"Your yoga?"
Qingxue Uchiha's exquisite face was cold. Seeing that she had been discovered, she immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to descend.
She seemed to see Ino's figure overlapping with those of the girls who had liked Yemu in her previous life.
But those girls had all met the same end.
They had either knelt and begged for mercy or sunk into the sea.
"Ino, how are your injuries from earlier today?"
A friendly smile appeared on Qingxue Uchiha's pretty face.
She walked over of her own accord.
"Uh..."
For some reason, seeing Qingxue Uchiha's gentle expression made Ino Yamanaka's scalp prickle.
Qingxue Uchiha usually looked so aloof. This seemed a little out of character for her.
"Sorry, um... I... actually... I..."
When Ino Yamanaka saw Qingxue Uchiha approach, she thought Qingxue had come to confront her.
To ask whether she and Yemu were together.
Originally, Ino had intended to explain that she did not like Yemu.
But she realized that she really did have strong feelings for him.
After all, Yemu not only looked like an incubus, but was also powerful.
In this chaotic Shinobi World, someone with both strength and good looks could win the hearts of ninety percent of girls.
Especially girls her age.
"It's all right. I know how you feel. I like Yemu too, and I love him more than anyone else does~"
"Earlier today, I noticed you seemed interested in Yemu, so I decided to confirm your feelings tonight."
"Look, I can even accept Hinata. One more person wouldn't matter."
Qingxue Uchiha patted Ino's shoulder.
In truth, she still could not accept Hinata, but she was not strong enough.
She still could not keep Yemu all to herself.
Besides, hurting Hinata would inevitably make Yemu distance himself from her again.
That was why Qingxue Uchiha had also been pushing herself relentlessly all these years-to become stronger.
Strength was the foundation of control over everything.
In her previous life, she had been stronger than Yemu, so she could be on top of him.
Now, Yemu was far stronger than she was, so she could only stay beneath him.
"R-really?"
Ino Yamanaka's eyes flickered, and she could not hide the delight on her face.
For a powerful ninja like Yemu, having a few more women by his side shouldn't matter, right?
Besides, if I can get close to Yemu, wouldn't that mean I'll have a chance to compete for the position of his main wife someday?
Little did she know that her response had completely exhausted Qingxue Uchiha's patience.
"Yes. Yemu's right outside. I'll take you to him." Qingxue Uchiha smiled faintly.
"Huh?"
Ino Yamanaka looked surprised, her guard almost nonexistent. "Yemu, what's he doing outside?"
"Of course, he's..."
"Going to screw you~"
Qingxue Uchiha suddenly pressed herself against Ino, a kunai flashing into her hand. Without hesitation, she drove it through Ino's abdomen.
She no longer wanted to suppress her feelings.
Even becoming a rogue ninja was a price she was willing to pay.
Then she could kill every girl around Yemu without anything holding her back!!
Seeing Ino Yamanaka's stunned expression, Qingxue Uchiha mercilessly drew her blade and slashed, then struck again.
Squelch!!
Ino Yamanaka was a sensory ninja to begin with, and her offensive abilities were practically negligible.
How could she possibly stand against Qingxue Uchiha, who had now awakened her Three-Tomoe Sharingan?
"Y-you... what are you doing!!"
Qingxue's katana knocked Ino Yamanaka to the ground with a single slash. Terror filled her eyes, and she tried to fight back through the pain coursing through her body.
But it was no use.
Her mental strength had only recently recovered. Under the assault of pain, she could not focus enough to perform the Yamanaka Clan's secret techniques.
Hell!
In just a few seconds, Ino Yamanaka's emotions were thrown into turmoil as she experienced what it meant to fall from heaven into hell.
"Qingxue... you... why... no... please don't..."
Ino Yamanaka clutched her wound as blood gushed out, staring at Qingxue Uchiha's indifferent face and speaking in terror.
She did not want to die yet.
Under the starlight, Qingxue Uchiha's three tomoe gleamed blood-red. Without the slightest hesitation, she raised her long katana with one hand.
"Stop!!"
"Damn you, Uchiha! Stop right now!!"
Qingxue Uchiha heard urgent shouts from members of the Yamanaka Clan behind her.
Rather than hesitate, she struck even more decisively.
From the moment she had left home that night,
she had anticipated something like this happening.
Pressure could make a person stronger. Qingxue Uchiha had watched the gap between her strength and Yemu's grow ever wider.
She no longer wanted to be a frail girl hiding behind a man.
That was not her nature.
Through their years together, Qingxue Uchiha had also confirmed that Yemu had developed feelings for her.
That was enough.
Enough for her to set her own plan in motion.
"The look in your eyes is so much like those girls from before. Unfortunately, I can't spare you."
"That's what you get for falling for the darling who belongs to me alone~"
Swish!!
The blade flashed through the night.
With that strike, Qingxue Uchiha changed not only her own fate.
She also indirectly altered the course of Yemu's plans.
"You bastard!!!"
The Yamanaka Clan's elite ninja used the Body Flicker Technique to rush to Ino's side.
"Lady Ino! Lady Ino!!"
"Quick, notify the medical team!"
"Go tell the clan head!! Lady Ino has been murdered!!"
Several of the Yamanaka Clan's elite ninja stared at Ino's eyes, which had already lost their light.
What the hell was the point of notifying anyone?
She was already dead. (Just a reminder: Ino isn't actually dead; the protagonist revives her later.)
Dressed entirely in black, Qingxue Uchiha melted into the night.
It felt as though she had returned to her previous life, when the entire city had hunted her after she assassinated its mayor.
Back then, her family had given her an ultimatum: either assassinate the corrupt mayor, prove her abilities, and become the family's successor,
or marry into another family and become a tool.
To evade the citywide manhunt,
Qingxue had disguised herself as a homeless person, filthy and foul-smelling.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness after starving for several days,
Yemu had appeared in her life like a beam of light and given her a loaf of bread.
That bread had not only saved her, but also made Qingxue's feelings spiral beyond control, drawing her attention to Yemu until she fell madly in love with him.
"Ino... is dead??"
Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka Clan, was stationed by the Perception Barrier in the Hokage Building. For a long time, he could not recover from the shock.
With the Chunin Exams underway and so many foreign ninja present, he had been needed to oversee things here.
As for how he had learned the news,
the Yamanaka Clan had a secret technique that allowed them to communicate freely, much like telepathy.
That was also why the Yamanaka Clan's elite ninja had reached the scene immediately after Ino was attacked.
"The Uchiha Clan... Qingxue Uchiha..."
Inoichi Yamanaka clenched his fists.
Ino Yamanaka was exceptionally gifted, a daughter in whom he had placed great hopes.
Yet now, his precious daughter had died so suddenly.
The news made it difficult for the normally composed Inoichi Yamanaka to control his emotions.
"Go notify Lord Hokage!!"
"Use the Mind Body Transmission Technique to contact Lord Hokage directly! Ask him to have ANBU seal off Konoha!!"
Although Inoichi Yamanaka did not know what had happened,
his daughter had been harmed.
He had to find the culprit!!
Before you continue