How Deep Are the Fire Shadow's Schemes?

White Fang strode up to the headless corpse, scanned it, and then glanced at the severed head.

"Captain!" Chen He walked up to White Fang's ear and whispered a quick summary of the situation.

"Hmm." White Fang nodded after listening, then ordered, "Send the body back to the base for a detailed autopsy." After speaking, White Fang looked at Li Tong and pointed toward the woods in the distance. "Over there!"

Chen He made arrangements to have the body transported away.

Li Tong followed White Fang onto the forest path.

"Can you find the Amegakure spies within the village?" White Fang asked indifferently, his eyes beneath the mask as still as an ancient well.

"Yes, Lord White Fang!" Li Tong replied quickly. "As long as I see their faces, I might recall fragments related to them. Besides, ninjas from Amegakure are always quite distinct. After all, it is a cruel place; those who emerge from there possess certain peculiarities!"

"Hmm." White Fang responded with a nasal hum, then tilted his head to look at Li Tong. "Then, what if it were spies from other villages? Could you tell?"

Li Tong was stunned. Was White Fang overestimating him?

Although Li Tong could indeed easily identify spies from other villages, he relied on his True Sight Eye, a fact White Fang could not possibly know. Setting that aside, trying to judge someone's identity based on their behavior and demeanor was an incredibly difficult task!

It was not entirely impossible!

But it required extremely keen powers of observation and analysis!

"That... is hard to say," Li Tong paused and said. "Although spies share certain traits, the probability of misidentifying someone is high. I cannot guarantee it."

"It doesn't matter, I was just asking," White Fang replied immediately.

The two walked deeper into the woods along the path.

"Lord White Fang, regarding the matter of Hyuga Anan, what did the Hokage say?" Li Tong asked again.

"Dead men tell no tales!" White Fang said coldly. "Hyuga Anan is dead, and there is no evidence on his body to implicate anyone else. His attempt to assassinate you could have been the intent of the Hyuga Clan's upper echelons, or it could have been his own idea. Therefore, this matter can only end here!"

White Fang was clearly brushing Li Tong off!

Li Tong could feel it. While what White Fang said made sense—that there was indeed no evidence—the Hyuga Clan was different from other clans. Their rules were extremely strict; if Hyuga Anan hadn't received orders from above, he would never have acted on his own!

It was true that some people had gotten their way. Compared to the Hyuga Clan, Li Tong was just an outsider brat. Even if the Hyuga Clan really killed him, unless they were caught red-handed by the Anbu, the Hokage wouldn't do anything to the Hyuga Clan.

"However, the Hokage has already spoken with the Hyuga Clan head," White Fang suddenly added. "The Hyuga Clan will restrain themselves."

"Restrain? What does that mean?"

"Figure it out yourself."

Restraint could only mean two things: either they would stop, or they would act more covertly. White Fang hadn't told Li Tong directly, but Li Tong could sense that White Fang was warning him.

"Lord White Fang, regarding the Surrender Acceptance Plan, what exactly is..." Li Tong changed the subject and asked.

"You are just the beginning!" White Fang glanced at Li Tong. "To absorb and turn defectors, and to recruit rogue ninjas from other villages, Konoha must show sincerity so that those people believe Konoha is truly willing to accept them. And you... will be an example! A successful example. Only if you live well in Konoha and don't die can the situation open up."

"So, am I important, or am I not?" This was what Li Tong really wanted to ask.

"Important, and also not important!" White Fang replied quickly. "You are important because you are a key link in the plan. You are not important because... you can be replaced! You are not indispensable!"

"Alright then..." Li Tong shrugged.

"In the future, if you discover more Amegakure spies in the village, I have no objection if you kill them directly. If you cannot, you may request support from the Anbu ninjas protecting you in the shadows." White Fang stopped walking and turned to look at Li Tong. "Don't say I didn't warn you: remember not to be greedy for merit. Some top-tier scouts with reputations are not people you can defeat. Be careful!"

"I understand, Lord White Fang!"

"Take care of yourself!"

After a sigh, White Fang vanished from Li Tong's side.

"What exactly does this guy mean?" Li Tong muttered, looking back toward the direction of the Wild Lake before walking away quickly.

Just after Li Tong's figure disappeared at the end of the path ahead.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

White Fang and Chen He appeared out of thin air, one after the other, gazing in the direction Li Tong had left.

"Captain, is it really wise to let this kid kill Amegakure spies at will?" Chen He asked in a low, respectful voice. "If he kills the wrong person, it will be a huge mess! Besides, those genin and chunin spies, while they don't know much intelligence, still have some value..."

"An hour ago, several jonin from the Hyuga Clan secretly left Konoha. They were carrying the latest Black Market invitations," White Fang said calmly.

"Oh?" Chen He was stunned, not knowing why White Fang would suddenly mention this.

"This time, the Hyuga Clan is going to the Black Market to handle business, but besides their official tasks..." White Fang's voice paused, "...they will very likely hire Black Market assassins to resolve the trouble that is Li Tong."

"This..." Chen He was shocked.

As far as he knew, there were only three clans in all of Konoha that could obtain Black Market invitations! They were the two top clans, the Hyuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan, and the clan of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi—the Sarutobi Clan!

The Black Market was extremely mysterious, and the location changed every time it opened. If one didn't have an invitation, the chances of finding it were extremely low.

To resolve the trouble of Li Tong, the Hyuga Clan was actually going to the Black Market to hire assassins?

Was it worth it?

Chen He found it hard to believe.

"Do not underestimate the Hyuga Clan's determination to kill Li Tong!" White Fang seemed to see through Chen He's thoughts. "Hyuga Anan died at Li Tong's hands, and this matter has already spread through the village. If Li Tong doesn't die, it will damage the Hyuga Clan's reputation!"

"But this..." Chen He still couldn't quite grasp it.

"Go, keep a close eye on Li Tong," White Fang said, clearly not wanting to continue the conversation.

"Understood!" Chen He respectfully acknowledged the order, formed a hand seal, and vanished.

White Fang remained standing on the forest path, alone, his hands clasped behind his back as he gazed toward the distant sky.

Compared to Chen He's lack of understanding, White Fang found Hiruzen Sarutobi even more incomprehensible; as the Anbu Captain and Hiruzen Sarutobi's number one confidant, he still could not fathom what medicine Hiruzen Sarutobi was selling in his gourd.

The news regarding Li Tong killing Hyuga Anan had been actively spread under the direct orders of the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He seemed to be intentionally making the Hyuga Clan lose face; he was the one who spoke with the Hyuga Clan Head, and he was also the one who warned the Hyuga Clan Head not to make a move against Li Tong within the village!

This was clearly forcing the Hyuga Clan to seek outside help to resolve their trouble!

How deep the Hokage's schemes ran...

Hailed as the greatest Third Hokage in history, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a man White Fang could not see through at all!

"May fortune favor you," White Fang sighed again, then his body flickered and vanished from the spot.

He had granted Li Tong the authority to kill foreign spies at will and even asked if Li Tong could identify spies from other ninja villages, all in the hope that Li Tong could protect himself as much as possible; his true goal was not for Li Tong to kill spies, but to ensure he could survive the assassinations from the Black Market killers!