Must Kill

Whoosh—

A figure streaked across the sky, tearing through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle.

It was Feng Yao.

At this moment, he was burning his chakra, using Geppo to move at full speed.

The velocity was terrifying.

Because Katsuyu had just told him that it had found him—found the culprit who had hunted him down all those years ago and murdered his benefactor: the Anbu ninja Tankyu.

Up ahead, Naruto and Sasuke lay on the ground, covered in wounds. Sasuke's neck bore the Cursed Seal planted by Orochimaru, and he was currently unconscious.

Nearby, Rock Lee was single-handedly suppressing Kin and Zaku, while Sakura stayed safely beside Naruto and Sasuke.

With the real Dosu absent this time, Zaku and Kin were clearly no match for Rock Lee.

They quickly fell into a disadvantage. Zaku was even severely wounded by Rock Lee's Front Lotus, yet he stubbornly stood back up to continue the fight.

"That's enough. You two are no match for me. If you keep this up, you might lose your lives."

Rock Lee panted heavily; clearly, using the Front Lotus had taken a toll on him as well.

But although Zaku was arrogant and conceited, he was extremely loyal to Orochimaru and was determined to complete his mission even at the cost of his life.

He continued to charge toward Rock Lee.

Sakura was startled by Zaku's madness. Just then, a black figure flashed out and pinned Zaku to the ground with an elbow.

Zaku let out a cry of pain, spat out a mouthful of blood, and lay on the ground, gasping for his final breaths.

"Hmph, Otogakure ninja, are they? To think three of them managed to survive this long. It's time for you to make your exit."

A cold, chilling voice came from beneath an animal mask; it was a member of the Anbu.

Sakura and Rock Lee seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Though they didn't know why the Anbu were here, they assumed they had been saved.

Seeing this, Kin instinctively tried to run, but another Anbu member held a Kunai to her throat.

"You lot should leave here quickly. We'll handle these Otogakure ninja."

An Anbu member spoke, trying to send Sakura and the others away so they could dispose of these foreign ninjas in secret.

Though they didn't know what the other party was planning, the Anbu were, after all, their own village's forces, so Sakura and the others obediently prepared to leave.

Just then, a sharp, piercing sound of something breaking the air rang out.

A figure appeared behind Kin, and a Kunai instantly pierced through the Anbu member holding her.

The Anbu member stared at the Kunai protruding from his chest; the opponent's speed was so fast that he hadn't even had time to react.

"When killing, don't hesitate."

He then tossed the Anbu ninja aside like trash. Kin shouted in excitement.

"Dosu-sama, you've come! We were carrying out Lord Orochimaru's mission, and these Anbu suddenly jumped out..."

But Feng Yao waved his hand to stop her from continuing; he hadn't come here to save anyone.

Sakura and the others on the opposite side were clearly shocked by this scene. The stranger had killed an Anbu member so cleanly. The Shikamaru team, who had been hiding nearby, were equally astonished.

"Wow, damn it! Why is it this guy again? He actually dared to kill an Anbu! What do we do now?" Ino was losing her mind again.

However, at that moment, a Kunai shot toward Feng Yao, equipped with an Explosive Tag. After pulling Kin away and jumping to avoid the blast, Tankyu, who had been hiding in the shadows, flew out behind Feng Yao and slashed horizontally with his ninja blade, which was coated in sharp chakra. If it had been an ordinary person, they likely would have been sliced in two.

Seeing Tankyu, Feng Yao erupted.

"Tankyu! I've finally found you. You are the first person I must kill today here in Konoha!"

Feng Yao tossed Kin aside.

"Rokushiki: Iron Body."

He gripped Tankyu's blade with one hand and slammed his right fist directly toward Tankyu's head.

Bang.

With a burst of sound, Tankyu turned into a log amidst white smoke; he had used the Substitution Technique to dodge Feng Yao's attack.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique."

Tankyu performed hand seals to unleash his most proficient wind-style jutsu. The technique could slice through objects with cutting winds, and a high-pressure blade of air flew directly toward Feng Yao.

But unfortunately, the moment his blade was gripped by Feng Yao earlier, the Flying Thunder God formula had already been planted on him.

Swish.

Feng Yao appeared directly beside Tankyu and drove a three-pronged Kunai into the man's arm. Blood splattered; that arm was now useless.

Unable to perform hand seals, Tankyu used his other hand to throw shuriken at Feng Yao.

After dodging them with ease, Feng Yao crushed his other arm with one hand.

