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"Nagato? Nagato!"
Konan frowned slightly, nudging her companion. She lowered her voice, a hint of worry in it: "Are you alright? You've been distracted ever since we started. We're still on a mission, you know."
"Oh, oh!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Nagato seemed to suddenly snap back to reality, responding softly as usual.
However, in his ring-patterned eyes, there was still no light.
"You are merely a vessel."
"Your life, from the very beginning, has been controlled by another."
"That person's name…."
Even now, the words of the man who had suddenly appeared before him, suppressing him with an utterly irresistible power, still lingered in Nagato's mind.
Despite two full days having passed since that night, he still hadn't recovered from those words, so bland they bordered on cold.
He stared blankly at the road ahead, through the dappled light and shadows between the tree crowns, muttering to himself subconsciously:
"My life, and these eyes…"
"Are they all predetermined by someone else?"
Nagato, who had been insecure since childhood, suddenly had a strange sense of enlightenment. The death of his family, his sudden 'awakening' later on, and the series of events that followed, such as being captured by Uchiha Hikari and brought to Takigakure—it all suddenly seemed to have a trajectory.
Besides that, there were also that person's final words.
"If you want to break free from this fate, come find me."
"—I will grant you a new life."
They were just ordinary words, yet they inexplicably created an indescribable pull in Nagato's heart.
Break free from this life?
He subconsciously looked up at Konan, who was gazing at him with a worried expression, and Yahiko, who was standing guard beside her. His heart slowly beat, then gradually calmed down.
He would think about it some more.
"Boom—"
The next moment, the sound of an explosion from a Paper Bomb echoed from further down the road.
"Attack!"
Yahiko issued a command, and the two behind him immediately lunged towards the Land of Earth merchant caravan on the main road.
Meanwhile, in Konoha.
Beneath the overcast sky, the dappled moonlight that reached the ground was faint, and the evening breeze was cool.
In the shadows of a dilapidated building in the old district, a shadow, like a black cat, swept swiftly through the darkness, emitting a faint sound.
Anbu Ninja, monitoring the downtown area from the rooftops, were diligently performing their duties, constantly observing their surroundings.
Because the first batch of Ninja High School students had recently graduated, and the top performers were promoted to Anbu, their workforce was greatly supplemented, making their recent work much easier.
However, some minor oversights were inevitable.
The shadow, no larger than a black cat, alertly scanned its surroundings through the building's crevices. Its vertical pupils glanced dismissively at the Anbu Ninja on the roof, then quickly slipped into another narrow alley through a tight passage.
At the end of that alley was an inconspicuous broken drainage pipe.
The black cat slipped into the pipe opening and climbed upwards. In the middle of the pipe, facing the building, there was a small hole.
Slipping through the hole, it entered directly into the building's interior corridor.
"Meow…"
The black cat ambled to an iron door at the end of the hallway, meowing a couple of times like many outdoor cats. Soon after, the iron door opened slightly.
"Thud."
Soon after slipping through the door, the black cat transformed into a petite human figure. Her eyes scanned her surroundings warily. Noticing they were all familiar faces, she finally relaxed slightly.
Clearly, this was a spy den set up by Iwagakure in Konoha.
"How was it?"
The tall man by the door lowered his voice.
"No luck."
The Iwagakure female Ninja shook her head: "Konoha's Anbu have increased their numbers significantly recently, and their counter-espionage skills are quite good. That research department is heavily guarded."
"Damn it."
The tall man cursed under his breath: "What in the world are those bastards researching? Why have so many vehicles been transported in recently, and we can't even find a trace?"
"Keep your voice down!"
The female Ninja immediately scolded him, while quietly pulling back a corner of the curtain to glance outside.
At the same time, she couldn't help but sigh.
Ever since Konoha's so-called reforms began, it had become increasingly difficult to obtain intelligence from this originally leaky Village to report back to their own Village.
Damn Sawara!
