Two years later.
In the forest outside Konohagakure, explosions echoed one after another.
Three figures tore through the dense trees at full speed.
One of them was tall and dark-skinned, the other two of average build. All three looked miserable—clothes in tatters, bodies covered in cuts and bruises, faces tight with panic.
Behind them, a golden laser suddenly streaked past, narrowly missing one of their backs.
It exploded against a tree in front of them with a deafening boom, the shockwave blasting all three off their feet.
They twisted in midair, barely managing to land on the branches and ground without falling flat, then took off again without a single backward glance.
"That guy is a monster!" one of them gasped, blood dripping from his right hand as he ran.
"Stop talking!" the tall man snapped coldly.
"We can't escape like this…" the third muttered, despair creeping into his voice.
Those words were like a curse. The whole team seemed to sink at once.
The tall ninja, clearly the leader, felt a chill grip his heart. He gritted his teeth and made a quick decision.
"Split up! Run separately!"
The instant he spoke, the three of them leapt in three different directions without hesitation or doubt.
In that same moment, a golden slash materialized out of thin air.
It carved cleanly across the path of the ninja fleeing to the right—
and sliced him in half.
At the same time, another golden laser shot toward the left, accurately piercing the thigh of the ninja who had tried to escape that way.
"Ah!"
He screamed, clutching his leg as he crashed to the ground, rolling in the dirt.
The leader's pupils contracted. As the only one who hadn't been directly struck, he understood instantly: if he kept running, the next fatal attack would be his.
He forced himself to stop, stepping back to his injured companion's side, kunai in hand as he scanned the surroundings with rigid vigilance.
"If you run away, I'll be in a lot of trouble, you know~"
A lazy, sleazy-sounding voice drifted over from not far away.
The leader whipped his kunai up and stared toward the source of the voice, nerves stretched to the limit—
but saw no one.
The forest fell silent again. Holding the kunai in a death grip, the tall ninja felt his sanity being slowly gnawed away.
"You monster! If you've got guts, come out and face me! Damn you!"
Thinking of the comrades who had already been sacrificed, the tall ninja finally snapped. Rage and despair spilled out in a raw shout.
"How righteous… It's obviously you guys who came to assassinate me, though?"
The same voice sounded again—this time from behind him.
The leader spun around like a startled cat, kunai slicing through empty air.
Nothing.
"Eeeh, eeeh, eeeh… you looked the wrong way again, didn't you~?"
The voice floated lazily from behind him once more. The leading ninja, who had just turned, jerked back again like a spinning top.
"Honestly… tsk, tsk, tsk. Your comrade over there looks like he's about to bleed out. What a terrifying way to die, hm?"
This time, the voice came from the direction of his fallen teammate.
The leader made a judgment and snapped his gaze over.
There—
A transparent human silhouette gradually shimmered into view, like heat haze solidifying into a person.
Their assassination target.
The monster of Konohagakure—
Shimura Kizaru.
He was standing casually with one foot on the fallen ninja's back, hands tucked into his pockets. Having shot up to about one meter ninety by now, Kizaru looked down at the remaining enemy with an easy, almost cheerful smile.
"You monster!"
The leading ninja roared. Lightning burst from his body, wrapping around him like crackling arrows before he shot forward at high speed.
The kunai in his hand thrust straight toward Kizaru's chest.
Kizaru didn't move. He didn't even twitch, as if he hadn't registered the attack at all. Seeing that, the leading ninja's lips twisted into a wild, hopeful grin.
"Go to hell!"
He drove the kunai straight into Kizaru's body—
—or so he thought.
The blade passed through as if he'd stabbed empty air.
The leader's eyes went wide. He stared at Kizaru's smiling face, his expression collapsing into raw disbelief.
His body locked up where he stood, hand still pressed forward. The kunai looked like it was buried in Kizaru's chest, but there was no resistance, no blood—nothing that made sense.
He simply couldn't accept it.
Kizaru slowly lowered his head, glancing at the kunai sticking out of his own chest.
Then he looked back up at the enemy's face.
Seeing that the man's expression was turning more and more desperate by the second, the "kind-hearted" Kizaru decided to respond.
"Ah—!"
He let out an exaggerated cry.
Clutching his chest dramatically with both hands, Kizaru arched his back and slammed against the tree behind him.
