“Splish, splash…”
After wiping the cake crumbs off his face with a towel, Tenya looked at Kakashi, who was standing nearby.
Kakashi had removed one mask.
However, Tenya still couldn’t see Kakashi’s face beneath the mask.
Because there was another mask under the first one.
“Hey Kakashi, how many masks are you wearing?” Tenya asked curiously.
Kakashi glanced at Tenya and mischievously replied, “Wanna know?”
Tenya nodded.
“If you teach me [Phantom Step Slash] and [Secret Sword: Bubble Shadow], I’ll tell you!”
So this guy was still thinking about those two sword techniques.
Tenya rolled his eyes and said, “You’re trying to get something for nothing, Kakashi!”
Kakashi remained nonchalant.
Tenya decided not to pursue the topic further.
Today’s birthday party was over.
By now, it was completely dark outside.
Moonlight Hayate and Uzuki Yugao lived nearby, so they could easily get home safely.
As for Kurama Nanase and Yūhi Kurenai, their homes were farther away, which was a bit concerning.
“Kakashi, can you take Kurenai home? I’ll take Nanase home.”
“Alright.”
“It’s settled then!”
After seeing Moonlight Hayate and Uzuki Yugao safely home, Tenya and Kakashi set off.
Walking through the quiet streets at night, the four of them moved together.
It was late, and most shops were closed.
There were hardly any people around.
At a crossroads, Tenya and Kakashi parted ways.
Tenya pushed Nanase forward.
Without Kakashi and Kurenai, Nanase started talking more.
“Tenya, what do you think about Kakashi and Kurenai?”
“They don’t match.”
“Oh? Can you explain?”
“Kakashi is aloof and not good at socializing. Since the death of White Fang, his personality has become more withdrawn. Besides me, only Might Guy can talk to him. As for Kurenai, she’s shy around strangers and only shows her girly side when she gets to know someone well.”
“Both are not proactive types. They struggle to communicate, let alone establish a deeper relationship.”
“Tenya, I didn’t expect you to know Kakashi and Kurenai so well!”
“When you spend a lot of time with someone, you naturally get to know them.”
“……”
They chatted along the way, sharing a tacit understanding that made Tenya feel comfortable.
Suddenly, Tenya sensed a hint of killing intent in the dark night.
Nanase, sitting in the wheelchair, seemed to sense something too and stiffened slightly.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
Tenya pressed her shoulder reassuringly, whispering softly in her ear.
This calmed Nanase down.
Feeling the warmth and strength of Tenya’s hand on her shoulder, Nanase felt an unprecedented sense of security.
A feeling her parents never gave her.
But tonight, she found it in Tenya.
Is this what complete trust feels like?
Outwardly calm, Tenya heightened his vigilance internally.
His senses sharpened, his mental energy spreading out like a web in all directions.
This technique, called [Mind Net], was one of Ukyo Tachibana’s abilities.
Unlocked at 45% role-playing progress, [Mind Net] allowed Tenya to sense his surroundings and detect hidden enemies, similar to the Uzumaki clan’s sensory abilities.
With [Mind Net] deployed, nothing within a hundred meters could escape Tenya’s notice.
He detected five figures lurking on both sides of the street ahead.
Judging by their chakra levels, they were at least Chunin-level.
Who sent these people?
Spies from other villages?
Or bounty hunters from the black market?
Questions flooded Tenya’s mind, but there were no clear answers.
Maybe capturing one of them would reveal the truth.
As Tenya and Nanase entered the ambush zone, the five shadows swooped down like night hawks, surrounding them.
“Attack!”
“Naraku Vision…”
One shadow tried to cast a genjutsu.
But before he could finish, a blade pierced his throat. Struggling briefly, he collapsed and died.
The remaining four shadows drew their blades and closed in on Tenya.
They didn’t use ninjutsu.
Were they afraid of being detected by Konoha’s ANBU?
Tenya quickly understood their reasoning.
If they attacked with ninjutsu, Tenya might have been cautious.
But now that they were using swordsmanship against him, he wasn’t worried.
In terms of swordsmanship, Tenya was confident he could handle them.
The four attackers surrounded Tenya and Nanase.
Two targeted Tenya, while the other two went after Nanase.
Tenya moved instantly.
“Secret Sword: Hazy Blade!”
The four attackers felt their vision blur, unable to see clearly.
Before they could react, they felt a sharp pain in their wrists, and their weapons flew out of their hands.
“Who sent you?”
No one answered Tenya’s question.
Before Tenya could make another move, red light flared from their foreheads, and they bit their tongues, dying instantly.
“Puppet… curse seal?”
Yes!
That familiar red light was from the puppet curse seal.
In the original story, Hiruko had used this seal on Kakashi, aiming to steal his Sharingan.
Unexpectedly, Tenya saw this familiar seal again tonight.
Hiruko!
You couldn’t wait, could you?
Tenya’s gaze swept over the corpses, his killing intent rising uncontrollably.
“Tenya, are you okay?”
Suddenly, Nanase’s worried voice pulled him back.
Tenya regained his composure, suppressing his killing intent, and looked at Nanase as if nothing had happened.
“I’m fine!” Tenya shook his head, regretfully saying, “I wanted to extract some information from them, but they killed themselves!”
“As long as you’re okay, we can investigate the mastermind later.”
Tenya had meant to calm Nanase’s fears, but instead, he found himself being comforted.
Tenya couldn’t help but smile wryly.
With the death of the attackers, a strong smell of blood began to permeate the air.
“This place isn’t safe anymore. Let’s go; the ANBU will be here soon.”
Nanase nodded.
Shortly after they left, Kakashi arrived at the scene.
After safely escorting Kurenai home, Kakashi had returned.
At the crossroads, he smelled the faint scent of blood.
Following the scent, he tracked it to the scene.
Seeing the five fallen shadows, Kakashi frowned.
Four had died by suicide, while one was killed by a blade.
“This path…”
If Kakashi remembered correctly, Tenya and Nanase had taken this path.
Did these people attack Tenya and Nanase?
It seemed so.
But what was their motive?
Kakashi pondered.
Soon, several masked ninjas appeared on the street.
Konoha’s ANBU had arrived!
“Kakashi, what are you doing here?”
One of the ANBU leaders seemed to recognize Kakashi and called out his name.
“Just passing by.”
Kakashi replied indifferently.
“Seal off the area and take these bodies to ANBU!”
“Yes!”
After giving orders, the ANBU leader turned to Kakashi.
“Kakashi, come with me. I have some questions for you.”
“Let’s go!”
With that, Kakashi followed the ANBU leader away.
The remaining ANBU members began their investigation.
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