Aisaro and his two teammates advanced cautiously.
The Cloud ninja had recently discovered the approximate location of Konoha's outpost. Their mission was to confirm its exact position. Once verified, the Cloud forces could launch a full-scale assault to deal a devastating blow to Konoha.
Currently, the Cloud ninja had been attempting small-scale incursions into the Land of Fire, but Konoha's shinobi always seemed to detect them in time. According to their intelligence, Konoha shouldn't have had so many reconnaissance specialists in this area. To carry out their operations in the Land of Fire, they first needed to eliminate Konoha's outpost.
As for the White Fang problem, the Cloud Village had several powerful shinobi ready to mobilize at any moment—even the Raikage himself was among them. Perhaps they could even ensure the White Fang's permanent demise here.
The trio moved slowly through the dense forest, their progress masked by the thick foliage. Staying hidden in the shadows required extreme concentration. With every step, they paused at the slightest sound, waiting to confirm its source before proceeding.
Konoha's ninja were terrifying. Their squad wasn't the first to attempt this infiltration, but they had ventured deeper than any before them. It wasn't that they had evaded Konoha's scouts—they simply hadn't encountered any yet.
Just as the three pressed forward in silence, a voice spoke beside Aisaro's ear.
"Where are you going?"
His pupils contracted. The trio instantly formed a triangular formation, surrounding the figure who had appeared out of nowhere.
It was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, with soft black hair tied into a ponytail and uneven bangs that reached his eyebrows. He wore loose, archaic robes reminiscent of the Warring States period, a large white obi tied around his waist, and no visible weapons.
Aisaro, standing behind the boy, caught sight of the iconic uchiwa fan emblem on his back. His pupils shrank to pinpricks.
There was only one Uchiha in this area.
That person was—
"The Black Demon, Uchiha Kin!!! Run!!"
Aisaro didn't even consider fighting. He bolted, his two teammates close behind. Suddenly, he understood why their infiltration had been so effortless.
It wasn't that they had bypassed Konoha's ninja.
It was because this monstrous presence was here.
Konoha's Elite Jōnin.
The Black Demon, Uchiha Kin!!
Kin tilted his head slightly as he watched the three flee at full speed.
"You're in my territory."
His figure flickered like a skipped frame, abruptly appearing in front of Aisaro.
Shunpo.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Facing this devilish figure, Aisaro roared, "Go! Deliver the intel!! I'll hold him off!!"
He was, after all, a jōnin. Holding off the Black Demon for a moment should be possible. The Black Demon's presence meant Konoha's camp couldn't be far. Once they pinpointed his location, finding the camp would be easy.
"Uchiha Kin, the Black Demon who delights in torture!!"
Aisaro drew his longsword and stood firm against Kin.
"Black" referred to his kekkei genkai—the suspected Dark Release, a bloodline limit with formidable offensive and defensive capabilities. The Cloud Village still couldn't comprehend how one person could possess two kekkei genkai, especially an Uchiha.
"Demon" described Kin's sadistic behavior. Every Cloud ninja who fell into his hands endured inhuman torment. Even the most hardened shinobi couldn't suppress their screams, a testament to his cruelty. Though no one knew exactly what he did, compared to the White Fang's terrifying strength, the sadistic Black Demon was the Cloud's greater fear—even if his power hadn't yet reached the White Fang's level.
Aisaro channeled chakra into his blade with one-handed seals, lightning crackling along its edge.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Flash Slash!!"
A thunderous slash tore through the forest, extending a hundred meters in an instant. Kin leaned aside, letting the attack graze past him. The trees behind him were obliterated, leaving a massive clearing in its wake.
"Why am I so scary?!" Kin muttered, touching his face in disbelief. He had been fighting these Cloud ninja for a year now. He couldn't understand how his "Black Demon" moniker had grown so exaggerated, surpassing even the White Fang's infamy. Sometimes, Cloud ninja fled at the mere mention of his name—yet they still charged the White Fang.
It made no sense.
His gaze dropped to the ground. As Aisaro lunged at him, Kin raised a hand.
A wave of tangible darkness surged from his arm, swallowing Aisaro whole.
"Dark Release: Exploding Spear of Darkness!!"
A faint arc of lightning and a muffled explosion sounded from within the darkness.
Lightning Clone Technique.
Explosive Tag.
The real Aisaro, hidden underground, saw Kin looking directly at him.
Of course, such a trick wouldn't fool the Black Demon.
"I'm done playing. If I delay any longer, those two will really get away, and that garbage White Fang will nag at me again," Kin said, drawing a hilt from his sleeve. In an instant, shattered blade fragments reassembled into a complete sword.
"It's a shame about that guy, Xiliuxi. Haven't seen him in a while."
The Cloud's elite jōnin. After their first clash, they had fought several more times, each ending inconclusively—with Xiliuxi always retreating first. Their last battle had been half a year ago.
"Moon Breathing."
"Sixteenth Form: Lunar Rainbow—Solitary Moon."
Kin swung downward. Massive slashes shattered the earth as countless black crescent blades rained from above.
BOOM!!
Aisaro stood no chance. His body was torn apart alongside the ruptured ground.
Instant kill.
Kin's combat style had one defining trait: if he couldn't defeat an opponent, he could drag out the fight indefinitely without losing. But if he could win, it would always end in seconds.
With a single step, he vanished.
Shunpo.
One of the fleeing Cloud chūnin was leaping through the trees when the distant explosions finally ceased. He didn't dare look back—not that it would have mattered.
His head flew from his shoulders.
"One."
Kin's figure appeared before the headless corpse as it plummeted. Then, he was gone again.
The last Cloud ninja sprinted toward a cliff. If he could jump down, he'd escape the Black Demon.
"The intel... must... reach..."
He glanced down at the falling body below—why did it look so familiar?
Then, darkness swallowed him.
"Two. Done."
Kin sheathed his blade and walked to the cliff's edge, gazing at the endless sea of trees.
"It's been a year already."
Kin and the White Fang had been holding the line against the Cloud for an entire year.
...
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(End of chapter)