Higure Town was remote, and places like this were breeding grounds for all kinds of wickedness.
The shopkeeper's assistant was an informant for a gang of thieves, watching for plump targets and tipping them off.
At first, Kyosuke, who looked perfectly ordinary, hadn't caught his interest.
Who would've thought one "accidental" move would expose just how wealthy Kyosuke was?
If the assistant hadn't been sharp-eyed, he might've missed out on this fat sheep who'd practically walked right to his door.
"Damn, I almost let him fool me." Using a trip outside to take a leak as an excuse, the assistant seized the chance to release a carrier pigeon.
It wouldn't be long before the thieves' contact showed up in town.
With him here, there was no way the young traveling merchant would escape their clutches.
"Heh, you've got only yourself to blame for being an idiot." The assistant's sinister chuckle was swallowed by the clamor inside the shop.
Outside, at an unremarkable roadside stall.
Watching the pigeon in the sky, a middle-aged man with a rough, underworld air silently cursed a blue streak.
He'd been running his stall for several days. How could he not see what the shop assistant was up to?
There was nothing wrong with killing and robbing people. He was just afraid the other man's reckless actions would cause needless trouble for their plan.
"I'll see how things look tonight. If there's no problem, I'll quietly kill that guy." The man narrowed his eyes, trying to hide the killing intent within them.
He was one of the four Chunin who had accompanied Nara Teppei, tasked with watching everyone who tried to approach the trap.
Not one person, Kyosuke included, could escape his notice.
Naturally, he'd also seen the shop assistant's little stunt.
Meanwhile, after finishing his meal, Kyosuke found a nearby inn.
What else could he do? He'd waited and waited, but the shop assistant hadn't made a move. That meant the other side still needed time to prepare.
With a rough idea of what was going on, he decided to rest where he was, perfectly embodying the fearlessness of an innocent young boy.
By day, he strolled around, harmless as could be.
By night, he put on his mask and didn't give a damn about anyone.
Once his subordinates returned from scouting, tonight would be the perfect time to strike.
"The hunt begins." The boy grinned wickedly.
Soon, night fell.
Other than the drunks lingering in the izakayas, the streets had long since emptied.
The ninjas who'd been disguised during the day had now gathered around the wooden shop, waiting for the enemy who could arrive at any moment.
Suddenly, a shout rang out from the end of the street.
"Help!"
In an instant, all seven of the hidden figures went on alert.
"That's the boy from earlier." Watching the figure sprint for his life, one of them discreetly made a hand signal.
Safe.
"Help!" The boy spotted a dazed drunk in the corner and raced toward him as if he'd found his savior.
At that moment, the Chunin wanted nothing more than to curse.
All this commotion might draw the target's attention.
He couldn't reveal himself, or he'd likely ruin the plan.
The Chunin disguised as a drunk swore that once this was over, he'd kill every one of those bastards.
As the boy threw his arms around him, he decided to pretend he was passed out. No one would be interested in a down-and-out, middle-aged drunk anyway.
Just then, the drunk felt a sharp pain in his chest. Before he could react, his life was over.
[System Prompt: Killed a Chunin of the Yamanaka Clan. Earned 300 points.]
Getting to his feet in a panic, the boy Kyosuke had impersonated continued sprinting ahead.
"An elite ninja is lying in wait. We won't be able to hide the body for long."
"The Chunin's death will be noticed within five seconds at most."
One second passed. Nara Teppei, hidden inside the building, hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Two seconds passed. He wondered why his subordinate hadn't sent the signal yet.
The third second passed. His expression turned completely grave.
"Watch out! We're under attack!"
Almost as soon as the shout rang out, a ferocious, roaring fire dragon engulfed the entire shop.
The towering blaze roused the sleeping town.
"What's going on?" Before the Chunin hiding in the neighboring courtyard could react, the space around him began to distort.
"Genjutsu?!" The Chunin panicked and desperately forced his Chakra into motion, trying to break free.
But how could a Genjutsu cast by the Three-Tomoe Sharingan be so easily broken?
A few seconds later, after Uchiha Maya left the shadows, only a corpse with its eyes still open remained in the courtyard.
Meanwhile, seeing that the enemy had caught on early, Kyosuke dropped his disguise without hesitation.
After a few quick Hand Seals, the roar of Chidori drowned out the explosions.
"Damn it!" A shadow stretched from the darkness, but it couldn't catch up to the figure charging forward at incredible speed.
"What kind of damned jutsu is that?" Nara Teppei was furious.
He couldn't understand how their supposedly flawless ambush had been exposed so completely.
Was their opponent's ability to see through things really that extraordinary?
Or had he known something from the start?
A sense of dread stirred faintly in his heart.
Low-ranking ninjas knew very little, so there was no point in capturing them.
But an elite ninja absolutely could not fall into the enemy's hands.
In the past, the Three Clans had coordinated their operations perfectly, never giving the Uchiha a chance.
Yet today, he'd exposed himself to the enemy.
All for that damned Vile Rakshasa?
At last, Nara Teppei understood. Unfortunately, reality wouldn't let him quit the game.
[System Prompt: Killed a Chunin of the Akimichi Clan. Earned 350 points.]
Against the combination of the Sharingan and Chidori, an ordinary Chunin had no way to fight back.
Even the Akimichi Clan, with its formidable combat strength, couldn't escape death.
Pulling his hand from the enemy's steaming chest, Kyosuke dodged the spray of blood. His gaze shifted, and he vanished from the spot.
"Damn it," Yamanaka Rumiko cursed under her breath. She hadn't expected the other side to be so alert.
If she'd been a moment faster, she could've taken control of the boy's body and carried out her plan to seize the target.
Now she'd failed to capture him and revealed her own position. With a sigh, she smashed through a partition and burst out of her hiding place without hesitation.
The next moment,
A fire dragon surged skyward, turning the area behind her into a sea of flames.
Seeing this, Akimichi Kanbei stopped hiding and used the Partial Expansion Jutsu at full power.
An arm like a towering giant's came crashing down toward the enemy's hiding place.
With no other choice, Uchiha Izumi had to show herself and fight.
Three elite ninjas and four elite Chunin—a formidable squad by any measure.
Who could've imagined that barely after the two sides had made contact, their side had already lost two fighters?
Just as he was about to issue an order, a familiar chirping from afar suddenly caught his attention.
But this time, the one wielding Chidori wasn't Kyosuke. It was Uchiha Izumi, her face full of killing intent.
To maximize their strength, he hadn't hesitated to teach her the jutsu.
As a Chunin, he could use Chidori to instantly kill an opponent of the same rank.
So how much stronger would it be when Uchiha Izumi used it?
Before you continue