"Found them."
"These are all of Uchiyama's house guards."
"The opponent is carrying someone, so their speed isn't that fast. They shouldn't have run too far. Keep chasing!"
The next day, several Takigakure Ninja received news that a noble had been kidnapped and were dispatched by the Village to pursue them through the night.
At this moment, several corpses were seen hanging from the ground and tree branches, each having died in a different manner.
But without exception, their Physical Bodies had all been cut by some kind of sharp weapon.
It should be some kind of ninja tool.
According to the intelligence, the opponent was able to silently infiltrate the noble's mansion. It was only after killing one guard Ninja and as they were about to leave the courtyard that they were discovered by several other guard Ninja, indicating that their strength was not simple.
Under normal circumstances, if it were a force hostile to Takigakure Village, they wouldn't target nobles... because it wouldn't threaten or shake the Village's Foundation.
Therefore, there were only two possibilities for the enemy's identity: one was that they were hired by a force with a grudge against the Land of Waterfalls, coming from the outside.
The other was a group or organization within the borders of the Land of Waterfalls.
Most nobles were ministers of the Daimyo. Someone like Uchiyama was considered a lord governing a region; it was very likely that his existence or certain measures had caused losses to the interests of certain local organizations.
But the Land of Waterfalls was not large to begin with, and the Village had a very clear understanding of all active forces within its borders.
Moreover, as a noble, Uchiyama's house guards were all hired Ninja, plus the samurai kept in the mansion, making it difficult for average forces to threaten him.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
After a brief inspection of the corpses, this team of Takigakure Ninja quickly departed.
...
Half a day later, Yubi was speeding through a mountainous forest while carrying the noble's corpse.
Suddenly, he leaped from the air to the ground and set the corpse aside.
He glanced back over his shoulder. "That fast..."
He had performed some treatments on the corpse to prevent decay and had wrapped it in cloth strips.
However, carrying a dead person like this, combined with being on someone else's turf and being unfamiliar with the environment and routes, meant... he was still caught up to by the other party.
Swish, swish, swish.
A minute later, as Yubi stood in place, several sounds of breaking air approached one after another. Four Takigakure Ninja landed around him, surrounding him.
One Takigakure Ninja noticed the wrapped object in the grass, and his heart skipped a beat.
Clearly... that was the noble Uchiyama.
But he was already dead.
"An underground bounty killer..."
Seeing Yubi's mysterious attire, the Takigakure Ninja spoke coldly.
A noble was not a Ninja, and his corpse had no value. If the opponent had simply assassinated the noble, it would be one thing, but insisting on taking the corpse meant only one possibility: to report back to the person behind the scenes... In this way, the identity of the person before them was practically revealed.
"Really... I'm not that far from the Land of Grass, couldn't you just let me leave peacefully..." Yubi sighed.
He was only doing this for the money and didn't want to waste time. Although he had treated the corpse, if it took too long and it rotted, he feared his income would decrease.
"Secret Technique: Mountain Sparrow!"
Suddenly, one of the Takigakure Ninja behind Yubi formed hand seals.
A large number of birds, like Mountain Sparrows, plummeted down like raindrops.
The impact of these small, speeding birds was limited; their primary function was to interfere with Yubi's vision and space.
Just as Yubi turned his head, the flock of birds still flying on the left suddenly scattered, and a figure attacked eerily, wielding a long blade aimed at his neck.
Yubi's body didn't move; he only shifted his eyes, and then, with a flick of his finger.
The opponent's body directly exploded into white smoke.
It was a probing attack using a Clone technique.
Simultaneously, above his head, the flock of birds scattered again, and the hidden original body of this Takigakure Ninja finally appeared.
"A secret technique... Your Takigakure Village has quite a collection."
Yubi smiled slightly, offering a compliment.
With a screeching sound.
Above, the Takigakure Ninja, who thought he had succeeded, saw his expression change. The falling blade actually suspended in mid-air. Upon closer inspection, he realized the blade's body had been entangled by an incredibly thin steel wire.
Yubi jerked his arm, and the wire pulled the blade, immediately causing the Takigakure Ninja who had leaped from high above to crash to the ground.
The opponent tried to maintain balance in mid-air, but Yubi didn't seem to make any visible move.
In the next second, the Takigakure Ninja's head was suddenly blown through as a throwing knife pierced into his temple.
He died instantly.
