Someone I Had to Kill

Whoosh—

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

It was Feng Yao.

His chakra surged as he used Moonwalk to race forward at full speed.

His speed was terrifying.

Katsuyu had just told him she had found him—the culprit who had hunted Feng Yao down years ago and killed the benefactor who had saved his life: the Anbu Ninja Tankyu.

Up ahead,

Naruto and Sasuke lay battered on the ground. Orochimaru had placed a Cursed Seal on the back of Sasuke's neck, and he was unconscious.

Nearby, Rock Lee was holding off Kin and Zaku on his own, while Sakura remained safely beside Naruto and Sasuke.

Without Dosu, the real leader, Kin and Zaku were clearly no match for Rock Lee.

They soon fell into a disadvantage. Rock Lee struck Zaku with a Front Lotus, severely injuring him, but he stubbornly got back up and continued fighting.

"Enough, already. You two aren't my match. If you keep this up, you could die."

Rock Lee panted heavily. Clearly, even after using the Front Lotus, he was struggling.

Though Zaku was arrogant and conceited, he was extremely loyal to Orochimaru and was willing to die to complete his mission.

He charged at Rock Lee again.

Sakura was startled by Zaku's recklessness. Just then, a black figure appeared and drove an elbow into Zaku, pinning him to the ground.

Zaku cried out in pain and spat out a mouthful of blood. Pinned down, he was barely conscious.

"Hmph. Sound Ninja, huh? Only three of you, and you've still managed to survive this long. But it's time for you to leave the stage."

The cold voice came from beneath an animal mask. It belonged to an Anbu member.

Sakura and Rock Lee seemed relieved. They didn't know why the Anbu were here, but they should be safe now.

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

"Leave this place. We'll take care of these Sound Ninja."

An Anbu member spoke, intending to send Sakura and the others away before secretly dealing with the foreign shinobi.

They didn't know what the Anbu were up to, but they were Konoha's own forces, so Sakura and the others obediently prepared to leave.

Just then, a sharp whistle cut through the air.

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

The Anbu member stared at the Kunai that had pierced his chest. His opponent had moved too fast for him to react.

"If you're going to kill someone, don't hesitate."

Then, as if tossing away garbage, he flung the Anbu Ninja to the side. Kin shouted excitedly,

"Lord Dosu, you're here! We're carrying out Lord Orochimaru's mission. These Anbu suddenly showed up..."

But Feng Yao raised a hand, stopping her from continuing. He hadn't come here to save anyone.

Sakura and the others were clearly startled by what they'd seen. He had killed an Anbu member without hesitation. The Shikamaru squad, hiding nearby, were just as shocked.

"Damn it! Not this guy again! He even dares to kill Anbu! What are we supposed to do?" Ino freaked out again.

But just then, a Kunai flew straight at Feng Yao, with an Explosive Tag attached. He grabbed Kin and leaped aside, avoiding the blast.

Tankyu, who had been hiding in the shadows, sprang behind Feng Yao and slashed at him with a Ninja Blade. A sharp edge of chakra coated the blade; an ordinary person would have been cut in half.

Seeing Tankyu, Feng Yao erupted.

"Tankyu! I finally found you. You're the first person I came to Konoha to kill today!"

Feng Yao tossed Kin aside.

"Rokushiki: Iron Body!"

He caught Tankyu's blade with one hand and swung his right fist at Tankyu's head.

Bang!

With a burst of white smoke, Tankyu turned into a wooden log. He had used the Substitution Technique to evade Feng Yao's attack.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

Tankyu formed Hand Seals and unleashed his most proficient Wind Release Ninjutsu. The technique could slice things apart with cutting winds, and a blast of high-pressure wind shot straight at Feng Yao.

But unfortunately for him, the moment Feng Yao caught his blade, he had already marked Tankyu with the Flying Thunder God Formula.

Whoosh!

Feng Yao appeared beside Tankyu and drove a three-pronged Kunai into his arm. Blood sprayed as the arm was crippled.

Tankyu could no longer form Hand Seals, so he took a Shuriken in his other hand and threw it at Feng Yao.

