Juntō Yajima never believed in luck.
Even before receiving the intelligence and preparing to act,he was already prepared to engage his target with all his might, leaving no room for error.
The awareness that could kill the other person.
However,
When he finally set foot on this land,the burial ground he had chosen for his target...
In this 300-meter-long alley,
His heart suddenly skipped a beat.
It wasn't just because he saw the ferocity and eeriness shining in that brat's seemingly innocent eyes, but also because—
The environment had changed.
This was an ordinary street in Konoha.
Because of its ordinariness,the houses in the streets and alleys weren't like the uniform, neat Japanese-style buildings within the Hyuga clan's territory.
They lacked distinctive architectural features,adhering primarily to pragmatism, and incorporated various styles such as Hakka, cylindrical, tower-style, and Japanese torii gates, with varying heights.
The arrangement was well-balanced and varied.
The only thing they had in common was that these houses were at least four stories high,and the entire alleyway was laid out facing southeast.
As the sun set,the shadows cast enveloped the entire alleyway.
For the assassin, this place, sparsely populated and poorly lit, was an ideal location for surveillance, assassination, and disposing of the body to cover up the crime.
But,
The situation had changed slightly at this point.
When the intended victim became aware of the assassin's intentions,the environment transformed into a natural and excellent place for the victim to hide from the pursuer.
At this moment,
Whoosh!
Just as Juntō Yajima stood still and fixed his sinister gaze on the white-eyed brat not far away,
A kunai,utilizing the shadow cast by a house, shot towards his throat in a cold, sharp arc!
With his ingrained ninja instincts, Juntō Yajima immediately reached into his ninja tool pouch, pulled out a kunai, and swung it with a flourish!
Clang!
Sparks flew as the two kunai clashed,producing a crisp sound in the desolate alleyway.
However, the subtle difference in feel made Juntō Yajima's heart skip a beat, and his gaze involuntarily followed the movement of the deflected kunai as it fell to the ground—
A paper-wrapped pellet was tied to its end.
Sparks flew and hit the pellet;the next instant,
Bang!
A thick cloud of smoke erupted from it!
Juntō Yajima immediately held his breath and covered his nose. He touched the ground with his toes and leaped out of the smoke-shrouded area. While mid-air, he quickly turned his gaze to catch the figure of his assassination target.
However,
When he looked back towards where he had been,he could only see an empty alleyway and...
A pair of shoes that had been taken off?
"That brat... escaped?" Juntō Yajima's expression, hidden behind his cat-face mask, changed slightly.
"No!"
Juntō Yajima realized it in an instant.
According to the intelligence,Shinji Hyuga had not mastered the Body Flicker Technique, and the whoosh sound it produced was quite loud.
Having ruled out the possibility ofShinji using Body Flicker to escape, and seeing the shoes on the ground, Juntō Yajima immediately made a judgment—
'He threw a smoke bomb to obscure visibility.'
'During that process,he quickly took off his shoes and moved to hide, avoiding making noise with his footsteps.'
'Because he couldn't escape,he hid in the shadows of the building, trying to slip away unnoticed.'
Juntō Yajima took a deep breath, his gaze instantly turning icy.
"But,"
"Unfortunately,you've chosen a dead end!"
He fixed his gaze on the shadows of the alleyway not far away.
The alleyway was T-shaped.Juntō Yajima had arrived later but blocked the rear section leading to the apartments. Shinji Hyuga's speed made it impossible for him to escape from the other end in that instant.
So,Juntō Yajima deduced that at this moment, the brat was hiding in the middle of the dead-end alley—perhaps behind a trash can, or perhaps so helpless he was constantly praying to the gods, resorting to clumsy Transformation Technique to become a telephone pole or a wooden gate, covering his mouth and sobbing, hoping not to be discovered.
Juntō Yajima curled the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a mocking smile.
Tap, tap!
He began to move,his hand tightening around the kunai's handle, his gaze cold and sharp, his whole being like a butcher approaching a lamb awaiting slaughter.
As he took his first steps,
The next moment,
Originating from the Mist,proficient in the art of silent killing within mist, and having developed exceptional hearing due to his skill,
Juntō Yajima,
Vaguely heard a faint sound behind him.
Creak... creak...
Such a sound.
