At this moment, Yoru had no idea that a scheme was already closing in on him.
After returning to his rented apartment, he enjoyed a lavish meal—
An all-meat feast!
Once he finished eating, Yoru took out a large lunch box he had bought, packed it with the amount of food he would need after training, then hoisted the wooden post onto his shoulder and headed out.
After his first round of enhancement, his strength had increased significantly. Chakra, as the source of power, allowed him to carry all of this with ease.
(Yamanaka Taichi…)
Bang! Bang!
In a secluded part of Konoha, deeper within a small forest, there was an open clearing.
Beside the clearing ran a small river.
This was the training ground Yoru had chosen.
There was enough space—
And the river existed for one reason:
To wash away the blood that spilled from tearing his flesh during training.
After all, if a child walked around covered in blood every day without any visible injuries, the people of Konoha weren't fools—they would definitely suspect something.
Yoru stood bare-chested, wearing only a pair of shorts. Facing the wooden post, his eyes were resolute as he gathered strength and struck with full force!
The strong—
Are always forged in blood!
Whether it is their own—
Or their enemies'!
Every powerful figure stands atop countless stains of blood!
…
"Now is the perfect time to strike!"
From somewhere in the forest, a cold gaze locked onto Yoru.
"Training, huh? What a diligent little brat… too bad—you're about to die!"
Earlier, Hoshino Ichiro had placed a simple tracking mark on Yoru.
Using that mark, Hoshino Shōhei had located Yoru's residence and kept watch.
When Yoru left, he followed him all the way here.
Shōhei's eyes gleamed with killing intent as he stared at Yoru.
He scanned the surroundings—
No one was nearby.
What a perfect place… this kid just saved me a lot of trouble, he thought.
He had to finish this quickly—
Kill Yoru—
And retrieve the C-rank Fire Release ninjutsu!
Shōhei was confident.
As a Chunin, dealing with a six-year-old Academy student—
Would be effortless!
"Whoosh!"
Just as Yoru was fully immersed in training, a sharp sound cut through the air!
Slash!
A kunai sliced cleanly across Yoru's throat.
His eyes widened, as if he hadn't even understood what had happened.
Thud!
Watching Yoru collapse, Shōhei felt a surge of excitement. He quickly stepped out from the shadows and approached.
"Brat! If you want to blame someone, blame your greed!"
Looking at Yoru's "corpse," Shōhei crouched down, reaching toward his clothes.
"With how he's dressed… the item should be in his apartment…"
Just as Hoshino Shōhei was thinking this—
A magma-formed arm suddenly shot forward and struck through his body!
Shōhei's eyes widened as he staggered, staring in complete disbelief at Yoru—who was slowly standing up again.
The attack had completely broken through his defenses.
That strange arm radiated terrifying heat, and the damage it caused spread instantly through his body!
"W-Why…?!"
With the last of his strength, Shōhei forced out the question.
He couldn't understand—
The kunai had clearly cut across Yoru's throat!
So how was he still alive?!
And what… was that arm?!
"The dead don't need to know."
A cold voice, like that of death itself, sounded beside his ear.
And the one who spoke—
Had already decided his end.
"M-Monster…"
Those were Hoshino Shōhei's final words.
"Monster…?"
Yoru looked at the fallen figure before him.
"That's the highest praise you could give me."
In this world—
Only the strong—
Are monsters.
Yoru pushed his magma ability to its limit, completely reducing all traces and letting them drift away into the river.
"The Hoshino clan…"
Shōhei was the same shinobi who had followed Hoshino Ichiro earlier that morning.
After confirming no one had noticed anything, Yoru quickly packed up and returned home.
What was the motive?
Money?
He shook his head.
Although his inheritance amounted to over a hundred thousand ryo, it meant little to a clan—even a small one.
Because he refused adoption?
That was even less likely.
This was Konoha.
Countless ANBU guarded the village.
There was no way to act against an orphan like him without leaving traces.
The truth would inevitably be uncovered.
With the Third Hokage's methods, he would never allow such a matter to become public gossip.
"…Greedy brat."
Yoru clearly remembered those words.
His father must have possessed something that Hoshino Ichiro desired.
With that conclusion, Yoru began searching through the belongings he had brought.
"Found it!"
After a while, he held up a ninja scroll.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"