Counter-kill

Just as Amada's katana was about to descend, Moi, under the threat of death, barely managed to adjust himself.

He hurriedly raised his kunai, attempting to block the strike.

However, the moment he looked up, his gaze locked with Amada's Sharingan.

In an instant, a bizarre power invaded Moi's mind.

His arrogance began to swell uncontrollably, and a voice echoed repeatedly in his head:

"I am a genius ninja of Kumogakure, having become a Special Jonin at such a young age. In time, becoming the Raikage is a distinct possibility! And the opponent is merely a low-level Chunin; his attacks are not worth blocking. The Lightning Armor I just learned is enough to withstand any attack!"

Dominated by this twisted sense of arrogance, Moi actually abandoned all attempts to block or dodge.

He simply stood in place, letting Amada's katana slash toward him.

However, the moment Amada's golden Lightning Release touched the Lightning Armor, Moi's pride-and-joy defense was torn apart as easily as paper.

The golden lightning pierced his body like a sharp blade, and Amada's katana sliced through his chest without the slightest resistance.

"Puchi!"

Blood sprayed out, and Moi's body collapsed heavily to the ground.

Only at this moment did he break free from the influence of Amada's Frenzy ocular technique.

His eyes were filled with confusion and disbelief as he muttered to himself:

"Just now... why did I neither dodge nor block?"

However, there was no longer an answer to that question.

Moi's consciousness faded rapidly, a final flash of resentment crossing his eyes before he lost his life completely.

Amada stood beside Moi's corpse.

His Sharingan slowly deactivated, and the golden lightning gradually dissipated.

He knew that although this battle had ended, his danger had not yet passed.

Other Kumogakure ninjas could arrive at any moment, and he had to leave as quickly as possible.

Amada performed a few quick actions on Moi's corpse, then turned and sped away.

However, he did not continue toward the Land of Iron.

Instead, he changed his direction and sprinted toward the border of the Land of Fire.

"The Kumogakure ninjas already know I headed toward the Land of Iron, and since I killed one of their men on the way, they will surely be even more determined to pursue me there."

Amada analyzed calmly while on the move, "In this way, the road to the Land of Fire has become the safer route."

Meanwhile, a squad of Kumogakure ninjas arrived at the valley where Amada and Moi had fought.

When they saw Moi's corpse on the ground, the face of the lead ninja turned incredibly grim.

"That idiot Moi!" the lead ninja said through gritted teeth, "I told him time and again to get rid of his arrogance, but he wouldn't listen! Now look, he's gone and lost his life!"

He felt extremely irritated by Moi's death.

The other Kumogakure ninjas stood to the side, their expressions solemn, none daring to say a word.

One of the ninjas stepped forward, intending to retrieve Moi's body for later processing.

The others continued to pursue toward the Land of Iron, clearly believing that Amada was still on the run in that direction.

However, the moment that ninja reached out to touch Moi's corpse, The lead ninja suddenly heard a faint "hissing" sound, like something burning.

His expression changed instantly, his pupils contracted sharply, and he shouted almost instinctively:

"Scatter! Get back!"

However, it was already too late.

"BOOM—!"

Several explosive tags hidden beneath Moi's corpse detonated simultaneously, the massive shockwave instantly blowing away the surrounding rocks and trees.

Moi's body was blown to pieces in the explosion.

The ninja closest to him had no time to react and was directly flipped over by the blast wave, His body left bloodied and mangled, lying on the ground with no chance of survival.

The lead ninja jumped away at the last possible second, barely avoiding the center of the blast, But he was still sent stumbling back by the air pressure, sustaining several abrasions.

After steadying himself and looking at the carnage before him, his eyes were filled with fury and regret.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

The lead ninja gritted his teeth, his voice laced with irrepressible fury; he was clearly on the verge of madness.

He spun around abruptly and roared at the remaining ninjas:

"Keep chasing! I want him dead! No matter the cost, you must find him!"

His voice was filled with killing intent and absolute resolve.

Upon hearing their captain's order, the other Cloud Village ninjas immediately regained their composure and sped off toward the Land of Iron with everything they had.

The lead ninja stood where he was, his gaze dark and gloomy.

He realized that the person he was facing was not some ordinary chunin, but an incredibly cunning opponent.

"No matter who you are, I will not let you go!"

The lead ninja muttered to himself, his tone dripping with cold, murderous intent.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Amada was already traveling at full speed toward the Land of Fire.

Two days later, Uchiha Amada finally returned to Konoha.

His clothes were tattered and ruined, and he looked utterly disheveled.

The moment he saw the gates of Konoha, his tightly wound nerves finally began to relax.

"Finally back..."

This mission had been far more dangerous than he had anticipated.

If he hadn't been cautious enough, he likely would have been buried at the border of the Land of Lightning.

He did not delay, heading straight for the secret base of the Anbu.

Inside the base, Uchiha Amada provided a detailed report of the mission to the Anbu Captain.

The Captain's brows furrowed as he listened, clearly surprised by the unexpected turn of events.

"I never expected something like this to happen."

He remained silent for a moment before looking up at Uchiha Amada and asking:

"What is your take? Do you have any thoughts on this matter?"

Uchiha Amada pondered for a moment before calmly analyzing the situation:

"There are only two possibilities. Either our mole was turned by the Cloud Village, or his identity was exposed and he was captured. Regardless of which it is, the mole's cover has been blown, which is why the Cloud Village ninjas were able to set an ambush in advance."

The Captain nodded, musing for a moment before saying:

"You may go back now; you've worked hard. Get some rest for two days, and I will handle this matter."

Uchiha Amada didn't say anything more, simply nodding before turning to leave the Anbu base.

Afterward, the Anbu Captain immediately headed to the Hokage's office to report the details of the mission to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Once the Anbu Captain had left, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat alone in the Hokage's office, lost in deep thought.

--The mission going wrong was not the issue; such things happened often enough.

The real question was, why had this mission been assigned to Uchiha Amada?

Under normal circumstances, a high-risk mission involving infiltration and contact should have been handled by a more experienced Anbu member, not a newcomer who had just joined the Anbu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's mind eventually settled on one person—Danzo.

"Danzo, you have gone too far."

Hiruzen Sarutobi muttered to himself, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

He knew that Danzo's methods were always ruthless, but he had not expected him to interfere so blatantly in the assignment of Anbu missions this time.

He made a silent decision:

"I must strengthen my control over the Anbu; I cannot let Danzo's hand reach in here."

Meanwhile, Uchiha Amada had already returned home.

He took a hot shower and changed into clean clothes, finally feeling his entire body relax.

His thoughts drifted back to the scene of his battle against the Cloud Village ninjas.

The "Qi" within his body had actually fused perfectly with the Lightning Style chakra, significantly increasing the power of his ninjutsu.

This accidental discovery was, without a doubt, a massive surprise.