The Crow Ghost

That night.

Heavy snow blanketed all of Konoha. In less than two hours, the entire village was covered in white. Hardly anyone was out on the streets, and the dim lamplight trembled in the cold wind, flickering as if it might go out at any moment.

In the Small Woods, the snow had piled up to their ankles, but Houka and Guy were still training hard.

Thud, thud-thud!

Beneath the dim moonlight, in front of a thick wooden post, Houka poured all his strength into furiously practicing left-leg kicks. The bandages on his foot tore into shreds after repeated, violent impacts. They were soon stained red with blood, which then froze solid in the snow.

Nearby, Guy was practicing straight punches, his fists pounding the wooden post again and again with dull thuds. Blood had already congealed between his fingers, but beneath his thick, bushy eyebrows, his gaze remained utterly unwavering!

Might Duy stood behind the two of them, silently watching them train.

"Hmm?"

Might Duy raised his thick brows. As if sensing something amiss, his ears twitched slightly.

The night wind blew in, sweeping up countless snowflakes. They densely crisscrossed the dim moonlight, chopping it into scattered fragments, and plunged the Small Woods into darkness.

"What's going on?" Houka and Guy looked up, only to see countless snowflakes whirling chaotically at an incredible speed!

"Be careful!" Might Duy clenched his fists and looked all around. "There's an enemy!"

Whoosh, whoosh!

The night wind grew more and more savage. Snow was lifted high into the air, then blown back down, swirling so thickly that they could barely keep their eyes open.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!!!"

Might Duy leaped into the air and kicked hard toward the sky.

A crescent-shaped gust, sharp as a blade, tore through the air and sent the snowflakes flying in an instant.

But the next moment, even more snowflakes filled the empty space.

"Father, is it an enemy spy?" Guy shouted excitedly.

Might Duy frowned. He couldn't be sure either.

Houka's brow twitched. He suddenly had a feeling that the other person was after him.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Boom!

Suddenly, a huge fireball, two meters across, came roaring out of the bushes to their left. Its searing heat vaporized every nearby snowflake!

"Ah!"

Might Duy immediately charged forward.

The Great Fireball Technique. Could it be the Uchiha Clan?

Without hesitation, Might Duy opened the Gate of Opening, Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, and Gate of Pain!

In an instant, his speed and strength soared. He reached the enormous, rolling fireball almost as if he had teleported.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Might Duy defied all reason, running through the air and kicking the huge fireball apart with a single Leaf Great Whirlwind.

The flames from the explosion surged backward like ripples, then slowly faded in the night wind.

Might Duy landed with a graceful flip, then closed the four Gates to avoid putting his body under immense strain from the rapidly flowing Chakra.

"Might Duy, your strength truly surprises me!" A man dressed head to toe in a black shinobi outfit and wearing a Cyan Crow Mask suddenly dropped from the sky and landed on a tree.

"Who are you?" Might Duy's expression turned grave. A Cyan Crow Mask—could he be Anbu?

But Anbu was headed by White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo. From what Might Duy knew of him, he would never send someone like this to test him.

"Me? You have no right to know who I am." Beneath the Crow Ghost's mask, the corner of his mouth curled into a smirk. He slowly closed his eyes, then abruptly opened them. His black eyes had become Sharingan, blood-red and ominous, with three Tomoe revolving slowly around each pupil. He stared directly at Might Duy and Guy.

The next instant, Guy's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious.

A Genjutsu cast with the Three-Tomoe Sharingan was no ordinary shinobi's to resist!

Might Duy almost fell victim to it too. The Chakra inside him began circulating rapidly at once, fighting off the drowsiness creeping into his mind.

Three-Tomoe Sharingan. He's a Jonin of the Uchiha Clan! This is bad—his target is Houka!

"What tenacity. Heh heh heh."

Amid the cold laughter, the Crow Ghost had already leaped beside them and grabbed Houka.

"Damn you! Fifth Gate, open!"

Might Duy shouted, but the alert Crow Ghost had already kicked him in the back of the head. The heavy blow finally knocked him unconscious.

Though Houka was nervous and worried, his expression didn't change at all. "You're not here to kill us, are you?"

"Of course not. They're still alive." The Crow Ghost chuckled. "You don't seem surprised at all."

With a few leaps, the Crow Ghost carried Houka to the edge of the Small Woods, then let go and sprang backward.

Houka narrowed his eyes. "Half a year ago, when I went home, someone used Genjutsu on me inside the clan compound. That was you, wasn't it?"

The Crow Ghost snorted. "So what if it was? Kid, you're not in a good position right now. You'd better stop asking irrelevant questions."

Houka was sure it was him. And with that mask, there was no need to guess: he was from Danzo's Root!

He wants to recruit me into Root.

Houka didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Both of Konoha's major powers, one operating in the open and one in the shadows, had tried to recruit him on the same day. He was truly flattered.

"I'm here on the orders of an important person. I need you to do something for me," the Crow Ghost said.

"What is it?"

"You'll find out as soon as you agree." The Crow Ghost's Three-Tomoe Sharingan rotated slowly, radiating immense pressure. Houka's eyes twitched; as if affected by the aura of a kindred eye, they almost opened into Sharingan too.

Houka clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms. The sharp pain kept his mind clear and restrained the urge to awaken his eyes.

"Sorry, but I can't agree to a request from someone whose identity I don't know," Houka said.

"Have you thought through the consequences of refusing?" the Crow Ghost sneered, a faint murderous intent spilling from his Sharingan.

"You're going to kill me?" Houka frowned, his face silent, though inwardly he wanted to cry. Might Duy, you really dropped the ball at the worst possible moment, didn't you?

Wasn't it said that someone who opened the Eight Gates could take on four Ninja Blades and die fighting? One Uchiha with Three-Tomoe Sharingan knocked you down. Could you show a little more respect for your reputation?

"Well? Have you decided?" The Crow Ghost tilted his head, his Sharingan fixed on Houka. "My patience is limited, and you're running out of time!"

"Can I go home and think it over for two days?" Houka decided to keep stringing him along.

"..." Sure enough, the Crow Ghost's Sharingan twitched as if Houka's words had left him choking.

"Kid, you won't be able to bear the consequences of provoking me!"

"Then I'd like to discuss it with my guardian!" Houka kept stringing him along.

"You're an orphan!!" The Crow Ghost struggled to contain his anger.

"Don't rub it in!" Houka replied.

"Bastard!" The Crow Ghost ground his teeth and raised his hand to teach Houka a lesson.

"ROAR!!!"

Suddenly, a furious roar rang out from the Small Woods. Then a terrifying presence shot skyward like smoke from a beacon, locking onto the Crow Ghost in an instant.

"What?!" The Crow Ghost stiffened all over and whipped around in shock. A figure was hurtling toward him at a terrifying speed. Even his Three-Tomoe Sharingan could barely keep up.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"