The Shadow in the Forest of Death and the Merciless Lock-On of the Byakugan

The night was as deep as ink.

Moonlight was sliced into fragments by the dense, almost suffocating canopy of Konoha's Forest of Death, leaving only a few strands of pale, icy light to fall in mottled patches across the damp, rotting leaves.

The air was thick with a distinctive mixture of earthy stench and decaying vegetation, viscous as a swamp that could never be dissolved.

Three dark figures, like phantoms blending into the night, moved soundlessly through this forbidden land.

They were the Blood Wolf mercenary group, an infamous S-Rank Missing-nin team from the Black Market Bounty Station, renowned for their efficiency, brutality, and never having failed. At their head was the Mist Hidden missing-nin codenamed Kisame, skilled in Water Release assassinations. On the left was the Iwagakure missing-nin Shattered Bone, a hulking monster proficient in Earth Release Hardening. On the right was the Sunagakure missing-nin Thousand Faces, a thin puppet master skilled in poison and disguise.

"Heh, five billion ryo... The Fifth Hokage's head is certainly worth a fortune." Shattered Bone muttered in a deep voice. He had suppressed it with Chakra until it was barely audible, making it sound like muffled thunder rolling in his throat.

"Shut up, idiot." Kisame barked coldly without slowing his steps. "No matter how lousy Konoha's sensory Barrier is, this isn't a place for you to come chat."

"What are you afraid of, boss?" Thousand Faces let out a shrill laugh like a Night Owl scraping across glass. "Didn't the intel say so? The new Hokage just took office, and the Barrier Team and ANBU had serious coordination problems. These few loopholes are more than enough for us to stroll right in."

Kisame said nothing more, but his triangular eyes hidden in the darkness continued to glitter with vigilance.

As an S-Rank Missing-nin