It was like stepping on sand on tiptoe;even with utmost care, a slight sound was still unavoidable.
Juntō Yajima felt something was off and suddenly turned his head a full 130 degrees.
The dark alleyway was as desolate as ever,while in the distance, the three Hokage Faces were edged with a dazzling gold in the twilight.
There was nothing behind him.
Juntō Yajima let out a breath, thinking he might have been hallucinating.
He turned his head back,preparing to take another step.
But just as he did,that faint sound, as subtle as an ant crawling, rang out again.
Creak, creak!
This time the footsteps were lighter and crisper,as if they had just taken a light step to the other side.
Juntō Yajima's heart skipped a beat.
This time he couldn't have misheard.
This was clearly a ninja footwork called"Namba Walking," a technique capable of eliminating the sound of footsteps. Even walking on a dilapidated wooden floor that creaked with the slightest movement would leave no sound.
However,this was only theoretical silence. Even with this footwork, some ninjas with hearing far exceeding the ordinary, with ears so sensitive they were almost inhuman, could detect extremely subtle traces.
As a Hidden Mist ninja skilled in silent killing,Juntō Yajima happened to be a ninja with exceptionally keen hearing.
That is to say—
That brat is right behind me?!
Thinking of this, Juntō Yajima felt a chill run down his spine.
Without hesitation,he spun around like a top!
There was still nothing in his field of vision,behind him or in front of him!
The shadows were swallowed by the shadows cast by the buildings,making it impossible to determine the enemy's location by light and shadow.
But Juntō Yajima was absolutely certain that someone was behind him!
Creak, creak!
The sound rang out again!Like a death knell, the footsteps, both continuous and subtle, echoed once more.
As he looked around the empty alley,the creaking sound of footsteps echoed behind him as he turned his head!
Juntō Yajima felt his heart pounding faster and faster, his emotions growing increasingly agitated.
"Hah!"His face was slightly pale, but he forced a sneer. "Kid, you think you can fool me with these tricks?!"
"I'm going to—"
As he spoke, Juntō Yajima's hands moved even faster than his mouth. He swiftly raised his hands and formed the three hand seals "Ox-Snake-Ram," attempting to quickly activate a ninjutsu to change the bizarre situation he was in.
"Water Release:Hidden Mist Technique!"
The Hidden Mist Technique was a prerequisite ninjutsu for silent killing. It involved creating a dense fog environment by exhaling chakra as mist from the mouth or releasing it from the feet.
At the same time,this mist, permeated with his own chakra, possessed a rough sensory effect.
If there was indeed someone behind him,they would be immediately marked by Juntō Yajima. He would then use the water mist to obscure their vision, making it impossible for them to follow his movements, thus breaking the opponent's strange "invisibility technique."
Whoosh!
Expand!A thick fog, created by Juntō Yajima, spread outwards.
He finally grasped the situation behind him.
However,
What truly horrified Juntō Yajima was—
Even though it felt like he had grown an eye and could finally see what was behind him,
There was still nothing.
Faced with this terrifying situation, Juntō Yajima could no longer remain calm. His heart pounded so hard it felt like it was about to burst, and he gasped for breath.
Where?Where? Where?
"Where is that brat?!"
A surge of energy welled up in his eyes, which gradually became bloodshot, and his chakra began to surge wildly.
The intense fog spiraled out of control,continuously forming and expanding with the input of chakra. He was willing to do anything, even expose his identity as a Hidden Mist ninja, to find Shinji Hyuga.
Thick fog enveloped the entire alleyway and buildings within a few hundred meters!
Finally,
Juntō Yajima's eyes lit up,and he abruptly turned his head to look in one direction, unable to suppress a sinister laugh.
"I've found you,kid!"
However,
What responded to him was——
Twang!
In the blink of an eye,
The wind raged!
Bathed in the last rays of sunlight at dusk,
A 1.15-meter-long arrow pierced through the surging thick fog with a thunderous roar!
In Juntō Yajima's astonished and incomprehensible gaze,a dazzling, golden arc of killing intent was drawn.
With a force faster,swifter, and harder to dodge than a typical ninja's shuriken throw—
An arrow pierced through Juntō Yajima's forehead!
Then,
The 32-year-old Kirigakure Chunin,Juntō Yajima,
Died.
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