As night deepened, the outline of the Uchiha Clan Compound grew increasingly solemn in the lingering glow of sunset. Toru Kujyo and Sasuke walked side by side down the deserted street, their footsteps the only sound echoing through the silence.
"There was more than one fly in that tree just now," Toru Kujyo said suddenly. His voice was quiet, but Sasuke heard every word.
Sasuke stopped short, a flicker of wariness crossing his eyes. He instinctively started to turn around.
"Don't bother looking. They've already left." Toru Kujyo sounded as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "Besides, they weren't here for you." He glanced at Sasuke, an enigmatic smile on his lips. "After all, anyone who can move freely through the village that way would only be after someone more 'troublesome,' like me."
That way? Sasuke frowned deeply. He had failed to notice anything unusual at all. Being kept in the dark like this made him deeply uncomfortable.
Toru Kujyo saw through his thoughts but offered little explanation. "A very convenient infiltration technique called the Mayfly Technique. It lets you merge with the earth and vegetation, making you almost impossible to detect with conventional sensory ninjutsu." He paused, then changed tack. "Still, every technique has its weaknesses. As long as they're flies, they're afraid of insecticide."
Meanwhile, far away in the Land of Waves, deep within a secluded forest.
"Wood Release: Four Pillar Prison Technique!"
The young Anbu ninja Tenzo formed hand seals, and four thick wooden pillars burst from the ground, instantly closing into a sturdy wooden cage around his target. As a recipient of the First Hokage's transplanted cells, his Wood Release was nowhere near the First's world-shattering power, but it was more than enough to handle ordinary ninja.
Yet the desperate struggle he had