In the quiet and dark underground cell, Kaito Fujiwara slowly stood up and walked to the door.
He placed his hands together.
"Chou-Wei-Si, Secret Technique: Nura Technique!"
A low hum filled the air as Kaito's body was suddenly enveloped in a strange gray energy. The mist spread and merged into the surrounding darkness, making it seem as if he had vanished from existence.
This was the Rain Shinobi Village's secret technique, one that significantly reduced a person's presence. However, it had a drawback—it only worked on ordinary vision, making people subconsciously ignore his existence. Against sensory-type ninjas, it was almost useless.
Kaito didn't know whether the Anbu guards had the Byakugan or not.
But right now, he had no time to worry about that. Every plan carried a risk of failure. His only goal was to minimize it.
His ears twitched slightly as he listened for movement.
Just now, he had heard the faintest trace of footsteps outside his door.
That was an Anbu on patrol.
He had no way of determining the exact patrol pattern, but he could at least estimate the minimum interval.
For an Anbu, the shortest interval between patrols was around thirty seconds.
That meant that after one Anbu passed his cell, it would take at least thirty seconds before another walked by again.
He counted in his mind.
Ten… Eleven… Twelve… Thirteen… Fourteen…
Now.
Kaito clasped his hands together, forming a quick "noon" seal. His right index finger pointed at the lock on the door.
"Alaho Hole Opening Technique!"
Outside, in the corridor, the iron powder hidden within the cracks of the wall gathered, combining into a key. It slipped through space and appeared inside the keyhole.
Click! A crisp sound echoed through the empty corridor.
Damn it! I missed that one detail!
Suppressing his shaking nerves, Kaito slowly pushed open the cell door, stepping out quietly before closing it behind him. He then formed another seal.
"Body Replacement Technique!"
Poof! A soft sound.
The pillow on his bed suddenly transformed into an exact replica of him, lying still under the blankets.
"Come here."
With Magnet Style's control over steel, Kaito summoned a kunai hidden beneath the pillow, pulling it toward the door.
Just two or three seconds after Kaito finished, a masked figure appeared at the end of the corridor.
Kaito felt a surge of relief. The visitor wore a familiar dog-head Anbu mask.
Though he had never seen the man's real face, he was certain this guy wasn't from the Hyuga or Uchiha clans.
That meant his substitute in the cell would most likely hold up.
After all, it was easy to recognize members of those two clans. Hyugas had long black hair and an air of detachment. Uchihas were proud, brooding, and somewhat antisocial.
As for this Anbu? He was just an ordinary, introverted pervert.
The masked man, whom Kaito mentally referred to as "Dog," cautiously checked each cell as he passed by.
Click! The small window on a random cell door opened.
Inside, a prisoner muttered in his sleep, turning over on his cot.
Dog continued down the corridor, eventually stopping at Kaito's cell. He hesitated for a second before pushing open the small window.
Inside, Kaito's replica stood eerily upright, wearing a strange smile. His dark eyes, hidden in the shadows, stared directly at Dog.
Dog felt a chill down his spine and took several steps back.
"Y-You… What are you doing?!"
Kaito's innocent voice echoed through the corridor.
"Hehe~ Let's play find the ball together!"
!!
A wave of cold terror shot from Dog's tailbone to his forehead. The hair on his arms stood on end.
"J-Just go back to sleep!" he stammered, hastily slamming the window shut. He didn't even realize the voice had come from behind him rather than inside the cell.
Still trembling, Dog glanced around nervously before walking back toward the duty room.
Kaito grinned as he reached out and left a wire-triggered iron device on the window's edge. Then, he stealthily followed Dog, absorbing the iron powder back into his body as he moved.
Following the unsuspecting Anbu, Kaito soon reached the duty room at the end of the corridor.
Unlike the prisoner cells, this room was built differently. Instead of being next to the corridor, it blocked it entirely, serving as a security checkpoint between the underground prison and the outside world. There were two doors—one leading back into the cells, the other to freedom.
The duty room was brightly lit, and as Kaito entered, his gray mist shifted to blend with the lighting like a chameleon.
Dog walked in, still shuddering, and complained to his fellow Anbu guards.
"Damn it, that Kaito kid was standing in front of the window pretending to be a ghost. Nearly scared me to death!"
The other Anbu members laughed.
"Serves you right. Who told you to lend him The Tale of Genji? His blood is boiling from excitement—it's a wonder he can even sleep!"
Dog groaned and shivered again. "Whatever. I gotta take a leak. Be right back."
"Don't piss yourself!" one of them teased, earning another round of laughter.
Kaito smirked and silently followed.
After passing through multiple doors, climbing several flights of stairs, and slipping past numerous patrols, Dog finally reached the ground level. Kaito followed closely behind.
He was now inside the Hokage building, at the base of a grand staircase.
Glancing around, Kaito quickly found the double wooden doors he had been searching for.
He recognized the intricate flame patterns carved into the wood.
This was it.
After so much hardship, he had finally reached the Hokage Archive Room.
Thinking back on everything he had endured, Kaito clenched his fists.
He had infiltrated the Rain Shinobi Village, killed a ninja to assume his identity, and snuck into Konoha as a spy. To maintain his cover, he had acted recklessly, even provoking the mighty Senju Tobirama.
Yet, despite all his efforts, others seemed to have it easier. Some time travelers got free Sharingans, Rinnegan, or even the legendary Tenseigan. And him? The only thing he got was the ability to be dissected like a lab rat.
"Life is so unfair," he muttered, pressing his forehead against the door.
But now…
Now, victory was within reach.
Kaito rubbed his hands together eagerly. Iron powder seeped from his skin, forming a key between his fingers.
Click! The door unlocked, and he slipped inside.
The scent of old parchment and ink filled his nose.
"Ah, the smell of knowledge. Sublime."
Ignoring the countless scrolls on the bookshelves, he made a beeline for the massive scroll at the room's center.
It was ancient, half his height, resting atop an ornate stone platform covered in intricate carvings and complex script.
Without hesitation, Kaito unrolled the scroll.
Seven bold words greeted him:
Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.
His eyes lit up.
This was it—the ultimate cheat code.
Before he could celebrate, a flicker of movement reached his senses.
Someone was approaching the archive room.
His heart pounded.
"Damn it! Someone's checking the room!"
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