“Who are you looking for?”
“You.” Despite facing this extremely dangerous behind-the-scenes boss, Neji remained relaxed.
“Are you Danzo’s man?” The masked man sized Neji up, his gaze lingering on those pale eyes for a long time. It seemed he recognized him, and his already cold voice dropped even lower. “Hyuga… Neji.”
Neji was slightly surprised but quickly understood. This wasn’t wartime, and the major ninja villages were relatively closed. The fame of the Konoha’s Twin Stars might not be that widespread. He had never interacted with Tobi before, so it was likely that the information about Neji from Danzo’s Root came from Zetsu, who had a talent for gathering intelligence.
Skipping the self-introduction, Neji nodded, smiling kindly:
“Yes, I want to propose a deal. You help me destroy the Hyuga clan, and in return, I’ll join the Akatsuki and serve you. How about that?”
“…”
The masked man tilted his head, looking at him.
“You?”
Not Danzo proposing cooperation, but a puppet from the branch family?
A strange laugh came from behind the mask, seemingly mocking the internal strife of the Hyuga clan and ridiculing Neji’s audacity.
Someone who could be easily turned against by the central family—what value did he have for cooperation?
The laughter gradually ceased, and the masked man looked at Neji relaxedly, like chatting with a friend. He asked:
“How did you know I’m part of the Akatsuki?”
Though the voice was calm, the question struck at the core.
Neji blinked, understanding the implication.
At this point, although having pushed Nagato to rebuild the Akatsuki to capture tailed beasts, Tobi was not publicly affiliated with the Akatsuki.
He attacked Konoha, caused the Nine-Tails’ rampage, and, according to the original storyline, helped Itachi massacre the Uchiha clan, all without the identity of an Akatsuki member.
Officially, this masked man had no connections to the Akatsuki.
Therefore, Neji’s source of information about his wanting to join the Akatsuki was quite intriguing.
“Trying to come up with a reason?”
The masked man shook his head, taking steps towards Neji.
Neji pursed his lips, not intending to sit and wait. He drew the short blade from his back and pointed it at the masked man.
He calmly warned:
“I wouldn’t recommend getting too close.”
The masked man didn’t care, waving his hand dismissively:
“If you can’t come up with a reason, don’t force it.”
“Let me help you.”
As the masked man took another step forward, Neji’s expression tensed:
“Wind Sword Technique: Breeze Slash!”
A gentle breeze blew, and overlapping sword shadows seemed to pierce through an invisible barrier, passing through the masked man without causing any harm!
Instead, the masked man’s light hand was about to touch Neji.
“Lightning Sword Technique: Lightning Strike!”
Neji moved like lightning the next moment, dodging the hand and appearing behind the masked man. A large tree was cut in half, and the short blade in Neji’s hand was covered in crackling lightning. The blade severed the masked man’s waist, but he remained unscathed.
He retracted his hand, slowly turned around, and looked at Neji with a hint of admiration:
“Not bad swordsmanship. Abandoning the Gentle Fist of the Hyuga clan wasn’t a bad choice.”
Blending swordsmanship with chakra elements was a unique idea, and mastering wind and lightning attributes showed Neji’s exceptional talent.
What a pity.
“Just not good enough…”
Neji murmured, narrowing his eyes. Those misty eyes quietly observed the masked man.
It’s a rare opportunity.
He had to try.
“Wind Sword Technique: Storm Slash!”
Neji’s figure moved like the wind, his blade creating a whirlwind aimed at the masked man!
“Is that all you’ve got?”
“I’m getting bored.”
The whirlwind passed through the masked man. As he took another step, Neji’s eyes gleamed.
Weak Point Insight!
“Deceptive Sword Technique: Decay!”
Neji raised his short blade high, a thick, eerie black light enveloping the stars.
The surrounding plants withered and decayed rapidly.
The masked man felt his skin aging and his limbs stiffening.
He frowned.
Genjutsu?
If so, why couldn’t his Sharingan break it?
He didn’t have time to ponder as a strong sense of danger enveloped him.
He had 2 seconds until his next intangibility.
This Neji had figured out the rhythm of his ability. As expected of the Byakugan, superior to the Sharingan in insight.
Yet, even at this point, the masked man remained calm.
Neji harbored too many secrets; he planned to interrogate him thoroughly later.
In the final second, Neji’s short blade finished charging and slashed down at the masked man with extreme speed. The black aura around the blade sounded like a devil’s laughter as it cut through the air.
The masked man, now appearing ancient, didn’t let this affect his actions. His hand was already on the ground, ready to activate Uchiha Flame Formation to block the attack.
But before he could act, with a “bang,” the black-cloaked blade shattered into fragments!
The genjutsu lifted, and the masked man’s aged body returned to normal.
Both were stunned.
… Was it an incomplete technique?
With the sword shattered, Neji stood there dumbfounded, holding just the hilt. The masked man shook his head and touched Neji’s seemingly exhausted shoulder.
“You’re still far behind.” Neji murmured as if assessing the gap between their skills.
“We can talk later.” The masked man said lightly. He wasn’t going to let Neji die before extracting all the information.
The immense suction from the eyehole under the mask twisted the space into a vortex.
“That will be a long time from now.” Neji said calmly, continuing his final words:
“I brought you a little gift.”
“Do me a favor and get rid of them all.”
The masked man frowned, not understanding Neji’s confidence. He was about to pull Neji into the virtual space.
The next moment.
Thud.
Neji’s head drooped, and he turned into a short blade, falling to the ground.
A-rank Ninjutsu.
Sword Clone.
The Lightning Style Clone inspired the concept.
Both clones consumed half of the user’s chakra and retained most combat abilities.
The only difference was that the Lightning Style Clone could only use lightning techniques, while the Sword Clone could only use sword techniques.
The masked man didn’t know the technique’s origin but understood he had been tricked. No wonder the opponent acted recklessly—it was just a clone.
Unnoticed, his Mangekyo Sharingan was filled with killing intent.
You dared to use me as a test dummy for your sword technique?
He picked up the short blade, which had a tracking mark.
He looked up; in the moonlight, birds flew through the forest.
Someone was coming.
It was likely Konoha ninjas following the tracking mark.
Recalling Neji’s words, he snorted:
“Trying to use me for your purposes?”
Neji aimed to enrage him, hoping he would eliminate the Konoha ninjas following the mark.
Despite his growing desire to kill, he restrained himself, not wanting to fall into Neji’s trap.
This unexpected encounter left him fuming. Neji had potential but lacked the strength to match his boldness.
Just as he was about to retreat, the masked man sensed something and turned abruptly, murmuring Neji’s words:
“Gift…”
Neji wanted to use him to kill, but he seemed unaware that the delivery was a lovely gift.
To accept.
Or not?
…
Not far away, Kakashi suddenly clutched the eye under his forehead protector.
“What’s wrong, Kakashi? The tracking mark Neji left is just ahead. We need to support him quickly.”
“Let’s go. It’s nothing.” Kakashi shook his head, suppressing his Sharingan’s unease.
Their enemy was the so-called Uchiha Madara, and eliminating him was crucial to ensuring the upcoming battle between Konoha and the Uchiha went as planned. This was the purpose of the particular strike team!
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