"What do you want?"
Karn reached the entrance to the Food Store and the residence behind it. Seeing someone about to walk inside, he called out to stop him.
The man looked familiar, seemingly the same person who had come to the pharmacy next door to ask questions during the day. His skin was exceptionally dark, and Karn intensely disliked that color, so the man had left a fairly strong impression.
"Boss, the kids at home are making a fuss. I'd like to buy a box of desserts."
"Stop right there! Stay where you are!"
Before the man finished, Karn pointed at him and shouted. The fellow kept talking, but he was also trying to draw closer. Karn was now ninety percent certain that something was wrong with him. He also remembered that most of the ninja from Kumogakure had dark skin.
Interrupted by Karn, the man paused midstep, but continued explaining, "Boss, I just want to buy a box of desserts..."
Yet he stopped before finishing again, this time because a red-haired girl's head had poked out from behind Karn.
When he saw Kushina, a triumphant smile appeared on his face. "Both targets together. Perfect..."
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Karn didn't wait for any more nonsense. He pulled two submachine guns from his Spatial Backpack and immediately opened fire on the Cloud Ninja spy. With his body strengthened by chakra, firing two submachine guns at once was hardly difficult.
Besides, at such close range, he didn't even need to control the recoil or aim. Within a few seconds, Karn emptied both guns.
Poof!
After Karn's barrage, the Cloud Ninja before him suddenly turned into a wooden log amid a puff of smoke.
Substitution Technique!
Karn quickly looked toward the corner of the wall and spotted the Cloud Ninja spy, both arms bleeding and riddled with bullet holes.
The Cloud Ninja spy stared at Karn with a sinister expression, malice flashing in his eyes. "I didn't expect you to have weapons like these. No wonder the captain singled you out..."
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Karn had no intention of listening to his nonsense. He dropped the guns in his hands, pulled a Thompson submachine gun from his Spatial Backpack, and fired at the Cloud Ninja spy with incredible speed.
Seeing another weapon suddenly appear in Karn's hands just as before, the Cloud Ninja spy's pupils contracted. He immediately tried to escape with another ninjutsu, but the pain in his arms reminded him of his poor condition. Nearly twenty bullet holes left him unable to form hand seals quickly.
Too late!
The Cloud Ninja spy thought frantically. All he could do was raise his arms in front of himself and brace himself to endure the barrage.
But he had clearly overestimated his body's toughness. Cloud Ninja spies rarely trained in Lightning Release Chakra Mode; although it increased their strength, it also made their muscles conspicuous. At that moment, however, his greatest regret was not having applied to the village to learn it.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Dozens of bullets struck the Cloud Ninja spy in an instant. Blood sprayed from the fresh bullet holes, raining onto the Dessert Shop's floor.
Karn focused his fire on the man's internal organs, so by the time the Thompson ran empty, he was already dead. Still, to be safe, Karn pulled out an Assault Rifle and blasted a gaping hole in his chest.
After killing the man, Karn put the guns on the ground back into his Spatial Backpack, then took out several grenades and tossed them onto the street outside. He intended to draw Konoha's ninja over with the noise and flames of the explosions.
"Get back inside!"
After throwing the grenades, Karn tucked Kushina under his arm and headed for the bedroom farther inside. There was a hidden basement there that an ordinary person would never find.
Kushina had been stunned with fear. Only after Karn tucked her under his arm did she come to her senses and ask, "Boss, was that... an enemy?"
"Yes. Keep your voice down. He might have accomplices!"
Karn tossed several more grenades toward the Dessert Shop's entrance. If the enemy had anyone outside, they might be unable to resist coming in to investigate the gunshots. That way, they could enjoy the explosive desserts Karn had prepared for them.
Boom!
As night approached, a series of explosions suddenly rang out through Konoha, sounding like several Explosive Tags detonating together.
"Someone's using Explosive Tags inside the village?"
Hearing the explosions, the patrolling members of the Konoha Military Police Force immediately leaped onto nearby rooftops. Once they located the flames, they hurried toward them.
The explosions startled the nearby ninja. Grabbing their ninja tool pouches, they rushed out of their homes and onto the rooftops, then followed the lingering flashes of fire toward the scene.
Not long after the first explosions, another thunderous series erupted from the same location. Seeing this as they approached, the members of the Konoha Military Police Force remained furious. Someone dared cause such a commotion inside the village-was this a slap in the police force's face?
All eight members of the Konoha Military Police Force's two squads activated their Sharingan, ready to show the enemy the Uchiha Clan's might.
Karn and Kushina hid in the underground secure room. His knowledge of what was happening outside was limited to the surveillance cameras installed nearby. But at least he could be certain that those two rounds of explosions had discouraged any other Cloud Ninja spies from charging inside to attack him.
"Boss, what's happening?"
Before Kushina finished asking, Karn covered her mouth. He wasn't afraid the enemy would hear her; he simply didn't want to answer.
The camera at the Dessert Shop's entrance had been destroyed in the explosions, but those outside the other shops still worked. Karn could clearly see people with the Uchiha Gunbai emblem on their backs, along with other ninja arriving one after another.
"It's all right now. Let's go outside."
Karn spoke to Kushina. If they stayed any longer, someone from the Hyuga Clan might use the Byakugan to search for them and discover the basement.
Then he and Kushina emerged from the basement inside the house.
"I'm the owner of the Dessert Shop. A ninja attacked me tonight. Please help me notify Jonin Tsunade!"
The moment they stepped out of the Dessert Shop, the members of the Konoha Military Police Force went on alert. If Karn hadn't called out quickly enough, shuriken might have come flying at them.
After confirming Kushina and Karn's identities, the police began their routine questioning. Karn concealed nothing, describing everything the Cloud Ninja spy had done, with a little exaggeration. He said the spy had voluntarily revealed his identity and intended to attack him.
Tsunade would protect him once she arrived anyway. Besides, Konoha's security was pathetic, allowing a Cloud Ninja spy to keep him under surveillance for so long.
"Kushina, are you all right?"
Minato Namikaze jumped down from a rooftop, approached Kushina, and asked with concern.
Although Kushina usually thought Minato Namikaze was a little effeminate, he was showing concern for her now, so she answered in a much friendlier tone. "I'm fine. The enemy didn't hurt me. Minato, what are you doing here?"
"I'm glad you're all right, Kushina. I was so worried."
Minato Namikaze sighed with relief, then told Kushina, "On my way home from training, I ran into an ANBU member. He hurriedly told me that a spy wanted to harm you, so I rushed over."
Hearing this, Kushina simply felt that Minato Namikaze was a good person. He had rushed over as soon as he heard she was in danger. It seemed her earlier impression of him had been too rigid.
But Karn, standing beside them, immediately sensed something wrong. He stepped closer and interrupted Minato Namikaze and Kushina. "Excuse me, Minato. What you just said was... an ANBU member told you that Kushina herself was in danger, and that's why you came?"
Once Karn broke down Minato Namikaze's words into that question, everyone present sensed that something was off. The members of the Konoha Military Police Force were especially suspicious. They slowly gathered around, preparing to question Minato Namikaze carefully.
Before you continue