In direct combat, Lock's invisibility doesn't hold much advantage—it's in his speed and precision where his true strength lies. But when it comes to infiltration, his stealth becomes something close to invincible. As long as he had enough food and water, Lock could travel for days without anyone ever sensing him.
After three days of silent movement, Lock finally located the position of Iwagakure, the Hidden Rock Village. Once he arrived, he didn't rush in immediately; instead, he waited another day, preparing carefully.
This mission was top secret—Lock wasn't going to walk in through the front gates to negotiate. His goal was to meet the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, in secret. To do that, he had to be fully prepared.
As night fell, Lock made his move.
In a quiet corner of Iwagakure, he pinned a rock ninja against the wall, one hand covering the man's mouth.
"Where's the Tsuchikage's office?" Lock asked coldly.
The captured ninja thrashed desperately, muffled cries spilling from beneath Lock's hand.
Lock sighed. "Forget it. You look like the type who won't talk easily. I'll find out myself."
He released a faint genjutsu, the man's eyes glazing over instantly.
"Tell me—where is your Tsuchikage?"
It didn't take long. The location of Ōnoki's office wasn't exactly a secret in Iwagakure. With that knowledge, Lock began moving toward the Tsuchikage Building—silent as a shadow.
What he didn't know was that the moment he entered the village, he had already been noticed.
Inside the Tsuchikage's office, Ōnoki sat on his tall chair—his small stature making the seat seem enormous beneath him. Though old, his eyes were sharp and full of ambition.
Ever since word spread of the Hidden Sand Village's internal turmoil, Ōnoki had been watching closely. His spies hadn't uncovered everything yet, but he suspected Konoha's hand was involved.
"That Hokage… always scheming," he muttered.
The village was under pressure. With no wars for nearly a decade, the Land of Earth's nobles had begun cutting funding for Iwagakure. Armament costs were rising, and missions were fewer. The longer this peace lasted, the more strain the village suffered.
Ōnoki didn't want war—but without one, the village's influence and finances would crumble.
Just then, there was a sharp knock on the door.
"Come in," he said.
A masked rock ninja entered quickly. "Lord Tsuchikage, the surveillance team detected an unknown chakra signature inside the village—possibly an intruder from another village."
Ōnoki's eyes narrowed. "Oh? Someone managed to slip through our defenses? That's no ordinary infiltrator."
Even a few kilometers outside Iwagakure, the borders were tightly guarded. To enter undetected meant this person was skilled—very skilled.
"Is it just one person? Can you locate them?"
"Yes, Lord Tsuchikage. There's only one intruder. Our teams are moving to intercept now. We'll have results soon."
Ōnoki nodded. "Good. Bring the intruder here once you capture them."
"Yes, my lord."
Meanwhile, Lock moved swiftly through the shadows toward the Tsuchikage Building. But halfway there, he stopped abruptly—something felt off.
Though not a sensory ninja, his ears were finely tuned. Faint movement sounds echoed around him.
"...No good. They've found me."
His pupils narrowed. He'd expected this might happen—after all, this was one of the Five Great Villages. Thinking he could move completely unseen forever had always been a risk.
"Looks like I'll have to speed things up."
He leapt onto a rooftop and vanished in a flicker—his teleportation bringing him hundreds of meters forward in an instant. From the street below, no one even noticed him pass.
The Iwa-nin chasing him froze in confusion as the chakra signature they were tracking suddenly vanished—only to reappear far ahead.
"His target's the Tsuchikage! After him!"
They didn't know how Lock had crossed such a distance so quickly, but his direction was clear. Toward the Tsuchikage Building.
And to them, that could only mean one thing—an assassination attempt.
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