The man was completely unprepared for the kick and was struck hard in the side of his face by Hatake Kaede.The force of the kick was immense; the man felt a sharp pain in his face, as if his entire face was about to be shattered.He was furious, and the anger in his heart ignited instantly.
In pain, the man mustered all his strength and slammed Hatake Kaede against a distant tree trunk as if throwing a weightless object.Hatake Kaede flew rapidly through the air, his body like a cannonball, crashing straight into the tree trunk.
However, Hatake Kaede did not sit idly by.He quickly adjusted his body in mid-air, skillfully dissipating the force on his body so that he would not suffer too much damage.At the same time, he gathered the lightning power in his body into the kunai in his hand, and instantly, the kunai flashed with dazzling lightning.
Without hesitation, Hatake Kaede shot the lightning-infused kunai at the man, then immediately changed direction and fled into the distance like lightning.
The man, still reeling from the excruciating pain of being kicked in the cheek by Hatake Kaede, suddenly felt a powerful energy surge towards him.Looking closely, he saw a kunai crackling with lightning.The kunai moved with incredible speed, like a bolt of lightning, shooting straight towards his face.
The man was shocked.He had no time to dodge and could only barely manage to sidestep at the last second.The kunai grazed his shoulder, leaving a deep wound from which blood gushed out.
The kunai was incredibly powerful; it not only pierced the man's shoulder but also penetrated the tree trunk behind him, embedding itself deeply within it.
The intense pain nearly drove the man to madness; his eyes turned bloodshot, filled with madness and murderous intent.He stared intently at the fleeing Hatake Kaede, roaring, "Boy, you must die!"
Before he could finish speaking, the man stood up abruptly like an enraged beast and chased after Hatake Kaede without regard for anything else.
Hatake Kaede moved through the woods like a cunning rabbit, dodging left and right, trying to use the complex terrain to shake off the enemy relentlessly pursuing him.However, no matter how desperately he ran and dodged, the distance between them continued to shrink.
Although he didn't turn around, Hatake Kaede could keenly sense the intense killing intent behind him, which was like a shadow, as if it would devour him at any moment.
Just as he was in a state of extreme tension, a powerful force suddenly attacked from behind.He knew something was wrong and tried to use his life-saving technique, "Elementalization," but found it was too late.
"Lightning Strike: Thousand-Year Dance!" With a furious shout, a dazzling bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a vicious lightning hand chop, striking towards the back of Hatake Kaede's neck like lightning.
The attack was incredibly fast and powerful, leaving Hatake Kaede with no chance to dodge.At the last second, he could only forcefully twist his body, cross his arms, and grit his teeth to meet the fatal blow.
With a loud bang, Kaede was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing straight into a large tree not far away.The trunk shook violently, and leaves scattered everywhere.
Hatake Kaede's body slid slowly down the tree trunk, finally crashing heavily to the ground.His chest caved in, clearly indicating a severe injury, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining the ground beneath him.
At this moment, Hatake Kaede was in extremely poor condition.His arms hung limply at his sides, as if he had lost all strength.His eyes were closed, and his face was as pale as paper.He looked completely powerless to fight back and could only sit and wait for his death.
The man appeared suddenly in front of Hatake Kaede like a ghost, his face exuding a cold aura and a ferocious smile on his lips.
"Kid, you do have some skill." The man's voice was deep and hoarse, as if it came from hell."To be able to hurt me at your age, you can definitely be called a genius."
A chill ran through Hatake Kaede, but he struggled to remain calm, staring wide-eyed at the terrifying man before him.He secretly and frantically used "Elementalization" to heal his injuries.
The man, oblivious to the danger, continued, "However, this is the end for you." He slowly raised his enormous fist and smashed it down toward Hatake Kaede's head.
"Wait a minute!" Hatake Kaede hurriedly called out, "Uncle, didn't you say you admired me and wanted me to become one of your villagers?A genius like me should be even happier!"
The man paused slightly, looking at Hatake Kaede with an expression of utter disbelief.He sneered, "Hmph, I've changed my mind.I much prefer to torture and kill so-called geniuses like you than recruit a brat like you.Hahaha." The man's laughter echoed through the air, sending chills down everyone's spines.
Hatake Kaede's face flushed, and his body trembled involuntarily with excitement.However, in the man's eyes, this was Hatake Kaede's fear before death.
The man noticed Hatake Kaede's expression and felt a surge of satisfaction.He decided to toy with this dying little mouse for the time being.
He deliberately lowered his voice and said in a mysterious tone, "Kid, do you know who the strongest Konoha ninja I've ever killed is?"
The man's words piqued Hatake Kaede's curiosity.He stared at the man with wide eyes, his face full of anticipation, as if waiting for his answer.
"Hahaha.brat, that's your Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju." Accompanied by a burst of wild laughter, this astonishing news exploded in Hatake Kaede's mind like a thunderclap.
He stared wide-eyed at the man before him, his face filled with disbelief, his heart churning with turmoil.
Based on his memories from his previous life and the information he gathered during their recent encounter, Hatake Kaede was almost certain that this.The man is definitely a spy planted in Konoha by the Hidden Cloud Village!And the related incident is undoubtedly the "Kushina kidnapping" incident.
Hatake Kaede gasped in shock.He never imagined that the spy planted in Konoha would be such a high-ranking figure!
What shocked him even more was that this man was actually a subordinate of the pair known as the "most vicious criminals in Kumogakure"—Golden Horn and Silver Horn!
The man's lips curled up slightly, revealing a satisfied smile.His malicious eyes were fixed on Hatake Kaede, seemingly enjoying the shocked expression on the other's face.
