Aisaro cautiously moved forward with his two teammates.
The Cloud ninjas had recently discovered the approximate location of Konoha's outpost.
Their mission was to confirm the exact location of Konoha's base.
Once confirmed, the Cloud Village forces could launch a serious strike against Konoha.
Currently, Cloud ninjas were sending small squads to infiltrate the Land of Fire, but Konoha's ninjas always managed to detect them in time.
Based on their gathered intelligence, it didn't seem possible for Konoha to have that many sensory-type ninjas.
To successfully enter the Land of Fire and cause trouble, they needed to eliminate Konoha's outpost first.
As for the problem of Sakumo...
The Cloud Village had several strong individuals ready to mobilize at any time.
Even the Raikage was among them.
Perhaps they could finally bring down Konoha's White Fang right here.
The trio moved carefully through the jungle.
The dense leaves provided perfect cover, and they advanced through the shadows with heightened awareness.
They moved past tree after tree, halting at any sudden sound, waiting to confirm the source of the noise.
Konoha's ninjas were truly terrifying.
This wasn't the first squad to explore the area, but they had penetrated the deepest.
It wasn't that they had evaded Konoha's sensory ninjas, but rather that they simply hadn't encountered any yet.
As they silently pressed on...
"Where do you think you're going?"
A voice rang in Aisaro's ear, causing his pupils to contract. The three of them quickly assumed a triangular formation, surrounding the person who had suddenly appeared.
It was a boy around fifteen or sixteen years old, with black hair tied in a ponytail. His bangs hung down to his eyebrows, and he wore an ancient, loose-fitting kimono reminiscent of the Warring States period, tied at the waist with a large white belt. No weapons were visible on his body.
Aisaro, standing behind the boy, stared at the iconic flame-patterned fan on his back.
His pupils almost shrank to pinpoints.
There was only one person this could be from the Uchiha clan.
"That's the Black Demon, Uchiha Gin! Run!!"
Without the slightest thought of resistance, Aisaro turned and fled, with his two teammates following close behind.
In that moment, Aisaro finally understood why they had been able to infiltrate so deeply.
It wasn't that they had avoided Konoha's ninjas.
It was because this terrifying person was here.
A Konoha elite Jonin.
The Black Demon, Uchiha Gin!
Gin tilted his head, watching the three flee at full speed.
"Welcome to my territory."
In the blink of an eye, his figure appeared in front of Aisaro, as if he had teleported.
It was as if a frame in time had been cut out, skipping over the moment Gin moved.
Shunpo.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Looking at this demonic figure, Aisaro couldn't help but shout, "Go back and deliver the intel! I'll hold him off!"
After all, he was a Jonin!
Holding off the Black Demon of Konoha, even if only for a while, should be possible!
The Black Demon must be close to Konoha's camp.
As long as they could confirm the location, it wouldn't be hard to find Konoha's base.
"The Black Demon, Uchiha Gin, who takes pleasure in torturing people!!"
Aisaro drew his long sword and stood resolutely in front of Gin.
They called him "Black" because of his suspected Yoton (Dark Release) kekkei genkai. Yoton had both powerful offensive and defensive capabilities.
Cloud Village still couldn't understand how one person could possess two kekkei genkai.
And to make matters worse, he was an Uchiha.
The "Demon" part came from Gin's devilish behavior. Any Cloud ninja who fell into his hands would suffer inhuman torture.
Even the most pain-tolerant ninjas couldn't help but scream, which showed just how cruel the person in front of him was.
Although no one knew exactly what Gin did to his victims.
Compared to the sheer strength of Sakumo...
It was the cruel Black Demon that the Cloud ninjas feared most.
Even if Gin's strength hadn't yet reached Sakumo's level.
Aisaro gripped his sword with one hand while forming a hand sign with the other, channeling chakra into his blade, which crackled with lightning.
"Raiton! Rai Sen Zan!" (Lightning Release: Thunder Flash Slash!)
The lightning-imbued slash extended out for a hundred meters.
Gin tilted his body, letting the lightning strike graze past him, obliterating the dense trees behind him in an instant.
The forest opened up, revealing a large clearing.
"Seriously, why am I so scary?!"
Gin subconsciously touched his face. He had been fighting the Cloud ninjas here for a year now.
He didn't understand why his reputation as the Black Demon kept growing more exaggerated, even surpassing that of Sakumo.
Sometimes, the Cloud ninjas would hear his name and flee.
They'd even charge to their deaths when facing Sakumo.
It was ridiculous.
Gin lowered his gaze to the ground.
He raised a hand toward the charging Aisaro.
From his arm emerged a tangible darkness, instantly engulfing Aisaro's body.
"Yoton! Bakukyū An!" (Dark Release: Exploding Sphere of Darkness!)
A crackling sound and a faint explosion came from within.
It was a lightning clone jutsu.
Explosive tags.
From his hiding place underground, Aisaro saw that Uchiha Gin was already looking in his direction.
He knew this trick wouldn't fool the Black Demon.
"I'm done playing with you. If I keep this up, those two will really get too far, and Sakumo will start nagging me again."
Gin pulled out the hilt of his sword. In the next moment, countless shattered blade fragments began gathering around it.
"Too bad that guy, Seiryū, hasn't shown up in a while."
He was referring to the Cloud Village elite Jonin, who had faced him several times. Each battle ended in a draw, with Seiryū retreating first every time.
Their last encounter had been six months ago.
"Breath of the Moon."
"Sixteenth Form! Moonbow Lonely Moon!"
Gin swung his sword downward, sending out several giant slashes that shattered the earth, accompanied by countless black crescent blades.
Boom!
Aisaro had no chance to resist. He and the shattered ground around him were reduced to dust by the attack.
Instant kill!
Gin had a unique fighting style: if he couldn't defeat someone, he could drag out the fight endlessly and remain undefeated. But anyone weaker than him would be instantly killed.
With a step, he disappeared.
A Cloud Chunin who was still fleeing through the forest heard the distant sound of the explosion only moments earlier.
He didn't dare look back.
Although, looking back wouldn't have made a difference.
His head suddenly flew off.
"One."
Gin appeared in front of him, watching as his headless body fell to the ground.
His figure flickered once more.
The second Cloud ninja, now within sight of a distant cliff, thought he was close to escaping the Black Demon.
"If I... just... get the intel..."
He stared at the body falling below him, recognizing it as familiar.
Before long, everything went dark.
"Two, taken care of."
Gin once again hid the sword hilt within his sleeve.
He walked to the cliff and gazed out over the vast forest that stretched out like a sea.
"It's already been a year, huh?"
Gin and Sakumo had been holding off the Cloud ninjas here for an entire year.
(End of Chapter)