The Girl; Mabui

At noon, a few days later.

Mu, his body sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.

The next moment, an exquisite face stood right before him.

"Mu, you're awake."

Lunch would be ready immediately.

Watching Izumi busy at work, Mu of the Uchiha finally felt a weight lift from his chest.

It seemed Izumi had finally emerged from the gloom of losing her clansmen and her parents.

I can finally set my mind at ease and start planning for the things I need.

.

After a simple lunch, Mu made an excuse to leave their shared quarters and vanished from the spot in a flash.

When he reappeared, he was already outside the room of the Third Hokage.

His powerful sensory abilities kept Mu from acting rashly.

It was currently midday; although the Third was not at home, there were quite a few ANBU guards on duty.

At the same time, this was the residence unique to the Hokage, so it was easy to guess that things inside were not so simple.

The moment his Mangekyō Sharingan activated, countless barriers formed from chakra around the house were revealed.

Sure enough, this old man's room was filled with barriers.

Getting inside shouldn't be too hard; the ability of my right eye seems to be a hard counter to these seals.

Scar of Space.

As the words left Mu's lips, the surrounding space rippled.

With a single step forward, Mu slipped directly into the Third Hokage's room.

Just as he had guessed, he hadn't triggered a single barrier.

However, seeing the scrolls surrounding him, Mu felt his heart race.

So many ninjutsu scrolls; these represented at least seventy percent of the ninjutsu Konoha had accumulated since its founding.

Yet, every bookshelf was protected by a barrier.

But I remember in the original story, that guy Naruto found the Scroll of Sealing quite easily.

Why can't my own powerful senses detect anything?

Perhaps, as I analyzed, the Third's intentions are clear; he is quite generous to Naruto, this child of prophecy.

He shook his head, pushing the thought aside.

It would be quite difficult to break all these barriers and find the Scroll of Sealing before the Third arrived.

It would be better to lure this old man away.

.

He looked toward the scorching sun outside the window.

At this hour, the experts from the other ninja villages should be arriving soon.

Mu didn't take a single scroll.

Instead, he retreated silently.

This time was just for scouting.

Once the Third left the village, that would be the best time to strike.

.

With that thought in mind, he attached a note to a shuriken and flicked it onto the desk in the Hokage's office.

Several ANBU ninjas and the Hokage's guards were startled.

"Who is it?"

But when they chased outside, they found no trace of anyone.

"Hokage-sama, there is no one outside."

"Then where did this kunai come from?"

"Hmph. It was an expert; even I didn't notice them."

"Very well, stand down!"

He finished speaking and picked up the note attached to the kunai.

Seeing the content, the Third furrowed his brows deeply.

"Quickly, have the scout ninjas confirm if this information is true."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage's guard took the note, frowned, and said nothing more.

He immediately vanished, heading toward the southeast.

Mu followed closely behind these men.

The Scar of Space ability is truly useful; it is no less capable than Obito's Kamui, and perhaps even stronger.

With my current Kage-level strength, the basic Scar of Space can actually fold space nine times, covering a range of several hundred meters in one go.

Although the drain is significant, it is well worth it.

Whether for combat, traveling, or hiding, it is truly excellent.

.

Elsewhere, in a dense mountain valley, four Kage-level powerhouses, over a dozen elite jonin, and hundreds of jonin had gathered.

The number of other chunin was countless.

At this moment, Mu stood on a treetop several kilometers away, his Sharingan peering through the gaps in the dense forest toward the valley.

Suddenly, a beautiful figure stood out from the crowd like a crane in a flock of chickens, catching Mu's eyes.

That girl is... Mabui.

According to the current timeline, she should only be fourteen or fifteen.

At such an age, she had already blossomed into a graceful young woman. She was even more mature than that girl Izumi.

I never expected the Lightning Shadow to bring her along this time.

It's a pity I don't have a Super Idol Card.

But even if I did, I would still need to build some connections with them; that would ensure a higher chance of success.

Beside the girl, that burly giant was none other than the Lightning Shadow, Ay.

His thick, sturdy frame and height of over two meters gave off a terrifying aura that exerted intense pressure.

Next to the Lightning Shadow stood a figure with a face remarkably similar to his own.

Only his height was slightly inferior; this was Killer Bee.

The Earth Shadow, Onoki of the Two Scales, hovered in mid-air, his gaze fixed on the Lightning Shadow.

"The guy beside you..."

"This is the jinchuriki of Gyuki."

