Failed Operation?

"What's wrong?" Xian Shadow stood up and opened the window. "Let's go take a look." He spoke to the Anbu beside him.

"Yes, sir." After answering, the Anbu jumped out the window and hurried to where the villagers had gathered. He saw three corpses. "Someone's already gotten in..." The Anbu's pupils widened beneath his mask. Panic seized him, and he quickly returned to the Honey Shadow Building.

"Lord Xian Shadow, someone's infiltrated the village. Those are the bodies of three Genin!" The Anbu hurried to report to Xian Shadow.

"What! Okita, find them at once!" Xian Shadow was startled and immediately ordered someone to sense for the intruder. Okita was the Jonin who had been standing beside Hekai earlier. He was also a sensory ninja.

Okita quickly raised two fingers and began sensing the area. But almost immediately, he looked up. "A-at the entrance!" He turned to look at the door to the Honey Shadow's office.

After disposing of the bodies, Yin Xiang had run to the Honey Shadow's office and listened to what was happening inside. Just as he was about to flee, they sensed him. The moment he was detected, Yin Xiang used the Flying Thunder God to teleport beside a Kunai in a corner of Honey Flower Village. He had no plans to retreat yet; he still wanted to take out the six remaining Genin.

"How many?" Xian Shadow immediately readied himself for battle.

"J-just one, and he's already gone." Okita froze for a moment, even wondering if he'd sensed things incorrectly. But he hadn't. There had indeed been a mass of chakra at the door just now, equivalent to that of a Jonin.

In a small country like this, Yin Xiang's chakra, which was comparable to a Chunin's in Konoha, was on par with a Jonin's here. It showed just how far this country had fallen.

"Gone?" Hekai frowned, unsure what Okita meant.

"The instant I sensed him, he disappeared," Okita said with a nod.

"Could it have been Space-Time Ninjutsu?" said an Anbu standing behind Xian Shadow. The words made all of them uneasy. Forget Space-Time Ninjutsu—even performing an S-rank technique was extremely difficult for them. Yet Yin Xiang could toss a Wind Release-empowered Lightning Style Kunai with the force of an A-rank technique.

"Get out there and find him!" Xian Shadow jumped straight out the window. The other four exchanged glances, then followed him. Honey Flower Village was suddenly in an uproar: Yin Xiang was searching for the six Genin, while the other five were searching for him.

"Found you!" A childish voice suddenly came from behind Yin Xiang. It was a girl, with five Genin beside her. She was the sensory ninja.

"You came right to me." Yin Xiang returned to his original appearance and charged forward in a single bound. The five Genin drew their Kunai and attacked him.

Yin Xiang kicked one Genin away, dodged another's Kunai, then punched a third and took the Kunai from his hand. He turned and blocked the two Kunai coming from behind, then kicked away another Genin who had attacked him from the rear with a Kunai. With a burst of strength, he shoved aside the two remaining Kunai, then slashed and killed two of the Genin.

Everything flowed seamlessly, without a hint of hesitation. The three Genin sprawled on the ground and the sensory kunoichi were all stunned. What kind of footwork was that?

"Lightning Release." A Kunai slid from Yin Xiang's sleeve, and he threw it straight at the sensory kunoichi. She saw it coming but couldn't react in time. The Lightning Style Kunai pierced her throat, and she fell to the ground with wide eyes.

The three Genin still lying on the ground were so frightened that they didn't dare move. Everyone in the street had already fled into hiding. Just as Yin Xiang was about to kill them, someone shouted at him.

"Stop!" Okita's voice came from behind Yin Xiang, and a sword came crashing down toward his head.

Yin Xiang turned and shot Okita an irritated glance, then raised a finger. Just as the sword was about to strike his head, Yin Xiang vanished before his eyes in a black flash of light.

"S-Space-Time Ninjutsu..." Okita's sword struck the ground. He stared down at the spot where Yin Xiang had been, stunned. That strike should have landed for sure. It should have cut him in half. He couldn't believe the man had simply disappeared.

Yin Xiang used the Flying Thunder God and returned to the area near the cave. Exhausted, he dropped to one knee beneath a tree and picked up the Kunai from the ground. With his current amount of chakra, he could use the Flying Thunder God six times. He had spent a lot in the earlier fight, then used it once to go to Honey Flower Village. Later, he replenished some chakra, only to use it again in battle.

Then Okita sensed him, forcing him to use the Flying Thunder God once more and expend a huge amount of chakra. That was why Yin Xiang had chosen to use Taijutsu to finish them off in the final fight. This last use of the Flying Thunder God had drained the rest of his chakra.

"Operation failed." Yin Xiang put away the Kunai and spoke quietly. He hadn't managed to kill those three Genin, so as far as he was concerned, the operation had failed. He probably didn't know how much of a commotion he'd caused in Honey Flower Village. Genin corpses had been found in every corner, and six bodies lay at the main gate. It was terrifying.

Yin Xiang swallowed a Military Ration Pill and stood up, heading for the cave. It was already late at night. When he reached the cave, he ran into Rock Lee, who was standing watch.

"Yin Xiang! You're back. How did it go? You weren't hurt, were you?" Seeing that it was Yin Xiang, Rock Lee came out of the cave.

"No." Yin Xiang shook his head. "Is everyone asleep?"

"Not yet," Rock Lee replied with a shake of his head. "Mm." Yin Xiang nodded too and went inside.

"I'm back." When Yin Xiang reached the others, he spoke softly. Then he sat down and leaned against the wall, slowly letting out a breath.

"How did it go?" The Third Hokage looked at Yin Xiang. The boy had left and returned so quickly. He'd thought Yin Xiang wouldn't be back until at least tomorrow afternoon.

"It didn't go too well. There's still a Honey Shadow in the village, along with two Anbu and two Jonin. One of the Jonin is named Okita; he's a sensory ninja. There are also three Genin left. I only managed to take out fifteen Genin on this trip. I ran low on chakra, and Okita sensed me, so I retreated."

"We were supposed to face dozens of ninjas this time. Thanks to your plan and this operation, we only have eight left to deal with. Impressive." Neji now genuinely admired Yin Xiang. He was meticulous and always planned several steps ahead. He was powerful in battle and incredibly skilled at infiltration.