Looting the Library

In the dead of night, only the pale moonlight spilled across the earth.

This secret chamber, housing countless precious scrolls, was impenetrable to even the faintest light. It had been designed without "windows" from the very start; after all, to maintain absolute secrecy, one could not leave room for prying eyes.

Who would run over in the middle of the night to consult the confidential scrolls sealed away here?

No one had anticipated that Shinnō would quietly infiltrate the forbidden grounds of Konoha to commit theft. A dim candle illuminated the area before him as he scavenged through the materials with ravenous hunger. To ensure nothing was missed, he even took the time to copy the items that interested him, which naturally included his primary targets—the Eight Inner Gates and the Zero-Tails technique.

Shinnō's eyes were sharp as a hawk's, his gaze shifting and focusing with intense concentration, his breathing heavy and rapid.

For him, while the desire for revenge was urgent, he still felt immense tension while committing the act itself. After all, this was Konoha!

If he were discovered, given his skill level, it would be difficult to break through a direct confrontation.

A chill ran down his spine at the mere thought, as if someone were standing right behind him.

Shinnō shuddered.

At this moment, Uchiha Akashi was standing directly behind him, having witnessed the entire process of the crime. If one were to speak of stealth and concealment, Shinnō's techniques were still far from sufficient; at the very least, he should have taken some precautions after entering.

Thanks to this, things could be resolved quickly.

Akashi's sleeve trembled slightly.

Soon, two snakes dropped from his cuff, their slender bodies slithering across the cold floor. They raised their upper bodies, flicking their tongues with a soft hissing sound as they drew incredibly close to Shinnō.

At that very instant, the candle flame suddenly vanished.

In the darkness, Shinnō's crouching form leaped up and spun around, throwing two Senbon that shot toward the grey snakes. With a sharp piercing sound, the snakes were pinned to the ground.

In the pitch-black environment, only the sound of breathing could be heard, but both sides were already locked in a tense standoff.

Shinnō slightly rotated his wrist, a Kunai sliding silently into his palm as the bones throughout his body emitted a series of faint pops. His operation this time had been extremely covert; he had locked the door from the inside immediately upon entering, leaving no trace behind. Even if the guards outside were to wake up, their memories would connect seamlessly to the moment before, and the erased gap would feel like nothing more than a dream, leaving them with no suspicion whatsoever.

He had a full twenty minutes to complete his task, which should have been plenty.

Yet, a flaw had emerged; someone had followed him inside. If not for the faint sound made just a moment ago, he might have been ambushed. Recalling this, Shinnō broke out in a cold sweat.

"I didn't expect to be discovered. Who are you? What is your objective?"

"Naturally, I am a man of Konoha, here to capture you and bring you before the Hokage."

"Damn it, still caught... No! If you were here to catch me, you would have made a scene, or at least signaled the Police Force or other ninja." Shinnō was still able to analyze calmly at this critical juncture. "You... you didn't do that."

As he spoke, he raised his weapon.

The moment he launched his counterattack, he had extinguished the candle and severed the wick, leaving the secret chamber too dim to identify targets. On one hand, this prevented his identity from being directly exposed; on the other, it created an environment favorable to him.

With both parties' vision restricted, he held the advantage due to his superior chakra perception.

Akashi clapped his hands. "As expected of you, your thinking is quite thorough, but I am indeed here to capture you."

"Hmph, that remains to be seen."

Shinnō's words were tough, but his heart had already faltered.

After all, committing a crime in the heart of Konoha—even if the other party didn't seem intent on making a scene—placed an unbearable amount of pressure on him. Once discovered by the Hokage, this act alone would be enough to cost him his life a hundred times over.

Yet, Akashi's tone remained calm, inexplicably bringing a sense of oppression.

Suddenly, Shinnō backtracked. "Wait, why don't you state your demands first? Perhaps we could cooperate!"

"I am quite simple-minded and afraid of being deceived by you, so let's just forget it."

Shinnō froze. Neither cooperating nor calling for backup—what exactly was this guy trying to do?

At this moment, a hissing sound reached his ears. He leaped into the air, not to attack, but to retreat once more, widening the distance and pressing his back against the frame of a bookshelf, a chilling sensation crawling up his spine.

"Snakes?"

"You guessed right." Akashi continued to shake his sleeves, small and large snakes emerging one after another. "But it's useless, Doctor Shinnō."

