Unwelcome Guests

Under the moonlight, twenty or thirty ninjas were darting through the forest. Although they wore the attire of Konoha Village, they did not look like people from the Land of Fire; several of them had noticeably tanned skin.

However, their destination was undoubtedly Konoha Village, as the forest they were currently in was the final barrier leading to Konoha. Moreover, they seemed very familiar with the defensive layout here, bypassing every single trap one by one.

"Captain."

A young ninja looked toward the middle-aged man beside him, the commander-in-chief of this operation.

"I still feel this operation is unnecessary. Even if we succeed, there won't be enough time to bring the target back to our country. In the end, it will only benefit others."

"The higher-ups have given the order; we simply follow it."

The burly man turned his head to look at his subordinate.

"In this line of work, you don't get to choose what you like or dislike."

"If that's the case, let's just kidnap the target and leave immediately. If we reach the destination early, we can use the Reverse Summoning."

"That won't do. Both sides are the focus of this mission. By comparison, the other side is easier, and the effect is absolute. Even if we can't successfully kidnap the person, the other one must be killed."

He patted the young man on the shoulder.

"I'll leave this task to you. After killing the target, leave immediately. Don't waste time."

"Understood."

Although he was still dissatisfied with the mission, the young man obeyed the order and nodded. With a turn of his feet, the group of ninjas split into two, with one group led by him leaping off in another direction.

Soon, the entire group had crossed the forest, and tranquility returned to the area.

After another half-hour, several dark shadows appeared on the trees without any warning. They all wore masks, and this attire was enough to reveal their identities.

"Go report to Lord Danzo that the rats have already entered."

A voice so cold it didn't sound human came from beneath one of their masks.

"Notify the others: after the enemies enter the village, no one is to act rashly until they make a move."

"Yes!"

With a few whooshes, these ninjas also vanished completely. This time, the forest truly returned to silence.

At this moment, Qi had just finished his training and returned to his apartment not long ago.

"Exhausted..."

He kicked the door open and, feeling somewhat drained, tossed the bag containing his Kunai and shuriken onto the floor, "conveniently" closing the door with his foot at the same time.

It wasn't that he didn't want to clean up, but he was truly too tired. He decided to take a shower first and lie on the bed to soothe his fatigued muscles.

"Splash..."

Ever since he became a ninja, Qi's way of bathing had become very simple; he didn't need hot water or a bathtub, two large wooden barrels were enough.

Soon, he lay on the bed as he had wished.

Although, he was still "fully armed"...

There was no helping it; this was a habit he had formed back in the Land of Water. Even when sleeping, he would keep all his equipment ready so he could fight at any moment. He hadn't even taken off his shoes when he got into bed, though he had wiped the soles clean while bathing.

The only things not on his person were probably those two short blades; after all, he couldn't very well sleep with them strapped to his back...

"What a huge moon..."

Tilting his head, Qi looked at the moon outside the window. The moon in this world seemed a bit oversized, and its reflected light was quite intense; Qi's entire room was illuminated brightly by the moonlight.

Sun-ball, it really is a huge moon. Just looking at it is stressful. I just wonder if this world has something like the Mid-Autumn Festival...

"How stupid, what am I thinking about..."

Suddenly, he sighed and turned over.

"I can never go back anyway, why think about these things..."

He didn't know when it happened, but he gradually drifted into a dream. Perhaps because he was too tired, he actually let out a soft snore...

Because the bag containing his ninja tools had been tossed onto the floor, several Kunai and shuriken were scattered about. With their owner having no intention of cleaning them up, they remained exposed to the air, casting a chilling, ghostly blue reflection under the moonlight.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the floor and grabbed a Kunai. Soon after, an entire human figure emerged from the ground and stood in the center of the room.

Without a word, he walked softly to the bedside, not making even the slightest sound throughout the entire process.

Suddenly, the person's movements stopped because Qi had turned over again, putting him facing the window and with his back to this intruder.

"..."

The intruder's face remained expressionless, as if he felt no emotional fluctuation despite the conditions for his strike becoming even better. He simply raised the Kunai, and this time, it wasn't just reflecting light; it had been coated with a layer of purple paint at some point.

Just as he was about to reach Qi's side step by step, Qi's snoring suddenly stopped! At almost the exact same moment, the person who was about to reach Qi vanished entirely!

"Ugh..."

With a stiff motion, Qi sat up from the bed, though he wore a pained expression.

"So hungry. Did I not eat dinner today?"

His stomach let out a strange growl in perfect synchronization...

"No choice... I'll make some instant noodles. Come to think of it, since this godforsaken place has instant noodles, why didn't they just come up with fast food..."

Muttering words that almost no one in this world could understand, Qi rolled off the bed, rubbing his stomach as he walked toward the kitchen.

This path, however, happened to pass right by the spot where the uninvited guest had just vanished.

A pair of eyes was currently locked onto Qi as he approached step by step. In the eyes of their owner, Qi, having just woken up, seemed somewhat groggy; more importantly, Qi's weapons—those two short blades—were resting against the wall!

Finally, Qi drew near, close enough that the intruder could trip him with a mere extension of a foot, and at last, he made his move.

The Kunai, its form hidden by the effects of ninjutsu, made not a single sound, yet it defied all logic as it slashed toward Qi's neck at an incredibly high speed!

Those eyes finally revealed a smile, for he had clearly seen his poison-coated Kunai slice across his target's neck, and the familiar sensation of resistance transmitted through the blade confirmed that he had indeed cut into living flesh.

"Sss!"

First, a thin line of blood appeared on Qi's neck, and soon, blood sprayed from the gash. Qi's expression didn't even have time to shift into shock before his eyes lost their luster, and his entire body collapsed onto the floor with a thud.

"Too simple!"

The intruder finally revealed his form. He was a ninja dressed in Konoha shinobi attire, though the reason he wore it was, naturally, that he was not a Konoha ninja at all...

Casually tossing aside the blood-stained Kunai, the ninja kicked the body of Qi lying prone on the ground. Of course, it was already a corpse, even though blood continued to gush out, pooling and spreading across the floor...

"And here I thought he was some remarkable fellow, but he's just this kind of ghost... Forget it, this makes things easier for me."

He wore a satisfied smile, intending to leave and rendezvous with his companions for the next mission.

"Pfft!"

Once again, the sound of flesh being pierced by a sharp blade rang out. Because the room was so quiet, the sound of the blade sinking into flesh was exceptionally clear...

"Ugh..."

Feeling a sharp, intense pain in his chest, the ninja looked down in confusion, only to see a blade tip protruding directly out from his own chest!

"How... that's impossible..."

"There is no such thing as impossible in this world, is there, guest from Iwagakure..."

Qi's voice emerged from behind him, laced with mockery.

"This trick of yours is truly stale. Back when I was a refugee in the Land of Water, the Kirigakure ninjas used it on me many times."