"Ah, the house is so big here!"
Naruto ran in quickly and dove into the soft bed.
Only then did he remember something.
"Kurenai-sensei, am I really staying here tonight?"
"Yes, this is your Room. I'm on your left, and Masahiko-sensei is on your right."
Kurenai Yuhi replied with a smile.
Naruto touched the bed, his smile filled with a sense of happiness.
At this moment, Masahiko entered from outside. He exchanged a glance with Kurenai Yuhi, both nodding slightly, and then chatted with Naruto.
After a few words, Naruto was coaxed into taking a Shower to prepare for sleep.
Outside the door, the two met with Asuma.
Asuma looked at them, his expression becoming increasingly complex, but he quickly composed himself.
"A group of Wandering Samurai has indeed arrived in the city. Nominally, they were hired as bodyguards by several wealthy merchants and casinos. The ones you encountered are just the newcomers."
"They should be under the control of Genjutsu."
Kurenai Yuhi said.
Asuma nodded and said with difficulty, "I mentioned it, but... it wasn't of much use."
"Senior, it seems your days here aren't easy either."
Masahiko lamented.
Asuma remained silent and didn't respond.
Seeing the atmosphere wasn't right, Kurenai Yuhi immediately asked, "Masahiko, did you meet with the Daimyo?"
"I didn't see the Daimyo, only someone from the Sanjo Family. Their attitude wasn't very friendly."
Masahiko replied.
Asuma said, "Sanjō Take, the head of the Sanjo Family. He holds high status and power among the nobles, and he's behind the Radical Faction."
"No wonder."
Masahiko nodded thoughtfully.
Asuma looked at Kurenai Yuhi, hesitating to speak, and finally only managed to say, "I'll be going now. I'll come to see you another day."
"Okay, be careful."
Kurenai Yuhi nodded.
Asuma sighed softly and left with a Body Flicker.
Kurenai Yuhi frowned slightly. "Is the pressure too much? He's acting a bit strange."
This time it was Masahiko's turn not to know what to say.
He eventually decided to—
Remain silent... Night fell, and the surroundings were quiet.
Inside the house, Masahiko sat on the bed with his eyes closed, resting with his back against the wall, right next to the window.
From this position, if an enemy situation occurred, he could immediately provide support through the window.
But at the same time.
On the roof, his Shadow Clone observed the surroundings. After a while—
"Whoosh!"
The figure on the roof had already vanished without a trace.
A moment later, not far from a courtyard in the city, a samurai stood by a bridge.
Suddenly, the sound of splashing water rang out.
Then, a figure emerged from the water.
Masahiko, disguised by a Transformation Jutsu, looked at the samurai in front of him and couldn't help but smile. "Your disguise is still so flawless. If I hadn't seen your message at the Daimyos Residence, I really wouldn't have believed it..."
"Thank you for the compliment."
The samurai's voice was slightly hoarse.
He chuckled. "What do you think of my proposal?"
"I won't deliberately stop you. Other than that, I can't provide much help."
Masahiko said.
Orochimaru nodded slightly. "Rest assured, I don't need your help. As long as you don't intentionally block me, I'm confident I'll get what I want."
"Fine."
Masahiko nodded.
The corners of Orochimaru's mouth curled up. "Pleasure doing business with you. So... do you need my help to deal with your trouble?"
"No, I can handle this small matter myself."
Masahiko replied.
Among the six members of the Conservative Faction, the strongest were naturally Asuma and Jiraiya. The other four had strong Lightning Release Ninjutsu but had fatal flaws.
He was confident in acting alone to complete the kill.
Hearing this, Orochimaru chuckled. "Masahiko-kun, I have a feeling that after this, you will step onto the stage of Konoha."
He looked at the river water.
"I'm looking forward to... seeing if you and I will be any different."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Masahiko's Shadow Clone didn't respond; it directly dispersed and disappeared... Inside the residence next to the Daimyos Residence.
"Asuma, what did those two from your village say?"
"They didn't say much."
Asuma was smoking a cigarette.
After a long time, he looked at Jiraiya. "Kazuma and the others are becoming more and more radical. Today, they even sent people to attack the Daimyos Wife's carriage."
"They're becoming increasingly lawless."
Seito said with a dark face.
That carriage didn't just have the Daimyos Wife; there were also many noblewomen. If something happened, Konoha certainly wouldn't benefit, but would Kazuma and his group be any better off?
They were ignoring everything for the sake of the struggle.
