chapter 16: Assassination

Due to his wariness of Danzo, Bai Shi dared not show any signs of abnormality. After regaining his strength, he immediately set off for the mission location, moving like a true ROOT ninja. As he was already close to the eastern border troops' base, he quickly entered the defense zone of the first team.

Thanks to ROOT's intelligence, he easily avoided watchtowers and patrol units along the way. About an hour later, Bai Shi arrived outside the camp of the second squad.

There were around a hundred ninjas here, possibly because of an approaching war or due to recent oversights, which allowed a reconnaissance unit from the Cloud Village to be inserted. Consequently, the camp was heavily guarded, with plenty of visible and hidden sentries active even at night.

However, this presented no difficulty for Bai Shi. Utilizing his exceptional ability to conceal his presence, he spent some time sneaking into the camp.

Prior reconnaissance had recorded the stationed positions and activity ranges of Takuto fifth squad, and they were not likely to change soon. Thus, Bai Shi quickly located his target.

Peering through the gap, he observed Takuto sleeping inside the tent and thought, "Good thing he's not on duty today; otherwise, it would be hard to carry out the assassination."

Not wanting to waste time, Bai Shi began his attack. He gently raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and, with a mental command, a thread-like vine emerged from his fingertip, swaying in the wind, appearing innocuous. He then took a small syringe from his tool pouch and carefully dripped the poison onto the vine.

In an instant, the vine turned a dark purple and began to spread towards Bai Shi's finger. Not wanting to delay, he controlled the vine to grow, slipping it through the gap in the tent until it reached Takuto's nose.

The next moment, the vine abruptly sharpened and violently pierced through his nostrils, heading straight for his brain.

In an instant, Takuto's eyes widened in confusion. By the time he realized what was happening and attempted to scream, it was already too late. The specially crafted poison took effect immediately, destroying most of his brain cells, rendering him incapable of calling for help.

Confirming Takuto's death, Bai Shi retracted the vine and carefully exited the camp. If all went well, no one would discover Takuto's death before dawn, giving him ample time to act.

Without delay, Bai Shi stealthily made his way to the third squad stationed nearby. Like the second squad, this camp was filled with an ominous atmosphere. Given that this target was a jōnin, Bai Shi proceeded with extra caution.

Initially, he easily located the first team's camp and confirmed the position of Okawa Kai. However, the next turn of events caught him off guard—the enemy's alertness exceeded his expectations. Just as he initiated his attack, the opponent abruptly awakened. Although the poisoned vine penetrated his nostril, it did not reach the brain.

Fortunately, the poison also had a nerve-paralyzing effect, and since it had already entered his body and was located in the head, Okawa Kai could not scream for help right away. Seeing Okawa Kai suddenly wake up, Bai Shi reacted swiftly, extending another vine that shot across nearly two meters and pierced the opponent's throat.

As his throat was impaled, Okawa Kai's pupils dilated, staring at the vine before him, his mouth agape as if he wanted to say something, but no sound emerged.

After retracting the vine, Bai Shi let out a breath of relief, thinking, "That was close!" He hastily dealt with the body, then left for the fourth squad's camp.

However, shortly after his departure, someone arrived at the scene to begin cleaning up the traces. It was none other than Oil Woman Ryoma. His purpose for coming was not just to monitor Bai Shi during his mission but also to eliminate unnecessary traces to ensure the secret of Wood Release remained hidden.

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Meanwhile, Bai Shi was dashing through the forest, sneering to himself, "Since you've followed me, how can I just sit idly by?"

Did he not realize that hastily disposing of the bodies would not only increase the probability of others discovering them but also risk exposing Wood Release? No, he was aware; he just didn't care.

From the moment he learned Aburame Ryoma was tailing him, he knew that as long as he wasn't too obvious, the other party would cover for him. Thus, he felt free to act casually.

For him, executing the mission was not for Konoha, nor for Danzo. It was merely a compromise for survival. Since he could make things easier for himself, why not?

Shaking his head, he put aside these thoughts and headed straight for his third target of the evening. Based on the reactions of the first two individuals, Takuto likely wasn't a spy due to his low vigilance. As for Okawa Kai, he showed some alertness, but it leaned more toward jōnin experience than instinctual reflexes of a spy.

Consequently, he believed that Murayama Ryo had a higher likelihood of being a Cloud Village spy, meaning he had to be extra cautious and not treat him as a mere chūnin; otherwise, he could easily find himself in danger.

Lost in thought, he unknowingly arrived at the outskirts of the fourth squad's camp. Taking a deep breath, Bai Shi concealed his presence, carefully avoiding the visible and hidden sentries to reach the third team's position.

It didn't take long for him to find his target. Through a gap, he watched Murayama Ryo breathing steadily inside the tent. Bai Shi extended his index finger, conjuring the vine as before and dripping the poison onto it. However, just as the poisoned vine was about to touch the target, Ryo suddenly awoke.

Upon realizing this, Bai Shi thought quickly; without hesitation, he launched his attack. Under his control, the poisoned vine instantaneously thickened and hardened, stabbing toward Ryo's face. Given the proximity, Ryo found it hard to evade in time.

Sure enough, Murayama Ryo—now revealed to be spy—sensed the danger but was too late to react, raising his hand to block the attack. With a "thud," the poisoned spike pierced his forearm and continued to grow inside him.

Seemingly due to his compromised identity, Raishi did not call for help even after being attacked; he merely let out a muffled groan. Seeing Ryo reaction, Bai Shi immediately understood his identity.

He no longer hid his presence; Chakra exploded from him as his speed surged. In a flash, he appeared before Ryo, having a kunai in his hand and plunging it into the vulnerable point in Ryo's abdomen.

With this critical injury, Ryo spat out a mouthful of blood as Bai Shi evaded it.

Looking down at Bai Shi, who barely reached his chest, and at the connecting vine between them, Ryo's pupils constricted in disbelief. Although his strength was only at the chūnin level, he was perceptive. Having long been in Konoha hidden, he had some understanding of the First Hokage's Wood Release.

"Wasn't it said that Wood Release had been lost? How is this kid able to use it?"

Until death, Ryo was left without the answers he sought.

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