"You actually brought a jinchuriki out with you."

"Hmph, I didn't want him to come; this guy followed me on his own," he said, smashing a fist directly onto Killer Bee's head.

"Big Brother, show some respect. There are people here; let's settle this when we get back."

"Besides, I'm not the only jinchuriki. Look at that brat over there; he's one, too."

As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone turned their eyes to the right.

"Yagura Karatachi, the Three-Tails jinchuriki, you have come in person as well."

"It seems Konoha is doomed this time."

But Yagura Karatachi said nothing.

He stood there steadily, motionless, like a marionette.

However, no one knew that a masked man with one eye stood on a treetop not far away, staring intently at the Fourth Water Shadow, Yagura Karatachi.

The goal this time was to scout Konoha's current combat strength.

That Kage-level expert who appeared suddenly—I must find out just how many more Konoha has.

After the masked man finished these words, Yagura Karatachi gave an imperceptible nod.

The atmosphere grew slightly awkward.

The Earth Shadow spoke up:

"When does the plan start?"

The Lightning Shadow unclenched his large hand, looking toward the direction of Konoha.

"Two hours from now."

"By then, the sky will have just darkened. Everyone will have finished dinner and let their guard down."

"Good, we'll set it for then."

As soon as the Earth Shadow finished speaking, a kunai flew from out of nowhere and embedded itself into a nearby boulder.

A kunai.

"Who's there?"

It was impossible for anyone to be within a kilometer. Our men had long since surrounded the area for a kilometer in every direction. Furthermore, I hadn't sensed a single trace of chakra.

"It's an expert."

"Lord Earth Shadow, Lord Lightning Shadow."

Suddenly, three figures were slowly approaching our position. They were reconnaissance ninjas from Konoha.

Could they have already discovered our plan?

The Earth Shadow stroked his beard and spoke. No, if he had sent people to scout, it meant we hadn't been exposed yet. Keep these few here! It seems we can't wait until dark. We'll catch them off guard before Konoha has a chance to prepare.

The Lightning Shadow laughed upon hearing this. "Fine!"

With that, nearly a thousand men quickly surrounded the three. Before the three figures even understood what was happening, they were blasted to dust by the powerful ninjutsu of the Lightning Shadow and the Earth Shadow.

But suddenly, Killer Bee frowned deeply. The Eight-Tails sensed an extremely subtle spatial fluctuation. One of the three scouts from a moment ago had vanished into thin air.

What? Vanished into thin air? This is no time for jokes.

Brother, do I look like I'm joking?

The Earth Shadow's brow furrowed as well. He signaled for the scouts behind him to act immediately.

Sure enough, within just a few breaths, the report came in. "Lord Earth Shadow, someone did indeed appear on the left side just now, but they vanished suddenly as well."

What kind of ninjutsu could make someone disappear into thin air?

This won't do. We can't let Konoha get the news first. If they are prepared, our surprise attack will be difficult to pull off. Move, increase speed. We must launch the assault on Konoha before that person returns.

The group quickly dispersed through the forest, heading toward Konoha village.

Standing on a treetop, Mu held an unconscious young man in his right hand. Watching the figures rapidly advancing several kilometers away, the corner of his mouth curled into a smile.

"Decisive, aren't you? But you aren't as fast as I am."

At the same time, the Third Hokage sat in his office, his brow furrowed deeply. An hour had passed, and there was still no news. It seemed something unexpected had occurred.

"Notify the reconnaissance squad. Send more people to investigate."

No sooner had the words left his lips than a familiar figure entered the Third Hokage's field of vision.

"Lord Hokage. I just encountered the Lightning Shadow, the Earth Shadow, and a group of several hundred men about twenty miles out. Before we could even react, the other two were killed instantly. Only I was brought to the village gate by an inexplicable force."

Hearing this bizarre account, the Hokage didn't ponder for long. He simply addressed those around him, "Notify the Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame, and Inuzuka clans. Depart immediately. We must intercept the enemy outside the village, otherwise, it will cause great damage to the village. Go!"

Within just one minute, each clan dispatched several elite jonin and over a dozen jonin. The heads of each clan were all joining the battle. At the same time, the Third Hokage led the team himself.

"How far is the enemy from the village?"

"Lord Hokage, less than ten miles."

"Good. Move out."

Sensing that the Third Hokage had left with a group of experts, Uchiha Mu's figure instantly appeared in the Third Hokage's office. His gaze swept continuously over the scrolls on the desk.