Just as Amada's katana was about to come down, Moi managed to recover under the threat to his life.
He hurriedly raised his kunai, trying to block the strike.
However, the moment he looked up, his eyes met Amada's Sharingan.
In an instant, a strange force invaded Moi's mind.
His arrogance began to swell wildly, and a voice echoed in his head:
"I'm a genius ninja from Kumogakure. I became a Special Jōnin at a young age. Given enough time, I could even become Raikage! My opponent is just a low-ranking Chunin. His attack isn't worth blocking. The Lightning Armor I just learned is enough to stop any attack!"
Under the control of this twisted arrogance, Moi actually gave up on blocking or dodging,
and simply stood where he was, letting Amada's katana strike him.
But the moment Amada's golden Lightning Release touched his Lightning Armor,
the defense Moi had been so proud of was torn apart as easily as paper.
Golden lightning pierced his body like a blade, and Amada's katana cut cleanly across his chest.
"Pfft!"
Blood gushed out, and Moi's body crashed heavily to the ground.
Only then did he break free of Amada's "Frenzy" Dojutsu.
His eyes filled with confusion and disbelief as he murmured:
"Why didn't I... dodge or block?"
But there was no answer to that question.
Moi's consciousness quickly faded. A final glimmer of unwillingness flashed in his eyes, and then his life ended.
Amada stood beside Moi's corpse.
His Sharingan slowly closed, and the golden lightning gradually faded.
He knew that although the battle was over, he was still in danger.
The other Cloud Village ninja could arrive at any moment, and he had to get out of there as soon as possible.
Amada quickly made a few small adjustments to Moi's corpse, then turned and left.
But he didn't continue toward the Land of Iron.
Instead, he changed course and raced toward the border of the Land of Fire.
"The Cloud Village ninja already know I was heading toward the Land of Iron. I killed one of their men on the way, so they'll be even more determined to pursue me in that direction."
As he traveled, Amada calmly analyzed the situation.
"That means the route to the Land of Fire will be safer."
Meanwhile, a squad of Cloud Village ninja arrived at the valley where Amada and Moi had fought.
When they saw Moi's corpse on the ground, the leader's expression darkened.
"Moi, you idiot!" the leader said through gritted teeth.
"I told you ages ago to get rid of that arrogance, but you wouldn't listen! And now you've paid for it with your life!"
He was furious about Moi's death.
The other Cloud Village ninja stood by in solemn silence, not daring to say a word.
One of them stepped forward, intending to retrieve Moi's corpse so it could be dealt with later.
The others continued toward the Land of Iron, apparently convinced that Amada was still on the run.
But the instant the ninja reached for Moi's corpse,
the leader suddenly heard a faint sizzling sound, as if something were burning.
His expression changed at once, his pupils shrinking as he instinctively shouted:
"Scatter! Get away!"
But it was too late.
"Boom—!"
Several Explosive Tags hidden beneath Moi's corpse detonated at once, and the tremendous force sent the surrounding rocks and trees flying.
Moi's corpse was blown to pieces in the explosion.
The Cloud Village ninja standing closest had no time to react. The blast knocked him off his feet,
and his body was mangled by the explosion. He hit the ground, clearly beyond saving.
The leader leaped away at the last possible moment, barely escaping the blast's center,
but the shock wave still sent him stumbling backward and left him with several scrapes.
Once he regained his balance, he stared at the carnage, fury and regret filling his eyes.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
The leader gritted his teeth, his voice shaking with barely contained rage. He was clearly on the verge of losing his mind.
He spun around and roared at the remaining ninja:
"Keep pursuing him! I want him dead! Whatever it takes, find him!"
His voice brimmed with murderous resolve.
At the captain's command, the other Cloud Village ninja quickly regained their composure and raced after Amada toward the Land of Iron.
The leader remained where he was, his expression dark.
He realized that his opponent wasn't an ordinary Chunin but an extremely cunning enemy.
"Whoever you are, I won't let you get away!"
The leader muttered under his breath, his voice full of cold killing intent.
Meanwhile, Amada was racing toward the Land of Fire at full speed.
Two days later, Amada finally returned to Konoha.
His clothes were in tatters, and he looked utterly battered.
The moment he saw the Konoha Gate, the tension he'd been holding finally eased.
"I finally made it back..."
The mission had been far more dangerous than he'd expected.
If he hadn't been cautious, he would have died on the border of the Land of Lightning.
He didn't waste any time and went straight to the Anbu's secret base.
At the base, Amada gave the Anbu commander a detailed account of the mission.
After listening, the commander furrowed his brow, clearly surprised by the unexpected turn of events.
"I didn't expect this to happen."
He was silent for a moment, then looked up at Amada and asked:
"What do you think? What's your take on what happened?"
Amada thought it over, then calmly analyzed the situation:
"There are only two possibilities. Either our spy was turned by the Cloud Village, or his identity was exposed and he was captured by them. Either way, the spy's identity has been compromised, which is why the Cloud Village ninja set an ambush ahead of time."
The commander nodded and considered this for a moment before saying:
"You can go. Sorry for the trouble. Get some rest for a couple of days. I'll handle this."
Amada said nothing more. He simply nodded, then turned and left the Anbu base.
The Anbu commander immediately went to the Hokage's office and reported the details of the mission to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
After the commander left, Hiruzen sat alone in the Hokage's office, lost in thought.
The mission going wrong wasn't important. Things like this happened often enough.
But why had this mission been assigned to Uchiha Amada?
Normally, a high-risk mission involving infiltration and a rendezvous should have gone to a more experienced Anbu member,
not a newcomer who had only just joined the Anbu.
Hiruzen's thoughts ultimately settled on one person—Danzo.
"Danzo, you've gone too far."
Hiruzen muttered under his breath, a complex look flashing through his eyes.
He knew Danzo had always used ruthless methods,
but he hadn't expected him to interfere so brazenly in the Anbu's mission assignments this time.
He resolved to himself:
"I have to tighten my control over the Anbu. I can't let Danzo get his hands in there."
Meanwhile, Amada had returned home.
He took a hot shower and changed into clean clothes, finally relaxing.
His thoughts turned back to the battle with the Cloud Village ninja.
The "Qi" inside him could actually fuse perfectly with Lightning Release chakra, greatly increasing the power of his techniques.
This unexpected discovery was a huge surprise.
Before you continue