Mado Tadamori

Uchiha Zhuang continued to probe for information regarding the guards and the artifact, but Mado Shizuka only knew the surface-level details. Since she had never been to Mado Tadamori's bedchamber, she was unaware of any specifics. Uchiha Zhuang then asked about the political climate of the Land of Rain, and Mado Shizuka, true to her status as the daughter of a pillar of the state, laid out the national strategies one by one. Watching the intriguing Mado Shizuka, a thought crossed Uchiha Zhuang's mind: he wanted to abduct her and take her back to his base. He was in dire need of such high-level talent, and leaving her here would only be a waste of her potential. Uchiha Zhuang suppressed the urge. He slowly lulled Mado Shizuka to sleep, tucked her in, and then retraced his steps, heading straight for the five-story Tenshu Pavilion, the tallest and most brightly lit building to the north, just as she had described.

The security around Mado Tadamori's bedchamber was incredibly tight. There were squads of patrolling soldiers along the front, back, and side walls, and even the eaves and corners of the courtyard were filled with lurking ninjas. The ninjas on the roof possessed considerable strength; sensing them from afar, Uchiha Zhuang estimated they were at the level of Jonin. With no good plan coming to mind, Uchiha Zhuang began to grow anxious. This infiltration and assassination mission relied on speed and the element of surprise; he could not afford to waste any more time here. Hardening his resolve, Uchiha Zhuang was forced to take a desperate gamble.

Uchiha Zhuang immediately created two shadow clones. One took a large number of smoke bombs to charge the front, creating a diversion to draw away the guards in the courtyard and the surrounding patrols. While the clone made a grand display to confuse and attract the enemy, Uchiha Zhuang kept his senses locked firmly on the Jonin atop the roof. As shouts erupted throughout the vast courtyard and smoke filled the air, everyone began running about, chasing the intruder. At this moment, Uchiha Zhuang nodded to his other clone, which leaped several times to reach the base of the palace. Taking advantage of the chaos, it pushed the door open and entered. The Jonin on the roof descended with a swoosh, gripping an iron rod and striking down with force. The clone, having anticipated this, dodged the lethal blow and, without wasting words, unleashed a "Water Style: Water Bullet Technique," firing a barrage of water projectiles at the Jonin. The Jonin's movements were extremely agile; he dodged them one by one and countered with a "Fire Style: Fire Bullet Technique." Seeing this, Uchiha Zhuang's clone knew it had done enough, so it immediately turned and fled, sprinting rapidly toward the outside of the courtyard. The Jonin hesitated for a moment, pondered, and then used a Body Flicker Technique to give chase.

Uchiha Zhuang confirmed once more that there were no other ninjas nearby, then leaped and landed gracefully on the second-floor balcony. He observed his surroundings, and upon confirming it was safe, he quietly slid the door open and slipped inside. Upon entering the second floor, he saw a massive circular pink bed. Truly: Fine gauze curtains shroud the spring night, jade skin and red lips flushed with heat; one laments that the night of bliss is too short, yet one enjoys the beauty's embrace all the more. The entire second floor was a massive bedroom, furnished with carvings of dragons and phoenixes, countless gold, silver, and jade ornaments, silks and satins draped casually about, soft carpets, fragrant desks, rare beast trophies, and exotic gems and diamonds—it was extravagant beyond measure. Resisting the urge to grab a handful to take with him, Uchiha Zhuang used great willpower to suppress his greed, left the empty room, and headed toward the third floor.

As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he could hear a rhythmic thumping sound. Uchiha Zhuang stood at the corner of the staircase and listened carefully. It wasn't that he enjoyed eavesdropping, but the closer one gets to a target, the higher the risk of failure; danger was likely hidden around the target, waiting for the slightest opening to unleash a lethal strike. Uchiha Zhuang could clearly sense six women, one man, and another woman with a high energy level hiding in the corner. That woman in the corner was exceptionally calm, seemingly still cultivating her chakra! One should never disturb others when they are in a state of high mental concentration; this was a basic principle of conduct. Keeping this in mind, Uchiha Zhuang waited silently for the mighty general galloping on the battlefield to finish his bout. Sure enough, after waiting a while, Uchiha Zhuang heard the sound of heavy, ragged breathing, and then the group ceased their movements.

