Haku really is hiding something!
Shinji's expression sharpened as he hid in the shadows.
What surprised him even more was that the ANBU shinobi pursuing Haku had originally been assigned to monitor him.
In the training ground.
Boom!
Another firework burst in the night sky.
The ANBU shinobi glanced up at the sky and smirked: "Meeting up on a night like this... You sure know how to pick your timing. You almost got away with it."
Haku remained silent, slowly retreating.
"The village is still too lenient. We should treat pests like you and that brat next door the same way—wipe you both out completely!" The ANBU shinobi's voice was cold.
Hearing this, Haku no longer hesitated and with a swift motion, darted into the forest at the edge of the training ground, fleeing into the distance.
"Hmph!"
The ANBU shinobi snorted and was about to give chase.
But just as he moved, he suddenly turned back, looking towards the nearby bushes.
Out from the bushes stepped a figure wearing a fox mask, slowly revealing himself.
"Who's there?"
The ANBU shinobi drew his kunai, his expression full of caution.
Without a doubt, the masked figure was none other than Shinji, who had been hiding in the shadows.
He glanced at Haku's disappearing figure, then shifted his gaze to the ANBU shinobi before him.
Given how closely he had been associating with Haku lately, if Haku were caught, he would likely get dragged into the mess as well.
Especially since the ANBU shinobi's earlier words had been filled with blatant hostility—an indication that he was probably from Danzo's Root.
Their mission to monitor Shinji was likely to find an excuse to cause trouble for him.
Under such circumstances, if the shinobi caught Haku, Danzo would definitely take the opportunity to implicate him as well.
Boom!
The fireworks continued to light up the sky.
But in the dazzling glow of the fireworks, the atmosphere between Shinji and the Root shinobi in the secluded training ground became eerily tense.
Rustle, rustle.
Suddenly, a noise came from the bushes beside them.
Both of them, already on edge, immediately turned their attention to it. The Root shinobi, more on guard, instantly threw the kunai in his hand towards the source of the sound.
At almost the same moment, a small head popped out of the bushes, an apple in its mouth, and big eyes curiously watching the two in the training ground.
Shion!?
Shinji's heart skipped a beat.
The kunai thrown by the Root shinobi was now just inches away from the oblivious Shion.
In mere seconds, it would pierce her, ending her life on the spot!
Without time to think, Shinji instinctively reached out his left hand towards Shion.
In an instant.
A yellowish ethereal form surged from his body, extending from his outstretched left hand, rapidly transforming into a massive skeletal arm that caught Shion within its grasp.
Clang!
In the next moment, with a sharp clanging sound, the kunai was deflected off the skeletal arm that shielded Shion.
Silence fell over the scene.
The three present, including Shinji himself, were all stunned by what had just happened!
Shion froze for a moment, as if breaking free from some invisible restraint, then her face lit up with joy as she looked at Shinji: "Onii-chan, is that you? You saved me again!"
The Root shinobi, however, stared in shock at the enormous skeletal arm emanating from Shinji's body, his face paling: "Who are you!?"
Behind the fox mask, Shinji was just as bewildered: What's wrong with me? Why did I use Susanoo? Shion has that bell artifact, doesn't she?
Regretting his instinctual use of Susanoo, Shinji was at a loss.
After a brief moment of shock, all three of them moved simultaneously.
Shion crawled out of the bushes, abandoning the apple she had dropped on the ground, and rushed towards Shinji.
The Root shinobi instinctively tried to escape.
But Shinji's Mangekyō Sharingan had already locked onto the Root shinobi.
In an instant, the shinobi's crouching posture was abruptly halted, his body stiffening as he stood frozen in place.
He looked like a machine that had suddenly shut down.
Phew...
After using genjutsu to temporarily immobilize his opponent, Shinji let out a sigh of relief.
At this moment, Shion ran up and grabbed Shinji's arm: "Onii-chan, last time I didn't even get to thank you properly before you left!"
With Susanoo now deactivated, Shinji looked down at her, feeling exasperated.
It seemed that after witnessing him activate Susanoo, the psychological suggestion he had planted in Shion with his Mangekyō Sharingan had worn off.
Shion began to pepper him with questions: "Onii-chan, what's your name? Are you a shinobi of Hidden Leaf? Can we be friends?"
Shinji gently pulled his arm away from Shion's grasp: "I..."
Before Shinji could say another word, Shion interrupted: "I know, you don't want to reveal your identity! I promise, I won't tell anyone about you. It'll be our little secret!"
Little secret...
Shinji was at a loss for words.
Shion pouted, looking at Shinji with pleading eyes: "So this time, don't make me forget you, okay?"
"Fine!"
After a long moment of hesitation, Shinji finally nodded, albeit reluctantly.
Shion's face lit up with happiness: "Really?"
"Really!" Taking off the fox mask, Shinji revealed his sincere face: "If you don't believe me, look into my eyes!"
Obediently, Shion looked into Shinji's eyes.
They were eyes that glowed with a mesmerizing light. With just one glance, they drew you in, compelling you to explore their depths.
Shinji's gaze intensified as he subtly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, implanting another psychological suggestion into Shion: You didn't meet anyone here...
Shion's eyes first became unfocused, then gradually blank, as she mumbled: "I didn't meet anyone... I didn't meet anyone..."
Having completed the genjutsu, Shinji gently patted Shion's shoulder: "Sleep now."
Plop.
Shion went limp and collapsed to the ground, fast asleep.
Looking down at the sleeping Shion and the Root shinobi still under his genjutsu, Shinji began to ponder.
He wasn't surprised that Haku was up to something.
After all, he knew that Haku came from a clan in the Hidden Mist that possessed the Ice Release Bloodline Limit, and his appearance at Hidden Leaf's shinobi academy was suspicious from the start.
But even if Haku was hiding something, given his current situation, Shinji had no choice but to help cover it up.
This was why he had decisively intervened to help Haku escape.
He needed time to grow stronger.
And during this time, he couldn't afford to give Danzo any excuse to take action against him.
Looks like Haku is probably a spy planted in Hidden Leaf by another village. I wonder how they managed that...
Recalling what the Root shinobi had just said, Shinji had a rough idea about Haku's identity.
Suddenly.
A flash of inspiration struck him!
Because he remembered that the Root shinobi had just mentioned that the timing for Haku's meeting with his contact had been chosen very cleverly—they had almost succeeded without anyone knowing.
This realization made him understand that right now, at this very moment, the village's manpower was at its most stretched!
Abruptly, he turned his gaze toward the ANBU headquarters: Should I take a risk this time?