Leaning on the trunk, he slowly slid down until he was sitting low at its base, still covering his chest as he stared up at the enemy.
"Ah, I'm dying, I'm dying~…"
Muttering this in a languid tone, Kizaru let his head loll to the side and closed his eyes.
The kunai slipped from the leader's trembling hand and clattered to the ground.
Staring at Kizaru sitting there with his head tilted and eyes closed, the leading ninja was completely stunned.
"You lunatic! Pervert! Monster! Are you making fun of me?!" His voice cracked. "You bastard!"
Kizaru opened his eyes again and casually pushed himself up from the ground.
"Eeeeh, that's slander, you know~?" he said with a grin, scratching the back of his head. "I could totally report you for defamation."
Knowing that he couldn't win and couldn't escape from his target, the leader made his decision.
He let out a hoarse shout and threw himself at Kizaru in a final suicidal charge.
Kizaru didn't dodge. He didn't even step aside. He simply stood there, letting the man rush straight through his intangible body and crash head-first into the tree behind him.
The impact was sickening.
As the man slid down, blood streamed from his forehead.
"I really get troubled when you act like this, you know…" Kizaru said with a look of pure distaste as he turned and gazed at the groaning shinobi.
"What do you want?" the leader shouted, panting as he pressed his back against the trunk.
"Put down your weapons and come back with me," Kizaru replied lightly. "Confess nicely, and I'll go easy on you. If you resist… I might have to use my feet a little more seriously, hmm?"
"Impossible!"
He knew all too well what would happen if he fell into Konoha's hands alive. The amount of information he held was too dangerous.
So the leading ninja didn't hesitate.
He glanced once at his fallen comrade, then raised his remaining hand and drove the kunai toward his own throat.
He moved quickly.
But Kizaru was even faster.
Light flared around his right leg as he kicked out. The arc of light curved like a half-moon blade, a laser-sharp crescent that instantly severed the enemy's right arm.
Grinding his teeth so hard his jaw trembled, the ninja refused to scream. Bloodshot eyes fixed on Kizaru, hatred burning in what little remained of his strength.
"Game time's over, you know."
With a small smile, Kizaru stepped in and struck him with a precise blow, knocking him unconscious.
He laid the enemy flat on the ground, then lifted his gaze to the other wounded man lying nearby.
Kizaru stepped forward, raised his right leg high, and placed his foot over the face of the ninja on the ground. Light particles gathered along his calf, condensing into a dazzling golden glow.
His glowing foot hovered there, not quite descending, as Kizaru stood with both hands tucked in his pockets, staring off into the distance without saying a word.
"One, two…"
"I surrender! Don't kill me!"
The ninja's mental fortitude shattered instantly. Faced with that blade of light poised over his head, he couldn't stand it anymore.
"Three."
"Ahhh!"
The man screamed, throwing his hands over his head.
Tears burst from his eyes. Something else burst from him too—the front of his pants darkened as liquid spread. The stench in the air confirmed it: his fear had finally broken through every last inner defense.
A foul smell seeped out.
Kizaru wrinkled his nose in disgust and pulled his foot back, ignoring the shrill cries of the man beneath him.
"They're here."
His eyes were still fixed on the distance. Six figures appeared at the edge of his vision, stepping from branch to branch—each one wearing a standard ANBU animal mask.
"You guys are really good at timing, you know~"
Facing the six familiar figures from ANBU, Kizaru let out an easy joke and a crooked smile.
They landed and quickly scanned the battlefield. Confirming that two enemies were still alive, the ANBU operatives quietly exhaled in relief.
"Leave it to us," one of them said—the ninja in the fox mask stepping forward and addressing Kizaru.
"Then I'll leave it in your hands, hm~"
With that, Kizaru casually turned, lifted a leg, and started strolling back toward the village, getting as far away as possible from the reeking smell of urine.
"This kid just keeps getting stronger…"
Watching Kizaru's retreating back, the fox-masked ANBU murmured in open admiration.
"I heard he took down Sakumo-senpai one-on-one last month," another ANBU added, the respect in his tone just as clear.
"Alright. Let's get to work."
The fox-masked man finally pulled his gaze away and moved to the ninja with the severed arm, kneeling down to begin emergency treatment while the others secured the scene.
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