"You brat, just die!" the man roared menacingly, his voice echoing through the air and sending chills down everyone's spines.
He suddenly swung his enormous fist, smashing it down on Hatake Kaede's head with tremendous force, as if to shatter his skull.
"Boom!" A loud bang was heard as the fist slammed into the ground, kicking up a cloud of smoke and wood chips.
However, as the smoke gradually dissipated, the man was shocked to find that Hatake Kaede, who should have been killed by his punch, had disappeared without a trace!
"Huh?" The man's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.He never expected that Hatake Kaede could dodge his attack so easily.
Anger surged within him at being tricked by Hatake Kaede, and the man's face turned extremely ugly.He gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn brat, how dare you play me!"
Just as the man was concentrating on using his perception technique to try to find Hatake Kaede's figure, suddenly, Hatake Kaede's voice rang out around him without warning.
"Uncle, your true identity is truly astonishing.However, there is one thing I am very curious about: as a subordinate of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, the 'most vicious criminals of Kumogakure,' how did you manage to escape the Third Raikage's kill order and survive until now?"
These words are like a sharp sword, piercing the darkest corner of a man's heart.
He shuddered, clearly stung by Hatake Kaede's words.He had been casting a perception spell, but suddenly felt as if struck by an invisible force, instantly losing control of the technique.
The man was furious.His eyes widened as he roared at the surrounding void, "You brat, what exactly do you want to say?"
However, Hatake Kaede's voice did not stop.His words then returned from all directions, but this time they had nothing to do with the previous question.
"I've heard that Kinkaku and Ginkaku possessed five divine artifacts, four of which vanished with their deaths.The only ninja tool that Kumogakure successfully obtained was the mysterious 'Amber Purification Bottle'!So, the question is, uncle, how exactly did Kumogakure manage to take this 'Amber Purification Bottle' from Kinkaku and Ginkaku?"
Every word Hatake Kaede uttered struck the man's heart like a hammer blow, fueling his rage.His face contorted in a ferocious grimace as he roared at the air around him, "Shut up, you wretched brat!"
"Uncle, look how anxious you are!I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush!"
I once heard a saying: 'After eliminating all the impossible possibilities, what remains, however improbable or unbelievable it may seem, must be the truth!'
"Uncle, in my opinion, you used that 'Amber Purification Bottle' to save your own life.Moreover, uncle, I bet those high-ranking officials in your Hidden Cloud Village made some promises or conditions to you!But once that 'Amber Purification Bottle' fell into their hands, you became a completely worthless 'discarded pawn'!"
Hatake Kaede's words were like an incredibly sharp knife, mercilessly slicing open the truth in the man's heart that he had always been unwilling to face.
The man originally thought that by betraying his superior and handing over the "Amber Bottle" to the higher-ups of Cloud Village, he could gain enough leverage to realize his ambitions and desires.
However, when he actually handed over the "Amber Bottle," he was surprised to find that he did not receive the reward he expected.Instead, he was sent to Konoha by the higher-ups of Kumogakure to become a "spy."
Before setting off, the Hidden Cloud Village was well aware of the dangers of this mission and was even more worried that the man would betray the Hidden Cloud Village again and sell out the village's confidential information during the mission.
To ensure he wouldn't betray them again, the higher-ups of Kumogakure resorted to extreme measures—using poison and cursed seals to control him.
The man felt as if his body was tightly bound by an invisible force, unable to break free.His heart was filled with despair and helplessness.He didn't know if he could survive under such control, nor what his future held.
"Uncle, isn't your Cloud Village's target this time that red-haired little girl in the village?" Hatake Kaede continued.
The man looked up in surprise, his face full of suspicion as he surveyed his surroundings, thinking to himself: [How did this kid know our objective?Has our plan been leaked?]
The man forced himself to remain calm and asked with a look of surprise, "Kid, how did you know?" His voice trembled slightly, clearly shocked by the kid's words.
In truth, the man himself was not clear about the specific mission of this operation.His orders were simply to monitor the red-haired little girl in Konoha Village and transmit her daily activities without missing a single detail.
As for why he was monitoring the little girl, and what actions would follow, he had no idea.
Looking at the man's surprised expression, Hatake Kaede couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.He knew, of course, that this man was merely a pawn, and that he was nothing more than a discarded pawn to Yun.They are certainly unaware of the Hidden Village's true plans.
However, he continued, "Uncle, do you know who that red-haired little girl is?"
Upon hearing this, the man looked bewildered.He shook his head and said, "Who is that little girl?" He truly had no clue about the little girl's identity, only knowing that she was the target of the Cloud Hidden Village's operation.
A mocking smile crept across Hatake Kaede's lips as he let out a wild laugh: "Hahaha~ Uncle, you're incredibly foolish!Didn't you notice that little girl's hair color?It's burgundy!Don't you understand what that means?"
His voice was full of sarcasm and disdain as he continued, "That's a characteristic of the Uzumaki clan!You barbarians from Kumogakure, I don't know what got into you, instead of plundering so many Uzumaki clan members in the Land of Whirlpools, you came to our Konoha Village to target our village's backup Tailed Beast Jinchuriki."
Hatake Kaede's words struck the other person's heart like a heavy hammer.Hatake Kaede mercilessly exposed the foolish behavior of the Hidden Cloud Village.
"So, uncle, regardless of whether your operation succeeds or not, you are destined to be completely abandoned.The higher-ups of your Hidden Cloud Village will never tolerate a traitor like you.You are a stain on the Hidden Cloud Village, and the Hidden Cloud Village will never allow such a stain to live in the world."
The boy's clear words reached the man's ears; though spoken softly, they carried immense weight.The man's resolve shattered completely.
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