This was a common mountain located within the territory of the Land of Rain.
In a concealed spot halfway up the mountain, there was a peculiar cave.
Why was it called peculiar? Because naturally formed caves usually had irregular shapes—but this cave had smooth, even edges, as if it had been perfectly cut out by something.
"Morita Hideki-sama."
Inside the cave, a Sunagakure Jonin approached a middle-aged ninja wearing the distinctive sand cloth of the Sand Village and spoke respectfully.
"Chiyo-sama has sent a confidential letter. In it, she specifically praised the great contributions of Morita Hideki-sama and Ikeda Ryo-sama. She also stated that once the two of you return to the base, she will personally reward you!"
A smile appeared on Morita Hideki's face upon hearing this, while Ikeda Ryo beside him showed a flash of fanatic excitement.
Chiyo—the commander of the Sand Village's frontline forces—was also the only white-level puppet master in Sunagakure!
Except for a few fools like Ize Yuuki, almost all puppet masters held immense respect for Chiyo.
Ikeda Ryo was a young man in his twenties. To reach the level of a fourth-tier black-level puppet master at such an age showed just how astonishing his talent was.
Because of this talent, he had once received guidance from Chiyo during his youth. From that moment on, he had become fanatically devoted to her puppet techniques, even regarding her as his teacher.
Thus, Ikeda Ryo felt a deep sense of pride from Chiyo's praise.
"The Konoha fools really don't know what's good for them," Morita Hideki said arrogantly, a smug expression on his face. "They already know we exist, yet they still dare to send their ninja squads out."
During these past few days, their elite squad had annihilated numerous Konoha teams. No fewer than six Konoha Jonin had died at their hands!
"It's all thanks to Morita Hideki-sama and Ikeda Ryo-sama," another Sand elite Jonin hurriedly flattered. "In my opinion, the so-called Konoha Crimson Demon isn't even worth mentioning compared to you two!"
Morita Hideki gave him an approving glance, clearly enjoying the praise.
Meanwhile, Ikeda Ryo said with a fanatic expression, "If I encounter that so-called Konoha Crimson Demon, I'll personally cut off his head and present it to Chiyo-sama!"
In recent days, he had witnessed Chiyo being troubled by Yoru's presence on the battlefield.
As someone who revered her, Ikeda Ryo was eager to eliminate this "trouble" for his teacher.
As for Yoru's reputation—
Ikeda Ryo scoffed inwardly.
He had only killed that idiot Ize Yuuki. Was that really worth all this hype?
If it were him, killing Ize Yuuki wouldn't have taken any effort either.
The surrounding three Sand ninjas continued showering Morita Hideki and Ikeda Ryo with praise, elevating them to the level of figures who could trample the Konoha Crimson Demon and challenge even the Third Hokage.
"Oh? I heard someone here wants my head?"
Just as the atmosphere in the cave was filled with laughter, a playful voice suddenly came from the cave entrance.
"Who's there?!"
Morita Hideki shouted sharply, his heart sinking at the same time.
Because the sensory ninja in their team—who had always performed exceptionally—had not detected this person in advance.
There were only two possibilities.
Either this person was an ordinary civilian—
Or—
A terrifying powerhouse whose presence couldn't be detected!
Morita Hideki didn't even need to think to know—
This person was definitely not ordinary.
If it were a civilian, they would have already fled in panic upon seeing a group of Sand ninjas.
The other Sand ninjas also instantly stood up, preparing for battle.
"Weren't you all just talking about me so enthusiastically?"
Yoru stood at the entrance of the cave, looking at them with a mocking smile.
It had already been three days since Yoru set out.
Finding these people had not been easy. The intelligence report had only given a rough range of their activity, so Yoru had to search area by area using Observation Haki.
To avoid alerting them, Yoru had even refrained from killing any Sand ninjas he encountered along the way.
At last—
He had found this super elite squad today.
And the moment he arrived—
He heard them spouting arrogant nonsense.
"K-Konoha Crimson Demon… Yoru!"
One of the Sand ninjas finally recognized him, staring at Yoru in horror.
Wasn't this the very same terrifying figure they had just been belittling?
The most feared killing god of Konoha—
The Crimson Demon, Yoru!
The other two Sand ninjas also revealed expressions of terror.
One of them was so frightened that he collapsed onto the ground, drenched in cold sweat.
A person's name cast a shadow like a towering tree.
The title "Konoha Crimson Demon" was forged through endless bloodshed and slaughter!
They had dared to belittle Yoru earlier only because it was behind his back—simply to please their superiors.
But now that Yoru stood before them—
Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare utter a single word of disrespect!
Morita Hideki stared intently at the young Konoha ninja before him, his expression grave.
Trouble.
He cursed inwardly.
Although he had acted dismissively toward Yoru earlier, as one of the top ten Jonin of Sunagakure, Morita Hideki was no fool.
He understood one thing clearly—
A great reputation was never without reason!
There was no way Yoru's fearsome name could exist without equally terrifying strength.
Morita Hideki knew that if he fought Yoru, he likely wouldn't come out ahead.
But he wasn't completely hopeless either.
As a renowned powerhouse in the ninja world, he still had confidence in his own strength.
And with Ikeda Ryo by his side—
Even if they couldn't win, escaping should still be possible.
At least—that's what he thought.
But what he didn't realize was that the moment he considered escape before even fighting—
It already revealed the fear he held toward Yoru.
Ikeda Ryo, however, was completely different.
His face was filled with fanaticism and bloodlust, as if he couldn't wait to take Yoru's head and present it to the Chiyo he revered.
His obsession had clouded his judgment entirely.
He couldn't even comprehend the gap between himself and Yoru.
Yoru glanced at the Sand ninja radiating fanatic killing intent and smiled slightly.
Another brainless fool.
He liked this type the most.
Because they wouldn't run—
Which saved him the trouble of chasing them down.
Crackle!
Yoru's entire right arm transformed into terrifying magma!
He threw a punch forward!
At the instant the magma arm struck—
It expanded violently!
A massive magma fist surged forward—
Under the horrified gazes of the three Sand elite Jonin—
And the grave expression of Morita Hideki—
It crashed toward them!
The slaughter—
Had begun!
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