White-Clad Night Raid

Uchiha Fugaku decided to stage a coup. At that moment, the Uchiha Clan officially shifted from quietly resisting to armed rebellion.

The concern in Uchiha Fugaku's heart was overwhelmed by his desire to see his son rise to greatness.

Itachi held an important place in his eyes. Sasuke was merely an unexpected addition.

He had raised the Uchiha genius himself, training him strictly from a young age and sending him to the battlefield at just four years old. Fugaku had invested a tremendous amount of effort in him.

Only the Hokage was worthy of his position.

Fugaku was getting old. What he cared about now was his son's future and the clan's prospects.

He believed Itachi would make an excellent leader.

Baiyu had no idea he had personally worsened the friction between the village and the clan.

Before Itachi had even become a Jonin or joined the Anbu, the Uchiha had already begun plotting a coup.

This was different from the original story, where the village's relentless pressure gradually drove them toward rebellion.

Baiyu was delighted to have a hundred million in hand, but the job wasn't finished yet.

The money felt hot in his hands.

Of the three names, two were still left.

"I'll use one of the remaining two as a bargaining chip and see what resources the Third can offer! At the same time, I'll test my own strength! Just how far have I come in swordsmanship...?"

This was Baiyu's first probe, and he hadn't expected Uchiha Fugaku to be so generous.

The Third's attitude would determine which side Baiyu favored next. Could he offer a bigger stake than a hundred million?

He'd help whoever offered the bigger stake kill someone.

A Wanderer's path was simple: pay, and he'd do the job.

Everything that followed was under Baiyu's control.

When he memorized the names, Baiyu used Sword Heart to release his sword intent and mark the three men.

For a short time, he could sense where his sword intent was.

The first Uchiha Dojoma he killed had been marked by Baiyu's sword intent. The fight had been over in just fifteen minutes.

This was one way to use Sword Heart, and another way to grow stronger.

The stronger his Sword Heart, the more likely he was to grasp related sword techniques, and the less likely anything else would shake his resolve to cultivate the sword.

When Baiyu killed Uchiha Dojoma, he discovered something special about sword intent, which only strengthened his resolve to kill the remaining two.

The three men were both a test and the first step in Baiyu's plan.

If the Uchiha kept growing more arrogant, their conflict with the village would only deepen.

The clan's destruction would draw closer and closer.

The Uchiha mattered to the elderly and children under his protection. With his strength still lacking, all he could do was temporarily hold the clan back and buy time to ease tensions.

If you were about to die, what kind of death would you choose?

The Grim Reaper had come to claim a life.

Beside the hot spring house stood a place of merriment. Scarface had just finished bathing and was carrying a pile of things in his hands as he cheerfully greeted a girl by the shop.

"Hey, handsome, come have some fun! Ah! Ah!!!"

"Murder!"

The pretty girl had just greeted Scarface when she suddenly saw his head fly off. Blood splattered all over her, and she screamed in terror.

Her scream set off a chain reaction. Who knew how many people were thrown into chaos at that moment?

A chorus of curses rang out from upstairs, followed by women's tearful sobbing. Several men hurried downstairs in disheveled kimonos and saw a headless corpse lying silently at the entrance.

A terrified woman stood beside it.

"Smack! Smack!"

"Wake up! What happened? Who is he?"

A middle-aged man quickly recovered his wits. He went up to the stunned woman and slapped her cheeks as he questioned her.

The dazed woman only kept repeating, "Murder! Murder!"

In the most peaceful of places, people's guard fell to its lowest.

Even battle-hardened ninja were no exception.

Not one person knew exactly what had happened outside just now.

The woman who had witnessed everything had gone mad, and the identity of the headless corpse remained unknown.

Baiyu lifted a bag of blood-soaked objects with his wooden sword and held the Ninja Blade he had taken from his victim.

After killing an enemy marked by his sword intent, that intent flowed back into his Sword Heart, making it grow stronger.

"The longer the mark stays, the more sword intent I gain after the kill. And this man even had sword intent of his own... Can it be passed down?"

