One Night

As Ueno Kei departed from that location, a figure flashed through the shadows of a large tree not far away.

Bathed in the dappled sunlight filtered through the canopy, the mysterious person was entirely shrouded in a black robe.

The mysterious figure looked up in the direction Ueno Kei had left, then flickered and vanished from the spot. Had Ueno Kei been there, he would have known that this mysterious person had used the Body Flicker Technique, causing their figure to disappear as if by magic.

It was not a true disappearance, but rather a simple burst of the user's own chakra combined with a physical boost to their taijutsu, allowing the ninja to move at such high speeds that they appeared to vanish to the naked eye of an ordinary person.

However, the Body Flicker Technique was generally only mastered by ninja at the level of Chunin or higher in the ninja world. This meant the mysterious person possessed at least the strength of a Chunin. Moreover, Ueno Kei had been training there for half a day.

Yet, he had never once sensed the presence of this mysterious person. It was worth noting that Ueno Kei's current strength was undoubtedly among the best of the Genin, perhaps even comparable to a Chunin.

The fact that he remained completely unaware of the mysterious person's presence meant that this individual's strength was far superior to Ueno Kei's, which was why such a situation had occurred.

A short while later, in another part of the forest on the western outskirts, more than a dozen suspicious figures clad in black robes gathered, their faces hidden deep within their hoods.

The mysterious black-robed figure who had been monitoring Ueno Kei was among them, and judging by his positioning, he appeared to be the leader.

"Area One, no anomalies!"

"Area Three, no anomalies!"

"Area Four..."

Several black-robed figures spoke in an orderly fashion. After they finished, the one who appeared to be the leader bowed slightly toward the figures in the center, saying in a respectful tone, "Family Head, everything has been arranged. Those people have made no changes to the settings here; everything is normal."

"Good. The original plan remains unchanged. You few will handle those Anbu. Wuyi, Wuheng, you two are to deal with everyone else in the mountains. No information must leak out. The rest of you will come with me to welcome Yun'er." The one who spoke was none other than the black-robed figure who had appeared at Ueno Kei's training ground.

His voice was low and aged, sounding bone-chillingly cold and leaving one with a very ominous feeling.

In truth, the black-robed figure who had appeared at Ueno Kei's training ground had been there to inspect the surroundings; had he discovered anything amiss, he would have canceled or altered the plan.

Initially, upon encountering Ueno Kei, he had intended to eliminate him, as the scheme their family was currently plotting was of vital importance to them.

Furthermore, once they succeeded, the entire family had to leave Konoha immediately, or they would face total annihilation. The leading black-robed figure was well aware that if their plot were discovered by Konoha's high-ranking officials, the consequences would be dire.

Even if they had caused no damage to Konoha, the village would never tolerate such a thing.

Therefore, any factor that could leak information had to be nipped in the bud. Just as he was preparing to strike and kill Ueno Kei, his body suddenly shuddered, and he pulled back the foot he had stepped forward.

It was not that the black-robed man felt any sudden mercy; rather, his chakra perception had detected a ninja approaching. The intensity of the chakra he sensed was at least at the level of a Chunin. He could have dealt with Ueno Kei silently, but handling that Chunin would not have been so simple.

If he had drawn other Konoha ninja to the scene, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Thus, he immediately concealed his presence completely until that Chunin had left his range of perception.

Only then did the black-robed man heave a sigh of relief, by which time Ueno Kei had already set off to leave.

Seeing that Ueno Kei was heading down the mountain back toward the village, the black-robed man's eyes flickered, and he abandoned the decision to pursue him. After all, he did not know what accidents might occur on the road, and Ueno Kei was already leaving the area anyway.

Not wishing to invite unnecessary trouble, the black-robed man let Ueno Kei go.

The leading black-robed man stood in place, silently contemplating the entire plan to see if there were any loopholes.

At that moment, a voice came from beside him: "Big Brother, should we reconsider?"

A shorter black-robed figure standing next to the leader spoke hesitantly. He knew it was ridiculous to abandon the plan at this stage and that it might lead to even worse results, but for some reason, he could not shake a lingering sense of dread.

After intense deliberation, he finally spoke his mind.

The leading black-robed man shifted, turning his head toward the speaker. Before he could respond, another burly black-robed figure standing on the left spoke up: "Ye Yi, what are you thinking! We've come this far, and you want to back out? Don't you think that's ridiculous? Besides, Yun'er is a rare talent of our clan; are you content to let her be trapped here by Konoha? How can you have the heart to do this? Hmph, once we rescue Yun'er, even if our clan suffers heavy losses, as long as she grows up, she will undoubtedly be a Kage-level powerhouse! Then our clan will be able to stand against those great families!"

His voice was rough, carrying a slightly savage tone. As he spoke, he pulled back his hood, revealing a resolute, square face with thick eyebrows—the look of a man who was straightforward and blunt.

"But... Konoha is also..." Ye Yi said, struggling, before his tone suddenly hardened as if he had thought of something. "Yes, everything you said is correct, but is Konoha really that simple? If we are not careful, our clan will face total destruction! Yewu, have you thought about that!"

The black-robed man named Yewu let out a disdainful laugh and sneered, "Ye Yi, no wonder Second Uncle said you weren't fit for big tasks! Always looking over your shoulder, afraid to take risks? Are you sure you aren't a three-year-old child? Hmph! Big Brother, don't listen to Ye Yi's nonsense. Our clan has no room left to retreat!"

After mocking his cousin, Yewu turned to the leader in the center and spoke with a resolute tone.

Hearing his cousin's mockery, Ye Yi's body trembled slightly. Although his robe hid his face, the look on it must have been one of extreme embarrassment after being insulted like that.

The man they called Big Brother rubbed his temples in a headache and shook his head.

He spoke, "Yewu, you don't need to worry. We have reached this point, and I will not—nor can I—back down. Everything will proceed according to the original plan! Success or failure hinges on this one move. If the heavens wish to destroy our clan, then let it be destiny."

"But, Big Brother..." Ye Yi said agitatedly.

Hearing his leader's decision, Yewu's expression relaxed, a look of joy appearing on his face. Seeing his cousin about to argue again, he glared at him, ready to say something.

He saw his leader wave a hand to stop him, and he shrank back, saying nothing more.

A flash of unease crossed the face of the leading black-robed man beneath his hood. He stared blankly at his cautious cousin and sighed silently in a voice only he could hear.

He said, "Ye Yi, I understand what you are saying, and your fourth brother understands it too. The whole clan understands. From the beginning, you opposed this with all your might, and you still oppose it now. We all know why, but we have no way back! We must make a decision. Do you understand?"