Yajima Sunto never believed in luck.
Before obtaining the intelligence and preparing to strike, he had already resolved to use his full strength against the target and kill them without mercy.
However, when he truly set foot in this place—the chosen burial ground for his target—
this three-hundred-meter-long alleyway.
His heart suddenly trembled slightly.
It wasn't just because of the malice and strangeness emanating from the pale eyes of that brat, but also because—
the environment had changed.
This was an ordinary Konoha street.
Because it was ordinary, the houses in the alley were not uniform, neat Japanese-style buildings like those found in the Hyuga clan compound.
They lacked unique architectural features, adhering mostly to practical principles, blending various styles such as Hakka, cylindrical, tower, and Japanese Torii gates, arranged in a varied and staggered manner.
The only common factor was that these houses were all at least four stories high, and the entire alleyway faced southeast.
As the sun set in the west, the resulting shadows enveloped the entire alley.
For the assassin, this sparsely populated place with poor lighting was truly an excellent spot for surveillance, assassination, and concealing bodies.
However,
the situation had undergone a slight change.
Once the target realized the assassin's intent, this environment became a natural and ideal location for them to evade pursuit.
Just like now,
"Whoosh!"
The moment Yajima Sunto stabilized himself and fixed his sinister gaze on the Byakugan brat not far away, a kunai, utilizing the shadows cast by the houses, streaked towards his throat, tracing a cold, sharp arc!
Relying on the ninja instincts etched into his muscles, Yajima Junhito immediately raised his hand, hooked a kunai from his tool pouch, spun it, gripped it in his palm, and swung it out!
Clang!
The two kunai collided, generating sparks and emitting a sharp sound in the desolate alleyway.
However, a subtle difference in the impact made Yajima Sunto's heart jump, and his gaze involuntarily followed the kunai that had been knocked away and was falling to the ground—
A paper-wrapped pellet was tied to the end of the kunai.
The scattering sparks hit the pellet, and the next instant.
Bang!
A heavy burst of smoke was released from it!
Yajima Junhito immediately held his breath and covered his nose, pushing off the ground with his toes to leap out of the smoke-covered area.
While still airborne, he rapidly scanned his surroundings to capture the figure of his target.
However, when he looked toward the location where Hyuga Yuu had been, he could only see an empty alley and... a pair of discarded shoes?
"Did that brat... run away?" Yajima Sunto's expression, hidden beneath his cat-mask, subtly shifted.
"No!"
Yajima Sunto reacted instantly.
The intelligence stated that Hyuga Yuu had not mastered the Body Flicker Technique, and the "whoosh" sound when the technique is performed is quite noticeable.
Excluding the possibility of Hyuga Yuu using the Body Flicker Technique to escape, and seeing the shoes on the ground, Yajima Sunto immediately made a judgment—
'Throw a smoke bomb to obscure vision.'
'Quickly remove shoes during this process to move and hide, preventing footsteps from making noise.'
"Since he couldn't escape, he hid in the shadows of the buildings, attempting to slip away unnoticed."
Yajima Sunto to took a deep breath, and his gaze instantly turned icy.
"However,"
"unfortunately for you, you chose a dead end!"
He directed his gaze toward the shadows of the alleyway not far away.
The alley was T-shaped.
Yajima Sunto had arrived first and blocked the rear section leading toward the apartments, and given Hyuga Yuu's speed, it was impossible for him to escape from the other end in that instant.
Therefore, Yajima Sunto judged that the brat was currently hiding within the middle section of this dead-end alley.
Perhaps he was cowering behind a trash can, or maybe he was so helpless that he was praying to the gods, only managing a clumsy Transformation Jutsu, turning into a utility pole or a wooden fence, covering his mouth and sobbing, hoping not to be discovered.
Yajima Sunto curled the corner of his mouth, revealing a sneering smile.
"Tap, tap!"
He began to move, tightening his grip on the handle of his kunai.
His gaze was cold and sharp; he looked exactly like a butcher about to take the life of a lamb ready for slaughter.
But as he took his step, the very next instant.
Yajima Sunto, who hailed from the Land of Water, was proficient in the Hiding in Mist Technique, and had trained his hearing to be exceptional due to his skill in killing within the mist, faintly heard a subtle sound behind him.
"Squeak... squeak..."
It was that kind of noise.
It sounded like someone walking on sand on their tiptoes, making a faint, unavoidable sound despite extreme caution.