He looked at Asuma and said, "We can't just sit here and wait for them to make a move, can we? How about we act in advance..."
"No!"
Jiraiya immediately stopped him. "We cannot strike first. One mistake could affect everything."
Kitako scratched his head in frustration. "Then are we just going to watch?"
Asuma frowned and said, "Perhaps... they will become more and more insane. What we need to do is protect ourselves."
"Sigh!"
Kitako stood up and said irritably, "I'm going out for some fresh air."
He walked out the door, stood outside for a moment, set his black staff aside, and pulled out a cigarette to light it.
Suddenly—
Swish!
A slight sound came from the side.
Kitako was immediately alert. He threw the cigarette and grabbed his iron staff.
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared on his right.
"Bang!"
He swung his staff, even smashing the door frame, making a loud noise.
At this time, the people inside were also alerted.
Everyone immediately rushed out of the Room.
However—
"Watch out!"
Asuma's pupils shrank, and he cried out in alarm, rushing forward with his trench knives in a Body Flicker.
It turned out... what Kitako hit was only a clone. The real enemy had crouched down, just barely avoiding the strike.
At this moment, the opponent's body was tense, like a leopard ready to pounce.
Kitako also sensed something was wrong. He lowered his body and formed hand seals—
Lightning Release: Lightning Strike!
Lightning flashed on the ground as he thrust the black staff into the earth.
The spreading lightning gathered on the iron staff and then surged toward the attacker behind him.
Asuma also swung his trench knives, his Chakra exploding as he used Body Flicker to flank the attacker from the other side.
The moment the attack arrived, the opponent's steps shifted rapidly. Their body spun and twisted eerily as if they had no bones, narrowly dodging the trench knives and the iron staff.
Fortunately... the opponent's speed wasn't too fast.
Beidou wanted to pull back his staff to block.
However.
The instant the thought crossed his mind, the opponent's speed suddenly doubled, and they disappeared from the spot in the blink of an eye.
He only saw a reflection from a blade.
Vaguely, something seemed off... it was Genjutsu!
Beidou suddenly snapped out of it.
The moment he broke the Genjutsu, he immediately pulled back his staff and retreated, but it was already too late.
Whoosh!
A flashing figure dissipated into the air after coming into contact with the lightning.
Jiraiya finally landed in front of Kitako.
But warm blood sprayed out from behind.
Kitako held his iron staff, his eyes wide in disbelief as blood gushed from his throat.
His severed throat made it impossible for him to speak:
"Gurgle... gurgle..."
Gradually, he grew weaker and fell backward.
"Kitako!!!"
The five of them cried out in pain together.
Touu hurriedly said, "Medical Ninja! We need to find a Medical Ninja quickly, maybe there's still..."
She stopped mid-sentence, suddenly frozen.
This was Kyoto. Where would they find a Medical Ninja?
And.
This strike was fast and ruthless, cutting halfway through Kitako's throat.
Even a Medical Ninja would likely... She couldn't help but burst into tears. "Kitako!"
Asuma held Kitako, his lips and hands trembling, deeply hating his own incompetence.
Suddenly, he thought of someone—
Kurenai Yuhi had mentioned that Yagyu Masahiko had created his own Medical Ninjutsu?
He immediately stood up.
"I'll go find a Medical Ninja. You guys help Kitako... hold on as long as possible!"
After saying that, he disappeared with a Body Flicker.
At this moment, inside Masahiko's Room, he opened his eyes and slowly exhaled.
Originally, he was just going to observe tonight, but the opportunity was too good, causing him to change his plan on the fly.
At the same time, he used Genjutsu techniques similar to Konoha Style: Willow for that strike.
Furthermore, for the assassination strike, he used Shikotsumyaku to soften his bones and soft-body techniques, mimicking Orochimaru's assassination tactics... Orochimaru was in Kyoto, so even if he came in person, he wouldn't be able to clear his name.
Masahiko calmed his spirit.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside.
Soon... Knock, knock!
"Masahiko-kun, quick! I have someone here who needs medical attention!"
Asuma's voice came through.
Masahiko opened his eyes and immediately opened the window and jumped out.
"Senior, what hap—"
"A life is at stake! I'll explain on the way. I'm begging you!"
Asuma was desperate.
Masahiko nodded and said, "Please send a Shadow Clone to lead the way. Naruto also needs protection here."
"Fine! Let's go!"
I messed up the scheduled release time, but luckily I took a look.