Hearing this, Shinnō seemed to realize something, gritting his teeth as he laughed. "Your voice... Hahaha, I wonder who it is? A child, playing at ghosts and gods."

His confidence suddenly surged; the person before him was none other than Uchiha Akashi.

Ha, if he couldn't beat the elites of Konoha, could he not at least subdue a child?

He had been looking for a chance to settle the score from that restaurant bill!

"You think you can capture me?"

"In consideration of the meal you once bought me, I will go easy on you, though you will have to pay for these snakes." Akashi sounded quite pained, yet his eyes grew sharp.

Since his identity was exposed, there was no need to be polite.

As long as he ended the battle before the guards woke up, being exposed to Shinnō didn't matter in the slightest. Akashi moved his feet, preparing to subdue his enemy.

At the same time, Shinnō struck out in the darkness.

His raw strength was not particularly high, but he believed dealing with a greenhorn would be no problem.

Moreover, with his vision blocked, his excellent sensory abilities allowed him to clearly track their positions. His attack was clean and without hesitation; the moment his feet accelerated against the ground, his confidence was absolute.

Suddenly, several white snakes leaped up before him, dancing wildly as they lunged!

Shinnō swung the Kunai in his hand, the sharp blade slicing through the snakes' bodies as easily as cutting through weeds. These snakes possessed little intelligence and their attack patterns were monotonous; though it was an ambush, the threat was minimal.

Relying on years of accumulated experience and superior reflexes, Shinnō broke through the swarm of snakes and charged directly at Akashi.

The kunai thrust forward in a straight line.

Clang!

Akashi was remarkably calm, far exceeding Shinnō's expectations, as their kunai collided with a piercing metallic screech.

Shinnō suddenly exerted force, rotating his body and rapidly switching techniques, hoping to overwhelm Akashi through sheer speed and power. It was difficult to use ninjutsu in this confined chamber; defeating his opponent was a minor matter, but alerting the people of Konoha was a major one.

Sparks flew, illuminating their faces for a fleeting moment.

Yet, far from being overwhelmed, Akashi parried his attacks with ease.

Time could no longer be wasted. Shinnō feigned an opening to lure Akashi into a trap, willing to risk being stabbed himself to find an opportunity for a counterattack, even if it meant killing his opponent.

Akashi chuckled, Such a low-level trick—even if I fell for it, what could you possibly do?

Puchi!

The kunai pierced into each other's bodies simultaneously; both had struck at the other's opening, and both were wounded.

However, in the next second, Akashi's body collapsed, dissolving into a dozen white snakes that scattered in all directions.

A clone?!

Shinnō sensed something was wrong, his heart sinking to the depths.

"Watch your back." A voice suddenly echoed from above his head.

Shinnō felt a chill run down his spine and his scalp tighten; the brat hadn't been lying.

He sensed a ferocious presence closing in on him and hurriedly tried to dodge, but his legs went weak, his muscles losing all strength, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

Behind him, a massive snake capable of swallowing him whole reared its head.

In the air, a faint, lingering scent of lilies drifted about.

"How... when..." Shinnō felt his body go limp, realizing he had been poisoned.

Akashi jumped down from the ceiling and beckoned, the snakes slithering back up his pant legs and sleeves before he smiled. "To deal with you, I specifically used an airborne toxin. It evaporated rapidly from the bodies of the white snakes you cut down, filling this room."

"Those snakes... you let them be cut on purpose..."

"If you already figured it out, why say it? Just shut up and have a nice dream."

With that, Akashi cast Genjutsu: Forbidden Binding Labyrinth upon him.

The toxin might not be effective on Shinnō for long, so adding a double layer of security was more reassuring.

Having dealt with Shinnō, Akashi relit the candle, quickly restored the scene, cleaned up the bloodstains and snake remains, and then packed up the scrolls Shinnō had copied along with some of the original manuscripts.

The scrolls here were as vast as the sea; the sudden disappearance of a few would not immediately draw anyone's attention.

Inside the room, Akashi commanded the giant snake to swallow these items along with Shinnō, then quietly slipped out of the forbidden area and darted into the grass.

Several guards were still "standing watch," and under the silent moonlight, everything remained as usual.

Akashi returned to the street, glancing up by chance as a breeze brushed through his hair.

"The moonlight is truly beautiful tonight."