Operation Begins

Lurking in the unnervingly quiet village, Kakuzu felt a bit bewildered.

Something was wrong! Something was very wrong! Something was incredibly wrong!

The atmosphere of the village was simply too off.

Carefully bypassing the various sentries and hidden lookouts manned by chunin and genin along the way, Kakuzu approached the center of the village. As a jonin, slipping past the detection of genin and chunin was a bit of a hassle for him, but it was far from impossible.

Furthermore, compared to the quality of personnel in the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the chunin and genin in this village were generally of a lower caliber.

Even within the Five Great Villages, Kakuzu was confident in his ability to move about freely, approaching important targets to carry out assassinations without anyone being the wiser.

Why, then, were so many ninja gathered here?

Was it a trap?

Wasn't that guy supposed to lure the village's ninja away to create an opening for my assassination?

Why had it turned out like this?

To be fair, facing a large number of chunin and genin, along with several elite jonin of equal standing, Kakuzu felt he wasn't quite that brave.

But since he had already made the commitment, Kakuzu found himself in a dilemma. As he drew closer, he used the Transformation Technique to disguise himself as a nameless grunt, hiding on the perimeter of the leader's building in the village center, quietly waiting for the agreed-upon time of attack.

If the situation became impossible, he would simply retreat for the time being.

Inside the building's conference hall, the village's high-ranking elders were being worn thin by the tense atmosphere and the situation at hand. Their faces were full of agitation; up until now, they had received no favorable intelligence. Time slipped away in silence, the atmosphere in the hall heavy and grave, until the time neared noon...

Swish. A ninja landed via Body Flicker.

With a pale face and covered in blood and wounds, Shin-getsu knelt on one knee and said in a deep voice, "Elder, the clan is under attack! The Konoha ninja are numerous and coming with fierce intent!"

"Konoha!!!" an old man screamed in terror!

"How is this possible!!!" another old man shouted in fear, "Is Senju Hashirama going to tear up the peace treaty himself!!!"

"I told you! That man cannot be trusted!!! Uchiha Madara has already parted ways with him, which shows he is a man who breaks his word. Besides, Hashirama's promise was to the Five Great Villages! Not to us!!!"

"Silence!!!"

Everyone looked toward the Great Elder Taki.

But one person didn't care; her expression shifted violently, and she grabbed her naginata, ready to leap out the window.

"What are you doing, Jonin Kusanagi Kyoka!" the Great Elder said in a deep voice, "Foolish, this is the enemy's tactic to divide our forces."

It's not your clan being attacked, so of course you aren't panicked.

Crouched on the windowsill, Kyoka looked at the Great Elder with cold, snake-like pupils, her killing intent surging.

"Calm down, Kyoka," the Kusanagi Elder said, "Our clan is not weak. Hui Shiliu will repel the invaders. As long as the God of Shinobi himself hasn't arrived, we are not without the strength to fight."

Mochizuki Gen glanced sideways at Kyoka. What a pity.

However, no matter what, faced with this situation, the Great Elder had to show some initiative.

The elite jonin in the village could not easily leave, but there were still plenty of chunin and genin available.

"Pass on my order..." After only a moment of thought, he reached a decision. The Great Elder stood up and said, "Since the Kusanagi Clan is under attack, dispatch reinforce..."

Before the words could leave his lips, a sudden, shrill scream erupted in the hall.

"Ahhhhh..." The old woman of the Qian-Gui Clan suddenly clutched her head and shrieked, her face twisted and hideous, "Damn you, you brat! Who are you—what kind of monster are you!?"

The crowd watched this scene in astonishment.

"Grandma Xun!" Behind Xun, a Qian-Gui jonin cried out, unable to understand what was happening.

"Damn it—! My body—!!!"

Before she could leave behind even a word, the old woman of the Qian-Gui Clan suddenly dissolved into a pile of mud.

An Earth Clone?

The unexpected turn of events stunned everyone present. Watching this, Mochizuki Gen's eyes flickered.

This did not align with the pre-arranged plan. Faced with this unforeseen development, a fierce light exploded in Mochizuki Gen's eyes. He made his decision. His figure flickered violently, and in a flash, his hand pierced through the back of the Kusanagi Elder like a hot knife through butter, a heart slowly beating in his palm.

"You bastard—!!!" The Kusanagi Elder turned his head, looking at Mochizuki Gen with difficulty and hatred, vomiting blood from his mouth.

As a guard, Kyoka, having moved away from the Kusanagi Elder's side, was unable to rescue him in time. Her pupils contracted sharply.

The situation was a house of cards; the sound of blades being drawn rang out in unison.

