"Dead men don't need to know so much."
The undercover agent impersonating the Kazekage said coldly, slowly drawing a short blade.
Then, he exchanged glances with his companion.
They instantly lunged at Yubi.
A true expert's first move reveals their skill.
Aside from the current offensive, when the 'undercover' agent who had just approached him suddenly turned and stabbed himself with a Kunai, Yubi realized that these two were no ordinary fighters.
They were definitely not Ninja from a small Village.
But rather, specially trained suicide operatives.
Their movements were clean and precise, without any wasted motion.
The pressure they exerted on their opponent even surpassed that of the elite Amegakure forces.
Their overall abilities were outstanding.
Whoosh!
The Fake Kazekage swung his blade, his gaze warily fixed on Yubi's palm.
"Did you notice?" Yubi's lips curled into a smile.
What keen insight.
Swish!
Ninjutsu: Blade Intent Manipulation.
The scalpel, controlled by a delicate thread, transformed into a cold glint, silently appearing near the man's temple.
Clang.
The opponent instantly changed his move, using his excellent swordsmanship to block the flying blade with his short sword.
"Watch out for his hidden weapons."
He even warned his companion.
Meanwhile, the other person had already closed in behind Yubi, attacking Yubi's blind spot with a Kunai again.
But the young boy seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, easily dodging it.
"You two aren't planning to use Ninjutsu, but rather relying on Taijutsu to take me down, are you afraid of alerting the Village guards?" The two attacked Yubi from front and back, sandwiching him.
The three figures darted and weaved across the sand, their movements swift as they tangled in combat.
The Fake Kazekage's short blade, under his fierce manipulation and combined with the effects of Chakra, even created brief afterimages of blade shadows.
It resembled a very special type of swordsmanship.
Yubi parried and chuckled.
This was still within Sunagakure's territory after all, and even if it was very remote and on the outskirts, with Sunagakure's patrol rhythm, they would eventually notice this place.
Therefore, for these two, they had to kill him in the shortest possible time.
Moreover, ordinary Ninjutsu caused too much commotion, making it unsuitable for assassination missions.
Listening to Yubi's taunts, the two felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
They had been lurking in Sunagakure for a long time, just to gather intelligence for their organization, and Yubi's rise naturally couldn't escape their notice... In Sunagakure, everyone knew Yubi was an excellent Medical Ninja, but he had only graduated from the Ninja Academy about a year ago, was still a Genin, and had only completed one mission outside the Village so far.
Although he participated in the war between Sunagakure and Amegakure, it was only for rear-line rescue.
How could this kid be so troublesome?!
Let alone a Genin... his close combat skills, just talking about his unique Taijutsu, were at least Chunin level.
And this strange Ninjutsu.
Pfft.
Blood splattered as one of the assassins was struck in the shoulder by a flying blade, causing his movements to stiffen.
This flying blade was elusive and very difficult to guard against.
Even if one intended to dodge or block... the flying blades controlled by Yubi were not just one.
Seeing this, the Fake Kazekage grew anxious.
He spat out a Senbon, creating distance while forming Hand Seals.
The Senbon flying towards the young boy suddenly turned into a barrage as the Ninjutsu activated.
Clang, clang, clang.
However, just as the two couldn't take down the young boy together, as soon as the Senbon approached, a sharp sound erupted around Yubi, as if something was present, knocking all the Senbon to the ground.
"It's threads again..."
The Fake Kazekage's pupils contracted.
Yubi's threads were not only used to manipulate flying blades, but also his 'weapons'.
The threads on his fingers were thinner than ordinary steel wire, yet more resilient and agile.
It was fine during the day, but in the already dim night... during fast-paced exchanges, the threads were difficult to track.
His short blade had also been wrapped or blocked by those threads multiple times, forcing him and his companion to repeatedly keep their distance from the target.
They had seen threads used as a means of attack before, but no one played with them as elaborately as the young boy in front of them; he was unique.
These were not the Chakra threads of Sunagakure's Puppeteers; when used by Yubi, they were more akin to a special Ninja Tool.
Another silent exchange of glances.
The two decided to go all out... It seemed they had to use Ninjutsu.
Even if it alerted Sunagakure... they had to follow orders and bury Yubi!
Their two lives for one young boy's.
However, just at this moment.
The other assassin had just finished his Hand Seals, but his Ninjutsu had not yet been unleashed.
Yubi had already squatted and leaped in front of him, his two hands raised high like a pair of wings.
Just as the man was about to react, his vision suddenly blurred, and his limbs stiffened.
"It's poison!"
As expected of a well-trained Ninja, he immediately realized.
The flying blade that had previously stabbed him was poisoned.
But it was too late... because the young boy's movements and reactions seemed even more efficient than when they first engaged.
"Data capture complete."
As his gaze unfocused, he saw the young boy's face slowly rising from below him, and his gently moving lips.
"Death Waltz."
As the words were uttered.
No Hand Seals, not Ninjutsu.
It was still that unique method of manipulating Ninja Tools.
The Fake Kazekage, not far away, felt his scalp tingle, unable to stop it in time.
He watched as the young boy's hands danced rapidly, and the threads floating before him suddenly erupted into a huge, cold, dark gust, the chaotic and sharp threads instantly coiling around his colleague.
Then, with the pulling and contracting of the threads, his companion instantly exploded, ripped apart on the spot.
Shattered into pieces of flesh scattered on the ground.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
With the Hand Seals for Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger complete, the Fake Kazekage let out a soft shout.
He spewed a linear stream of flames from his mouth towards Yubi's back, and as the distance grew, the fire erupted even more fiercely.
The area for a hundred meters around was illuminated by the fire.
But when the flames receded, all that was visible was scorched black sand and heat, with no sign of Yubi's corpse.
"You two... are from Konoha?"
As the Fake Kazekage was observing, a familiar sound came from a location ten zhang away.
He jolted, immediately looked in the direction of the sound, and found Yubi completely unharmed.
Yubi wore a smile.
The opponent's swordsmanship... and that Ninjutsu that multiplied the number of Senbon, had some echoes in his vast memory database.
He had just carefully recalled it.
Suddenly... he remembered a name, Konoha's... Shiranui Genma.
The opponent's attack template, or rather their style... was very similar to this character.
He wondered what their relationship was.
Currently, Shiranui Genma was still a child, not even graduated from the Ninja Academy.
If Kumogakure could kidnap Kushina from Konoha, then... it wasn't surprising that Konoha sent two people to lurk in Sunagakure to deal with him.
To be honest, Sunagakure's overall defense wasn't as strong as Konoha's.
The problem was... Konoha also had many internal factions.
Whose orders were these two assassins following?
"It shouldn't be that old man Hiruzen Sarutobi... I know my place. A mere brat like me, in this Ninja World War, could never attract the Hokage's attention. This method and style... are very much like him... Danzo Shimura."
Yubi said softly.
"Could it be that you... are from Root?"
There was no response; the Fake Kazekage merely rushed towards him.
It was almost as if he intended to prove his resolve with his death.
But this silence, in Yubi's eyes... already provided the answer.
In the distance, Sunagakure guards were already approaching.
The opponent's fate was sealed.