Silence fell.
The forest was so still it felt dead, broken only by a sharp ringing in the ears—so shrill it was almost like a hallucination.
Driven purely by instinct, Might Guy finally activated the Eight Gates—
yet Hyūga Gin's body was already frozen in the final posture of his movement, knees bent, torso twisted.
Guy stared blankly as Gin's long hair drifted down behind him.
Only when he heard a soft pat—
and saw blood gathering at Gin's fingertips before dripping to the ground—did he snap back to his senses.
"Enemy attack?!"
Guy's expression hardened instantly.
His figure vanished in a blur as he sprinted toward the direction of the strike without the slightest hesitation.
But when he arrived—
There was no one there.
Only a glaring pool of fresh blood.
And a right arm, cleanly severed at the shoulder.
The cut was terrifyingly smooth—bone, muscle, and sinew all laid bare.
Clearly, Gin's thrown kunai hadn't killed the attacker, but it had cost him an arm—and forced him to flee in disgrace.
Gin soon walked over as well. He glanced at the severed limb, then lifted his gaze toward the depths of the forest.
Branches swayed lightly in the wind, sunlight fractured into broken patches between the leaves.
"Did you see him?" Guy asked gravely.
There was no blood trail—meaning the attacker had treated the wound immediately to avoid being tracked.
"No," Gin shook his head, his expression faintly regretful.
"It was too fast. I couldn't see clearly."
[Ding—Your lie has been classified as Feigning Ignorance.
Might Guy experienced strong emotional fluctuation and reached Complete Trust.
You gained 300 Reality Points.]
Gin hadn't grown close to Guy by chance.
On one hand, Guy was a future powerhouse—someone who would nearly kick Six Paths Madara to death.
On the other, his straightforward, emotional, and utterly sincere personality made him extraordinarily easy to believe in others.
Guy had no doubt whatsoever.
He clenched his fists, fury burning in his eyes.
"This has to be reported to the Third Hokage! Someone actually dared to attempt murder inside Konoha!"
Then he suddenly remembered something and turned to Gin's hand.
"Wait—your injury!"
"It's nothing," Gin said with a smile, waving his hand slightly and showing a shallow cut across his palm.
"His Wind Release wasn't refined enough."
[Ding—Your lie…]
In truth, the situation had been extremely dangerous.
That Wind Release technique was far from crude—if Gin had caught the blade instead of the handle, his entire hand would have been sliced off.
Guy let out a relieved breath.
"That's good… Still, being able to activate your Byakugan like that—turning disaster into fortune."
Even so, the image of that kunai's terrifying speed lingered in his mind.
For the first time, Guy seriously asked himself—
If that attack had been aimed at him, would he have reacted in time?
He reached a conclusion quickly.
If he had opened even the First Gate, he could have avoided it.
But the problem was—
The attacker would never give him that chance.
The strike had been too sudden, too fast.
No one would expect an assassination attempt inside Konoha.
" Gin… that was incredible."
Guy looked at him differently now.
He clapped a heavy hand on Gin's shoulder and declared with fiery resolve:
"My training is still far from enough! From today on, I'm adding five hundred inverted runs every day!"
Next time—
Even if the Grim Reaper himself came swinging a scythe, Guy would smash open a path forward with his own fists.
"It was just luck," Gin said with a wry smile.
This time, no system notification followed.
In Guy's heart, this wasn't luck.
It was strength.
"Let's go," Guy said solemnly.
"Get that hand treated properly, then we report this to the Third Hokage. An infiltrator has already made a move."
An infiltrator?
Gin glanced at his palm—already healed—and recalled the silhouette he had seen through the Byakugan.
Not necessarily…
Who was it?
Sarutobi Hiruzen?
No—he hadn't exposed himself yet.
Then perhaps Orochimaru's remnants.
Or—
Shimura Danzō.
Gin let out a silent, mocking laugh.
"So fast to act. Truly skilled at internal strife—and utterly useless when facing external enemies."
Elsewhere — The Edge of the Forest of Death
A figure cloaked in black repeatedly used Body Flicker, only stopping once he was far from Gin and Guy.
He clutched his shoulder and dropped to one knee on a tree branch.
"Ghh…!"
His head hung low as a suppressed scream leaked through clenched teeth—pain mingled with fear.
Damn it. Damn it! How did this happen?!
According to the intelligence, he had been lying in ambush at the training ground long before the target arrived.
When the boy appeared, he'd felt completely at ease.
A trivial mission.
So he used his proudest technique—
A Wind Release jutsu personally taught by Lord Danzō, refined through years of training.
And yet—
The moment he struck, that brat suddenly stopped, tilted his head—
And activated the Byakugan, something the intelligence never mentioned.
The boy raised his hand—
And caught the Wind-imbued kunai barehanded.
Barehanded.
By the handle, not even the blade.
Are you kidding me?!
Even now, from such a distance, his sensory technique told him—
He had met the gaze of a pair of eyes as calm as still water.
Then—
A shrill scream of tearing air.
The forest seemed to experience a sudden rainstorm.
Leaves fell like they were being trimmed by invisible shears, slicing his vision into fragments.
It was beautiful.
And then came the pain.
Shhk.
The sleeve of his black robe split open.
A red line circled his arm.
Blood sprayed.
His arm fell.
The sound was painfully clear.
"He caught my jutsu—and threw it back!"
Now kneeling in terror, he still couldn't accept what had happened.
The intel said the target was a failure.
How could a failure block a Wind Release assassination technique refined for years and taught by Lord Danzō himself?!
That reaction speed—
You're telling him that was a failure?!
If he is a failure—
Then what am I?
"Kama-itachi(Wind Cutter)."
A hoarse, chilling voice broke the silence.
The man shuddered violently.
He looked up—then immediately lowered his head again.
"Lord Danzō, I—"
"Hmph. Useless," Danzō interrupted coldly, glancing at the missing arm.
"So the mission failed."
This assassin had been personally cultivated for killing.
Under ideal conditions, he could eliminate even most jōnin in a single strike.
But now—
"Losing your dominant arm means you're finished."
Danzō's narrow eyes gleamed darkly.
Interesting.
"That Hyūga brat is far from simple. Orochimaru must have left something behind in him."
If Sarutobi wanted to be benevolent—
Then Danzō would be ruthless.
Since the Hokage took his Wood Release asset, he would repay the favor—
By moving against this boy.
(End of Chapter)