Tankyu let out a muffled groan, yet he didn't let out a single scream.

He retreated several steps, questioning Feng Yao, "Who exactly are you? What is your goal in infiltrating Konoha, and why do you say I am someone you must kill?"

While stalling for time, he did not forget to signal his remaining companion.

Feng Yao, however, clearly did not care about such things. He toyed with the Kunai in his hand and said mockingly, "You don't recognize me? That's understandable; I have changed quite a bit. But surely you remember the old physician you killed not far from Konoha?"

By the time he finished speaking, Feng Yao's eyes were filled with cold murderous intent.

"You are Feng Yao! How dare you come to Konoha!"

Tankyu finally understood why the other party held such a deep grudge against him. At this moment, his other teammate had also finished his task.

"Don't move, Feng Yao! Your two companions are in my hands now. If you act recklessly, I will kill them."

The Anbu member who had just restrained Zaku had also seized the opportunity to capture Kin while Feng Yao was entangled with Tankyu, using them to threaten Feng Yao.

Tankyu seemed to see a glimmer of hope and swallowed hard.

He said with a hint of smugness, "How about this, Feng Yao? Let's talk. Release us, and as long as we leave here safely, I guarantee I won't harm your frie..."

Before he could finish, Feng Yao slashed his throat. Tankyu looked at Feng Yao in disbelief; his hands were crippled, leaving him unable to press them against the wound on his throat. He could only watch his blood drain away and his life fade.

"We... could have... talked about it..."

He breathed his last before he could finish his sentence.

Feng Yao merely looked at his corpse coldly and said, "I told you that you are someone I must kill. No one can stop me."

The people nearby were terrified by this scene. The Anbu member, knowing he was doomed, immediately detonated the Explosive Tag on his body, hoping to drag two others down with him.

BOOM—

After the explosion, Zaku and Kin were safely placed on a tree by Feng Yao. Having stayed with the two for so long, he had naturally planted the Flying Thunder God formula on them; the first time he saved Kin, he had used the Flying Thunder God to teleport directly to her.

Feng Yao then turned his gaze toward the positions of Sakura and Shikamaru's team. Both groups felt a chill run down their spines as they were stared at.

But in truth, Feng Yao was not looking at them with any fierce intent. His enemies were only Danzo and Tankyu.

Destroying Konoha was merely a means to an end to kill Danzo; only in chaos would there be an opportunity. Naturally, he would not go out of his way to kill unnecessary people.

Besides, they were, after all, his former classmates.

"Many thanks, Lord Dosu. What should be done with these people? Orochimaru ordered us to kill Sasuke."

After Zaku thanked Feng Yao with difficulty, he asked about the disposal of Sakura and the others. Sakura looked visibly nervous upon hearing this.

"You two go to the High Tower first. You don't need to worry about what happens here."

Seeing that Feng Yao was willing to handle the aftermath, the two were naturally relieved and, supporting each other, headed toward the High Tower.

After the two had walked far away, Feng Yao used a Body Flicker to appear in front of Sakura. Although his constitution was special, he had, after all, killed someone right in front of them.

Sakura did not look calm at all; instead, she was trembling incessantly.

"Don't be nervous, I won't kill them." After saying this, he knelt beside Sasuke.

At this moment, Feng Yao was avenging his parents, and was Sasuke any different? At least he possessed the power to seek revenge, while Sasuke had nothing. In the end, he chose to fall into darkness in pursuit of power.

He placed a hand on Sasuke's head, channeling his mental energy to calm Sasuke's emotions, at least ensuring he would no longer be in danger.

Afterward, he looked at Naruto. He had heard a little about Naruto's situation—that Danzo's rise to power had led to Naruto being monitored and imprisoned.

This could be considered an indirect consequence of his own actions, so he stored a portion of his chakra and mental energy within Naruto, which could help him if he were ever consumed by the Nine-Tails in the future.

But now that they all knew his true identity, Feng Yao certainly could not let them pass the exam.

He hoisted Naruto and Sasuke onto his back, then said to both Sakura and the nearby Shikamaru, "I am taking these two away. If you dare to blab about what happened here, I will kill them without hesitation."

He then planted the Flying Thunder God formula on them and deceived them, saying, "This technique can sense what you say. Your every word and action will be under my control."

Then, he used the Flying Thunder God technique and left the area.

The expressions of everyone present were exceptionally grim, and Sakura burst into tears.

"Sasuke!"