Just as Rinto was desperately rushing to his room, in the duty room of the Anbu dungeon, seven Anbu were having a serious discussion.
"Captain Bao, what's the matter with you suddenly calling us together?" asked one of the Anbu.
Anbu, codenamed Explosion, stood before six men, holding a sharp short sword.
"Here's the situation. Tugou mentioned earlier that he was frightened by the kid in Cell 233. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I went back there just now with my dog.
After opening the window, I found No. 233 lying on the bed, asleep. I tried to wake him up and ask about the situation. But no matter how hard we called him, he wouldn't wake up. Not only that, but he showed no response at all.
Now, I'm going to check his room. The rest of you proceed as normal."
After saying that, he tapped three times among the six men, calling out three Anbu, including Tugou.
"You three, follow me to check the cell. The remaining three will take turns patrolling. At least two of you must remain in the duty room at all times! If anything happens, immediately seal off the entire dungeon!"
His voice was grave and firm.
"Yes!" the six Anbu nodded in unison.
Bao pulled out his short sword in a reverse grip and turned to the three he had called upon.
"Move out!"
As he spoke, he glanced toward the dark corridor outside the duty room, pondering for a moment before continuing.
"We'll be at Cell 233 in one minute. Tugou and I will go inside to check on No. 233. The two of you will stand guard on both sides of the passage to prevent any surprise attacks or riots!"
"Remember, this is a critical moment. Any disturbance must be dealt with immediately!"
He then glanced at Tugou.
"Tugou, you've been monitoring No. 233 for a long time. Tell me what you know about him."
Tugou furrowed his brows under his mask. At this moment, he was no longer the unreliable joker he often was—he was a Konoha Anbu ninja.
"He's incredibly strong. I once accompanied Lord Sarutobi on Mission 3-234; No. 233, Rinto, is far stronger in close combat than the average Jōnin. His strength isn't about skill—it's raw power and speed. He can crush a grown man's head in an instant."
Bao's eyebrows, hidden under his mask, furrowed deeply. "Anything else?"
"Yes!" Tugou nodded. "He has an extraordinary ability to react in battle. His instantaneous judgment is terrifying."
Hearing this, Bao's frown deepened further.
As an experienced Anbu, he knew one thing well:
In a confined space like a prison cell, the roles of hunter and prey could switch at any moment.
Especially against prisoners with exceptional close combat abilities, Anbu could find themselves at a severe disadvantage.
What troubled him the most was that Rinto couldn't be woken up, but they also couldn't kill him through the cell door. The only option was to open the door and check.
"Damn it, why is such a monster locked up in such a low-level cell?!" Bao couldn't help but grumble.
Tugou, who knew a lot of secrets about Rinto, pursed his lips but remained silent.
Even if Bao was his superior, there were secrets he couldn't disclose without the Hokage's permission.
As time ticked by, Bao suddenly stood up, staring into the darkness of the corridor. His eyes sharpened.
"Let's go! We must figure out what's happening!"
Although his cautious approach had bought Rinto a lot of time, there was nothing wrong with his judgment.
There had been past incidents where prisoners faked their deaths to ambush Anbu. Given that they were dealing with some of the most dangerous criminals, caution was necessary.
Moments after the four men left, Rinto, concealed by the Nurarihyon Technique, silently entered the duty room.
His heart tensed as he scanned the room.
"No! The numbers don't add up!"
Realizing something was off, Rinto quickened his pace and rushed toward his cell.
After a long sprint, he finally reached his cell door before the four men arrived.
At that moment, the Anbu team had already positioned themselves outside the cell, kneeling and whispering their final plan.
"Tugou, I'll go in first. You guard the door and keep it shut."
"You two, watch both sides of the passage. If you hear any strange sounds, don't act—just send a signal to the duty room immediately!"
After issuing orders, Bao pulled out a long key ring from his vest pocket.
Listening to their plan, Rinto quickly prepared to act. As the key turned in the lock, the door creaked open.
Bao, gripping his short sword, formed a hand seal while cautiously entering the cell, his eyes locked onto Rinto lying on the bed.
Tugou, upon hearing the 'crack' of the door, felt a strange déjà vu. He had heard this sound not long ago…
A terrible suspicion crept into his mind.
Meanwhile, Rinto silently followed Bao inside.
Once inside, Rinto's anxious heart finally calmed. He moved swiftly past the tense Anbu leader, crouched near the bed, and crawled underneath.
His plan was simple: the Transformation Jutsu was bound to be discovered. The only way forward was to make this incident seem like a child's prank.
After all, Senju Tobirama was about to die at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
It was a bit lonely, but no one in this village could guess his true purpose.
Thinking this, Rinto steadied himself, feigned sleep, and lay completely still.
Inside the cell, Bao finally stepped up to Rinto's bedside.
The lantern light shifted, slowly illuminating Rinto's face.
And then—
Bao felt a chill run down his spine, and an uncontrollable urge to urinate hit him.
Rinto lay there, eyes wide open, staring at Bao like a lifeless puppet.
Though he wasn't smiling creepily like Tugou had described, his gaze…
His gaze just moved!
Oh god! That scared the hell out of me!
Before Bao could react further—
A head suddenly popped out from under the bed.
It was Rinto again.
Unlike the one on the bed, this Rinto looked sleepy and confused, his eyes squinting against the light.
"Hey, uncle, what are you doing in my room? The toilet's over there. Just take it away and empty it yourself."
His voice was simple and innocent.
The next second—
The Rinto on the bed exploded with a bang, turning into a pristine white pillow.
The sound wasn't loud, but it scared the four Anbu senseless.
Looking at Rinto's confused expression, Bao, who had just been scared half to death, suddenly felt his face darken.
A wave of nameless rage surged from deep within.
He no longer cared about Rinto's monstrous strength or battlefield instincts.
He just wanted to beat him up.
And so, he did.
With a dark expression, he grabbed Rinto by the collar, dragged him out, and started punching him.
"Damn brat! Trying to scare me?! Keeping me up at night?! Making me take out the toilet?!
You nearly scared me to death!"
His voice had a hint of tears in it.
"This punch is for Tugou—he was scared to death by you!"
At the door, Tugou's face reddened with embarrassment. His grip on his kunai tightened.
"This one's for me! I won't let you torment me at night!"
Though hoisted in the air, Rinto fought back fiercely.
"You coward, put me down! Let's duel!"
"Hurry up! You're ruining my pajamas!"
Tugou, knowing Rinto's infamous stinginess, quickly stepped in.
With great caution, he straightened Rinto's clothes before setting him down.
"Captain, you can hit him, but don't tear his clothes."
"Why?"
Tugou whispered, "Ever heard the saying: 'If I don't blackmail you into pulling up your pants, I'll never eat four dishes in my life'?"
Bao fell silent.
Rinto, despite his bruises, grinned.
Tonight, he had gained something priceless—
The Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique.
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