By the time the other Sunagakure ninja arrived, only Yubi and a corpse remained at the scene.
He had not killed the fake Kazekage.
The man had swallowed poison and killed himself.
Yubi had examined him. Even with his medical skills, there had been no way to save him.
The poison the man had swallowed was extremely potent.
"What happened?"
The Sunagakure guards asked in alarm and confusion.
Yubi briefly explained what had happened.
The guards immediately took the matter seriously.
Konoha spies had infiltrated their village. This was a slap in Sunagakure's face.
What was more, they had gone after Yubi.
Before long, the guard captain arrived, and word reached the Kazekage as well.
"Are you certain they were from Konoha?"
After some time spent examining the corpse, the guard captain had found no clues.
As for the other assassin, his mangled remains had been burned to ashes by Fire Release.
"I'm not completely certain... It's just a feeling. They seemed like Konoha people."
Despite having just fought a battle to the death, Yubi seemed perfectly composed, not frightened in the slightest. If anything, he looked a little happy. "If my guess is right, and these two came from a certain organization in Konoha, then judging by how they operated, they wouldn't have left behind the slightest evidence... even if their mission failed."
"Much less anything that could cause trouble for Konoha... He deliberately destroyed his companion's corpse with Fire Release while attacking me. That shows just how meticulous he was."
Yubi pointed at the dead "fake Kazekage" by his feet as he offered his analysis.
"Of course, that's all just wild speculation... Don't take it seriously. I'm just talking."
"..."
The guard captain.
"We've identified them... These two were established merchants who began trading with our village several years ago... Since they were familiar faces and their backgrounds were clean..." Just then, a Sunagakure ninja arrived at the scene and reported to the captain.
Several years ago... In other words, the enemy had already been planting undercover agents at the beginning of this Shinobi World War, or even before it broke out.
Although Sunagakure screened outsiders very strictly,
they were still somewhat more relaxed with "familiar faces," or people who had been vetted over a long period and found to be clean.
Fortunately, Yubi had come to no harm.
Had he fallen into their hands... the impact on Sunagakure would have been enormous.
At that thought, the guard captain felt a lingering fear... Outsiders did not know what Yubi meant to the village, but their own people knew perfectly well.
But when he looked up and saw Yubi still grinning, telling the medical ninja who wanted to examine him that he was fine and there was no need to worry... the guard captain breathed a sigh of relief.
He inwardly marveled at Yubi's mental fortitude.
"Lord Kazekage..."
"Lady Chiyo."
Immediately afterward, the Kazekage, Chiyo, and the other village leaders all arrived.
The guards greeted them.
After learning the full story, the leaders' expressions turned either furious or cold.
This sudden incident was an extremely serious act of aggression against Sunagakure.
Even though Yubi had come to no harm, it still showed that there had been a lapse in Sunagakure's security system.
"Seal the village... Conduct a thorough investigation."
The Kazekage glanced at the corpse and spoke in a grave voice.
"Yes."
His subordinates immediately went to carry out his orders.
At present, they still did not know whether there were any other enemy spies in the village besides these two.
"Those bastards in Konoha..."
"There are no clues. We still can't be sure whether Konoha sent them."
"It was them. Who else could it have been? Kirigakure or Iwagakure? It's possible, but the chances are far too slim..."
"They targeted Yubi... Hanzō might have sent them too. After all, Amegakure is the only outside party that knows about Yubi's existence right now."
The leaders began discussing the matter.
"It wasn't that old bastard Hanzō... If he had that kind of ability, he would have used the intelligence he gathered about our village to gain an advantage on the battlefield long ago, considering how long he's been fighting us."
Chiyo spoke up. "Fortunately, we've kept information about Yubi well protected. Right now, the enemy only knows he's a medical ninja, a genin with considerable talent. They still don't know his true abilities. That's why their assassination attempt failed."
At that point, several of them turned to Yubi again.
"What do you think?" Chiyo asked.
"You mean?"
Yubi understood what she meant.
"We'll postpone your chunin examination until this Shinobi World War is over... In a sense, your status as a genin is another way to protect you," Chiyo said.
She was worried Yubi might get upset.
For newcomers who had only just set out on the path of a ninja, becoming a stronger ninja was both the goal they worked toward and proof of their efforts.
"I'll follow the village's decision."
Yubi smiled easily.
The leaders all knew his strength. The chunin examination would have been nothing more than a formality.
Afterward, everyone dispersed.
The harrowing night seemed to have ended just like that, without further incident.
But the next day, the village's investigation began.
Sunagakure ninja began searching from house to house... Sunagakure was also completely sealed off. Apart from ninja carrying out missions, no one was allowed to leave.
In truth, as the person at the center of the incident, Yubi could have insisted that the perpetrators were from Konoha... But again, there was no evidence.
If he brought up information about Danzo and Root... it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
How could a little fellow who had never taken part in the village's fighting on the Konoha front... know so much?
So, after weighing it up, Yubi decided... it was enough that he himself knew the truth.
As for Danzo making a move against him, Yubi was not surprised.
Underhanded tricks were that old man's specialty...
Still, he would remember this grudge for now. When the opportunity arose... he would return the favor.
"Combat strength, intelligence, devious methods... Sigh. Once a Shinobi World War breaks out, the major ninja villages really will stop at nothing to win." Thinking of some events from the original story, Yubi felt rather reflective.
During the village lockdown that followed, Yubi began his "experiments" in evolving his own body.
He tried using "cell activation" to improve his physical attributes.
Of course, when he had time... he also made trips to the hospital.
But after the assassination attempt, Yubi discovered... Anbu members were following him around the clock.
Although they remained hidden, they could not escape his notice.
Even when he slept, someone stood guard outside his home.
It was another form of protection the village had put in place for him.
Still... being watched made Yubi feel somewhat uncomfortable, but there was nothing he could do about it.
His training still had to continue.
So... almost every day, the Anbu assigned to watch him saw him in secluded corners of the village, facing the windblown sand or blazing sun as he went through monotonous taijutsu practice and physical training.
Even the Anbu were astonished by the intensity of his training.
It already far exceeded the scope of their own Anbu physical training.
Yubi was utterly reckless, pushing himself as though he meant to train himself to death.
And quite apart from how quickly his stamina recovered, as a medical ninja, he could also ease the fatigue and overexertion of his flesh, as well as heal himself.
And Yubi was not even ten years old.
Besides protecting Yubi, the Anbu also regularly reported their observations of him to the Third Kazekage.
So... the Kazekage was thoroughly informed about Yubi's every move.
The Third Kazekage said nothing about Yubi's training.
Arai had already mentioned in his initial report... that Yubi was very intelligent and mature.
They could not truly treat him as a little kid just because of his age.
Yubi was someone with strong ideas of his own and plans for his future.
He had long since developed a very clear understanding of his own combat model and strength.
Even as an elite jōnin, Arai did not have much he could teach Yubi.
Therefore, the Third Kazekage had no intention of interfering in Yubi's affairs either.
Whatever Yubi did, as long as he grew stronger... it would benefit Sunagakure.