Important Clue

The Mist Ninja's defensive line was nearby, and even though these Mist Anbu members were resting in the wild, was it necessary for them to do so?

Yoroi couldn't believe it.

So, when he discovered that squad of Mist Anbu resting in the wilderness, his first thought was that something was definitely off with them. A cold smile crept across his lips, especially when he sensed with his spiritual energy and found that the strongest of them was only of Chunin level.

"This squad of Mist Anbu seems like they're just waiting for someone to take care of them!"

"The reputation of the 'Bloody Mist' may have been abolished, but under Madara's hidden leadership, it seems impossible for the Mist Village to completely shed its brutal system."

"But that's alright. If your mission is to die..."

"Then I'll help you fulfill it before I leave!"

Muttering to himself, Yoroi, still gnawing on his dry rations to conserve strength, watched the four Mist Anbu sharing their freshly cooked meat.

The more delicious their meal looked, the deeper Yoroi's resentment grew.

The four Mist Anbu certainly couldn't have imagined that their enjoyment of meat would attract the wrath of someone like Yoroi.

After Yoroi painstakingly finished his dry rations, he cloaked himself in spiritual energy to prevent detection by sensory-type ninjas. He then used his Wind Sense technique, even blending in with the surrounding wind currents. In essence, if the Fourth Hokage were using a similar Wind Sense technique to scan around Yoroi, he would detect nothing unusual.

Because Yoroi, who also mastered the Wind Sense, tailored his presence to evade such keen sensory methods.

Gradually approaching the Mist Anbu squad, Yoroi stopped at a point where he could faintly hear their conversation.

Even at such a close distance, the Mist Anbu failed to notice Yoroi, prompting him to silently mock their incompetence, thinking they were indeed meant to be sacrificial pawns. Otherwise, how could there not be a single sensory-type ninja among them?

Suppressing his killing intent and gripping a kunai in his left hand, Yoroi closed his eyes to focus on the Mist Anbu's conversation. Soon, the faint sounds of their voices, carried by his Wind Chakra, reached his ears.

"Captain, what exactly is our mission? Can you tell us?"

"Yeah, Captain. We were suddenly assigned this mission without any explanation, and now we're supposed to act covertly. What's the purpose?"

"Instead of wasting time here, we should be assassinating some Konoha ninjas up ahead. Captain, if you know anything, please tell us!"

Initially, Yoroi heard nothing but complaints from the Mist Anbu.

This only made him more suspicious.

Despite the squad being composed of Chunin-level Anbu, a proper mission should always have a clear objective, right? Sending Anbu out just to scout was a waste of resources, something even the supposedly richest ninja village, Konoha, wouldn't do. So, how could the Mist Village afford such waste with its already strained resources?

After patiently waiting a few more minutes, the Mist Anbu captain finally lost his patience as the complaints continued, and he shouted:

"Shut up!"

"As Anbu, don't you have any discipline? Have you forgotten we are merely tools to follow orders?"

"You all want to know the higher-ups' intentions, right? Fine, I'll tell you!"

"Our real mission is to attract certain Konoha Anbu to chase us! Simply put, we are 'bait'. Any more questions?"

Silence, a dead silence.

After their captain's outburst, the other Mist Anbu immediately clammed up.

Partly because they didn't want to provoke their captain, who clearly wasn't an easygoing person.

Partly because they feared the upper echelon's wrath, they knew that further complaints could result in punishment now or back at the Mist Village.

Hearing the captain's words, Yoroi finally allowed a faint smile to appear beneath his mask.

"So, they're bait, which means there are Konoha comrades nearby?"

"Great! Very great!"

"I'm lost in this forest and now I might find my Konoha comrades, thanks to these Mist Anbu."

"As a reward, I'll use you as my whetstones!"

In an instant, as soon as Yoroi obtained this crucial clue from the Mist Anbu, his figure vanished with a "whoosh." When he reappeared, using the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God technique, he was right in front of the first Mist Anbu!

The Flying Thunder God technique, a secret of the Fourth Hokage, proved invincible even against Hozuki Mangetsu.

Now, using it against mere Chunin-level Anbu, they had no chance to counter his speed.

So, when Yoroi reappeared before them, in the terrified eyes of the other three Anbu, he slit the throat of the leading Mist Anbu with his Wind-enhanced kunai, dropping him into a pool of blood.

"Damn it! Enemy attack!"

Yoroi's sudden appearance and instant kill deeply shocked the Mist Anbu captain.

It was a ghostly speed!

It was a deathly kunai!

Unleashing his half-step Jonin strength and combining it with the Fourth Hokage's technique, Yoroi seemed like a miniature version of the Yellow Flash, terrifying the Mist Anbu.

And his assault was just beginning!

After the first kill, Yoroi knew his situation demanded quick, decisive action. Using the Flying Thunder God again, he vanished, reappearing in the midst of the remaining three Mist Anbu. He used the Shadow Sewing technique to form seals with his hands, immobilizing the three remaining Anbu who hadn't yet reacted.

With a devilish smile, he prepared to use the Shadow Neck Bind to kill the immobilized Anbu.

But, just as Yoroi was about to execute them, a flash of lightning caught his eye. In his narrowing vision, he saw a ghostly figure approach with terrifying speed!

"It's him again!"

"He's like a persistent specter!"