The night was as dark as ink, and Konoha Hidden Village was submerged in dreams and silence, with only a few places still lit.
Utatane Koharu's mansion was one of them, situated near the Hokage Building, exuding an air of ancient, lingering decay.
Outside the walls, two Anbu were patrolling back and forth.
Their pace, breathing, and even the intervals of their scanning gaze strictly adhered to standard patrol protocols.
At the main gate of the mansion, two Ninjas wearing Family guard attire stood on either side, their expressions slightly weary, but their posture remained upright.
A few more guards paced slowly; steady yellow light shone from the study window, where an old, hunched figure could be vaguely seen at a desk.
Everything seemed as calm as usual.
About fifty meters from the mansion, within the shadow of a lush ancient tree's canopy, Uchiha Sasuke stood as still as a statue. His dark gray cloak blended into the night, and beneath the hood, his crimson Three-Tomoe Sharingan slowly rotated, taking in every detail inside and outside the mansion.
Building structure, window opening angles, possible escape routes, weak nodes in Chakra flow—all information was rapidly analyzed under the Sharingan's insight, sketching a three-dimensional model in his mind.
He wasn't being reckless; his recent experiences in the gray zones had taught him a more efficient and cold-blooded way of doing things.
Clear obstacles, achieve goals, leave no trace. Utatane Koharu, a Konoha Leadership Advisor, was one of the key figures who had signed numerous restriction orders and "surveillance recommendations" against the Uchiha Clan back then, even supporting the armed suppression of the Uchiha Clan.
She was old, her strength had declined, and she lived in seclusion; she was Sasuke's first target.
Sasuke's figure vanished from the tree canopy. He didn't rush directly at the mansion but moved quickly along the edges of the shadowed areas, circling to the back of the mansion where the walls were higher but away from the guards' sight.
The Sharingan found a weak point in the defenses.
Sasuke's form was like smoke as he leapt lightly, his hand catching the top of the wall, and he flipped into the courtyard. He landed in the shadows of a well-maintained but currently unattended shrubbery in the backyard.
Almost as soon as he landed, the two Root secret sentries disguised as patrols seemed to sense something; their steps paused simultaneously, and their alert gazes swept toward the backyard.
But all they saw were the shrub branches swaying gently in the wind.
The moment their attention was drawn by the slight movement in the backyard, Sasuke's main body suddenly struck from their visual blind spot, in the shadow of a low wall to the side.
He didn't use Ninjutsu or draw his sword. His left fingers were joined like a blade, coated with highly condensed Lightning-natured Chakra, piercing into the back of the left Root Ninja's neck with incomparable precision. The Chakra erupted instantly, destroying his central nervous system.
His right hand reached out at the same time, fingers forming a claw, and with a sharp whistling sound, he gripped the throat of the right Root Ninja and squeezed hard!
"Crack! Gurgle!"
Two extremely faint snaps, almost masked by the night wind, rang out nearly simultaneously.
The two Root secret sentries stiffened, a trace of shock and confusion remaining in their eyes before they slumped to the ground, their life force rapidly dissipating.
Sasuke caught them before they hit the ground, gently laying them down in the shadows at the base of the wall, making it look as if they were resting against it.
The entire process took less than two seconds. The insight and anticipation of the Sharingan, combined with precise and ruthless Taijutsu, meant the two well-trained Anbu secret sentries couldn't even sound an alarm.
Having dealt with the most troublesome "nails" on the perimeter, Sasuke moved again, like a gliding shadow, pressing against the building's outer wall and moving toward the main gate.
The two guards at the main gate still stood there, completely unaware of their companions' instant deaths fifty meters away; one of them even gave a small yawn.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"