That Boy "Dancing" on the Wall...

Yue had stayed at Akatsuki's base for nearly a month.

War was different from an ordinary battle. Bringing it to an end required a long period of time.

Yue had not wasted that time. Besides the ninjutsu scrolls he had obtained from Grass Seed, Yahiko, Sousuke, Nagato, and the others had taught him all kinds of ninjutsu as well.

They were all relatively practical or easy to master for someone his age.

During this time, his strength had soared like a rocket.

Although it was not that obvious on the surface, Yue himself knew perfectly well just how much he had improved compared to before.

"Hmm?"

One day, Yue had come to the center of the courtyard during a break from training when he suddenly stopped dead.

His expression turned grave.

Quiet.

Too quiet...

Other than the wounded resting in the rooms, there was not a single person to be seen in the entire courtyard. It seemed that, apart from him, there were no other "living people" in the yard. In truth, Yue had already noticed over the past few days that the fighting had become increasingly intense. This war seemed to be reaching a fever pitch, and almost every member who had once had time to spare had rushed to the front lines.

Only a handful remained in the village. They were not stationed in the courtyard either, but were scattered and concealed throughout the village to keep watch on the enemy.

To prevent the enemy from finding this place.

"There should be fewer than twenty patients left." Yue swept his gaze over the surrounding houses and estimated.

This was the cruelty of war.

Yue had witnessed it firsthand.

During his time at the base, he had personally watched many Akatsuki members worsen from their injuries and illnesses. Unable to receive proper treatment, or treatment in time, they eventually died and could only be buried somewhere in the village.

There were no memorial stones, and it could not even be called a graveyard.

Every time someone was buried, Yue followed everyone else to pay brief respects.

Feeling that stifling, heavy atmosphere, he had seen war's ruthlessness clearly.

"Something's wrong."

For some reason, Yue kept feeling that something bad was about to happen.

It was too quiet.

Not just the courtyard—the entire village was devoid of noise.

Normally, Akatsuki personnel would be posted and patrolling in various corners of the village. From time to time, they would return to the base to rest. There were also people bringing back supplies every day, treating the wounded, and handling other matters. Even though the base's personnel had been drastically reduced by the war, there should still have been some activity every so often.

"This eerie silence... it's been nearly an hour. That's beyond the usual 'rhythm.'"

"Danger!"

Yue narrowed his eyes and instantly turned into a black shadow, vanishing from where he stood.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Yahiko was leading Nagato and the others in pursuit of enemy forces atop a high hillside.

A group of Akatsuki members raced across the ground, their eyes fixed on several rogue ninja fleeing ahead. The rogue ninja turned back with smug smiles, then leaped from the mountaintop and disappeared.

Yahiko sensed that something was wrong and immediately raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"They've been avoiding battle this whole time, merely harassing us and tying down our forces," Yahiko said steadily.

"They aren't using guerrilla tactics to whittle us down bit by bit, either."

Nagato had noticed the problem as well. "They have no intention of deciding the course of this war with us. Instead, it's like they're..."

"Stalling for time," Yahiko finished.

At that moment, a white Paper Crane suddenly fluttered down from the sky.

Yahiko caught it, unfolded the paper, and scanned its contents.

His expression immediately changed slightly.

"What is it?"

Nagato looked at him.

"A force that suddenly appeared on the enemy side is cutting off our retreat. The enemies gathered at the front lines are only a decoy. The people behind us are actually facing greater resistance. They bypassed the front-line battlefield. It seems the enemy doesn't want us to disengage from the fighting. Konan and the others have encountered a large number of enemies, but they aren't particularly strong. The worst part is that our route back to the village seems to have been discovered..."

By the time Yahiko finished, everyone in Akatsuki understood.

The village base had most likely been exposed.

The enemy was luring the tiger away from the mountain.

Without another word, Yahiko immediately turned and sprinted away.

Nagato and the others followed at once.

In a war, combat strength on the battlefield was certainly important, but the most crucial things were the supply and continuity of resources, as well as the ability to maintain reinforcements. If the village was destroyed and there were no more supplies, if the wounded could not recover and return to the battlefield, then... Akatsuki was destined to lose.