Uchiha Zhuang knew it was his turn to take the stage. He shed his waterproof cloak, revealing his samurai attire, and with the Streamer Red Dragon greatsword on his back, he stepped up the stairs one by one. The moment Uchiha Zhuang appeared at the top of the stairs, the woman in the corner snapped her eyes open. She stared fixedly at the intruder, her hand slowly groping for the short blade at her feet.

The middle-aged man lay flat on his back in the middle of the women, looking limp and powerless, much like a dehydrated toad. The women looked at the menacing Uchiha Zhuang and huddled together in terror, wisely choosing not to scream. Only then did the man regain his senses; he tilted his head and looked at Uchiha Zhuang askance for a moment before saying, "Your end will be to be chopped into meat paste." His tone was casual, his attitude unquestionable. Hearing the man's words, Uchiha Zhuang couldn't help but curl his lips, quickly revealing a smile. Uchiha Zhuang laughed and said, "You are Mado Tadamori, aren't you? You've lived long enough. Now, I'm going to chop off your dog head." "Temmie, baka yarou (You bastard), Ibuki, koroshite-oi-wa (Ibuki, kill him)!" The furious Mado Tadamori's face flushed red as he shrieked at the top of his lungs. The moment the words left his lips, the woman named Ibuki vanished instantly. Uchiha Zhuang was stunned for a moment and looked around, only to feel a chill run down his spine. He slowly looked down to see half a blade protruding from his body. Such speed, Uchiha Zhuang thought, secretly alarmed.

The woman, having landed her strike, relaxed her guard slightly, only to hear a whistling wind in her ears. With a bang, the man who had been stabbed turned into smoke, and a powerful, sweeping whip kick was already inches away. The woman performed a supple backbend to dodge, while simultaneously switching the short blade to her other hand and thrusting it diagonally toward the base of Uchiha Zhuang's thigh. Following the momentum of the whip kick, Uchiha Zhuang used his left foot to push off, spinning in mid-air to deliver a second sweeping kick toward the woman's arm. The woman's reaction was lightning-fast; she released the short blade, dropped her hand to avoid the fierce kick, and the blade was sent flying to the floor, where it stuck and vibrated. The woman performed several backflips to exit Uchiha Zhuang's attack range, drew another short blade, held it backhanded against her chest, and stared at Uchiha Zhuang. To be honest, this was the first time Uchiha Zhuang had encountered such an agile and high-speed ninja. If he hadn't been using his Two-Tomoe Sharingan, he certainly wouldn't have been able to dodge her attacks. The middle-aged man beside them stretched out his fists and shouted angry words, but his body was very honest as he squeezed behind the women.

In the blink of an eye, the woman threw several senbon. While Uchiha Zhuang dodged them, she pulled out a blowgun and began spitting out pitch-black poison needles. Uchiha Zhuang had sensed something was wrong the moment she brought out the blowgun. Sure enough, the poison senbon she fired were aimed at extremely tricky spots. Uchiha Zhuang dodged and weaved, and seeing the needles buried halfway into the floor, staining the surrounding wood a dark blue-black, he felt a sudden chill. Uchiha Zhuang hardened his heart—there was no other way! He had intended to face him as a samurai, but the man had gone too far. I won't pretend anymore, I'm showing my hand. He then used a "Water Style: Water Formation Wall" to block all the poison senbon aimed at him. The woman was not surprised when Uchiha Zhuang released the ninjutsu; what shocked her was that he had done so without any hand seals. This meant that as long as he wished, he could release ninjutsu at any time without any openings. A terrifying man! He must die by my hand tonight. Her internal thoughts surged, but her physical reactions remained precise and balanced.