Guided by the hypnotized shinobi, Xuan headed toward the rear of the Yomu compound. The battle at the front gates was growing even more intense; distinct shockwaves of violent chakra were rippling through the air. A Jōnin-level combatant had likely arrived—though whether it was the Yomu Clan Head remained to be seen.
Xuan wasn't worried about Uchiha Madara. Despite Madara's impulsive, arrogant, and aggressively edgy outward demeanor, anyone who actually mistook him for a brainless brute wouldn't live long enough to regret it. Madara meticulously calculated every variable before stepping onto a battlefield. He would never blindly pick a fight he had zero chance of winning.
With the aid of his three-tomoe Sharingan, Xuan easily bypassed the majority of the shinobi rushing toward the front gates. For the few patrols he couldn't sneak around, he swiftly dispatched them using the Flying Raijin Jutsu, refusing to drag things out.
Moving at this pace for a full ten minutes, the sounds of slaughter from the front gates faded into a faint whisper. Finally, the two arrived at the granary.
Hiding in the shadows, Xuan eyed the large storage buildings ahead. "How many guards are stationed here?" he whispered.
"Two Tokubetsu Jōnin and three Chūnin," the Yomu shinobi replied blankly.
"Is that so?" Xuan pondered. He glanced at the slack-jawed ninja. Since they had reached the granary, the guide had outlived his usefulness. Should he just kill him now?
After a moment of thought, a faint smile touched Xuan's lips. The three tomoe in his eyes spun slightly, deepening the hypnotic suggestion. "Go to the front gates to provide reinforcements. Attack the intruder with everything you have."
The Yomu shinobi turned wordlessly and sprinted back toward the main gates with unwavering determination.
After all, the guy had practically given Xuan a VIP tour of the compound. Killing him right after felt a bit like burning the bridge after crossing the river. Xuan liked to think he still had a shred of conscience. So, he sent him to "help" with the battle. Whether he got casually cleaved in half by Madara was entirely up to his own luck.
Retracting his gaze, Xuan focused his Sharingan on the granary compound. While the Sharingan's X-ray vision and range couldn't compare to the Byakugan, at this proximity, it was more than enough to perfectly map out the hidden guards' chakra signatures.
The storage silos were all clustered within a single large courtyard. "Two Tokubetsu Jōnin guarding the main entrance. Another Tokubetsu Jōnin hidden in the ancient tree a short distance behind them. They form a perfect overlapping triangle formation. Using any of the three as a breakthrough point will immediately draw a pincer attack from the other two."
Grabbing a small twig, Xuan sketched a rough map of the granary in the dirt. "There are three Chūnin chakra signatures constantly patrolling the perimeter. However, at the very back of the compound, there's a blurry, highly condensed cluster of chakra. It's likely a Jōnin, though I can't confirm if it's the Hyūga target. Hmm... If I charge in directly and cast a Fire Style jutsu to burn the silos, I can use the Flying Raijin to instantly assassinate the three Tokubetsu Jōnin. The probability of successfully incinerating the grain is extremely high, provided that unknown Jōnin doesn't know Water Style."
His brain rapidly simulated the tactical variables. It was his habit to mentally run through an entire operation before making a move.
"If that Jōnin isn't the Hyūga operative, the worst-case scenario is that I drop my Fire Style and then have to fight two Jōnin simultaneously. No problem!"
Xuan's gaze sharpened. He drove a marked kunai into the dirt at his feet—it was always good to leave a backup escape route. Instantly, three standard kunai slipped into each of his hands. The Sharingan spun. He struck.
The kunai cut through the air, their cold steel glinting in the moonlight as they shot toward the two guards at the gate, while the final blade arced toward the hidden guard in the ancient tree.
"Who's there?!"
The Tokubetsu Jōnin reacted with lightning speed. Their nerves were already pulled taut by the chaotic screams echoing from the front gates; they had been hyper-vigilant for any rustling leaves. They immediately sprang apart, leaping into the air to dodge the incoming projectiles while scanning the shadows for the attacker.
