The masked man!

That night, after the guests had been seen off, in Hyuga Village.

After the various parties had departed, the village, bustling all day, fell completely quiet.

Most of the Hyuga clanspeople inside the village and the civilians outside had already gone to bed.

Wearing a mask, Tobirama Senju emerged from the woods outside the village and slipped into Hyuga Village.

The other clans had only just left that day, and the Hyuga had been busy all day. They would be at their most relaxed that night, making it the perfect time to act.

Tobirama had secretly returned for just two things.

First, to investigate what lay beneath the surface of Hyuga Village.

Second, to find out how the Hyuga made this new type of ninja tool.

First-tier dealers paid only fifteen hundred ryo apiece.

That price was lower than what it cost the Senju to make their own.

How exactly had the Hyuga brought their costs down?

If he could not figure this out, would Konoha have to bow to the Hyuga's whims whenever it bought ninja tools in the future?

Tobirama crept along the river outside the village until he reached the Hyuga Clan's Ninja Tool Workshop.

Tobirama made a circuit of the workshop.

The first thing he saw was a large furnace, a full three or four meters tall, several times larger than the furnaces other clans used to make ninja tools.

He approached and checked it. The furnace walls still held some warmth.

Rows of molds stood beside the large furnace, all shaped like kunai inside.

So the Hyuga's kunai were made in batches, one furnace-load at a time.

A waterwheel stood by the river outside the workshop, connected to an enormous iron hammer.

Inside the workshop stood one long table after another, each holding different objects.

The hammering was left to the waterwheel, and each person performed just one task. They did not need so many veteran craftsmen. No wonder the costs were so low.

Tobirama was a clever man and readily grasped how it worked.

Crates of finished kunai were stacked high against the wall.

Tobirama took one from a crate and examined it. Its edge was sharp, better than those sold in Konoha's ninja tool shops.

A pile of black stones lay in a corner as well.

Tobirama picked one up and examined it. Unable to recognize what it was, he put it back where it had been.

Tobirama committed everything he had seen to memory.

The furnace, the molds, the waterwheel-he could simply copy them when he returned. Konoha had no shortage of workers.

Meanwhile, Shinichi noticed that someone had entered the workshop by the river.

He stood up and picked up the ninja blade beside him.

This was the blade Gengorō had made for him from pure chakra metal. Shinichi had named it Pale Moon.

Holding Pale Moon, Shinichi pushed open the door and headed for the riverside workshop.

Shinichi reached the workshop entrance.

A white-haired man wearing a mask stood inside.

The man had probably already looked at everything in the workshop.

"Who are you? What are you doing sneaking into the Hyuga's workshop in the middle of the night?" Shinichi demanded.

The masked man did not answer. With a flick of his hand, he threw several kunai.

Shinichi raised Pale Moon. With several crisp clangs, he deflected every kunai.

Taking advantage of that moment, the masked man darted out the other end of the workshop and ran toward the riverbank.

Shinichi chased after him with Pale Moon in hand, and the two left the workshop one after the other.

Once on the riverbank, the masked man knew he could not escape. He stopped, turned, and drew the ninja blade from his back.

Tobirama knew perfectly well that if he was recognized tonight, Konoha would have no way to explain this away.

He could not use Flying Thunder God, nor could he use any of his signature ninjutsu.

He intended only to force Shinichi back with the most ordinary moves, then find an opening to escape.

The masked man struck first, slashing straight at Shinichi's neck.

Shinichi turned sideways and flicked his blade up, parrying the strike.

The masked man's blade was fast, chopping downward, sweeping sideways, then slicing at Shinichi's legs.

With his Tenseigan active, Shinichi could clearly see where every strike came from. Without retreating a single step, he parried them all.

After more than a dozen strikes, the masked man had not landed a single hit. Instead, the impacts had numbed his sword hand.

This kid's swordsmanship was actually as troublesome as Madara's.

Shinichi was studying him too.

Through the Tenseigan, he could see that the man's chakra reserves were frighteningly vast. He was at least a Kage-level ninja.

Yet someone like him was using nothing but the most ordinary sword techniques.

He was afraid of being recognized the moment he showed his skills.

Shinichi wanted to see how long he could keep hiding them, pressing him harder with every stroke.

"Your swordsmanship isn't bad. Why don't you dare show your real skills?"

"You came snooping in the middle of the night. You'll have to leave something behind."

The masked man said nothing, his blade growing faster still.

The masked man leaped backward, landing on the river's surface.

Shinichi saw what he was doing. He wanted to use the river to put some distance between them.

Anyone could use Water Dragon Bullet with the river's water. That move would not give him away.

The masked man formed hand seals. River water surged upward, forming a water dragon that lunged at Shinichi.

Shinichi poured chakra into Pale Moon until its blade glowed blue, chakra extending three or four meters beyond its edge.

He slashed down at the oncoming water dragon, splitting it in two from head to tail. It crashed back into the river, the spray soaking half the riverbank.

The masked man formed hand seals again. Four clones appeared on the river, and all five figures charged from five different directions.

Shinichi stood still and used Repulsive Force.

A force pushed outward from his body, sending all the loose stones on the riverbank flying. The four clones dissolved into white smoke, while the real man was hurled several meters away and fell back onto the riverbank.

Just how many abilities was this Hyuga kid still holding back?

Tobirama steadied himself and reached into his clothes, touching the kunai inscribed with a technique formula before letting go again.

Hold out a little longer. I still can't use Flying Thunder God...

Shinichi had already caught up to him.

Pale Moon slashed down. The masked man raised his blade to block, but his ninja blade snapped in two, half of it falling into the river.

Damn it!

That blade was actually made entirely of chakra metal!

The Hyuga Clan was actually this rich!

When I get back to Konoha, I'll definitely have a ninja blade made entirely of chakra metal too!

The masked man threw aside his broken blade and retreated, using the Substitution Technique, explosive tags, and every little trick available to him.

With a boom, shattered stones flew everywhere.

Pale Moon had struck only a log. The stones blasted up by the explosive tags could not obstruct the Tenseigan either, and Shinichi caught up in just a few strides.

With those eyes, no little trick could work.

The masked man retreated to the river's edge, with nowhere left to go behind him.

Shinichi knew that if he pressed him one step further, he would no longer be able to hide.

Shinichi poured chakra into Pale Moon and slashed down at his head.

If he failed to dodge this strike in time, it would cost him half his life.

The masked man flung a kunai to one side. In a flash, he appeared beside it, avoiding the strike.

Shinichi watched him flash over to the kunai.

Leaving a technique formula on a kunai and teleporting directly to it-

This was the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Flying Thunder God was a ninjutsu Tobirama Senju had created himself. At present, he was the only person in the entire Shinobi World who knew it.

This masked man.

Was Tobirama Senju.

The masked man stood beside the kunai and gave Shinichi a look.

He did not know whether Shinichi had recognized him.

But he knew he could not keep fighting. If he delayed any longer, Hyuga reinforcements would arrive.

Tobirama vanished with Flying Thunder God, leaving Shinichi alone on the riverbank.