Konoha Year 18, June.
No... This shouldn't be the case. It seemed something's scheming behind the scenes...
When the radiant sun ended its natural cycle and the umbral darkness encroached the lands, the people within the newly established Uchiha District boomed once more in prosperity and fortune.
On the other hand, Yoichi walked unhurriedly amongst the boisterous crowd with a watchful eye on the enigmatic presence purposely monitoring him.
Now's not the time to hesitate!
Deftly turning around into his stalker's position, Yoichi glanced at a certain silhouette. In a split second, the shadow's figure trembled at the sight of Yoichi's evident observation.
Phantom Steps!
"Damn it! I need to report it back!" the outline of the human muttered and hurried away as soon as possible with apprehension after Yoichi's overview skyrocketed into the rooftops.
"Why are you running?!" Yoichi yelled.
Along with unceasing acceleration, he chased this lurker in a game of cat and mouse. In his resounding words, all of the people in the vicinity looked at the two people running away from the district.
"That's Uchiha Yoichi! Why is chasing someone above there?"
"Call the shinobi nearby! It might be possible that it's another rat from the other villages!"
"Are you really sure? Why don't you just mind your own business?"
Among them, some of the people disregarded the scene while others simply looked at the two in the distance. However, all of them subconsciously chose not to report the seemingly insignificant case.
Body Flicker Technique!
Weaving a hand-sign, the shadow's feet suddenly sped up and incredibly utilized his footsteps within the clanky tiles of the rooftops, making the gap between Yoichi quite distant at sight.
Phantom Steps!
Regardless, Yoichi proved to be faster than the unknown stalker, skimming through the terrain after obstacles with ease. With Great Success in Phantom Steps and Qi Blood Pills, he insisted on news about this matter.
Abruptly stopping in his step, the shadow cautiously looked at Yoichi, who preemptively obstructed the guy.
"Who the hell sent you?" Yoichi asked.
"Hehehe.. You won't know it!" The man simultaneously tossed a ball into the air while crazily smiling.
"Smoke Bomb!"
Sharingan!
Therefore, the dense smoke filled the surroundings while Yoichi instinctively activated Sharingan, looking for any possible angles of escape routes and waiting for the silhouette to jump out.
"Here it is!" For a while, the two parties went into a standstill until Yoichi frowned, glancing at the three figures rushing out, unhindered by his presence.
Although he has choices to attack, Yoichi's keen eyesight noticed something and readied his stance.
Phantom Steps!
Lightning Spear Thrust!
In a matter of seconds, Qi Blood was sent out of his lower limbs and hand, striking with sheer velocity. Alongside the phenomenal perception, the spear-like hand pierced through.
"See you, kid!" However, the man didn't bleed out. Instead, it left a remark in a mocking tone as the man's figure puffed out like a smoke.
What Yoichi actually punctured was simply a Shadow Clone. Frankly, the man ordered his clone to disrupt its Chakra, acting as bait in front of Yoichi's perceptive Sharingan. As a result, it didn't take too long before Yoichi caught the decoy but then the original shadow's figure scampered away.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu huh... How envious." Rather than being dejected, Yoichi merely stood for a while. "We'll meet once again. I know you will come again."
Whispering on the air, Yoichi eventually left with multiple thoughts about this lurker's information.
"That brat's strength grew stronger again!"
Meanwhile, the shadow couldn't help but curse himself before he fell silent with an introspection, I must report it back to Danzo-sama!
As an ANBU operative for too long, this event undoubtedly shook him to the core. Not only that, Yoichi's keen observation and capability were truly something special and worth studying for ground-breaking discoveries.
After calming down, the man vanished along with the creeping darkness, dashing through the buildings in unbounded urgency.
...
...
...
In the hidden basement.
"Danzo-sama. I failed the task of monitoring him." The man bowed with reverence and acceptance, deeming his attempt a miserable failure.
"You, a veteran Chūnin, couldn't secretly keep track of his activities?! Tell me the details!" Danzo's face darkened as he slammed his desk in exasperation.
In those 6 months, Danzo's activities within Konoha had signs of its ripples. Thanks to the allocated funding for Root, Danzo grasped the facets of both underground and mainstream channels in silence.
Furthermore, his vehement research on the blood sample felt like it was on the brink of deep fixation on Yoichi and the child's mysterious bloodline. Due to his shocking discoveries, he took the mantle of a shadow and lurked under the noses of the clans.
"So you're telling me that this brat achieved another boost in his capability?" Danzo's eyes flickered with greed until he calmed down and waved his hand, "Pay attention to him even farther away! Find out his sensing range and inform me if you find any other information! You may now leave."
As another demanding order rang, the shinobi left in an instant. Besides that, Danzo couldn't resist conveying his contemptuous glance. Being a Jōnin required many things such as achievements, meritorious actions, and expertise in several Ninjutsu. Although the earlier man had been a Chūnin for a long time, the promotion for him remained murky and filled with uncertainty.
I need more manpower! That brat must be captured silently, dead or alive! Danzo gritted his teeth in an expression of helplessness.
...
...
...
"It should be either Hanzō offering a bounty to kill me... Or another force in Konoha that wanted me to disappear. Unless Danzo establishes his Root and threatens my life, there are no other organizations that can act wantonly within Konoha."
After Yoichi fell into a contemplation, he concluded the possibilities of enemies trying to take away his life. However, due to the shadow's deliberate acts, Yoichi truthfully acknowledged that there was a hand controlling these shinobi like puppets in a theatrical show.
"Ah!" Yoichi shook his head, "There's no point trying to over-analyze these unknown issues. For now, I'll have to break through into the Muscle Tempering before I can have a chance to unveil these bastards hiding in the dark!"
With that being said, Yoichi went into the bathroom and took out the packet of overwhelmingly scented powders, sprinkling the microscopic particles into the hot tub.
"Holy moly! This fragrance was indeed so potent unlike the ointment!" During the mixing process, the herbal odor assaulted his nose and made him a little dizzy before he managed to calm down.
Looking at the shade of deep red and boiling compounds, Yoichi subconsciously gulped and steadily submerged his entire body in the sweltering water.
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(Current Progress)
[Realm: Skin Refining Stage] (Jade Skin)
[Heavenly Demon Posture: (Perfection) 48/1000]
[Mountain Crushing Fist: (Small Success) 250/300]
[Lightning Spear Thrust: (Small Success) 247/300]
[Phantom Steps: (Great Success) 1/500]
[Secret Technique: Face Changing (Small Success) 0/300]
[Tickets: 1 Prismatic, 0 Gold, 0 Silver.]
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Thank you TwinLoongs for supporting me in this fanfic! I truly appreciate it!
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