But then, something impossible happened.
Two more kunai shot out from the dark, moving faster than the first volley. They violently collided with the original kunai mid-flight. Clang! The deflections instantly altered the original trajectories, sending the deadly blades snapping back toward the airborne guards. Suspended in mid-air with no leverage to shift their momentum, dodging was physically impossible.
Thwack! Thwack!
The kunai buried themselves deep into their flesh. It all happened in a fraction of a second. 'Someone actually trained their shurikenjutsu to this monstrous level?!' That was the two Tokubetsu Jōnin's first thought. 'Thank god there weren't paper bombs attached to them!' That was their second thought... and also their very last.
A sudden flash of cold steel erupted. One of the guards was instantly decapitated. In his final moments, all he saw was a pair of demonic, three-tomoe eyes materializing right in front of him.
"Y-You—!" The second Tokubetsu Jōnin only managed a single syllable of shock. He clearly saw a figure blink into existence without warning and casually cleave his comrade in half before the man even realized what was happening.
Maintaining his sword's follow-through, Xuan offered the second guard a polite, chilling smile. It was the last smile the man would ever see.
Blood sprayed through the air. The second guard's vision faded to black as the Amanokumo sword sheared through his neck.
Thud. Thud.
The two headless corpses hit the dirt one after another. From the moment they leaped into the air to dodge the kunai to the moment they died, barely a few breaths had passed.
"There's still one left. Trying to run?" Xuan glanced toward the ancient tree just in time to see a shadow desperately fleeing into the distance. The third guard was clearly terrified out of his mind, a kunai still lodged in his shoulder.
Xuan awkwardly adjusted his grip on the Amanokumo sword. It was a fantastic weapon, but its only flaw was that it was still a bit too long for his current body.
That bizarre, untraceable flash of teleportation occurred again. Xuan materialized directly behind the fleeing Tokubetsu Jōnin. With a casual flick of his wrist, he claimed his third head of the night.
"Wait, something's not right," Xuan muttered, standing over the fresh corpse in mild confusion. "Where was the System's 'Ding!' notification for the kills? A Tokubetsu Jōnin is worth 2,000 points! Don't tell me the System swallowed my rewards?!"
Panicking slightly, Xuan hastily opened the System interface in his mind. Checking his balance, he saw a clean +6,000 points added to his total. He breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been scammed.
"Seriously, has this System gotten so lazy it won't even give me audio prompts anymore? And wait a minute—aside from these three Tokubetsu Jōnin, I definitely killed a Genin back there too! Where are my points for him?!"
Grumbling internally, he knew he couldn't afford to waste any more time. That highly condensed Jōnin chakra signature was already rapidly approaching his position. His hands blurred, completing a sequence of seals in less than a second.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
A roaring dragon forged of concentrated chakra flames tore through the compound. Everywhere it passed, a sea of fire erupted. Massive granaries ignited instantly, the roaring blaze illuminating the night sky with blinding intensity.
Meanwhile, back at the Yomu clan's main gates, Uchiha Madara was currently being besieged by Yomu Kichikawa and a swarm of Chūnin. His single-tomoe Sharingan darted wildly as he joyfully parried and slashed with a katana he had snatched off a corpse. Suddenly, a massive pillar of fire erupted in the distance. He smirked. "Looks like he succeeded."
Kichikawa glanced over his shoulder and gasped in horror. "That's... the granary?!"
"Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning!"
Taking advantage of their distraction, Madara instantly wove a sign. A massive cloud of superheated, blinding ash violently erupted from his mouth, completely obscuring everyone's vision. Madara laughed loudly. "Farewell!" Turning on his heel, he sprinted straight toward the blazing granary.
Coughing violently through the smoke, Kichikawa watched Madara's retreating back. A very profound, meaningful expression crossed the Clan Head's face. After a moment, he began to follow him—at a surprisingly leisurely, unhurried pace.
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