Flaw

The eleven Ninja bandits had been wiped out. Miao tore a strip of cloth from the clothes of the bandit beneath his feet, wiped the blood from his Kunai, and slowly slipped it back into his ninja tool bag before turning around.

"Hm?" Seeing the strange looks and thoughtful expressions on Kurenai Yuhi's and Might Guy's faces, Miao's heart skipped a beat. Did they notice something? No, that can't be right. I didn't use the Rasengan. There shouldn't have been anything for them to suspect.

The Rasengan was a Ninjutsu developed by the Fourth Hokage, and its characteristics were unmistakable. It was unique within the Ninja World. Kurenai Yuhi and Might Guy certainly knew of this hand-signless Ninjutsu, so Miao had not intended to use the Rasengan during this mission, lest the Konoha Ninja discover it and draw Konoha's attention.

In truth, Miao had not realized that if someone deeply familiar with the Uchiha Clan had been present, he would already have exposed himself—someone like Kakashi Hatake.

The incomparably fierce Shuriken Technique he had used was precisely the Uchiha Family's unique Shuriken Technique, passed down through generations of the Uchiha Clan. Quite a few people had seen and marveled at the Uchiha Family's Shuriken Technique, but why could no one else learn it? Or rather, why could they not reach the Uchiha Clan's level?

Its throwing methods were exceptionally peculiar. Though difficult, they could still be figured out with enough effort and research. But more importantly, the Uchiha Clan's Shuriken Technique required the Uchiha Clan's Dojutsu Power to be executed flawlessly—the Sharingan.

Without the Sharingan, even discovering the throwing method would be useless. The perception and reaction speed of Ordinary People's eyes could never compare to the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan. Even if they learned the throwing technique, they could not perfectly bring out the power of this Shuriken Technique. Only a combat Dojutsu like the Sharingan could fully grasp a Shuriken's trajectory.

If someone extremely familiar with the Uchiha Clan had been there, they would definitely have concluded from Miao's Shuriken Technique that he might possess the Sharingan.

Miao himself had not realized this either. His father had guided him in practicing this Shuriken Technique since childhood, year after year, day after day, until it had almost become instinct. When he acted earlier, he had instinctively used the attack method he excelled at most, so he had not noticed anything improper at all.

The caravan continued onward, but the relaxed atmosphere from before had completely vanished. Might Guy no longer seemed in the mood to fool around and spent the whole time pondering something. Everyone had thoughts of their own.

Miao continued walking at the very back of the caravan. The few Konoha Chunin no longer dared show even the slightest hostility in their eyes when they looked at him. Miao's strength was right there for all to see; he was on an entirely different level from them. This was the most fundamental rule of the world: the strong preyed upon the weak. It was true not only between nations, but between people as well.

Miao was thinking too. He could clearly sense Kurenai Yuhi repeatedly glancing at him with a thoughtful look. He kept wondering where he had revealed a flaw. This was what they meant by outsiders seeing clearly while those involved remained confused.

But it did not really matter. Even if Konoha discovered something, so what? With his current strength, he did not fear Konoha. Before the Dojutsu Power of his Sharingan, no one in Konoha could defeat him One-on-One, including the Third Hokage. If they dispatched a large number of Ninja and relied on human-wave tactics, Miao would have no choice but to run. Still, they lacked the ability to keep him. Besides, weren't Uchiha Itachi and Orochimaru still living perfectly well? The possibility was small anyway. Konoha was not brain-dead.

One had Wiped out his own clan, while the other had harmed his village's Companions and used them for human experiments. Those two vicious, notorious "big shots" were still living exceedingly well. A bounty hunter like him, who had only just begun to make a name for himself, probably would not enter Konoha's line of sight. Besides, he had no direct connection to Konoha.

The caravan slowly advanced toward the Land of Lightning as time passed. Nearly a month later, the caravan successfully arrived at the post station responsible for receiving caravans in the Land of Lightning. Kurenai Yuhi submitted the Entry Procedures, while Matsumoto Akira signed his name on the mission confirmation form. The mission was complete, and Miao's bounty was finally in hand.

The journey over that month had been a Close Call overall. They encountered three or four groups of attacking Ninja or Bandits, but everyone had driven them back. Konoha alone had two Jonin, Might Guy and Kurenai Yuhi, along with three experienced Chunin. Those Bandits could not stir up any real trouble.

Miao, however, had barely taken action. He still had not figured out what about him had caught the Konoha Ninja's attention. But he knew one thing: if he acted again, Might Guy and Kurenai Yuhi would grow even more suspicious of his identity. That was not something Miao wanted to see. Besides, those Bandits were not particularly strong, so Miao did not act again for the rest of the journey.

Yet in his heart, Miao's plan for revenge against Konoha would never stop. He had not made a move yet only because he was not strong enough. Battles between Ninja were not as simple as One-on-One fights, and his target was not any single person in Konoha, but the entire village of Konoha. The hatred of his parents' deaths was irreconcilable.

But to take revenge on Konoha, he needed to find the right opportunity—an opportunity to cripple or even destroy Konoha in a single blow. Though that moment had not yet arrived, Miao already had a rough plan in mind. Still, for that plan to succeed, he needed even greater strength.