"Someone leaked the information. We have an enemy spy among us."

Yahiko said.

"Even if we bypass the battlefield, it will take us at least two hours to return at our fastest," Nagato reminded him.

"I hope... we make it in time."

There was a faint tremor and unease in Yahiko's voice.

On the battlefield, leaked intelligence, poor decisions, a lack of sufficient alertness and insight... all of these were failures on his part as a leader.

Yahiko looked calm, but inwardly he was terrified and worried—afraid.

With his personality, he could not accept a large number of his companions paying for his responsibility... with their lives.

It was daytime in the village.

Yue hid in a corner of the village without revealing himself, tightening his throat as he gave Akatsuki's secret signal.

A birdcall.

He waited for a while, but no birdcall answered.

Yue's heart sank.

The person stationed at this lookout point had been taken out.

The village had been invaded!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when, in the next second, a kunai shot toward him along the source of the sound.

It embedded itself nearby.

The Explosive Tags attached to it detonated in an instant, erupting into raging flames.

"He got away."

Soon, several black shadows arrived at the spot where Yue had just been hiding. After inspecting it for a few moments, they cursed under their breaths.

"Hehehe... it's that Yue."

As the smoke dispersed, one of the black shadows revealed his face. Fortunately, Yue had run quickly. Otherwise, he definitely would have recognized this person at a glance.

He was one of Akatsuki's members.

Only now, he had taken off his Fire Cloud Robe.

"Relax. All the guards in the village have been dealt with. The only one at the base who can still move is that brat... He's quite alert," the Akatsuki traitor said dismissively. "That brat is from Kusagakure. He was just dragged into this mess, so he's no trouble. Just kill him."

One or two minutes later, Yue flipped over and landed in the courtyard.

That had been dangerous.

Just as he had expected, the enemy had found the village.

That lookout point had been the closest one to the courtyard. If it had been breached, then the other Akatsuki members had most likely been wiped out as well.

The enemy knew Akatsuki's personnel deployment so well. There had to be a traitor!

This was one of the current weaknesses of the Akatsuki Organization. Although Yahiko's personal charisma and will had gathered a group of companions together, the threshold for joining Akatsuki had become lower as a result. Their numbers had grown, but their backgrounds were far less reliable... Enemy spies could disguise themselves and infiltrate them. Even if they had not betrayed Akatsuki from the start, those with weak resolve could easily be turned.

After all, not everyone was willing to live such a hard life and carry the banner of "uprising."

With that thought, Yue hurried toward one of the rooms, preparing to wake all the wounded so they could join forces against the enemy.

But when he pushed open the door and looked inside,

his steps stopped as realization struck him.

Almost everyone in the room was in a deep coma. Some were missing arms and legs... Anyone who still had even a little ability to move would have charged into battle on sheer passion. Those left at the base were mostly in critical condition and had already lost their ability to fight.

They could only wait until the war ended before being sent away for proper treatment.

Some, like those before them, would simply die.

In other words, relying on these people was unrealistic.

"The village has been abnormal for quite a while, which means they spent some time on it. If there were many enemies, they couldn't have carried out such covert assassinations and surprise attacks. There would have been noise long ago... In other words, there are probably fewer than ten enemies. Since the front lines are under pressure, the village's defenses have been reduced as well. There are currently five lookout points in the village. The members' abilities vary, but there is one Jonin among them."

"So they sent a surprise attack squad..."

Yue began to rapidly analyze the situation.

At this point, it was already a little too late for him to think of any plan.

There was a traitor among the enemy, someone very familiar with both the base and Akatsuki.

Even if he made temporary arrangements, they would most likely be useless.

"To kill everyone at the base, the enemy couldn't possibly have suffered no casualties at all... If they had, then with the traitor's knowledge of the base, they would have had an overwhelming advantage and launched a lightning-fast purge directly. So... taking that into account, there are probably six or seven of them?"

His heart told him to run.

Perhaps he would still have a chance to survive.

