"I can't let him take the Sand's smuggling demands back. If he does, word of me killing Ebizō's disciple will spread."
A cold realization gripped **Umino Yoru **. This was bad—very bad.
Without hesitation, he concealed his presence and activated the Body Flicker Technique, darting through the forest to intercept the Konoha smuggling overseer before he could report back.
Within minutes, he'd overtaken the man and set up an ambush.
Even a lion uses full strength to crush a rabbit.
The forest was silent.
The overseer, carrying a massive sealed smuggling scroll, leapt over a towering tree, shaking loose a shower of leaves—some of which landed on him.
Then—
Poof!
Three faint puffs of smoke erupted as three of the "leaves" transformed into Yoru 's shadow clones, instantly restraining the man. To prevent resistance, they shattered his limbs with ruthless efficiency.
And to stop any suicide attempt? A kunai flashed, shearing off the molars in his lower jaw before he could bite down on a poison capsule.
"So it's Mitarashi Gaku covering up the intel for me…?"
Yoru was stunned. The one helping bury this incident wasn't an ally—it was his enemy, Mitarashi Gaku himself.
Interrogation
The questioning went suspiciously smoothly.
Konoha shinobi were known for their iron will. Even under the Ten Torments of the Manchu, most would die before breaking.
But this overseer?
A spoiled clansman's lackey—trusted by Gaku but weak-willed and fragile.
After just:
Ripping out his teeth. Breaking all ten fingers. A round of "Hunger Digestion Torture." And threats of the Manchu Torments…
He spilled everything.
Not just about the Sand's smuggling—every dirty deal, every hidden ledger, even the time he peeked at his neighbor bathing as a kid.
"Not so loyal after all, huh? Keeping secret accounts?"
Yoru smirked. The man had meticulously recorded every transaction, likely as insurance against betrayal.
Smart… but not smart enough.
The Rot in Konoha
"The Mitarashi clan… what 'noble' shinobi you are."
Yoru 's voice dripped venom.
This smuggling ring wasn't rogue—it was Mitarashi Gaku's operation, trading with Sand's nobility. Not treason, just "clan diplomacy."
Back in the Warring States era, such dealings were common. Enemy nobles intermarried, shared intel, even orchestrated deaths of rivals.
But since the Five Great Nations formed? Konoha, the superpower, had stamped this out.
Or so he thought.
"Greed really does make men stupid."
The Mitarashi were a minor clan—barely second-tier despite having a Hokage Advisor. Yet here they were, gambling their entire lineage for profit and political leverage.
One misstep, and even Mitarashi En, the elder, wouldn't escape the fallout.
The Windfall
"But their loss is my gain."
Yoru 's eyes gleamed as he unsealed the smuggling scroll.
Tons of gold dust—worth 6-7 million ryō at least. Add the steel ingots? Over 10 million ryō total.
Enough to hire Kakuzu, the infamous bounty hunter, for a hit.
"Hah…"
He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus.
First, he sealed the corpse in a scroll—no evidence left behind.
Then, he raced after the Sand smuggling squad, catching up within minutes.
They moved cautiously, avoiding Konoha patrols.
Yoru left a shadow clone to track them while his real body veered toward the frontline defenses—to find Akimichi Torifu and mobilize a strike team.
The Bitter Pill
"Damn shame."
His jaw tightened as he eyed the Sand team's cargo:
Soldier pills. Weapons. Explosive tags.
A fortune slipping through his fingers.
He wanted to take them all himself—but one obstacle stood in his way:
A Sand taijutsu specialist—an elite jonin wielding a sword.
Without him? Yoru 's silent assassination arts could wipe out twice their number.
But against a Sand jonin?
Victory wasn't guaranteed.
"Time to call in the heavy hitters."
As he neared the river marking the frontline, his subsonic sensing picked up three familiar chakra signatures downstream:
Fūjin. Raijin. And Anma Kageoto.
Slowing his pace, he tuned in to their condition—just in case.
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