The Phantom Thief

At 3 AM, the Shinobi Tavern was still brightly lit. 

Several police officers were walking around the tavern and in the courtyard behind it, recording the scene with their body cameras. They knew that the body cameras, which had recently improved the police department's reputation, were invented by Amou Natsuhiko, the owner of the tavern, so they worked with extra diligence.

Unfortunately, their efforts yielded little results.

Apart from traces of a battle, there were no valuable clues to be found at the scene.

At that moment, Might Duy, who had witnessed the incident, was sitting on the steps at the tavern entrance, muttering regretfully to himself.

"I was such a fool, really."

"If I hadn't held back and had opened the Gate of View or the Gate of Shock right away, I would have had time to stop them..."

No, no, no, if you had opened the Gate of Shock, it wouldn't just be a game console that I'd have lost...

Sitting beside him, Natsuhiko thought to himself, then patted Might Duy on the shoulder to console him, "Actually, you're not entirely to blame, Mr. Duy. After all, I set up the defence barrier here, so I bear more responsibility for what happened."

However, Might Duy still looked deeply remorseful.

"No, Mr. Natsuhiko, you've helped me and my son so much, and this was a rare chance for me to repay you, yet I still messed it up..."

"But don't worry, no matter how long it takes, I will definitely retrieve the stolen game console!"

"That might be a tall order."

At this moment, Fugaku, who was in charge of leading the investigation into the theft, approached and couldn't help but comment after hearing Might Duy's words.

"Fugaku, do you know who the culprit is?" Natsuhiko asked.

Might Duy also quickly stood up, looking at Fugaku with hopeful eyes.

Fugaku nodded slightly and said, "Based on the situation at the scene and Mr. Duy's testimony, it's highly likely that the Eleven Arhats committed this theft."

"The Eleven Arhats?"

Natsuhiko's expression turned a bit strange at these words. The name seemed oddly familiar.

"Yes," Fugaku explained. "It's the name of a thief group that has recently gained a lot of notoriety in the ninja world."

"Their biggest characteristic is that they only use shadow clones in their operations, never the main body."

"So even if the theft fails, they won't get caught. They're very tricky to deal with."

"Some even suspect that the entire thief group might actually be just one person."

"But if that's true, then this person's mental state might be quite abnormal."

Hearing someone from the Uchiha clan call someone else mentally unstable, Natsuhiko couldn't help but find it amusing, then asked:

"What do you mean by that?"

Fugaku replied, "According to many witnesses, the shadow clones seem to refer to each other by numbers, and it's almost like each shadow clone has a slightly different personality, making people doubt the mental state of the original body."

"Hmmm… if this guy isn't a drama queen, then he must be a complete nutcase."

Natsuhiko commented, but then his expression suddenly froze.

Different personalities for each shadow clone, calling each other by numbers...

Why does this seem so familiar?

Unfortunately, before Natsuhiko could think more about it, Fugaku continued:

"Apart from the shadow clones, the Eleven Arhats also have a very unique way of stealing."

"They place the stolen target into a storage scroll and then make the scroll disappear into thin air..."

"Is it tool summoning..." Natsuhiko quickly thought of a possibility.

Tool summoning is actually a summoning technique, but the target is non-living objects.

Although it's similar to the effect of compressing and storing items in a storage scroll, tool summoning directly summons the object from a distance, and the principles behind the two are fundamentally different.

Moreover, ensuring that the precise structure of the storage scroll isn't damaged during the summoning process requires a high level of skill, indicating that the opponent's sealing technique is also quite advanced.

Fugaku nodded in agreement:

"That's indeed what most people suspect."

"And this means they only need to make contact with the target for a few seconds to steal it."

"Combined with the fact that they only use shadow clones, once the item is summoned away, there's not even a need to think about escape."

"And that's the reason why the Eleven Arhats have been so successful in their thefts."

"Shadow clone jutsu combined with tool summoning... I never thought of that."

Natsuhiko stroked his chin in contemplation, unable to help but admire the ingenuity of the approach.