Just as he finished one off, several Kunai landed at Yubi's feet, with burning exploding tags attached to them.
Boom!
Flames and thick smoke rippled out along with the scattering birds.
The remaining three Takigakure Ninja gathered together.
"Is he finished?"
"This person feels very dangerous to me. I originally thought about capturing him for interrogation, but looking at it now, we can only use lethal force."
"He might be a rogue Ninja from one of the Great Ninja Villages..."
Clang, clang, clang.
Just as the three of them exchanged a few words, suddenly, a large number of throwing knives shot out from the thick smoke.
The three immediately dodged or blocked.
Their formation also subconsciously scattered.
And at the very moment their figures split, two blades spinning in the air—seemingly controlled by some force—actually used the large curtain of knives as a distraction and cover. From an incredible angle, they curved behind two of the Takigakure Ninja; one pierced the back of a head, and the other pierced the back of a heart.
This incredible method of manipulating ninja tools, especially in terms of flexibility and speed... was something the two Takigakure Ninja had completely failed to anticipate.
Watching his two companions fall, the only remaining Takigakure Ninja felt a chill down his spine. But a Mountain Sparrow circling overhead suddenly let out a cry, bringing him back to his senses. He immediately turned and used a Kunai to deflect an unexpected throwing knife.
He escaped that fatal blow.
"Oh?... This secret technique of yours is quite interesting."
Yubi, hidden behind a tree trunk, slowly walked out.
Looking at the Takigakure Ninja, who was instantly drenched in sweat and filled with lingering fear, he said with surprise.
There are many secret techniques in this world. Most secret techniques differ from ordinary Ninjutsu Cultivation; they need to be nurtured from a young age and often involve external objects, which aren't necessarily inanimate—they could also be living things.
But they also require specific talent.
For example, the insects of the Aburame Clan or the Ninja Hounds of the Inuzuka Clan.
There are also the spider secret techniques of the Fuma Clan, and so on.
The methods of the Takigakure Ninja before him were clearly one of those.
Yubi looked up at the small bird perched on the tree. With that last strike, given the level of the Takigakure Ninja before him, he absolutely could not have dodged it, but this Mountain Sparrow had saved his life.
"Who exactly are you?"
The Takigakure Ninja asked, filled with shock and uncertainty.
The opponent was far more terrifying than he had imagined... and from start to finish, he didn't seem to have used many tricks. Not only was he not threatened by the coordinated offensive of several people, but he had also killed his teammates in an instant and wasn't even caught by the exploding tags.
What kind of speed and reaction was this?
Yubi smiled and said nothing.
He didn't use Blood Release precisely to avoid exposing his identity. During his time out earning money, even when assassinating certain targets, he would use conventional means as much as possible.
Seeing that Yubi didn't respond, the Takigakure Ninja gritted his teeth and then directly pulled a small bottle from his inner lining.
It seemed to contain some kind of liquid.
Then, he drank it all in one gulp.
"Hmm?"
Yubi narrowed his eyes.
Because this Takigakure Ninja's Chakra fluctuations suddenly began to grow stronger.
It was climbing in a way that defied common sense... The opponent's Chakra volume instantly became incredibly thick. The increase wasn't just several times; it was at least dozens of times.
This was clearly a desperate struggle.
"Takigakure Village's... heros water?"
Yubi realized and spoke out.
In later generations, the heros water of Takigakure Village was quite rare and wouldn't be used or distributed to the Village's Ninja casually.
It would only be put to use in moments concerning the survival of the Village.
But now... Takigakure Village's heros water was clearly not that scarce, and the restrictions on its use weren't that many.
Naturally, as a secret technique Ninja of the Village, he might be qualified to receive a bit of this good stuff to save his life.
This made Yubi's eyes light up.
With a Tailed Beast, heros water, and the secret technique Earth Grudge Fear, they could also Cultivate characters of Kakuzu's level... Takigakure Village was indeed quite strong.
However, although heros water could massively boost Chakra for a short period, it also had strong side effects.
"Secret Technique: Sparrow Cry Tide."
Suddenly, the Takigakure Ninja activated his secret technique again.
This time, the manifestation of the technique was clearly no longer for support or interference; its power was worlds apart from before.
There was a commotion in the forest as the remaining Mountain Sparrows suddenly chirped in unison, forming a piercing soundwave field.
The invisible sound waves rushed toward Yubi in a single surge.