Infiltration

Night fell, and the snowfield grew terrifyingly quiet, with only the howling wind to be heard.

The caravan did not continue onward. Even if the people could endure it, the pack beasts could not. Traveling through the snow drained them greatly, and rest was necessary.

Everyone sheltered inside the carriages to rest, with guards taking turns standing watch in each one.

Bright moonlight fell upon the snow, turning the ground into a vast expanse of white that glimmered faintly. Everything around them was visible at a glance.

In such an environment, even bandits probably would not launch a night raid.

Everyone thought so. Even the sentries felt that keeping watch was somewhat unnecessary.

Of course, that was only what they thought. Though they had grown a little lax, they were not foolish enough to abandon their watch entirely!

Their lives and possessions were at stake!

"Hey, Kobayashi! What are you looking at?" A voice suddenly rang out from within a quiet carriage.

"So it's Nakamura!" Kobayashi, the guard on watch, shuddered. Turning around, he saw a companion in black calling to him and complained, "Why aren't you asleep yet? You scared me!"

"What are you looking at?" Nakamura asked again.

He had tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Then he suddenly noticed Kobayashi peering outside the carriage.

"I thought I heard something just now! A rustling sound! But I didn't see any movement outside!" Kobayashi said curiously.

"Maybe you're too tired. You're hallucinating and misheard it," Nakamura said casually.

"Really?" Kobayashi was still doubtful.

"Forget it, forget it! Go get some sleep. I'll take over the watch. I can't sleep anyway!" As he spoke, Nakamura pulled Kobayashi aside and moved to the carriage entrance himself.

Kobayashi had not imagined it. Someone truly had infiltrated the camp.

Kobayashi had seen nothing because the intruder had entered from beneath the snow. The rustling he heard had been the sound of someone digging through it.

Under the night sky and above the white snow, a white figure silently burst out from beneath a carriage.

That carriage was the largest and sturdiest one in Qing Shi's caravan. It was also Qing Shi's private carriage.

The white figure moved swiftly, slipping into the carriage in the blink of an eye.

The two guards at the carriage door only felt a breeze brush across their faces before their throats were slit and their breaths cut short.

The intruder entered the carriage and immediately saw a fat figure lying on its side with its back facing inward.

"Leader Qing Shi, it's been a long time." A cold voice sounded beside Qing Shi.

Along with it came a white figure—the vice leader of the Red Ant Bandit Group.

"Likewise, likewise!" The reply was not Qing Shi's terrified voice as expected, but that of an unfamiliar young man.

"Who exactly are you?" The vice leader tightened his grip on his Kunai, assuming a defensive stance as he asked warily.

A wisp of white smoke dispersed, and Qing Shi's plump figure transformed into that of a young man.

"I was planning to catch a couple of little rats, but I never expected to catch a big one instead! May I ask which of the two leaders you are?" Yizhe replied in a cold voice.

After warning Qing Shi that day, Yizhe had transformed into Qing Shi and waited for his prey. He had thought catching two assassins would be enough, but the Red Ant Bandit Group's leader had personally come instead.

It truly surprised him.

Perhaps they believed dealing with an ordinary caravan leader would be too easy, so only one of them had come. Had both come together, Yizhe would likely have considered retreating long ago.

Fortunately, only one had come. That gave Yizhe the chance to defeat them one at a time!

"Transformation Technique? You're a ninja! Are you the one who killed Kazekaze?" The vice leader immediately realized that the youth transformed into Qing Shi was the young ninja he hated to the bone.

"May I ask your name?" Yizhe asked calmly.

"Remember this. The one killing you is the Red Ant Bandit Group's vice leader—Furukawa Muchi!"

The middle-aged man's eyes reddened as he roared and lunged at Yizhe.

"Revenge won't come so easily!"

Yizhe chuckled softly. With a casual palm strike, he knocked aside the Kunai in Furukawa Muchi's right hand, slipped past him, and moved behind his back. Then he drove an elbow into Furukawa Muchi's waist, staggering him.

Furukawa Muchi rolled with the blow, turning his angle of view as he threw several Shuriken to force Yizhe back, then swiftly scrambled to his feet.

Unexpectedly, after suffering such a minor setback, Furukawa Muchi reined in his furious expression and became solemn.

As expected of a battle-hardened bandit leader! He had recovered his fighting state so quickly!

Yizhe was secretly startled.

He had originally intended to keep provoking Furukawa Muchi, then seize an opportunity to find a flaw and kill him. Now, it seemed taunting him would no longer work.

The two faced each other, neither making another move.

This kid is a little faster than me. If we fight at close range, I'll probably be at a disadvantage! And according to the medical ninja who treated Kazekaze, Kazekaze's injuries were caused by a series of fierce taijutsu attacks.

It seems this kid excels at taijutsu! I need to be careful and avoid clashing with him in taijutsu as much as possible, lest I fall into his trap! Furukawa Muchi guarded himself while thinking.

The greatest remaining threat of the Red Ant Bandit Group was the existence of its two ninja leaders. If he could take down the vice leader here in one stroke, the rest would be nothing to worry about.

Yizhe silently made up his mind to give everything he had and leave Furukawa Muchi here for good.

Suddenly, Furukawa Muchi fired two more Kunai from across from him, though something seemed to be attached to their ends.

"Not good! Explosive Tags!"

Yizhe cried out and used the Body Flicker Technique to leap out of the carriage.

Boom—boom—

Two deafening explosions shattered the silence of the night, and a ball of fire lit up the vast white snowfield.

"What happened?!" Numerous guards rushed out and immediately spotted the burning carriage.

Such a huge disturbance woke everyone in the caravan. No one could sleep any longer!

"Don't interfere! Spread out and surround the area! Don't let him escape!"

Yizhe shouted. Ordinary warriors could not be of much use against a ninja and would instead get in the way.

Therefore, unless it was absolutely necessary, he had no intention of letting these warriors throw away their lives for nothing.

The "sturdy" carriage where Yizhe had been was blown to pieces, with burning fragments scattered all around.

Qing Shi had said his carriage was the finest and sturdiest in the entire caravan, but its materials were merely a little better than ordinary wood. That was all.

It was hardly surprising that two Explosive Tags had blasted it to pieces.

Though the carriage was not large, the force of two Explosive Tags was enough to cover the entire interior. Yet Yizhe did not believe Furukawa Muchi would die so pathetically at his hands.

Sure enough, Yizhe saw an earthen wall standing behind the firelight, with a white figure atop it.

It seemed Furukawa Muchi had used Earth-Style: Earth-Style Wall to block the Explosive Tags.

However, his formerly white clothes now bore plenty of black ash and ragged tears. Apparently, he had not completely blocked the force of the explosion and had been caught by some of it.

He would rather injure himself than use Explosive Tags at such close range.

It seemed Furukawa Muchi wanted to widen the distance between them. Yizhe quickly saw through his intentions.

"Judging from Furukawa Kazekaze's injuries, he must have made some guesses about me. That's why he's so wary of letting me get close," Yizhe sighed.