"..."
The air was so quiet it felt lifeless, with only a sharp ringing in the ears that sounded like a trick of hearing. Driven by instinct, Might Guy finally opened the Eight Gates, while Ryuji was frozen in a half-crouch with his body twisted.
He stared blankly at Ryuji's long hair drifting down behind him. Only when he heard a crisp slap and saw blood gather at the fingertips and drip from the other man's palm did he come back to himself.
"Enemy attack?"
Might Guy's face turned serious at once, and his figure vanished from the spot as he rushed toward the direction of the attack without hesitation. But when he arrived, there was no one there.
All that remained was a glaring pool of blood and a neatly severed right arm, the cut so clean that bone and muscle were clearly visible. It was obvious that the Kunai thrown by Ryuji had not killed the attacker, only taken an arm and forced them to flee.
Ryuji walked over soon after and glanced at the severed arm on the ground. He then lifted his head slightly and looked into the depths of the forest.
The trees swayed with the wind, and broken patches of light flickered between the leaves. Shadows and light cut the view into fragments.
"Ryuji, did you see anything?" Might Guy asked from the side.
There were no blood traces leading away, which clearly meant the attacker had treated the wound in a hurry to avoid exposing their trail.
"No." Ryuji withdrew his gaze and shook his head, a hint of regret on his face. "It was too fast. I couldn't see clearly."
[ Ding, your lie has been judged as Pretending Not to Notice. Might Guy has experienced a strong emotional fluctuation and reached the level of Complete Trust. You gain 300 Reality Points. ]
When Ryuji chose to get close to Might Guy in the first place, one reason was his future potential, someone who would almost kick Madara Uchiha to death one day. The other reason was his straightforward and emotional personality.
He clearly had no doubt about Ryuji's words and contributed another small batch of points. With a grim expression, he said angrily, "This has to be reported to Third Hokage. Someone actually dared to attack inside Konoha!"
As if recalling something, Might Guy looked at Ryuji's hand and quickly asked, "Right, your injury…"
"It's nothing. That guy's Wind Release isn't very good," Ryuji said with a smile, waving his hand to show a palm with only a shallow cut.
[ Ding, your lie... ]
In truth, the situation just now had been quite dangerous. The opponent's Wind Release was not as simple as he claimed, and if he had grabbed the blade instead of the handle, his entire hand would have been cut off.
"Good, as long as you're fine. Still, Ryuji, being able to activate the Byakugan counts as a lucky gain from misfortune."
Might Guy let out a breath of relief. Although he believed Ryuji's lie, the terrifying speed of that Kunai lingered in his mind, and the serious look on his face did not fade.
Even someone as steady as him felt a trace of fear afterward. He even wondered if he could have reacted at all if the attacker had targeted him instead.
The answer came quickly in his mind. If he could open the Eight Gates, even just one gate, he would have been able to react and dodge in time.
But the opponent would not have given him that chance. The strike had been far too fast and sudden, and no one would expect an attack inside Konoha.
"Ryuji, that was incredible."
Realizing this, Might Guy looked at Ryuji with something extra in his eyes. He raised a hand and patted his shoulder, saying with feeling, "Looks like my training is still far from enough. From now on, I'm adding five hundred handstand walks every day!"
Next time, even if the god of death came chasing him with a scythe, he would carve out a way forward with his fists.
"It was just luck," Ryuji said, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
This time, there was no system prompt. Clearly, in Might Guy's eyes, this was proof of strength rather than luck.
"Let's go. First get your wound treated, then report this to Third Hokage," Might Guy said in a low voice. "I didn't expect spies to have already slipped into Konoha and attacked their own."
Spies?
Maybe not necessarily.
Ryuji looked at his already healed palm and recalled the back he had seen through the Byakugan. His eyes flickered slightly, as if deep in thought.
Who could it be?
Hiruzen Sarutobi?
No, I should not have exposed myself yet.
Then it must be remnants left by Orochimaru, or else…
"Danzo Shimura." Ryuji sneered inwardly. "So fast to make a move. Truly skilled at internal conflict, and useless in external war."
At the same time, on the edge of the Forest of Death.
A figure cloaked in black repeatedly used Shunshin until he was far away from Ryuji and the others. Only then did he stop, clutching his arm and kneeling on one knee on a tree branch.
"Ugh!"
The black-cloaked man kept his head lowered, his face hidden. A long-suppressed scream slipped through clenched teeth, filled with pain and a trace of fear.
Damn it. Damn it. How could this happen?
According to Root intelligence, he had been lying in wait at the training ground the target often used for a long time. When the target appeared, he had felt relaxed, believing this was an extremely simple mission.
So he used the ninjutsu he was best at and most proud of, personally taught by Lord Danzo. Yet at the same moment, that brat seemed to notice him, suddenly stopped, tilted his head, and activated the Byakugan that the intelligence never mentioned.
That brat raised his hand and caught the Kunai wrapped in Wind Release and Chakra with his bare hand? Yes, he caught it barehanded, and he grabbed the handle that was not covered by Wind Release or Chakra.
Are you kidding me?
Thick trees stretched into the distance, their branches forming a loose web overhead. Even so, using a sensing technique, he felt that from such a distance, he had locked eyes with a pair of calm, dead-still eyes.
In the next instant, before he could react, he heard a sharp whistle of wind. It was as if rain fell through the forest in front of him.
Like a spring breeze passing silently through the woods, cutting away dead leaves like scissors, countless leaves fell and shattered his view. The scene was strangely beautiful.
What followed was intense pain.
Splat.
The arm that had thrown the Kunai split open at the sleeve, the skin tearing into a circular red line. Blood sprayed out, and the arm slid off and hit the ground with a painfully clear sound.
"That guy actually caught my ninjutsu with his bare hand and threw it back!"
The black-cloaked man, who had fled by instinct, knelt on the tree branch. Even though he now understood what had happened, he still found it unbelievable.
Didn't the intelligence say that guy was trash?
How could trash catch a Wind Release ninjutsu that Lord Danzo personally taught and refined for years with his bare hand?
With such terrifying reaction speed, you tell me he is trash? If he is trash, then what am I?
"Kama Itachi, what are you doing?"
A hoarse, gloomy voice reached his ears, making him shudder violently. He raised his head slightly, saw the figure before him, then hurriedly lowered it again and said with a trembling voice, "Lord Danzo, I…"
"Hmph. Useless. It seems your mission has failed."
Before he could finish, Danzo Shimura cut him off coldly and glanced at the stump where his arm was gone. This man before him was a shinobi he had specially trained for assassination missions.
In the past, with sufficient preparation, he could kill most Jonin in a single strike. But now…
"Losing your dominant hand means you are completely ruined."
Danzo Shimura narrowed his shadowed eyes and thought to himself, "Interesting. That Hyuga brat really is not as simple as he looks. Orochimaru must have left something on him."
Hmph. Since Sarutobi is unjust and took my Wood Release shinobi, don't blame me for being ruthless and targeting this brat instead.