Just as she was thinking this, a figure in the corner of the room, who had been sitting cross-legged in the shadows, maintaining a sensing state, suddenly opened his eyes and turned towards a certain spot:
"Movement!"
"?!"
The remaining Iwagakure spies immediately tensed up.
The next moment.
"Boom—!"
Under the night sky, a piercing explosion suddenly rang out, the firelight exceptionally clear against the cloud-covered darkness.
Just hearing the sound, everyone present's heartbeats quickened by several beats!
Who was so fearless?
Fearless was good!
After waiting for so many days, they finally found an opportunity.
However, just as they were about to ask if they should act, they saw the Iwagakure sensing Ninja's expression change again. While maintaining his sensing Ninjutsu, fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead:
"Such a strong Chakra reaction… Sawara is personally taking action! It's from that research building we investigated earlier!"
"The other figure is also incredibly fast. What kind of Chakra is this?"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was instantly startled.
If they had rashly rushed in after investigating this underground research department, they would probably be in Sawara's hands by now.
What difference would that be from being dead?
"Sawara… Then, are we still…?"
The female Ninja who had just slipped through the door suddenly felt a bit timid, quietly asking if the mission should continue.
It wasn't just her.
This question arose in everyone's hearts.
Encountering Sawara allowed for immediate mission abandonment without punishment.
Now, this was already the common practice throughout the Ninja World.
The sensing Ninja, acting as captain, was also worried. After all, Sawara was known as an all-rounder Ninja, and there was a possibility that any of them could be caught as soon as they left.
However, thinking of the research treasure personally guarded by Sawara, he immediately gritted his teeth.
This risk had to be taken!
"Let's go out and see."
"First, let's assess whether to continue the mission."
"Yes!"
After they transformed and left in batches, they saw that the entire Village had already been awakened by the previous loud noise.
It wasn't just them; many blurry figures in the distance were peeking out of windows, and some who were clearly Ninja simply climbed onto rooftops to look out.
Looking out, they saw two figures shooting at super-high speed, unrivaled by ordinary people, across the buildings on Konoha's south side.
The figure following behind seemed to have some reservations, not daring to go all out.
The other figure held something high in their hand, looking as if they were about to crush it at any moment.
"Bang!"
It wasn't until the two crashed onto the empty training ground near Forest of Death that the person in front stopped, exhaling in heavy, mist-like breaths, like a bellows.
In the distance, unseen figures followed from the shadows.
Closer still were the Anbu Ninja who had surrounded Sawara.
Ever since large quantities of precious materials were suddenly transported into the underground research facility, it had attracted the attention of many.
Among the figures lurking in the distance were many undercover agents from other Villages.
However, no one dared to get any closer.
At this moment, they just wanted to wait and see if they could gather more information.
"Sawara!"
The masked figure in front suddenly raised his voice, his exposed eyes blood-red: "Let me leave, and I will drop this thing at the location you designate, otherwise I will destroy it!"
"You wouldn't want the secret treasure that made you so strong to be damaged, would you?"
Hmm?!
Just two sentences immediately made all the figures hiding in the shadows tense up, staring intently at the orb in that person's hand.
A secret treasure that made Sawara stronger?
As expected.
Sawara immediately stopped, glaring at him: "The war just ended not long ago, and you want to restart it? Do you really think I won't kill people?"
"So what!"
A genuine madness flickered in the figure's eyes: "As long as it can keep your power at its current level, even starting a war is worth it!"
Upon hearing this, Sawara seemed to genuinely hesitate for a few moments, slightly softening his tone:
"Put the item down, and I'll let you go."
The moment he heard this, the Iwagakure sensing Ninja suspected his ears were malfunctioning.
The invincible Sawara, being forced to this extent?
Could that thing really be the treasure that allowed him to reach such a level?
This suspicion had actually long existed in everyone's minds.
After all, the power Sawara displayed was simply too incredible, with no discernible trace to follow. He wasn't even a Kekkei Genkai Ninja, nor did he have any renowned teachers.
