The night was deep, and under a secluded eaves in Konoha Village, two figures were engaged in a dangerous conversation in the shadows.
"...Are you sure Orochimaru has the confidence to control that power? I heard you are his right-hand man." The questioner's voice was low, and most of his face was wrapped in bandages; it was Maki, the Jonin leader of Hidden Sand Village.
His secret contact was Yakushi Kabuto, who had just parted ways with Orochimaru.
"Hehe, please rest assured," Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses hidden by the reflection, a professional smile on his face, "Since Orochimaru-sama made this decision, he naturally has considerable confidence."
Although Yakushi Kabuto was not entirely sure if Orochimaru could truly wield the power of the Tailed Beast, he knew very well that Hidden Sand Village was merely a chess piece in the plan.
At this moment, he only needed to say what the other party wanted to hear.
Facing the always-smiling Yakushi Kabuto, Maki's tone remained cautious, "I really don't understand how you convinced the Kazekage-sama.
If the [Ember] Organization retaliates afterward... you should know what that would mean."
"Precisely because we understand the consequences, we need a more precise plan," Yakushi Kabuto calmly responded, "Whether it's the capture of the Nine-Tailed or the assassination of the Hokage, if any part goes wrong, we will immediately stop the operation and bear all responsibility.
This plan is led by the Sound Village, so the risks are naturally controlled by us."
Not far from the two, in a hidden shadow, Gekkō Hayate, who had unintentionally overheard their conversation, suddenly trembled, almost unable to suppress his inner shock.
'Seize the Nine-Tailed? Assassinate the Hokage-sama?!' A storm raged in his heart, 'Hidden Sand and the Sound Village have secretly colluded, planning to launch such a horrifying attack during the Chunin Exams?!'
At this moment, Yakushi Kabuto tossed a sealed scroll to Maki and said, "Then, I'll handle the remaining specific arrangements."
Yakushi Kabuto's tone suddenly turned cold, carrying undisguised killing intent.
Feeling the chilling killing intent lock onto his direction, Gekkō Hayate's heart tightened.
"No," Maki's eyes flashed fiercely, and he stepped forward, "As a Sunagakure of the Land of Wind, how can I not help a comrade?
Besides, it's easy to just deal with a eavesdropping rat."
Hearing this, Gekkō Hayate completely understood that he had been exposed!
Without hesitation, he instantly used the Body Flicker Jutsu, retreating rapidly like a ghost, attempting to blend into the deeper darkness.
However, there was a clear disparity in strength between the two sides.
Before Gekkō Hayate could escape the rooftop area, Maki had already pursued him like a shadow.
"Swish! Swish!"
Two figures chased and crisscrossed at high speed on the rooftop under the moonlight.
Gekkō Hayate was forced to stop, facing Maki in a standoff, his rapid gasps particularly clear in the silent night sky.
"Cough... So it's the preliminary examiner, sir.
What are you doing here alone so late?"
Gekkō Hayate gripped the Ninjutsu blade in his hand, his mind clear: the opponent would never let him, who knew such confidential information, leave alive.
It seemed that only by fighting to the death might he have a chance at survival...
At this moment, neither the steadily advancing Maki and the observing Yakushi Kabuto, nor the desperate Gekkō Hayate, had noticed that in the shadow of a tall building in the distance, a pair of eyes silently watched everything that was about to unfold below.
"Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
Gekkō Hayate attacked first, instantly creating two tangible clones, which, along with his main body, simultaneously launched a Body Flicker surprise attack from three tricky angles—left, top, and right—their blades aimed at Maki's vital points!
"Puff!"
The blade indeed gave the sensation of cutting into flesh.
However, Gekkō Hayate's face immediately changed drastically—his blade was firmly caught by the opponent's taut muscles, unable to be pulled out!
"To master Konoha Style's secret sword art at such a young age... Konoha truly has many talents."
Maki gripped the blade embedded in his shoulder with one hand, as if feeling no pain, while his other hand had already gathered a whistling, turbulent airflow.
"Your sword skill is indeed good, but it's only natural that I blocked it.
However, the next Wind Blade... is unstoppable!"
Under Maki's cruel and confident gaze, that Wind Release Ninjutsu instantly engulfed the terrified Gekkō Hayate!
— — — — — —
"Is it really okay to leave his corpse here? Was it a bit too much?" Yakushi Kabuto asked indifferently, looking at "Gekkō Hayate's corpse" on the ground with Maki.
"Even if Konoha can't immediately uncover the truth, such an obvious attack will surely raise their high alert."
"Hmm, don't worry," Maki calmly analyzed, "They will most likely deduce that it was done by an enemy spy who infiltrated the Village.
Just one corpse won't cause Konoha to unilaterally cancel this Chunin Exams, which involves the face of multiple countries."
However, from the real perspective—Gekkō Hayate gasped, still shaken, looking at the bizarre scene before him in disbelief.
Maki and Yakushi Kabuto stood frozen like two statues, their eyes empty, talking to the air.
What on earth is this...?!
Gekkō Hayate suddenly turned his head, looking at the mysterious masked person who had appeared beside him at some point.
Beneath the mask, Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyo Sharingan slowly rotated; it was with the power of these eyes that he wove an illusion for Maki and Yakushi Kabuto that they couldn't distinguish from reality, saving him at the critical moment.
"Who... are you?" Gekkō Hayate suppressed the lingering palpitations of his near-death experience, asking cautiously.
The other party's attire was not the standard uniform of the Konoha Anbu.
Shisui was also a little surprised.
He had only followed the leader's instruction to keep an eye on this special Jonin named Gekkō Hayate, but he didn't expect to witness him almost being silenced.
"Rather than investigating my identity," Shisui's voice was low and steady, "you should have more important things to do immediately, right?
Don't worry, I have no ill will towards Konoha.
But if they really dare to start a war... then they will be my target."
"Are you..." Gekkō Hayate instantly thought of that organization whose name struck fear, but he immediately swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Having just narrowly escaped death, he knew what his most urgent task was at this moment.
He took a deep look at Shisui, nodded, and then, without hesitation, activated the Body Flicker Jutsu, his figure rapidly disappearing into the night.
After confirming Gekkō Hayate's safe departure, Uchiha Shisui redirected his gaze to the two still trapped in the genjutsu.
Yakushi Kabuto's mention of the "Nine-Tailed capture" plan had raised his high alert.
With absolute control over the illusion through his Mangekyo Sharingan, Shisui asked the dazed Yakushi Kabuto in a deep voice.
"Now, tell me your entire plan for capturing the Nine-Tailed... explain your objectives, and specific steps, without missing a single word."
As Yakushi Kabuto recounted intermittently under the control of the genjutsu, Shisui's face beneath the mask gradually became incredibly grim.
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