Feng Yao dodged easily, then crushed his other arm with one hand.

Tankyu grunted, but still refused to cry out.

He staggered back a few steps and demanded, "Who are you? Why did you sneak into Konoha? Why did you say I'm someone you have to kill?"

Even as he tried to buy time, he didn't forget to signal his remaining teammate.

But Feng Yao clearly didn't care. He toyed with the Kunai in his hand and taunted, "Don't recognize me? That's no surprise. I've changed quite a bit. But surely you remember the old doctor you killed just outside Konoha Village."

By the end, Feng Yao's eyes were filled with icy killing intent.

"You're Feng Yao! You actually dared to come to Konoha!"

Tankyu finally understood why Feng Yao hated him so much. By then, his other teammate had finished what he was doing.

"Don't move, Feng Yao! I have your two companions. If you make a move, I'll kill them."

While Feng Yao had been occupied with Tankyu, the Anbu member who had subdued Zaku had also seized Kin and was now using her to threaten him.

Tankyu seemed to see a chance to live. He swallowed.

With a smug look, he said, "Well, Feng Yao? Let's talk. Let us go, and as long as we leave here safely, I promise we won't hurt your—"

Before he could finish, Feng Yao slashed his throat. Tankyu stared at him in disbelief. His hands were crippled, so he couldn't reach up to staunch the wound. He could only watch as his blood drained away and his life ebbed out.

"We... could've... talked..."

He got halfway through the words before drawing his last breath.

Feng Yao looked coldly at his corpse. "I told you, you're someone I have to kill. No one can stop me."

Everyone nearby was terrified by what they'd just seen. The Anbu member knew he was doomed, so he immediately detonated the Explosive Tags on his body, hoping to take two people down with him.

Boom—

After the explosion, Zaku and Kin were unharmed, perched in a tree where Feng Yao had placed them. They had been with him long enough for him to mark them with the Flying Thunder God Formula. The first time he had saved Kin, he'd used Flying Thunder God to teleport straight to her.

Then Feng Yao turned his gaze toward Sakura and the Shikamaru squad. Both groups felt a chill run down their spines when he looked their way.

But Feng Yao hadn't actually glared at them all that fiercely. His only targets were Danzo and Tankyu.

Destroying Konoha was just a means to kill Danzo. Only in the chaos would he have a chance, so he naturally wouldn't kill people who didn't need to die.

Besides, he had once been their classmate.

"Thank you, Lord Dosu. What should we do with these people? Orochimaru ordered us to kill Sasuke."

After struggling to thank Feng Yao, Zaku asked what should be done with Sakura and the others. Sakura tensed at the words.

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

Seeing that Feng Yao was willing to handle the rest, the two relaxed. Supporting each other, they headed toward the High Tower.

Once they were gone, Feng Yao appeared in a flash in front of Sakura. Though his constitution was unusual, he had still killed someone right in front of her.

Sakura didn't look calm at all. Instead, she trembled constantly.

"Don't be nervous. I won't hurt them." After saying that, he crouched beside Sasuke.

Feng Yao was avenging his parents. Wasn't Sasuke doing the same? At least Feng Yao had the strength to take revenge, while Sasuke had nothing. In the end, his search for power had led him to fall into darkness.

He placed a hand on Sasuke's head and used his mental energy to calm Sasuke down, at least keeping him out of danger.

Then he looked at Naruto. He had heard a little about Naruto's situation. Danzo's rise to power had led to Naruto being monitored and confined.

That could be considered an indirect consequence of his actions, so he stored some chakra and mental energy in Naruto's body as well. It could help him later if the Nine-Tails tried to consume him.

But now that they all knew his true identity, Feng Yao couldn't let them pass the exam.

He lifted Naruto and Sasuke onto his back, then said to Sakura and Shikamaru, "I'm taking these two. If you spread what happened here, I won't hesitate to kill them."

He then marked them with the Flying Thunder God Formula, lying to them: "This formula lets me sense what you say. I'll know everything you do and say."

Then he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave.

Everyone looked grim. Sakura burst into tears.

"Sasuke!"