Chapter 25: Is This the Real Trump Card for Assassinating the Hokage?
The atmosphere at the Daimyo's Residence is truly full of positive energy...
Kitahara silently praised it in his heart. To obtain news of the Hokage so easily was unimaginable anywhere else... A ninja world where everyone's emotional intelligence is generally low!
The genius Chunin beside him had no idea the crow on his shoulder had just launched a map-wide taunt at this ninja world. He merely had an indescribable feeling about this city, "This kind of place..."
"A handwritten order from His Excellency the Daimyo! Appointing Hiruzen Sarutobi as the new acting Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves! A handwritten order from His Excellency the Daimyo! Appointing Hiruzen Sarutobi as the new acting Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!"
Several young men ran around shouting this joyous news, though it was unclear why they were so overjoyed... Maybe all their wives had given birth...
It was established national policy for Konoha to accept governance appointed by the Daimyo. However, it had to be said that this nominal master of the Land of Fire indeed had a rather low presence. It was understandable that he wanted to forcefully add himself to the drama.
"..." Uchiha Shisui couldn't continue his sentence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had just been appointed acting Hokage, and his guards were right behind those young men, walking slowly with expressionless faces.
"Is this the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves?"
"Isn't he the previous Hokage?"
"I remember seeing him visit the Daimyo's Residence often when I was little!"
"At this age... can he still serve as Hokage?"
Regardless of what the surrounding crowd pointed and whispered, Hiruzen Sarutobi turned a deaf ear. Only the guards beside him looked rather unwell... as if they really wanted to do something...
"Let's follow them and see... Lord Hokage doesn't seem right!" Uchiha Shisui suddenly grabbed the crow that wanted to fly away and quietly trailed behind the Hokage's guard detail.
Although the Uchiha clan's perceptive abilities couldn't compare to the Hyuga clan's, they could still be considered outstanding. No matter how you looked at it, Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed fine...
Shisui couldn't quite describe his feeling. Hiruzen Sarutobi usually gave off the impression of a warm stove, making people feel an involuntary warmth upon seeing him.
But the feeling he gave off now was... keep your distance... In the Land of Fire, someone impersonating the Hokage was no small matter! It was practically trampling on the dignity of tens of thousands of Konoha ninjas!
"Caw..."
Kitahara knew a little bit more than Uchiha Shisui. Its original intention was to target this group. Young man, I'm very glad you can think so much.
After leaving the city, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his guards quickened their pace. They didn't enter the forest like ninjas but openly followed a main road, intending to return to Konoha Village.
"This is too dangerous..."
Sweat beaded on Uchiha Shisui's forehead. Even when carrying out missions within the Land of Fire, ninjas would try their best to conceal their location. This team... was like newly graduated ninjas, only sending out scouts without considering the rear.
Uchiha Shisui's ninja skills were excellent. He closely followed this group through the forest without being detected at all, perhaps also because someone wasn't paying attention to this.
"Caw!"
The crow suddenly dragged Shisui's body into a dense group of trees. There were people in the forest ahead!
"Who are you, daring to attack the Hokage!"
"Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Kill!"
"It's a group of rogue ninjas! Finish them!"
"Wood Style: Great Forest Technique!"
This fierce ninja battle didn't last long. The sounds of fighting in the outer forest seemed to gradually recede. Uchiha Shisui couldn't resist jumping out to check the situation.
The crow's crimson eyes grew even gloomier. After watching Uchiha Shisui leave, it flew high up alone, looking down at the few small black dots below.
The killing wasn't over yet... Better stay a bit further away, to avoid any slip-ups.
"Caw!"
If there was one thing in the ninja world that could bring Kitahara a sliver of psychological comfort, it was probably the D-rank ninjutsu – Transformation Jutsu... It could transform into a human appearance, but it could still only make crow calls.
Just in terms of appearance, it believed no one would see through it, right? The only flaw was that it didn't know many ninjutsu and had to end the battle quickly.
A figure with black and white skin slowly landed on the ground, silently darting towards the battlefield...
The battle was nearing its end. The attackers probably hadn't expected to encounter a group of elite ANBU. They were almost routed instantly, forced to flee for their lives in a pathetic retreat.
"Caw..."
"Ah!"
A rogue ninja heard the faint crow call. After a moment of surprise, he couldn't help but let out a pained cry, but only one... Someone had snapped his neck.
Because that person needed a murder weapon.
"Uchiha Shisui? Weren't you supposed to join ANBU after some time? Did Lord Hokage send you on this mission too?"
At this time, the ANBU elites had regrouped, warily watching the suddenly appearing Shisui... As a Chunin, facing so many ANBU, Shisui felt a bit intimidated:
"Seniors, I... Watch out!"
A short sword suddenly pierced an ANBU member's body. The victim instantly reacted, trying to draw a kunai to defend, but his strength was clearly far inferior. Blood gushed out, and he collapsed weakly to the ground...
A strangely-featured person flashed past everyone!
"Alert!"
The white-haired ninja in the lead, Kakashi, quickly leaped onto a tree, "Everyone fall back! The enemy might use the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"How is that possible! That's not the Fourth Hokage's... Ah!"
Crack... A figure suddenly appeared behind a tall ANBU ninja... After a successful strike, it abruptly vanished from the spot!
"Senior, his speed is very fast!" Uchiha Shisui had activated his Sharingan early on. He could see the attacker's offensive speed, but that moment of sudden disappearance...
As the Fourth Hokage's student, Kakashi Hatake had seen it too many times. He merely said gravely, "That's the Flying Thunder God Technique! Is this his trump card..."
Danzo Shimura, attempting to assassinate the Hokage, how could he rely solely on that short Wood Style user... Besides surprising people upon seeing Wood Style, there was nothing remarkable about it...
And the current assassin had a bizarre face, as if synthesized. So, besides obtaining a Wood Style ninja through human experimentation, Root had also acquired a ninja who learned the Flying Thunder God Technique?
Lord Danzo, your resources... are truly substantial!
"Clang!"
The sound of weapons clashing was crisp and clear. An ANBU member blocked the attack. Noticing the attacker immediately vanished after a missed strike, he secretly sighed in relief...
"Don't be careless..." Kakashi's words stopped abruptly.
The Flying Thunder God Technique, as long as contact is made, a Flying Thunder God marker can be left... And the user can appear via the marker at any time!
That strangely-featured person quickly appeared from another angle, succeeding again.
Uchiha Shisui suddenly formed hand seals, "Body Flicker Technique!"
Over a dozen clones filled the clearing, each looking around warily...
While observing his surroundings, Shisui spoke, "Senior Kakashi, can you tell me the weakness of the Flying Thunder God Technique?"
"...As long as you're not touched by the user..." Kakashi Hatake pondered countermeasures, recalling battles where Minato Namikaze had been pushed into a hard fight. But Minato's enemies were all powerhouses...
That kind of scenario was impossible to replicate, whether it was numerical advantage or a Jinchuriki... Moreover, Lord Fourth Hokage had managed to achieve victory relying solely on the Flying Thunder God Technique... This was very bad.
Swish!
A shuriken shot past Kakashi...
The person who threw the shuriken seemed completely unconcerned whether it hit Kakashi or not; he was merely using the Flying Thunder God marker on the shuriken to appear...
A tense Kakashi tilted his head to dodge the incoming short sword, his mask and white hair inevitably getting sliced a bit! This guy vanished immediately after a missed strike, giving no time to react!
On the other side, another shuriken appeared. Besides Kakashi, all other ANBU members had now been wiped out...
(End of this chapter)