Chapter 145: Vengeance

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In the room built of blue stone, a paper door and soft green tatami mats gave the space a subtle elegance that was rare in the cold, heavy atmosphere of Iwagakure. The refined decor suggested that the lady of the house had a gentle personality.

The candle on the stand was half-burned, its flickering flame casting a warm glow throughout the room.

A middle-aged man lay on the tatami, blood gushing from his body and pooling beneath him. The scent of blood grew stronger by the second.

The black-haired woman watched, trembling uncontrollably, as her baby was held hostage by Ye Zi. Her face was pale, but she tried to appear calm, speaking in a deliberately low voice to avoid provoking him.

"Please, don't harm her. I'll tell you anything you want to know."

A cold glint flashed in Ye Zi's eyes as he asked, "Where is the vault with the scrolls?"

He didn't waste time with unnecessary questions. If there was an answer, he would check it out; if not, he would cause as much chaos as possible before escaping.

The black-haired woman didn't hesitate for a second, her voice trembling as she replied, "In the hallway outside, go straight and take the first left. At the end of the hall is a room with a bookshelf. The vault is behind it. Just move the shelf."

She didn't know what scrolls he was asking about, but she knew the only vault in the house was in Ōnoki's room.

Ye Zi stared at the woman, her eyes filled mostly with fear and a small flicker of pleading—begging him not to harm the baby.

The source of all her terror was the baby cradled in the swaddle, with a small cut on her forehead from Ye Zi's blade.

The woman had told the truth. She had revealed everything she knew.

With his question answered, Ye Zi's next step was to eliminate witnesses, a common practice among ninjas—a principle he had always followed.

The baby was still innocent, unaware of what was happening, fragile and defenseless.

Killing her would be easy.

As for guilt?

In this world, ninjas were not burdened with guilt. They walked in darkness, their hands stained with blood. Even women, children, and the elderly could be sacrificed in an instant if the mission demanded it.

Ye Zi's eyes grew cold as he stared at the black-haired woman, his killing intent extending to both her and the baby.

In the world of enemies, it was kill or be killed.

With a flick of his blade, a flash of cold steel sliced through the woman's neck.

Her eyes widened in shock, and even though she had sensed his intent, she still looked at him with pleading eyes. In her final moments, her gaze shifted to the baby—one last look filled with love and longing.

Ye Zi silently retracted his blade and turned his gaze toward the baby. His killing intent gradually faded.

For a ninja, killing the direct bloodline of the Tsuchikage would be a great honor. Even if it was just a baby, it would still eliminate a potential future Tsuchikage.

Though Ye Zi's heart had long grown cold, he found himself unable to kill the infant.

Even though he was seeking revenge for losing his arm, the baby was not the appropriate target.

He gently placed the baby next to the woman's body and left the room, heading toward the vault.

Carefully avoiding detection, Ye Zi made his way to Ōnoki's room. For some reason—perhaps out of arrogance—there were no guards posted near the room.

Ye Zi easily entered. Following the woman's directions, he moved the bookshelf, revealing a stone door. Behind it was a narrow stairway descending into darkness.

Lighting a small torch, he descended about thirty steps until he reached a small, square stone chamber. In the faint light, he saw two stone shelves against the wall. One held a piece of black stone, while the other was piled with several scrolls.

Ye Zi quickly glanced around and, without wasting time, grabbed the scrolls and left the vault.

At that moment, miles away on the road back to the village, Ōnoki's expression darkened. He could feel that the scrolls in the vault had been disturbed. Who was it? The Konoha ninja? Or...?

Ōnoki's face grew grim as a thought crossed his mind. Could it be that Ye Zi, whom he believed had been annihilated by his Dust Release, had returned to the village?

If so, when had he managed to deceive him?

More troubling thoughts began to surface as he considered the implications.

"There's still an enemy in the village. We need to hurry back!" Ōnoki said bitterly, picking up speed.

The Iwa-nin traveling with him were momentarily stunned, but their faces quickly filled with anger. They all raced back to the village as fast as they could, with Han close behind Ōnoki.

Unaware that he had triggered Ōnoki's alert, Ye Zi carefully avoided the patrolling Iwa-nin as he headed for the village's outskirts.

Had he known, he might have made a more desperate effort to escape.

He didn't believe there was anyone left in Iwagakure who could catch up to him.

Sometimes, fate seems to guide events in strange ways.

On his way into the village, he had encountered his two teammates, who had provided him with a bit of chakra.

As he was leaving, he ran into someone else—his so-called "teacher," at least to the identity of Ishigō.

"Ishigō, what are you doing here?" A stern voice called out.

Ye Zi turned toward the speaker and sighed lightly. His expression calm, he said, "Hori-sensei."

The man named Hori walked briskly over, his expression stern as he said, "During an enemy invasion, you should be staying at home, not wandering around. Also, do you know where Ranrei and Kabi are?"

Ye Zi responded calmly, "I do."

Hori frowned. "Where are they?"

"I'll take you to them," Ye Zi said, as spirit tendrils shot toward Hori. The man's reaction was quick, but the distance was too short. Before he could act, the tendrils pierced his mind.

Moments later, Hori's lifeless body lay on the ground.

Ye Zi sheathed his blade and quickly made his way toward the village walls, no longer hiding and moving at full speed.

Several Iwa-nin noticed his swift movements, finding them strange, but none stopped him until he reached the wall.

"What squad are you in? What are you doing here?" an Iwa-nin demanded, eyeing Ye Zi suspiciously.

The only response he got was the flash of Ye Zi's blade.

After killing the guard, Ye Zi continued on, his actions now drawing more attention. Several Iwa-nin immediately attacked him without hesitation.

With swift, precise strikes, Ye Zi cut down his attackers one by one before leaping over the wall and escaping.

The commotion quickly alerted the nearby Iwa-nin, and in an instant, several more shinobi pursued him, followed by even more.

At the same time, Ōnoki could now see the outline of Iwagakure in the distance.

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