Yajima Sunto felt strange and abruptly turned his head 130 degrees to look behind him.
The dark alley was as desolate as ever, and in the distance, the three Hokage faces carved into the rock were gilded with a brilliant golden edge by the evening sun.
There was nothing behind him.
"Hoo..."
Yajima Junhito let out a breath, feeling that he might have been hallucinating.
He turned his head back, ready to take another step.
But just as he turned his head back, that sound, as faint as an ant crawling, rang out again!
"Squeak, squeak!"
This time, the footsteps were lighter and sharper, sounding like someone had only taken a single, soft step to the side.
Yajima Sunto's heart skipped a beat.
He couldn't have misheard it this time.
This was clearly a ninja gait called 'Namba-Aruki,' a technique designed to eliminate the sound of a ninja's footsteps, a method that supposedly left no sound even when walking on old, rickety wooden floors that creaked at the slightest movement.
However, this silence was only theoretical; for some ninja whose hearing far surpassed that of ordinary people—whose ears were almost inhumanly sharp—even this gait would leave an extremely faint 'trace.'
And Yajima Junhito, a Kirigakure ninja proficient in Silent Killing, happened to be one of those ninja with such acute hearing.
Which meant—
The brat was behind him?!
At this thought, Yajima Sunto felt ants crawling all over his back.
Without hesitation, he spun around violently like a top!
Yet... within his field of vision, in the space behind him, there was still nothing!
Shadows cast by the buildings swallowed up all other shadows, making it impossible to determine the enemy's location through light and shade.
But Yajima Sunto was absolutely certain that someone was behind him!
"Squeak, squeak!"
The continuous and subtle footsteps, like a death knell, rang out again!
As he constantly scanned the empty alley, the squeaking footsteps followed the turning of his head, continually sounding from behind!
Yajima Sunto felt his heart beating faster and faster, and his emotions grew increasingly irritable.
"Hah!" His face was slightly pale, but he forced a scornful laugh.
"Brat, do you think playing these tricks on me will work!?"
"I'll just—"
As he spoke, Yajima Sunto's hands moved faster than his mouth.
He swiftly raised his hands and formed the three seals—Ox, Snake, Ram—attempting to quickly activate a jutsu to change this bizarre situation he was facing.
"Water Release: Hiding in Mist Technique!"
The Hiding in Mist Technique is a prerequisite jutsu for Silent Killing, which creates a dense foggy environment by converting chakra into mist and expelling it from the mouth or feet.
Furthermore, this water mist, imbued with the user's chakra, possesses a rudimentary sensing ability.
If someone truly was behind him, they would be immediately marked by Yajima Sunto.
He could then use the mist to blind the opponent's vision, preventing them from tracking his movements, effectively countering the bizarre 'invisibility jutsu' the opponent was demonstrating.
"Hoo!"
A huge wave of dense mist was generated, spread, and expanded by Yajima Junhito!
He finally gained control over the situation behind him.
However, what chilled Yajima Sunto to the bone was this—
Behind him, where he could finally observe as if he had grown an eye, there was still nothing.
"Ha... Ha..."
Faced with this terrifying situation, Yajima Sunto could no longer remain calm.
With his heart pounding frantically, threatening to burst out of his chest, he began to gasp heavily.
"Where is he? Where is he? Where is he?"
"Where in the world is that brat!?"
Blood vessels began to surface in his eyes, and his chakra surged wildly.
The intense mist completely lost control, continually generating and expanding as he poured more chakra into it.
He was desperate to find Hyuga Yuu, willing to risk everything, even exposing his identity as a Kirigakure ninja.
The dense fog enveloped the entire alleyway and all the buildings within hundreds of meters!
Finally, Yajima Sunto's eyes lit up.
He suddenly turned his head to look in one direction and couldn't help but let out a sinister laugh.
"I found you, brat!"
However,
what answered him was—
"Tear!"
In an instant.
The sound of wind surged violently!
Reflecting the last sliver of daylight at dusk, a 1.15-meter-long arrow (Washi) forcefully pierced through the surging dense mist!
Under Yajima Sunto's stunned and incomprehending gaze, it drew a brilliant, golden arc of killing intent.
With a powerful, unyielding momentum—faster, sharper, and harder to dodge than an ordinary ninja's shuriken throw—
The arrow pierced straight through Yajima Sunto's forehead!
And so, the 32-year-old Kirigakure Chunin, Yajima Sunto—
Died.
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