At night, the chirping of insects rose and fell without rhythm—like music, yet too chaotic to be pleasant.
To an irritable mind, it was nothing but noise.
To someone calm, it added a bit of flavor to the dull passage of time.
Uchiha Tsukifu concealed himself deep within dense bushes. His body was completely hidden, leaving only two tiny gaps in his mask for moonlight to slip through.
His gaze followed that pale light, eyes fixed on every movement within the village.
He had chosen his position carefully—high ground, far enough to see the entire settlement at a glance.
The village had only a few exits. Even the tracks of the Thunder Chariots clustered near the main roads. Still, to prevent the enemy from slipping away in any direction, Tsukifu claimed the vantage point.
From here, nothing could escape his sight.
At last, after crouching in the bushes for nearly the whole day, his patience paid off.
Two suspicious figures left the village—heading straight for the main gate.
One wore white robes that fluttered softly in the wind. A white mask covered his face, with two hollow eye holes and, beneath them, a slightly upturned mouth.
The smile was ambiguous. Mockery? Silence? Or indifference?
That unique aura made it obvious.
A shinobi.
And a top-tier one.
Tsukifu launched himself instantly, movements light and swift, like a wildcat springing from tree to tree.
At the village entrance, the white-robed man and Sarada continued on their way.
Their destination remained unchanged—one of the deserted islands surrounding the Land of Water.
The target: the Four-Tails, Son Gokū.
Yet Sarada seemed to have completely forgotten she was a hostage.
She walked beside the white-robed man, holding candied hawthorn in one hand and cotton candy in the other, following closely behind him.
From a distance, it looked like an older brother indulging a child.
In reality, the white-robed man was younger than Sarada—a high-level White Zetsu created by Orochimaru in only a few days.
…
The road stretched onward.
The moon hid behind clouds; stars were few.
The night was pitch-black, with only fireflies drifting through the fields, barely lighting the path ahead.
After walking for a long while, Sarada complained,
"Why don't we take the Thunder Car? If we're going after the Four-Tails, wouldn't it be faster to use transportation first?"
"That makes sense," the man in white replied coldly. "But I prefer walking."
Sarada: …
After they'd gone a bit farther, the man in white suddenly raised his hand. A faint flame ignited at his fingertip, bright and steady.
"The fog is thick tonight," he said calmly. "Perfect conditions for murder."
In the next instant—
A sharp blade cut through the air, ripping apart the silence with a shrill whistle.
The blade pierced straight through Sarada's back.
Puff—!!
Blood sprayed outward, illuminated completely by the flickering firelight. The shadow of the blood splatter slowly fell, sinking into the ground.
Sarada didn't even seem to understand what had happened.
The blade pierced through her heart.
Death was instant.
Her body collapsed softly to the ground. The sound of her fall reached the white-robed man's ears.
He turned around in shock.
Sarada lay motionless on the ground, a pool of blood spreading beneath her, the smell fresh and pungent.
The white-robed man looked around in disbelief. Through the two holes of his mask, his eyes were wide with panic, as if he'd completely lost his composure.
He cradled Sarada's "corpse" and wept silently—as though the one who had died was not a hostage, but his own family.
Seeing his ambush succeed, Tsukifu immediately shifted position, approaching from another angle.
As expected, that girl was just an ordinary ninja.
From any perspective, she had always been easy to deal with.
Tsukifu drew a kunai, affixed an explosive tag to its handle, and hurled it forward using Wind Release: Rapid Fire.
The kunai tore through the air at terrifying speed, its kinetic force screaming as it cut through the night.
Clang!
The kunai shattered.
A lightning-wrapped kunai in the white-robed man's hand had intercepted it. The instant they collided, Tsukifu's weapon broke apart completely.
The explosive tag detonated, sparks bursting outward—
—but the flame at the white-robed man's fingertip swallowed the explosion whole.
Silence returned.
Tsukifu shifted again, forming hand seals at the same time. Shadow clones split off in multiple directions, forming an encirclement around the white-robed man.
"Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Technique!"
More than a dozen clones spewed fireballs at once, lighting up the entire area. Kunai were hidden within the flames, scattering outward like blooming flowers.
Petals of fire filled the night sky, dazzling like fireworks.
The white-robed man watched the clones with apparent interest, completely ignoring the incoming attack.
The Phoenix Flames passed straight through his body, as if he weren't there at all.
Then—
Sarada's body was struck as well.
Several flaming kunai stabbed into her, the scorching metal piercing her delicate skin.
Sarada: I—!!
Tsukifu frowned deeply.
He had seen the Phoenix Fire hit. More than a dozen sets of eyes had witnessed it. There was no way he was mistaken.
An illusion like the Second Mizukage's mirage?
But when did he activate it?
And how?
Tsukifu's expression shifted rapidly. Without hesitation, all remaining shadow clones rushed in from different angles.
The first clone arrived instantly, throwing a kunai at point-blank range while forming seals.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
More clones followed, surrounding the white-robed man.
Even Sarada's body was trampled several times in the chaos.
Sarada: I—%#&!
The massive fireball passed straight through the white-robed man—
—and obliterated the shadow clone behind him instead.
Tsukifu finally understood.
The remaining clones abandoned ninjutsu and launched physical attacks.
Useless.
No matter how many times he slashed, he couldn't even touch the white-robed man's clothes.
If it were simply a speed gap, that would be one thing.
But this—
This was an enemy that could not be targeted at all.
Now he understood why his comrades had failed.
It was no different from punching empty air.
If you couldn't hurt the enemy, all that awaited you was death.
Tsukifu retreated decisively, pulling back to a safe distance.
Since conventional methods were useless, he stopped wasting chakra.
"Who are you?" Tsukifu demanded coldly. "A member of 'Moon'?"
"Tsk, tsk."
The white-robed man sneered. "After assassinating my hostage, you still have the nerve to ask who I am?"
"Then I'll assume you're Moon," Tsukifu said, eyes icy.
"Yes. And?" the white-robed man chuckled. "Do you think you can hurt me?"
"You can't attack while defending like this," Tsukifu replied evenly. "Then I'll seize the moment you attack—and kill you."
His posture lowered slightly, body tense, completely focused.
The atmosphere froze.
Like an old Western duel—
If the enemy didn't move, neither would he.
If the enemy moved, Tsukifu's counterattack would be lethal.
The white-robed man looked utterly relaxed.
He stood lazily, even yawning.
Tick—tock—
Sweat slid down Tsukifu's cheek.
Unable to predict the enemy's method or timing, he locked his eyes on him, refusing to blink.
Both waited for the other to make the first mistake.
Time dragged on, the pressure suffocating.
Then—
The white-robed man moved.
He strode forward casually and reached straight for Tsukifu's neck, intent on capturing him outright.
Tsukifu's calves tensed instantly. His focus sharpened to a razor's edge.
He drew the blade from his back.
The slender sword gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
The white-robed man continued forward, seemingly oblivious to the blade, his hand unwavering.
Just as that hand closed in—
Tsukifu slashed.
A clean arc of steel cut toward the man's waist.
The blade passed through his body without resistance—
no impact, no feedback.
But at the same time—
The white-robed man's hand closed around Tsukifu's neck.
Tsukifu's expression twisted in shock and disbelief.
He attacked…
and created an illusion at the same time?!
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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