"Does that mean I can use other people to nourish my own sword intent and strengthen my Sword Heart...?"

As he guessed at the various effects of sword intent, Baiyu's eyes grew brighter.

Two down. One left.

"The quality of this pleasure district is dreadful. What a nightmare!"

Baiyu found it painful to look at. The women wore kimonos and makeup that made them look like ghosts.

"These people are such a nuisance, all lusting after my looks."

Faced with countless flirtatious glances, Baiyu was experiencing the troubles of being too handsome for the first time.

His striking appearance drew too much attention during missions. He bought a white fox mask with red markings from a shop, and only then did the blatantly seductive looks stop.

The final target was on duty at the Konoha Military Police Force. He was a Police Force squad leader. The Konoha Military Police Force had six squads in total, and three squad leaders were on duty during the night shift.

One of them—the man about to take over the shift—was Baiyu's target.

An empty lot surrounded the Police Force headquarters.

A solitary figure casually lifted an object and strolled down the deserted street.

Dressed in white, with two long swords at his waist, a white fox mask on his face, and long hair flowing behind him.

He strolled leisurely, every gesture exuding carefree elegance.

His long swords had yet to leave their sheaths, but a murderous aura radiated from him all the same.

His clothes were as white as snow, glaringly bright in the night.

A white-clad night raid. Looking cool was all that mattered.

Stealth wasn't a factor he considered.

The Wanderer's path was having more and more influence on his personality.

Recklessly courting death!

Finding life in the face of death!

"Anyone not involved, leave the area around the Police Force immediately!"

A shout rang across the open lot. The sound traveled fast, but not as fast as that flash of light.

The waning moon shone on the silver blade, its reflection stained red with blood.

The Chunin who had shouted and his two companions fell at the same time, lifeless.

Not a drop was wasted beyond the blood mist left by the blade.

A few breaths later, blood gradually stained their green flak jackets red.

The Grim Reaper had arrived!

In an instant, more than ten ninja appeared, and the air grew heavy with tension.

Everyone was on guard, facing a formidable enemy!

"Who are you?"

Uchiha Luo, a Police Force squad leader, warily eyed the mysterious figure before him.

The man had taken out three Chunin in a single move, yet he didn't carry himself like a skilled fighter.

Ninja specialized in sneaking in and killing their targets. This kind of flashy approach...

"A samurai?"

When no answer came, Uchiha Luo saw the man's appearance and attire and thought of a profession that had almost disappeared from the age.

Samurai, whose tradition lingered only in the Land of Iron.

As he searched his memory, a warm droplet touched his cheek.

What was that?

Pfft!

A head fell beside his hand. He caught it instinctively and looked down... Wasn't this his colleague, the man about to take over his shift?

Why was his head in my hands?!

Counterattack!

That was his first thought.

He immediately tossed the head aside and brought his hands together!

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

His signature jutsu erupted in an instant.

The violent gale attacked indiscriminately, briefly halting Baiyu's assault.

"I didn't get the head. Trying to kill someone and snatch the goods right in front of a group of Uchiha is too difficult."

Baiyu sighed inwardly. They both had three Tomoe, so their Taijutsu and genjutsu weren't far apart.

Aside from the Mangekyo's advantage in level, the outcome between two three-Tomoe users depended entirely on their overall abilities.

Baiyu was stronger than him, and once he used Thunder Breathing, his movement speed completely outclassed everyone else's.

But there were more than ten Uchiha here, with seven or eight pairs of Sharingan...

"Uchiha!"

Seeing a familiar pair of eyes, Uchiha Luo was shocked and furious, overwhelmed by a deep sense of humiliation.

This was betrayal!

An Uchiha!

The assassin was an Uchiha!

The Uchiha watched helplessly as the masked man left, powerless to stop him.

He had stormed the Police Force alone and taken the squad leader's life as easily as reaching into a bag.

"When did our clan produce such a powerful fighter? Why would he attack his own people?"

Uchiha Luo's mind was full of questions.

The mysterious man's sudden appearance had thrown the Uchiha's entire plan into disarray.