This was the perfect crime method, combining the most unreasonable techniques in the ninja world.

No wonder they could steal something right under his barrier and Might Duy's watchful eyes.

Though, in ordinary circumstances, they wouldn't have succeeded so quickly.

After all, the machines in the tavern were initially fixed to the ground, making it impossible to place them into a storage scroll in such a short time.

However, due to the recent surge in customers from the fireworks promotion, there was a shortage of game consoles, so Natsuhiko brought out the machines intended for a new branch, which had been crafted by Number Three, to fill the gap.

Since they were temporarily placed, they weren't reinforced, making them easy to steal.

Natsuhiko shook his head slightly.

In the end, it was his carelessness that gave the thieves an opportunity.

Fortunately, he had a backup plan...

Natsuhiko turned his gaze back to Fugaku and asked:

"Fugaku, do you have any other useful information about this guy?"

Fugaku shook his head and said, "This guy is very cautious and hasn't left much information behind. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived despite offending so many people."

"You should know his head is worth 20 million ryo at the bounty office right now."

"20 million?"

Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow, then smiled slightly:

"Fugaku, isn't that a very 'useful' piece of information?"

"No, I must inform the main body. If that guy lets him get away, it would be a loss of 20 million!"

"Main body, Natsuhiko, you don't mean to…"

Before Fugaku could finish his sentence, he saw the Natsuhiko in front of him wave and say goodbye, then disappear into a puff of white smoke, leaving Fugaku and Might Duy staring at each other in confusion.

…

Deep within a forest outside Konoha.

A bald man in black closed a briefcase full of money, sealed it into a storage scroll, and then made it vanish using tool summoning. He then smiled and said to a group of masked men in black who were inspecting a Geki-nin game console:

"The deal is done. It's been a pleasure working with you."

"If you have more jobs in the future, I'll give you a 5% discount."

After saying this, he waved and turned to leave.

"Lord Danzo, should we take him out?" asked a Root ninja wearing a mask.

Danzo, also wearing a mask, shook his head slightly.

"What's the point of capturing a shadow clone?"

"Right now, we have more important things to focus on..."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze back to the Geki-nin game console in front of him.

To fulfil Orochimaru's request, he spent a significant amount of money to hire the Eleven Arhats, who had recently become quite famous.

He didn't have the Root ninjas handle the task because he could no longer afford the risk of being exposed and having his budget cut again.

Having been set up by Hiruzen so many times, Danzo felt that his ability to shift blame had become increasingly refined.

Although this method was adequate, the only problem was the cost.

To be honest, a large part of the fee for hiring them this time came out of Danzo's pocket.

But it was all worth it because once he cracked the principles behind this game console, he would be able to recoup the costs no matter how much he spent!

Danzo thought with great anticipation...

…

In an unremarkable underground space far from the forest, a small subterranean chamber.

Suddenly, a scroll appeared out of nowhere in front of a young, bald man.

After the scroll was unsealed, a briefcase materialised out of thin air.

He opened it to find it filled with cash.

"Whoo-hoo, I hit the jackpot this time."

He whistled, then said with a hint of smugness:

"Seems like Konoha, the so-called strongest ninja village, isn't so great after all. To think I used to avoid this place on purpose."

"Looks like there's no place that can stop me, Tai-san, the leader of the Eleven Arhats!"

"Hmph, one day I'll make those bald monks who kicked me out of the Fire Temple regret it!"

After boasting for a while, Tai-san calmed down and said:

"But just in case, I should lay low for a while."

"I could use this money to relax in the Hidden Village of the Hot Water. It's been a while since I visited Yomi, Yui, and Kana."

Having made up his mind, he quickly sealed the briefcase and put it away.

 The storage scroll, preparing to leave this temporary underground hideout.

But when he emerged from the ground using the Earth Release technique, his smile froze instantly.

Because he saw a young man with white hair sitting on a tree not far away, smiling at him...

(End of Chapter)

Advance 70 chapters are up on my Patreon.

pat reon.com/ReidAstrea