Or he could head toward the battlefield and find Yahiko and the others.

After all, ever since he had transmigrated here, his guiding principle had been to survive.

The prerequisite for everything was ensuring his own safety.

But now, Yue hesitated.

If he left, the dozen or so people in the courtyard would undoubtedly die.

And during this time, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan's care for him, along with the generous instruction from those Akatsuki members, made it impossible for Yue to turn a blind eye to them.

Should he cling to life?

Or betray his own heart?

"No..."

After pondering for a moment, Yue made a decision.

He was not a member of Akatsuki. These people... he did not have to care about them.

"It's not conscience, nor is it any kind of compassion... much less some goddamn bond."

Suddenly, Yue sneered and grabbed a Fire Cloud Robe from a nearby rack, draping it over himself.

"This world has always been dangerous. I understood that long ago."

"If I retreat from even this little bit of difficulty, what would be the fun in that..."

"Put myself in their shoes... Isn't this pretty entertaining? Just like what I did in Death Note—let's have some excitement."

"Because... I like the thrill of killing."

There was madness in Yue's eyes. After muttering a few strange words,

he turned and walked to the courtyard gate, pushing open its doors. A damp, cold gust swept over the oversized robe that dragged along the ground around his small body as he quietly waited for the enemy to appear.

With an Akatsuki traitor among them, and with so little time, things like plans and arrangements were already useless.

"You three are genuine plot characters. I'll choose to believe in you once."

Yue looked up at the gloomy sky and said calmly.

Even if he could not handle them, every second he delayed them was another second.

He had to hold on until Yahiko's group arrived.

Of course, that was what he said, but Yue had never placed his hopes on anyone else.

Relying on anyone was worse than relying on himself.

Just as he had expected, after eliminating the guards in the village, the traitor—knowing that Yue was the only child left at the base—soon led several people over openly, making no effort to hide themselves.

"It's him..."

The moment Yue saw the man, he recognized him.

His name seemed to be Yota, four characters. Yue was not particularly familiar with him.

Yota's group consisted of six people.

When they reached the base entrance, the six of them were also stunned.

They saw a boy in a Fire Cloud Robe standing atop the courtyard gate, stepping along its edge as though walking a tightrope.

Although such a feat was effortless for a ninja, for an ordinary child, it was undoubtedly a mad and dangerous act.

The base's courtyard wall was very high.

Yue gave off the impression that he was somewhat mentally unstable.

The wind made the sleeves and hem of the adult-sized garment flutter, giving Yue's slender figure a strange sort of charm at that moment.

Clearly, Yue had been waiting for them.

"This is the brat you mentioned?"

"From Kusagakure? Hmph... If he came from one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, I might be wary of him."

The people beside Yota looked at Yue, who was putting on airs, and sneered.

Yota laughed as well.

He stepped forward and looked up at Yue, but did not attack immediately. "Yue... you aren't one of Akatsuki, so there's no need for you to wear that outfit. You look completely out of place."

"And don't make any pointless resistance. I know your strength. Compared to ordinary Genin brats, you're quite outstanding. But... you're far too inferior to us. Acting on impulse will cost you your life. How about this? Be good... stay still and don't do anything reckless. I can make the decision to spare you. Once this is over, I can even send you safely back to your village. What do you say?"

Yue stopped walking. Once he stood still, he looked down at the man below with cold eyes.

Then the corners of his lips rose, revealing a mocking and sinister smile. "Don't be such a killjoy... I've really been looking forward to slaughtering you. Especially when I think about cutting off your head—the image, the feeling... I can't help getting excited."

"Ah... it's simply wonderful!"

Seeing Yue's crazed tone and expression, Yota's face immediately darkened.

"Hahaha!"

"Come on! What are you waiting for... Let's entertain each other."

After saying that, Yue spread his arms and inhaled deeply in intoxication.

Then he suddenly leaped down from above and pounced at Yota.

Yota was a little stunned.

Was this little brat crazy? Did he have a death wish?

How was he completely different from the person Yota had known before?

He was practically a different person.

"You little brat, you're courting death!"

Yota shouted.