Since he gained fame, everyone had been trying to probe the secret of Sawara's immense strength, but no one had found an answer.
Until now.
At this moment, the breathing of the Iwagakure Ninja became unconsciously heavy.
If an ordinary person from a humble background like Sawara could become so powerful after obtaining such a treasure, then what if others obtained it too?
The Ninja lurking in the shadows almost simultaneously exchanged glances with their companions, their gazes gradually becoming resolute.
Even if they couldn't confirm the authenticity of this 'secret treasure,' they had to try.
If it succeeded, from then on, a glimmer of hope to overthrow Sawara's tyranny would surely appear in the Ninja World.
As long as they could defeat this demon-like individual, even if there was only that minuscule chance, they would definitely risk their lives to try!
However, just as they were thinking this, they saw the masked figure become even more frantic:
"Put it down?"
"Without any reservations, who could escape from your hands?"
"Retreat now! Otherwise, I will destroy it immediately!"
"A mere life, if it can halt your strength, then what if it's sacrificed?!"
Sawara seemed to be enraged by him, his eyes subtly showing a hint of anger.
Almost the instant his words fell, a line of pale light flashed across the space beneath his feet, and his slender figure, as if compressing dozens of meters of space, abruptly appeared in front of the opponent.
He reached out.
However, at the very moment his figure disappeared, the opponent immediately realized his intention and instantly threw the orb in his hand along with the bundle behind him into the sky.
A hint of surprise seemed to flash in Sawara's eyes, and he subconsciously turned towards the direction of the orb.
"Watch out! It's a Chakra bomb!"
Someone among the Anbu behind, sharp-eyed, suddenly shouted out.
Sawara's steps involuntarily paused.
"Boom—!"
The deafening roar once again filled everyone's ears, as if their eardrums were about to tear.
The explosive firelight was even more unexpected than anyone had imagined. A sphere of light, over dozens of meters in diameter, engulfed with unimaginable power and impact, spread in all directions.
That fragile orb, almost at the instant before the explosion began, was shattered into countless fragments.
At the same time, it seemed to activate a certain characteristic.
Tiny streams of light suddenly bloomed, spreading across the night sky like shooting stars to an unknown, distant reach.
Upon seeing this scene, the figures hidden in the shadows first felt a pang in their hearts, but then an indescribable surge of ecstasy rose within them.
The Ninja World was saved!
Meanwhile, Sawara's side was furious. The figure in front of him was easily decapitated.
He didn't even care about the blood on the ground, immediately turning to the surrounding Anbu and shouting:
"Go find it! Don't waste time!"
"Even if you have to piece it back together, get that thing back!"
"Yes!"
The Anbu immediately responded and scattered in all directions.
After the figures dispersed, Sawara slowly turned his head towards the figures further in the distance:
"And these little rats, they need to be cleaned up too."
The moment they heard this, the undercover agents, who had just been ecstatic, stiffened.
Without any command or exchange, everyone simultaneously shot off in different directions, incredibly fast.
At this moment, they had only one thought.
They must bring this news back to their Villages!
Meanwhile, at the Hokage Building.
Tsunade looked at the Hyuga, Aburame, and Inuzuka Anbu Ninja behind her, who were maintaining a combined sensing state, her expression solemn—they were the 'directors' of the central command for this mission.
"How are things?"
"No loopholes found so far."
The Yamanaka Ninja responsible for joint command spoke gravely: "Next, it will depend on Sawara's disguise skills."
From the moment this grand play began, everyone's performance had been under their surveillance, and they even managed to lure out several long-hidden foreign Village spies.
"Hmm, well done."
Tsunade nodded slightly, praising them.
She looked up at the night sky in the distance, quietly awaiting the reply from further away.
Next, as long as these spies successfully complete their escape mission and bring the news back to their respective Ninja Villages, it would be considered a success.
However, she still harbored some lingering concern.
She hoped that Kiri's 'Fishing for the Orb Plan' would be successfully implemented.
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