Under the cold moonlight, a black-robed figure silently appeared in the pool of water. The Anbu assigned to guard the area reacted at once, warily surrounding him.
The man in black did not move, but that only made the guarding Anbu feel wave after wave of pressure.
"Who are you?" the ninja leading this guard unit asked in a low voice, gripping a kunai tightly and maintaining a stance that allowed him to strike at any moment.
No one answered him. The black-robed figure in the center acted as if he did not exist, paying him no heed as he calmly raised his head toward the cave above.
As he looked up, the Anbu saw the mask on his face. It was yellow with strange patterns, and only the right eye had an opening through which to see.
"Attack!" The Anbu squad captain decisively gave the order, turning into a black shadow as he charged forward, his kunai aimed straight at the opponent's throat.
Since he had no intention of answering, he was to be regarded as an enemy. Besides, anyone appearing here at a time like this deserved to be killed on sight.
This squad captain was an Elite Jonin. The distance was so short that it did not even take a second to cross, yet the man in black still did not react. The captain rejoiced inwardly. At this distance, for him to be so arrogant—even a Kage-level Expert would find it difficult to evade.
Then, a scene that shocked everyone unfolded. The Anbu squad captain passed straight through the other man, as though there had been no one there at all.
"Genjutsu? An illusion?" The thought flashed through everyone's minds at the same time. But what happened next immediately shattered that assumption.
Before the Anbu squad captain