Dealt with

One of the Kumogakure ninja accidentally stepped into an earlier trap.

A sharp kunai shot out of the ground, slicing across his hamstring.

His mobility instantly dropped.

The two exchanged a glance and tried to escape with the Body Flicker Technique.

Seeing this, Qianye Lan formed hand seals.

He held to the idea that severing one finger was better than injuring all ten.

[Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere]

He drew a deep breath and spat out a bullet-like blast of air at the Kumogakure ninja with the injured thigh.

The ninja was in midair and unable to dodge, making him a perfect target.

The Vacuum Sphere struck him squarely in the chest. He felt as though a heavy hammer had slammed into him.

Crack. That was the sound of his ribs breaking.

He immediately coughed up a mouthful of frothy blood, then the intense pain left him unable to keep his balance, and he fell to the ground.

With his extensive combat experience, he also knew that his ribs and internal organs had probably suffered severe damage.

He looked down, and the bowl-sized bloody hole in his chest further confirmed his thoughts.

He made a snap decision and told his companion, "Go!"

The surviving Kumogakure ninja retreated without hesitation.

Left alone, he looked at the wound in his chest and used the last of his strength to crawl over to a large tree. He leaned against it and was just about to catch his breath when he choked on blood.

The cries of his other companion, who had been blown in two, also gradually faded.

He felt his eyelids growing heavier and his body growing colder until he finally lost consciousness.

Qianye Lan watched this unfold, staring expressionlessly at the fleeing Kumogakure ninja.

The sole Kumogakure ninja to escape frantically searched his mind for a plan.

Voices came from behind him.

"Unidentified enemies are attacking the students!"

"Notify the Anbu!"

A Konoha sensory ninja then closed his eyes and began sensing.

Soon, he opened his eyes and pointed in a direction. "He went this way."

Several teachers exchanged glances and followed.

They also made sure to take out an emergency signal flare to summon the Anbu.

The Anbu squad captain who had disappeared earlier checked the time, then glanced at the signal. His brow furrowed slightly as he muttered, "So they failed after all?"

He was a spy Danzo had planted in the Anbu. This time, he had received orders.

He was to disappear for an "appropriate" length of time while carrying out his mission to protect Kushina.

Having spent years undercover in the Anbu, he vaguely suspected something, but did not dare think further.

Nor did he dare resist, because his wife and children were all under Root's surveillance.

The slightest suspicious move on his part would result in an accident at home.

It might be a fire or a home invasion. He had no choice but to accept.

Now, he turned his gaze toward his two teammates, recalling the words of a Root leader.

Whether the mission succeeded or failed, no one was to be left alive.

He drew a deep breath and quietly reached behind him, while the two Anbu were still chatting about how they would spend the money once they received it.

They had no guard up against their former comrade...

"Captain, you..."

As the blades pierced their vital points.

The two stared at their captain with wide, disbelieving eyes.

This captain had once dragged them back from a pile of corpses, giving them a second life.

Yet now he had ended their lives with his own hands.

The captain gritted his teeth, tears streaming from his eyes. "I'm sorry. I had no choice."

He looked into their eyes, trying to find even a trace of hatred to ease his guilt.

To his disappointment, their fading eyes held confusion and incomprehension, but no resentment.

The captain took out several explosive tags and stuck them onto all three of them.

After ensuring that the Intelligence Division would be unable to obtain information from their bodies, he detonated the explosive tags without hesitation.

This way, his wife and children would still receive a sizable death benefit.

Enough for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

The violent explosion drew the attention of the Anbu coming to provide support.

They exchanged glances, and one squad darted off to investigate the explosion while the others continued on to provide support.

The Kumogakure ninja, fleeing blindly in panic, happened to spot a member of the Uchiha clan.

He gritted his teeth, thinking that he could take the person hostage if he could not escape, or use the capture to make up for his failure if he could. He grabbed the Uchiha clan member.

What struck him as strange was that the Uchiha clan member showed no fear at all, instead revealing an eerie smile.

The Uchiha clan member gave him a toothy grin, then took out an explosive tag and detonated it immediately.

Boom! At the center of the explosion, the Kumogakure ninja's pupils contracted. Under the pressure of impending death, his pupils contracted as he performed the fastest Substitution Technique of his life, escaping the center of the blast.

But his abdomen had also been severely injured, and he lay motionless on the ground. The Ninja Academy teachers who caught up looked at the scene, somewhat at a loss.

The Anbu arrived just in time and said, "Leave this to us."

The Ninja Academy teachers quickly nodded and left.

Qianye Lan received the memories from his dispelled Shadow Clone, and an almost imperceptible smile curved his lips.

He glanced at the teachers standing guard and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was finally safe this time.

When the other Ninja Academy teachers returned, they began questioning Qianye Lan and Kushina.

Qianye Lan told them everything in full detail.

The teachers found what they heard somewhat unbelievable.

A Ninja Academy student who had yet to graduate had actually killed two elite Kumogakure ninja using traps.

Still, according to his account, it was logically plausible. After discussing it, they decided to end the outing.

Early the next morning.

The Third Hokage sat on his desk, looking over the intelligence with a grave and surprised expression.

What weighed on him was that a group of ninja had infiltrated Konoha and attempted to abduct Kushina, and three Anbu members had also died.

The infiltrators' identities had been confirmed: they were ninja from Kumogakure.

What surprised him was that, according to the teachers present, Qianye Lan and one other person had used traps and C-rank ninjutsu to take down two Kumogakure ninja.

The Third Hokage pondered for a long time before saying, "Can the Intelligence Division do nothing with the Anbu's bodies?"

The Anbu before him shook his head. "No. The bodies and all traces at the scene were completely destroyed. There are no leads."

The Third Hokage looked at the list of the dead and slowly said, "Pay out the death benefits as usual."

Although there were all sorts of suspicious aspects to this incident, they had already died, and Konoha had not suffered any particularly great losses.

Paying these death benefits would also set a good example.

The Anbu nodded, then left the office.

As the Anbu left the office, he happened to run into Danzo. He quickly opened the door for him, not forgetting to offer a greeting. "Lord Danzo."

Danzo gave a grunt of acknowledgment and entered the Hokage's office with his cane.

The Third Hokage looked at him, narrowing his eyes. "Danzo, what are you here for?"

Danzo calmly sat down.