used their real name while roaming the jianghu?

The last person to go out and do great things under his real name was called Song Jiang.

The Faceless Mask appeared directly in Huo Yuhao's hand.

Its features were incredibly blurred, as though someone had made a mask out of mosaics.

Without hesitation, Huo Yuhao put it on. The mask then automatically connected to his Spiritual Power.

He instantly understood how to use it. All he needed to do was imagine the person he wanted to become, and the mask would automatically adjust the wearer's body.

Huo Yuhao thought for a while before quickly forming the image he wished to transform into in his mind.

Once the previously featureless mask received the information, it immediately began to change.

A cross-shaped scar appeared on his chin. His originally clear eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze became cold and crafty.

Huo Yuhao's short black hair turned brown. His originally lean body filled out with solid muscle, while his overall height increased by the mask's maximum limit of ten centimeters.

If he wrapped bandages around his right eye and right arm now, he could probably give some poor Sharingan-wearing orphan PTSD on the spot.

That was right. Huo Yuhao had transformed into none other than Konoha's Darkness, the scapegoat for every sin in the world, the five-and-a-halfth Hokage, Shimura "I Did Everything" Danzo, whose cause of death was sealing a bridge.

Only after confirming that the transformation was truly flawless did Huo Yuhao leave the alley and head straight for the East Gate along the main road.

Before he even reached the East Gate, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Power clearly sensed more and more soul masters around him. Many of them traveled in groups of three or five, with only the occasional loner like Huo Yuhao.

Upon reaching the East Gate, he discovered that it was not merely a place for Mercenary Groups to accept missions. It was also a large soul master market.

People could be seen everywhere selling valuable body parts harvested from Soul Beasts.

The scales of a hundred-year Mandala Snake, the meat of a ten-year Soft Bone Rabbit, the horn of a hundred-year True Horn Horse, and the bull penis of a hundred-year Blazing Fire Bull.

Most of the stalls had barely any customers, but the stall selling hundred-year Blazing Fire Bull penis was packed shoulder to shoulder.

Apparently, it was said that Blazing Fire Bull penis possessed pure yang energy and could effectively improve a man's performance in that department.

Huo Yuhao shook his head. He had no interest in these Soul Beast parts, definitely not because he had no money.

He walked down the street, his disguised eyes carrying a cold aura as they searched for a Mercenary Group heading to the Heaven Dou Empire.

He soon found his target.

A number of mercenaries stood around a middle-aged man wearing an expensive silk robe and a gold-rimmed Monocle. One man who appeared to be the mercenary leader was speaking with him.

Beside them, someone held up a notice that read, "Escort to Xuanfeng City, Heaven Dou Empire."

Huo Yuhao walked straight over.

The two men who had been speaking stopped when they saw Huo Yuhao.

The obvious mercenary leader flashed a rugged smile and asked Huo Yuhao, "Hello, I'm the leader of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group. Are you here to join this escort mission?"

"Yes." Huo Yuhao narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly, maintaining Shimura Danzo's persona throughout.

The broad-shouldered mercenary leader, whose face was unusually hairy, did not mind Huo Yuhao's attitude. It was perfectly normal for soul masters to have their own quirks.

He waved a hand. "Brother, I won't beat around the bush. Show us what you can do. If you have two Soul Rings, you can carry out this commission with us."

Huo Yuhao said nothing. He opened his narrowed eyes, met the gaze of everyone present, and successfully cast an illusion.

In the eyes of the mercenary leader and the employer, one white and one yellow Soul Ring appeared around Huo Yuhao.

"In this one's name, Shimura Danzo."

"My Martial Soul is Vacuum Jade. I can control wind."

"Battle Soul Master."

The richly dressed employer pushed up his glasses with a finger and said, "My name is Xiao Dingyuan, president of the Dingyi Merchant Association. I am traveling to Xuanfeng City on business. The mission reward is thirty Gold Soul Coins. If you accept, then join us on the road."

Huo Yuhao nodded. "A fair price. I accept."

The leader of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group burst into laughter, then scratched his head. "Since you've joined us, I should introduce myself too."

"Brother Danzo, my name is Lang Shan. My Martial Soul is Blood Wolf, and I'm a level 37 Battle Soul Elder. Please take care of me on the road."

Huo Yuhao looked at the leader and muttered inwardly, A Soul Elder? He seems to have no resistance to illusions at all. Is it because he hasn't used Martial Soul Possession yet?

Outwardly, he simply nodded. "Not at all. Captain Lang Shan is quite capable. I'll have to rely on you to look after me as well."

The words clearly pleased him, and he laughed even louder.

"Brother Danzo, go get to know the other members first. Employer Xiao and I need to discuss the route and departure time."

Huo Yuhao nodded and went to speak with the people who would be traveling with him. There were not many people taking part in the commission—only ten in total.

Through their conversation, he learned that among the participants were seven Soul Grand Masters and three Soul Elders. The strongest was a level 35 soul master named Lang Yan, whose Martial Soul was also Blood Wolf. He was Lang Shan's younger brother.

Huo Yuhao gained a rough grasp of their strength. Then he calculated his odds of winning should a fight break out between them.

"Three to seven."

"With Dojutsu Power, three minutes to cut every one of them into seven pieces."

So there was a high chance he would not need to remain on guard against them. He needed to focus on enemies they might encounter instead.

Thus, wearing Shimura Danzo's face, Huo Yuhao chatted idly with the Mercenary Group members while asking about the dangers they might face during the journey.

"Brother Danzo, there's no need to worry so much. We've traveled this route for over ten years. We occasionally run into bandits, but they aren't very strong. Once we show them our Soul Rings, they retreat on their own."

Before Huo Yuhao could ask anything else, a nearby mercenary propped up his chin and interjected, "I did hear recently that Wolf Bandits have appeared around the Heaven Dou Plain again. The people who saw them said their forms were very strange, like they were hybrids of multiple Soul Beasts."

His companion waved it off dismissively. "Shrek Academy is right beside the Heaven Dou Plain. Those Wolf Bandits won't live much longer. Besides, we aren't crossing the Heaven Dou Plain on this trip, only passing by its edge. There's nothing to worry about."

Huo Yuhao firmly memorized every piece of information they mentioned. He was somewhat concerned about the strangely formed Wolf Bandits. In the original story, Evil Soul Masters had experimented on Soul Beasts before. He wondered whether this was related.

Just as he sank into thought, he felt someone tug at the corner of his clothes. When he turned around, however, he found nothing.

"?"

Huo Yuhao looked around vigilantly, trying to find the target.

"Where are you looking?!"

A crisp female voice suddenly sounded beside him. Huo Yuhao abruptly realized something and lowered his head in stiff, mechanical increments. He discovered a petite girl with a side ponytail and light green eyes puffing out her cheeks as she stared at him.