Failed again.
Looking at the report from his subordinates about the assassination squad losing contact, the Third Raikage, A, rose from his seat in visible irritation.
How enviable.
Another monstrous genius had been born in Konoha.
As he gazed out the window, the Third Raikage let out a quiet sigh.
For this second assassination attempt, Kumogakure had dispatched one elite jōnin, three jōnin, and even activated an important piece they had hidden inside Konoha.
With a lineup like that, if the timing and preparation were right, they could have even had a chance to assassinate a Kage.
And yet they had still failed.
Failed inside Konoha itself.
Was that boy, Shimura Kizaru, simply too strong?
Or was Konoha's protection around him too tight?
With the information currently available, neither the Third Raikage nor his advisers could reach a conclusion.
At the same time, a new problem now stood before him.
Should Kumogakure continue sending assassins?
Or should they give up entirely?
Or perhaps contact Sunagakure and Iwagakure, the two villages that had provided intelligence, and launch a new joint assassination attempt?
Just as the Third Raikage was still hesitating, Kizaru handed him a brand-new answer.
He brought it right to their doorstep.
After two straight days of travel, Kizaru's three-man team successfully infiltrated the Land of Lightning.
Hidden inside a secluded cave, the three of them made their final confirmation before the operation began.
Before crossing into the Land of Lightning, all three had changed their appearance. Now, they were disguised as rogue shinobi who lived off bounty work.
"According to the intelligence gathered by the ANBU, Kumogakure has deployed seven outposts along the coastal border," Sarutobi Shinnosuke said as he pointed at seven marked locations on the map. "We'll split up and raid them."
He tapped the map again.
"Each of these outposts is guarded by at least one chūnin squad. Some of them may also have a jōnin stationed there."
His tone became more serious.
"We cannot afford to be careless. The attacks must be fast and decisive."
As he said that, Shinnosuke gave Kizaru a pointed look.
After all, this guy had a bad habit of dragging things out with chatter even in the middle of battle.
"Jōnin, huh? That really does sound really bad~" Kizaru said with a sigh, sounding completely insincere.
Shinnosuke wanted to warn him a little more, but when he thought about Kizaru's absurd strength, he ultimately held it back.
"In this raid, we need to leave some survivors behind," Shinnosuke continued. "Kumogakure needs to receive the information. That's how we lure the snake out of its hole. But at the same time, we can't make it too obvious, or they'll grow suspicious."
"How many do we leave alive?" Hatake Sakumo asked directly.
Shinnosuke looked at both of them before answering.
"Sakumo, you leave one survivor. I'll do the same on my side."
Then he turned to Kizaru.
"Kizaru, your Light Release is too conspicuous. If you use it, there's no point leaving witnesses. Kill everyone at the outposts assigned to you. No survivors."
Kizaru wanted to say that he could wipe them out without even using Light Release, just with taijutsu alone.
But he figured Shinnosuke would not be reassured by that answer either, so he said nothing and simply nodded.
After that, Shinnosuke divided the seven outposts among the three of them, bringing the briefing to an end.
"Rest now. We move after dark."
As he spoke, he folded up the map on the ground.
It was already late afternoon. There were only two or three hours left before nightfall.
The three of them said nothing more.
Each leaned against the cave wall, swallowed a soldier pill, drank some water, and then closed their eyes to rest.
Time passed quickly.
The sun sank little by little.
The moon rose.
Darkness spread across the land.
One after another, the three of them opened their eyes.
They exchanged a glance, and then Shinnosuke spoke in a low voice.
"Move out."
With that, he stood first and walked out of the cave.
Kizaru and Sakumo followed right behind him.
A moonless night. A killing night.
None of the three made a sound.
Each used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed toward the outpost they had been assigned.
The outpost Kizaru was responsible for lay deep within a forest to the northwest.
To avoid exposing his movements, he did not turn into a streak of golden light while traveling. Instead, he moved through the mountain paths with concealment techniques, silently cutting through the wilderness.
After crossing a broad stretch of barren mountain terrain, a forest finally appeared before him.
From the map and intelligence report, Kizaru already knew that Kumogakure had two outposts hidden inside this dense woodland.
He slowed his pace, spread out his Observation Haki, and stepped into the forest, letting the darkness swallow him whole.
As he melted into the shadows beneath the trees, Kizaru became like a true apex predator of the night forest—silent, unseen, and deadly.
His target was the first outpost.
Using Observation Haki, he quickly locked onto three Kumogakure shinobi.
The corner of Kizaru's mouth rose slightly.
"How interesting~"
His voice was soft as he slipped closer.
Two of them were inside a wooden cabin that served as the outpost.
The third was hidden in a tree about three meters away, positioned behind the cabin to keep watch.
Once he had their positions completely pinned down, Kizaru moved.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of the shinobi hidden in the tree.
Judging by the presence Kizaru sensed, the man was only an ordinary chūnin.
And yet, even with Kizaru standing right in front of him, the invisible intruder went completely unnoticed.
The mission came first.
Kizaru had no intention of wasting words.
He simply raised his right hand, extended one finger, and drove a finger pistol straight into the enemy's forehead.
The compressed burst of force pierced through the man's skull instantly.
Kizaru calmly withdrew his hand and gave it a casual shake.
Seeing the body begin to slump, he caught it before it could fall and gently leaned it against the tree trunk.
His actions didn't make any sound... so nobody was alarmed at all.
After dealing with the first target, Kizaru turned his gaze toward the cabin ahead.
He dropped lightly from the tree and landed without a sound.
At that moment, he really did resemble an elegant god of death, strolling quietly toward the cabin.
The door had been left slightly open, probably to make it easier for those inside to hear any movement outside.
Inside, one shinobi was maintaining his ninja sword.
The other was smoking.
Kizaru stepped through the doorway and walked up to the smoking shinobi.
Then, without hesitation, he raised his right hand again and extended his index finger.
Because the earlier finger pistol had felt messy on contact, Kizaru changed methods this time.
A thin golden beam flashed through the darkness and struck the man precisely between the eyebrows.
One shot.
Instant death.
Facts had once again proven that smoking in public really was bad for your health.
The sudden death of his comrade made the other shinobi freeze for a split second before he reacted at once.
His right hand gripped the blade and thrust it forward instinctively.
But before he could complete the motion, a terrifying force drove the sword back the other way.
The blade he held in his own hand was shoved straight into his forehead.
His mouth opened.
But before he could make a sound, he was already dead.
After dealing with the last enemy, Kizaru released his concealment and revealed himself.
He looked around the cabin at the bloody scene and let out a soft sigh.
"How scary~"
Then he turned and walked out of the wooden cabin at an unhurried pace.
He lifted his head and looked at the dim moon hanging in the sky.
After that, Kizaru stepped back into the darkness of the forest.
And little by little, his figure vanished once more.
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