Naka Shrine

"Hm? Who's there?"

Just then, a member of the Police Force by the door noticed him.

But immediately after, as if he had recognized the figure, he let out a long sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Oh, it's just you, Itachi. You really gave me a start."

"Are you Anbu still out on missions this late? You guys are really busy!"

Hearing this, the member beside him also relaxed instantly. He chuckled as he walked over, saying: "Haha, that's right, Itachi. Finish your mission early and go get some rest. Don't wear yourself out; after all, you are..."

Before the guard could finish his sentence, a flash of silver light cut through the night sky, and blood sprayed into the air.

Without anyone noticing, Itachi had already appeared behind the two guards.

He held a long blade in his hand, bright red blood slowly dripping from its tip.

The two guards, meanwhile, were left with nothing but deep disbelief and a bone-chilling terror in their eyes.

"Itachi... you... how could you..."

Before they could finish, their bodies collapsed straight onto the ground.

Their eyes turned hollow, their breathing ceased.

Dead on the spot.

Yet, until their consciousness faded away, they could not bring themselves to believe that Itachi would suddenly turn on them.

"..."

A silent stillness spread, accompanied by the creeping stain of scarlet blood.

In the dead of night, Itachi's Sharingan shimmered with a cold light.

He did not look at the corpses, but instead raised his blade, turned instantly, and dashed toward another house.

At this moment, high above Konoha, under the moonlight, a man stood suspended in the air.

He wore a moon-white robe with a short blade at his waist, his silver hair fluttering slightly in the wind. The mysterious fox mask on his face wore a silent, frozen smile.

At this moment, the entire layout of Konoha was laid out beneath his gaze.

He stared down, murmuring to himself: "If I remember correctly, Naka Shrine should be in that direction, by the river..."

The Naka River was a waterway that ran through the entire village of Konoha.

According to the intelligence Chen Xiaoxi had gathered, the Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine was located at the very downstream end.

Having confirmed the location, Chen Xiaoxi did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately used Flash Step to descend toward the ground.

His primary objective right now was, of course, to complete the system's side quest: to read the stone tablet of the Uchiha Clan at Naka Shrine.

As for Itachi and the Masked Man, Chen Xiaoxi already had a complete strategy in mind.

In front of the Naka Shrine, two Uchiha guards were sitting idly on the steps, chatting.

One of them took a puff of his cigarette, squinted his eyes, and sighed: "Come to think of it, I suddenly feel that young Master Itachi from the clan head's household is truly a genius who lives up to the name!"

"Hm? How so?"

"I saw him leaping across the entire Uchiha Clan compound this afternoon. That speed—it was simply beyond words! He even came by our place, too!"

"Huh? No way! Master Itachi came to the shrine?"

"That's right."

The guard who was smoking chuckled softly and said, "I imagine he was just observing the Uchiha Clan compound thoroughly so that it would be easier for him to protect us in the future!"

Hearing this, the young man beside him widened his eyes and said in admiration, "As expected of Master Itachi!"

"To think he's only thirteen years old, yet he's already so devoted to the entire clan!"

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However, the moment he finished speaking, a soft chuckle suddenly sounded from behind the two of them.

"Heh, that's a truly interesting take."

"Have you two never considered that the guy might actually be scouting the location in advance to make it easier to kill everyone later?"

"?"

As soon as the words fell, both guards were startled.

Who was speaking?

Both men were shocked and quickly turned around to look behind them.

At that sight, their blood ran cold.

They saw that, at some unknown moment, a figure dressed in moon-white stood atop the shrine roof behind them.

He wore a smiling fox mask, which appeared exceptionally eerie under the moonlight.

"Who... who are you?"

"H-how dare you speak ill of Master Itachi! How could he possibly kill anyone, hey!"

Although they were terrified, they still mustered their courage and spoke in trembling, loud voices.

In reality, they were scared to death.

They hadn't noticed how this figure had appeared at all; he was just like a ghost...

Coupled with the shrine nearby, it naturally added to the terrifying atmosphere.

At this moment, hearing their words, Chen Xiaoxi on the shrine roof simply chuckled and leaped down, having no intention of wasting more breath.

Anyway, once Itachi arrived later, they would likely find out for themselves.

Seeing Chen Xiaoxi approach, the two guards shuddered and hurriedly raised their weapons, seemingly attempting to defend themselves.

But the next moment, they suddenly discovered an invisible pressure descending from the sky!

THUD!!

At almost the exact same instant, both men slammed onto the ground on their knees!

That invisible, terrifying pressure felt as if a pair of giant hands had struck their bodies directly, making it impossible for them to even remain standing!

W-what is going on?

W-what kind of power is this?

The two guards knelt on the ground, their faces turning pale in an instant. Their eyes bulged, and they were completely stunned, sweat pouring down their faces like rain.

At this time, Chen Xiaoxi continued to speak with a smile:

"Listen well, I will only ask this once."

"Does your Uchiha Clan's Naka Shrine have a basement, and where is the entrance?"

"...!"

As soon as the words fell, both guards stiffened simultaneously.

What was happening...

The mysterious person's goal was actually to enter the shrine's basement?

However, Patriarch Fuyue had already given orders that no one was allowed to enter without his permission...

Just as the two were hesitating, Suddenly, The terrifying pressure weighing down on them grew even more intense!

"?"

"It seems you two still don't quite understand."

Chen Xiaoxi lightly raised his right hand, condensing a strand of moon-white Hollow Reiatsu. He looked toward the two guards and smiled gently:

"Controlling the force required to step over an ant without crushing it is quite difficult, you know."

After undergoing Hollowfication, Chen Xiaoxi's Reiatsu level was over five times his normal state.

Consequently, his degree of interference with reality had long since surpassed what it was before.

His emitted Reiatsu didn't even require charging to effortlessly prevent these weaklings from standing.

And at this moment, Feeling this even more terrifying pressure, the two guards were naturally scared out of their wits!

"Ah, ah, the basement is inside the second entrance of the shrine!"

"You... You only need to touch the mechanism stone outside the entrance, and, and you can open the door leading to the basement!"

With their bones nearly being crushed, the two had no mind left to dwell on the Patriarch's orders; surviving was obviously more important!

Thus, they scrambled to speak, spilling the secret.