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The ANBU ninja was stunned.
He had heard tales of powerful samurai cleaving through ninjutsu with a single stroke of their blade. But to reflect a ninjutsu back at its caster—without even making contact—was something else entirely.
The scene before him was bizarre: the enemy simply swung his blade through the air. The jutsu he had launched hadn't even been physically touched.
Yet this was no ordinary shinobi. As a Konoha ANBU, he had received a reconnaissance mission years ago—one that felt odd even back then. The intelligence was minimal: only a mask worn by the target, and no clear information about their techniques, nature transformations, or bloodline limits.
"You're the one who infiltrated Konoha back then...! You're with Sunagakure?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Five or six years ago, a terrifying killer had massacred several Root operatives and was rumored to have slain Uchiha Shisui—one of the most formidable genjutsu users Konoha had ever produced. That man had vanished without a trace.
To think... he's been hiding in Konoha this entire time.
Could it be? The massive explosion that once rocked the Hidden Leaf—the one that nearly leveled the village, with explosive tags planted in critical sectors—was it all part of his plan? Was this truly a Sand Village plot years in the making?
"Konoha won't forgive you, Sand scum!" he shouted, dodging a Dragon Fire Technique and anchoring himself on the ceiling with his chakra.
But before he could finish his sentence, Ye Dou had vanished—and reappeared silently behind him.
"Try surviving first," Ye Dou muttered coldly.
The ANBU's eyes widened in terror. Cold sweat dripped from his brow.
I didn't even see him move!
"Die."
"No—you're the one who's going to die!"
A blur of movement—another Konoha ninja dropped down from the ceiling. Silent and deadly. An expert in stealth assassinations. His ninjutsu allowed him to blend seamlessly into the environment, attacking with lethal precision.
This was it.
With a precise cry, he drove two kunai into Ye Dou's neck.
Thud.
Ye Dou collapsed to the floor, lifeless.
"You alright, Ziyu?" the assassin asked.
"You're late. I almost died—again," Ziyu muttered, panting.
"Hah! If you can still joke, you're not dying today."
The assassin chuckled, seeing his partner slumped against the wall, shaken but alive. His confidence never wavered. There's no way anyone could survive that attack, he thought.
Ziyu managed a weak smile. We did it. We finally took down the monster that haunted Konoha for years...
But in the next second—poof! Ye Dou's corpse vanished in a cloud of smoke.
"A Shadow Clone—?!" Ziyu gasped. "When?!"
"Stay sharp!" the assassin yelled, instantly alert. But he was a beat too late.
Whirrrrr!
The telltale sound of a spinning Wind Demon Shuriken tore through the air like the rotor of a jet engine. The pressure alone could slice through flesh from a distance.
Slice!
The wall of the Hokage Building shredded like paper. It stood no chance. The assassin could only watch helplessly as the massive shuriken split his partner cleanly in two.
Before he could mourn, another wind demon shuriken tore through the air toward him.
There were two of them.
He turned, desperate to react, but his kunai were useless—they shattered instantly on contact.
His final thought, as his vision blurred and his head fell from his shoulders, was one of disbelief.
He never even entered the building...!
Ye Dou stood outside the Hokage Building, untouched.
"Eight down... four to go."
It all happened within mere seconds. In that brief moment, eight elite ANBU operatives had fallen.
Ye Dou didn't pause. He stepped forward with force, shattering the entryway tiles.
"Hup—" with a grunt, he launched himself into the Hokage Building.
At the same time, he gave a sharp command to his partner.
"The Book of Seals is hidden inside the Hokage's office. I'll handle the remaining ANBU. You retrieve the scroll."
Beside him, a mongoose leapt from his shoulder.
"Time to work fast," Ye Dou added.
"I want roast snow rabbit with Hanabi!" the mongoose barked.
"Again?! Not now!"
"And another thing," it added. "From now on, one roasted chicken leg per day."
"Fine! Just get that scroll back here in three minutes!"
"You got it. Leave it to Uncle Mongoose!"
Grinning, the mongoose bolted ahead.
He wasn't just a companion—he was the steward of Ye Dou's Equivalent Exchange Space, a mysterious system with its own rules and costs. His movement range was limited, no more than ten meters from Ye Dou.
So before he could start operations, Ye Dou had to breach the Hokage Building.
The mongoose wasn't familiar with the layout, but it knew the most important location—the Hokage's office.
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