"Oh, then let's hear it," Ye Liang said, resting his chin in his hand and adopting a listening posture.
"The treasure vault of the Land of Rivers indeed hides a secret treasure. However, its location is remote, inside a hidden chamber, which is why they can't find it."
"So that's why Kumano An sent people to track you down."
"Mm. Of course, if you're willing to help us drive out the invaders, I'm willing to give you this treasure in the name of the sole heir."
He chuckled.
Ye Liang's expression immediately became rather intriguing.
Actually, with these clues alone, he no longer needed to waste time dealing with this princess from the Land of Rivers.
With Ye Liang's strength, even without anyone else's help, finding a hidden secret chamber within a treasure vault was simply too easy.
But he wouldn't do that.
Deceiving a young girl wasn't his style.
"Alright, I accept your offer."
"Really!"
Naizi Fujiwara instantly lit up with surprise and joy.
She completely abandoned her previous cold demeanor; raising her eyebrows, she seemed almost elated.
"She really is just a little girl!" Ye Liang shook his head.
Since they had reached an agreement, it was time to consider the next step. Actually, Ye Liang wasn't helping Naizi Fujiwara merely for the sake of assisting her; his real objective was Yagura's tailed beast.
If he managed to capture Isobu from Yagura, Ye Liang would immediately gain the right to travel through time.
This would probably anger the Akatsuki.
"Alright, get yourselves ready; we're leaving soon."
"That fast?"
"The longer we wait, the more trouble we might invite."
The quality of the River Village ninjas was quite exceptional. After finalizing plans with Ye Liang, Qianhu Men quickly assembled a team of ninja.
A few days later.
Ye Liang followed Qianhu Men to the capital of the Land of Rivers.
"There are many Land of Rivers troops; I'll have my men distract the city guards."
"Mm."
Their plan today was to assassinate the imposter general.
The Land of Rivers army was large. Although not ninja, defeating them would still take some effort.
Directly assassinating this imposter general was the best option.
The group stealthily approached the General's residence.
"I'll wait by the entrance; sir, you go straight ahead," Qianhu Men said, handing Fujiwara Nanako over to Ye Liang.
"Princess, please lead the way clearly."
"Mm."
Ye Liang nodded and lifted Naizi onto his back.
His footsteps moved swiftly and continuously as they entered the general's villa.
"You guys certainly have a large courtyard."
"Well of course! Though our Land of Rivers may be small, we're the wealthiest country in the world! Even the five great nations may not necessarily be as wealthy as our Land of Rivers."
"In that case, good." Hearing Naizi's words, Ye Liang quickened his pace.
Soon, he arrived at the front of the General's residence.
"This is it? Are you sure you haven't mistaken the place?" Ye Liang asked.
From this extravagant house, he sensed no flow of chakra at all; there shouldn't be any ninjas present.
"Of course! I've lived here since childhood; how could I possibly make a mistake!" Naizi Fujiwara replied seriously.
"Is that so..."
Ye Liang moved forward cautiously.
There was no chakra inside, but someone was definitely talking.
Approaching the wall, Ye Liang could just barely make out the voices within.
"How's the plan shaping up, Yagura?"
"I've already taken control of the Land of Rivers. Tomorrow, after retrieving the treasure, I'll send it straight to Kirigakure."
"Good. This operation depends on you now."
The voices were sharp yet lifeless—probably from men in their thirties.
Ye Liang spat on his fingertip and poked a hole through the paper window. Just then, he caught sight of a masked man who suddenly vanished into thin air.
"Obito Uchiha!" His pupils shrank in shock.
Obito Uchiha was a member of Akatsuki!
In this world, Obito had completely turned dark.
Under Madara's manipulation, Obito Uchiha swore revenge against Konoha for Rin Nohara's death. In the original storyline, Yagura had fallen victim to Obito Uchiha's genjutsu and been fully controlled.
Looks like Yagura's already under control.
Inside the room, Yagura Karatachi sat with a blank stare, only responding mechanically without any other reaction.
After Obito disappeared, Yagura Karatachi slowly stood up.
His facial features gradually softened, like liquid, quickly transforming into an elderly man's face!
"Father!"
Naizi, watching from outside, gasped before she could stop herself. She instantly realized her mistake and covered her mouth.
But it was too late!
"Who's there!"
Yagura Karatachi, now disguised as the general of the Land of Rivers, immediately hurled several shuriken toward the door.
"Run!"
Ye Liang yanked Naizi away from the wall.
Seconds after they moved, Yagura Karatachi's shuriken tore into the floor where they'd stood.
Didn't expect him to react so fast. Ye Liang placed Naizi behind a corner in the courtyard before slowly stepping toward the center of the yard.
Creak!
Yagura Karatachi pushed open the door.
"What are you doing sneaking into my General's residence?"
"Who the hell do you think you are, pretending to be the General of the Land of Rivers?" Ye Liang shot back.
Now, with the moonless night and howling wind, it was the perfect time to kill and seize the treasure!
The atmosphere grew tense.
Yagura Karatachi silently stared at Ye Liang, not rushing to attack first.
Someone who could listen quietly at the doorstep for so long certainly wasn't an ordinary ninja.
He needed to find a weakness.
Ye Liang was also waiting for him to move.
Yagura Karatachi's situation was extremely odd. Despite clearly being at the Kage level, his chakra energy was extremely weak—far weaker than even the lowest-ranked Jonin!
What happened? Where's his chakra?
Frowning, Ye Liang threw two kunai forward cautiously as a test.
Clang!
The kunai slammed into the floor!
Before anyone could see how Yagura moved, his figure simply seemed to flicker past their eyes—the kunai missed entirely.
Yet Yagura Karatachi was still standing right there!
Something's off! Yagura couldn't possibly have such abilities! Realizing the danger, Ye Liang quickly activated his Mangekyou Sharingan.
Immediately, the previously weakened-looking Yagura Karatachi wavered slightly in form, slowly fading until vanishing completely.
Shit! It's a Genjutsu! Ye Liang suddenly understood.
No wonder Yagura always seemed intangible—this whole time, it was all Genjutsu!
"Help me!"
Suddenly!
Naizi's voice rang out in his ears.
Ye Liang quickly turned his head and saw a red-cloaked figure in a mask tightly gripping her hair.
"I knew you people from the River Village were up to no good. To dare attack us at night? You're practically asking for death!"
It's Obito Uchiha!
Ye Liang immediately recognized him.
Just as he was about to intervene to save Naizi, a sudden gust of wind brushed past him. Then, a sharp pain pierced his chest—a shuriken had pierced through his torso!
"If you came to launch a sneak attack, don't blame us for fighting back."
A cold, emotionless child's voice echoed behind him—innocent on the surface, yet brimming with indifference.
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