The Boy Who 'Danced' on the Wa

Yue stayed at the Akatsuki hideout for nearly a month.

Warfare, unlike ordinary combat, required a long cycle to conclude.

Yue didn't waste time. In addition to the ninjutsu scrolls he received from Grass Seed, Yahiko, Sousuke, Nagato, and others also taught him various ninjutsu.

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

During this period, his strength had surged like a rocket.

Although it wasn't outwardly obvious, Yue himself was keenly aware of how much he had improved compared to before.

"Hm?"

One day, as he took a break from training and stood in the center of the courtyard, Yue suddenly stopped moving.

His expression turned serious.

Quiet.

Very quiet...

The entire courtyard, apart from the injured resting in their rooms, was devoid of any other people. It seemed as if there were no other 'living souls' besides him. In fact, Yue had sensed the increasing intensity of the war in the past few days. The conflict appeared to be reaching its climax, and the members who had previously been free had almost all been dispatched to the front lines.

Only a small number of people remained in the village, not stationed in the courtyard but hidden throughout the settlement to watch out for enemies.

To prevent the enemy from finding this place.

"There should be less than twenty patients," Yue estimated, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding houses.

This was the cruelty of war.

Yue had witnessed it firsthand.

During his stay at the hideout, he had personally seen many Akatsuki members' injuries and illnesses worsen. They either didn't receive proper treatment or there wasn't enough time to treat them, leading to their deaths. They were then buried in random spots around the village.

There were no memorial stones, nor were they proper graves.

Each time someone was buried, Yue joined the others for a brief memorial.

He experienced the oppressive and heavy atmosphere, seeing clearly the heartlessness of war.

"Something's not right."

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

It was too quiet.

Not just in the courtyard, but the entire village was silent.

Normally, there would be Akatsuki members stationed in various corners of the village, patrolling and occasionally returning to the hideout to rest. Furthermore, there were daily activities like personnel transporting supplies and treating the injured. Even though the number of people at the hideout had drastically decreased due to the war, there should still be some activity from time to time.

"This eerie silence... it's been almost an hour, far exceeding the usual 'rhythm and frequency'."

"Danger!"

Yue narrowed his eyes and instantly transformed into a black shadow, disappearing from his spot.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Yahiko was leading Nagato and others in pursuit of enemy forces on a high mountain slope.

A group of Akatsuki members ran rapidly across the ground, their gazes fixed on the few rogue ninja ahead who were fleeing. After turning back to show them smug smiles, they leaped from the mountaintop and vanished.

Yahiko sensed that something was amiss and immediately raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"These people have been avoiding direct combat, merely harassing us and diverting our forces," Yahiko said in a steady voice.

"They aren't using guerilla tactics to gradually wear us down either."

Nagato also noticed the problem. "The other side doesn't seem to have any intention of deciding the outcome of this war. Instead, it's like they're..."

"Stalling for time."

Yahiko finished his sentence.

At that moment, a white paper crane suddenly flew down from the sky.

Yahiko caught it and unfolded the paper, glancing at its contents.

His expression immediately changed slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Nagato asked, looking at him.

"A sudden enemy unit has appeared and is cutting off our retreat. The enemies gathered on the front lines are just a diversion; our rear forces are facing greater resistance. They bypassed the front lines. The enemy doesn't want us to disengage from combat. Although Konan and the others are facing a large number of enemies, their strength isn't very high. But the most troublesome thing is that our route to the village seems to have been discovered..."

As Yahiko spoke, all the Akatsuki members understood.

The village's hideout had likely been exposed.

The enemy was using a 'luring the tiger away from its mountain' strategy.

Without further words, Yahiko immediately turned and sprinted back.

Nagato and the others followed suit.

For any war, while combat effectiveness on the battlefield is crucial, the most critical elements are supply and sustained logistics, as well as the continued reinforcement of friendly forces. If the village were destroyed and supply lines cut off, the wounded couldn't recover and be redeployed to the battlefield. In that case... the losing side would inevitably be Akatsuki.

"Someone leaked the information. We have a mole among us."

Yahiko said.

"Even if we bypass the battlefield, it will take us at least an hour to get back," Nagato reminded him.

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

Yahiko's voice trembled slightly with unease.

On the battlefield, leaked intelligence or flawed decisions, lacking sufficient sharpness and insight... these were his failures as a leader.

Yahiko appeared calm, but inwardly he was terrified and worried.

Given his personality, he couldn't bear the thought of many comrades paying the price for their lives because of his responsibility.

It was daytime in the village.

Yue hid in a spot within the village, remaining unseen. Instead, he cleared his throat and let out Akatsuki's secret signal.

A bird's call.

After waiting for a while, there was no answering chirp.

Yue's heart sank.

The person guarding this spot had been eliminated.

The village had been invaded!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when a kunai shot out from the direction of the sound.

It embedded itself nearby.

The explosive tags attached to it detonated, erupting in a fierce blaze.

"He got away."

Soon, several dark figures followed the trajectory of the kunai to where Yue had been hiding. After a quick scan, they cursed softly.

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

As the smoke cleared, one of the figures revealed his face. Fortunately, Yue had escaped quickly; otherwise, seeing this person, he would have recognized him immediately.

He was one of Akatsuki's members.

He had just taken off his Fire Cloud Robe.

"Don't worry, all the guards in the village have been taken care of. The only one left in the stronghold who can still move is that brat... he's quite alert, though." The traitor from Akatsuki said dismissively. "That brat is from Grass Village and got caught up in this. He's not much trouble, just kill him."

A minute or two later, Yue landed inside the courtyard.

So dangerous.

Just as he had suspected, the enemy had infiltrated the village.

That guard post was the closest to the courtyard. If it was breached, it meant most of the other Akatsuki members had likely been eliminated as well.