"Have you betrayed the village, Lord Mochizuki Gen?" The old man Uji stood up, his expression crazed, leaning on his cane.

"Betrayal?" With a sudden clench of his palm, the old man's heart burst and shattered. Mochizuki Gen said, "This Humble One is merely purging the filthy tumors from the village."

The Kusanagi Elder's eyes dimmed, and he gradually ceased to breathe. Mochizuki Gen withdrew his hand.

"Die!!!" Amidst a wild roar, lightning surged. The naginata in Kusanagi Kyoka's hand disintegrated within the lightning, and a direct thrust shot out like a venomous snake. Connected by the lightning, the attack range extended rapidly, transforming into the violent, chirping electric flash of the Chidori.

Fast. Extremely fast!

It was like a flash of lightning.

Mochizuki Gen didn't even move, but a faint light erupted in his eyes.

Eye of Breaking Writing activated.

In the next second, the lightning in the air twisted and reversed direction in a bizarre fashion. Kusanagi Kyoka's body by the window shuddered violently, and she vomited a large mouthful of blood with a wail. As a spray of blood bloomed before her eyes, Kyoka slowly lowered her head, her pupils trembling as she stared at the naginata piercing through her heart.

My own attack... killed me?

The disassembled naginata, having lost its master's control, fell from the air in segments and rolled across the floor with a clatter.

"Do not show killing intent toward him!!!" Great Elder Taki shouted in a deep voice. "This man's technique can reflect all ninjutsu attacks!"

But it was too late; more often than not, a ninja's body reacts faster than their brain.

Under the full operation of Mochizuki Gen's Hypnotic Eyes, every ninja who displayed killing intent or initiated an attack against him fell under his influence. Driven by intense hypnosis, their brains sent out erroneous signals, forcing their bodies to take action.

In the venue, several ninjas who had drawn their blades stood with expressions of horror, involuntarily pressing their own ninja swords against their necks, their faces twisted in fear and collapse.

"No—!!! Help—!!!"

As their arms exerted force and slashed downward, the sharp blades sliced through their necks. Seven ninja corpses, their throats half-severed, collapsed in unison as blood pooled beneath them, gradually staining the floor.

This was Mochizuki Gen, of the Mochizuki family from the head of the Koga Ninja Clan.

The pupils of everyone present constricted in unison.

Elder Taki opened his mouth and stammered, "It can even reflect taijutsu..."

Clad in water-blue ninja battle armor, the blonde Uji elite jonin licked his lips with a bloodthirsty, excited expression and said, "As expected of Lord Mochizuki Gen, the strongest man in the village. This is truly exhilarating..."

He cast a glance at the man in the black tight-fitting ninja suit and said, "Hey, Hayabusa, this man is not an opponent we can defeat in a one-on-one fight. That stupid woman Kyoka is already finished."

Kyoka, who had slumped to the ground against the wall with her head bowed, had her long black hair disheveled, her breathing weak and shallow.

Hayabusa crossed his arms, nodded in silence, and slowly drew a ninja sword from his back.

The moment he stepped forward, the ninja sword pierced precisely through Great Elder Taki's back and heart.

A tattered black scarf around Hayabusa's neck fluttered in the wind; he remained silent, his tall frame looking down at the Great Elder.

With eyes full of disbelief, the Great Elder vomited blood and cried out, "Why!? Why betray this old man!?"

Mochizuki Gen watched Hayabusa with uncertain surprise.

Huan hadn't mentioned this twist.

"Because..." Hayabusa said in a deep voice, "I am the older brother... protecting my younger sister is only natural."

His pupils constricted in extreme shock. You guy, aren't you an orphan?

"Take your questions to hell, Elder Taki." Hayabusa twisted the hilt, completely shredding the heart.

The head family line of the Hero Clan had always consisted of two branches, one public and one hidden, to ensure that the Hero Clan would not be cut off due to the Hero Water. It was a secret known only to the head of the family: when the head had to die, they ensured a new head could take their place immediately.

"Brilliant!" The old man from the Uji clan stepped forward, leaning on his cane with a look of madness, and said, "Now, in the name of the village elders, I order you: Taki ninjas, kill these traitors!!!"

"Hayabusa!!!" the Uji jonin in the water-blue armor shouted excitedly. "Come! Let us continue the fated duel left unfinished from the Warring States period!!!"

In his hands, seals were formed rapidly—only six in total.

A roaring Water Dragon Bullet smashed through the side wall of the main building.

On the perimeter, Kakuzu watched the water dragon flying through the air, excitement gleaming in his eyes.

"Operation start!"