The enemy knew the Akatsuki's personnel deployment so well; there must be a mole!

This was a current weakness of the Akatsuki Organization. While Yahiko's personal charisma and will had gathered a group of comrades, the threshold for joining Akatsuki had consequently lowered. The numbers had increased, but their experience was far from sufficient... enemy spies could also infiltrate. Even if they weren't traitors from the start, their wavering resolve could easily lead to them being swayed.

After all, not everyone was willing to endure such hardship and carry the banner of 'uprising'.

With that thought, Yue hurried towards a house, intending to wake all the injured and have them fight together.

But as he pushed open the door and stepped inside, his footsteps halted, and he realized.

Almost everyone in the room was in a deep coma, and among them were those with severed limbs... If they had any ability to move, they would have charged into battle with their fervor. Most of those who remained in the stronghold were in critical condition and had lost their combat ability.

They were simply waiting to be moved and receive proper treatment after the battle.

Some, like the ones before, had simply died.

In other words, relying on these people was unrealistic.

"The village's unusual activity has been going on for a while, meaning the enemy wasted some time. If the enemy numbers were large, they wouldn't be carrying out such stealthy assassinations and surprise attacks; there would have been noise by now... This means the enemy numbers are likely under ten. Because the front-line battles are intense, the village's defensive forces have also been reduced. Currently, there are five guard posts in the village. While the members' skill levels vary, there is one Jonin among them."

"They sent a strike team..."

Yue began to brainstorm.

It was already a bit late to consider any plans.

The enemy had spies and was very familiar with the stronghold and Akatsuki.

Even if he made some last-minute arrangements, they would likely be useless.

"To eliminate all personnel at the guard posts, the enemy couldn't have done so without any casualties... If that were the case, given the spy's knowledge of the guard posts, they would have an overwhelming advantage and would have launched a swift, sweeping operation. So... considering this, the enemy numbers might be around six or seven?"

Yue's instincts screamed at him to run.

There might still be a chance to survive.

Or he could head towards the battlefield to find Yahiko and the others.

Ever since he transmigrated, his guiding principle had been to survive.

The prerequisite for everything is ensuring one's 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 and the other two had taken care of him, and the Akatsuki members had generously taught him. This camaraderie made it impossible for Yue to ignore them.

Should he just survive?

Or go against his true nature?

"No..."

After a moment of thought, Yue made a decision.

He wasn't a member of the Akatsuki, and these people... he didn't have to care about them.

"It's not conscience, nor is it mercy... nor is it some damn obligation."

Suddenly, Yue let out a cold laugh, grabbed the Fire Cloud Robe from the rack beside him, and put it on.

"This world is inherently dangerous, I've known that for a long time."

"If I flinch from even this small difficulty, it won't be interesting..."

"Thinking about it from another perspective... this is quite fun, just like what I did in Bleach, a little excitement."

"Because... I like that feeling of killing."

Yue's eyes held a hint of madness. After muttering a few strange words.

He turned directly to the courtyard gate, pushed the door open, and a gust of damp, cold wind blew through the oversized robe that didn't fit his frame, as he quietly waited for the enemy to appear.

With a traitor from the Akatsuki present, and such a short amount of time, plans and strategies were now useless.

"You three are actual plot characters, I'll choose to trust you this once."

Yue looked up at the gloomy sky and said calmly.

Even if he couldn't handle it, buying some time was better than none.

Striving to wait for Yahiko and the other two to arrive.

Of course, even though he said that, Yue had never placed his hopes on anyone else.

Relying on anyone was not as good as relying on himself.

Just as he had expected, after clearing out the guards in the village, the traitor, who knew he was the only child left in the stronghold, soon led several people swaggeringly, their figures unhidden, and appeared directly.

"It's him..."

When Yue saw the man, he recognized him immediately.

His name seemed to be Yota, four characters, and they weren't too familiar with each other.

Yota and his group numbered six in total.

Upon reaching the stronghold's gate, the six of them also paused.

Because they saw a young boy wearing a Fire Cloud Robe standing on the top of the courtyard gate, as if walking a tightrope, moving along the edge.

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

The courtyard wall of the stronghold was very high.

It gave the impression that Yue was a bit mentally unstable.

The wind blew the sleeves and hem of the robe, which could only be supported by an adult, making Yue at this moment appear to possess a strange charm.

Clearly, Yue was waiting for them.

"Is this the kid you were talking about?"

"Grass Village? Hmph... if they were from one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, I might be wary."

Someone beside Yota sneered at Yue, who was putting on a show.

Yota also chuckled.

He stepped forward, looked up at Yue, and didn't attack directly. "Yue... you're not part of the Akatsuki, so there's no need to wear this robe... it looks out of place."

"Also, don't make any meaningless resistance. I know your strength, you're excellent compared to ordinary Genin kids. However... you're too far from us. Acting rashly can cost you your life. So, be obedient... don't make any rash moves, and I can promise to let you go... afterwards, I can even send you back to your village safely, how about it?"

Yue stopped, stood firm, and looked down at the man below with cold eyes.

Suddenly, he curled his lips into a mocking and sinister smile. "Don't be such a spoilsport... I'm really looking forward to fighting you, especially... the thought of cutting off your head, that scene and feeling... it makes me uncontrollably excited."

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

Seeing Yue's somewhat crazed tone and expression, Yota's expression immediately turned grim.

"Hahahaha!"

"Come on! What are you waiting for... let us, pleasure each other."

After speaking, Yue spread his arms, took a deep breath with enjoyment.

Then, he suddenly leaped down from above, pouncing towards Yota.

Yota was a bit taken aback.

Is this brat crazy? Doesn't he value his life?

He was completely different from the person he remembered.

It was like night and day.

"You little brat, you're asking for death!"

Yota shouted.