Villains die by talking too much.

Due to the attack of the Nine-tailed fox, Yoru seemed to have fallen in a remote part of the forest with no living thing in sight.

Especially, the fact that he was seriously injured made it hard for those who wanted to kill him to stay calm. After all, it was undeniable that it was hard for anyone to catch him lacking in normal times.

Just as he had suspected, the moment he fell to the area, a barrage of shuriken was thrown towards him. In the shade of the forest, it was a swift but deadly attack.

Facing the attack, Yoru seemed to barely be able to escape, spurting a large amount of blood due to his injuries. He leaned against a tree, panting slightly, and spoke.

"You attack me just after I stopped the Nine-Tails? Are you out of your mind, Danzo?"

The leaves rustled with the wind, but there was no presence to be felt. Another barrage of attacks quickly dispelled any notion of safety.

Still struggling, Yoru barely managed to fend off the attacks. His mouth never ceased moving, "As expected, all you're good at is hiding like a rat. Perhaps this is why you'll never become Hokage—"

Before he could finish, a fireball jutsu fiercely burned through the surroundings. Yoru's eyes turned red as he barely flickered out of the way, further depleting his chakra reserves.

"Huff..." Yoru struggled against the tree, the three tomoe in his Sharingan spinning once more. "Do you think I don't know where you are?"

Yoru threw a kunai into the darkness of the forest, hitting something accurately.

"I always knew you were a threat. It seems I was right." From the darkness emerged a man with his face covered in bandages. Who else could it be but Danzo?

"Am I a threat to you or the village?" Yoru sneered, leaning against the tree.

"Hmph! It doesn't matter. How long can your eyes hold on after fighting the Nine-Tails?" Danzo didn't attack immediately, instead, he bided his time.

The Tailed Beasts were considered the trump cards of the villages due to their immense power. Normally, it was hard for anyone to contend with them. So, Yoru, who had overused his Sharingan to control the strongest of these beasts, was certainly not in good condition.

As if to confirm his point, Yoru's red eyes flickered, reverting to normal pupils as blood dripped from them, appearing almost damaged.

"Maybe so. But you know, you picked the wrong time to attack me. Especially if you want to be Hokage." Yoru panted, his slender fingers wiping away the flowing blood.

"It seems you really are in your last stand. It's a pity, if you hadn't attacked the Tailed Beast, this situation would never have come to pass." Danzo was confident.

His ANBU had already begun to set up a barrier to prevent Yoru from escaping. So, he didn't mind indulging the boy's last words. After all, it was decided that Yoru would be buried here tonight once the barrier was set.

"Heh. You don't understand what I'm insinuating, do you, Danzo? The Nine-Tails attacked the Hidden Leaf Village. This was a golden opportunity for you. If you had stood up now, it would have greatly boosted your reputation as Hokage. Minato's status is unknown. Hiruzen is exhausted and couldn't stop the beast. It was really the perfect chance for you. But it seems your old age has clouded your vision."

Yoru spoke mockingly, each word enraging Danzo. Without caring about the old man's anger, he continued, "Or maybe old age has nothing to do with it. If I recall correctly, the reason you couldn't compete with Hiruzen for the Hokage position was that Hiruzen was the one who stood up after the Second Hokage disappeared. You were always like a rat hiding behind others, undermining them, not knowing your own weak—"

Yoru couldn't finish as Danzo had already made his move.

[Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!]

"What do you know about opportunity, brat?!" Danzo was enraged, launching shuriken that multiplied with the jutsu. "You have no idea what happened back then. Only the weak wait for opportunities. I will create the opportunity myself."

Yoru struggled, deflecting the shuriken, though some pierced his body, creating blood patches on his clothes.

Still, at this moment, Yoru laughed, "By creating opportunity, you mean standing by and watching as Minato gets killed so you can take the position of Hokage yourself? Why do I feel you're contradicting yourself? How is what you're doing anything but weak?"

"It's not your turn to tell me what to do." Danzo, angry but experienced, quickly calmed down as he sensed something. "I admit you have a nasty tongue, but it seems now is the end."

With a rustle, a group of ANBU appeared from nowhere after finishing setting up the barrier, surrounding the weakened Yoru.

Yoru ignored them and continued, "With your attitude, could it be that the appearance of the Nine-Tails has something to do with you? If so, then I have to admit you're not weak. Few dare to do something so crazy to sit on the Hokage's throne."

Danzo snorted, "Go to hell and ask your questions there."

With a command, the ANBU readied their attacks.

At this moment, Yoru smiled brightly. "Thank you, Danzo, for indulging me. So, as a reward, I'll tell you a profound truth of the world. Villains always die from talking too much."

Danzo sneered, dismissing Yoru's words as mere rhetoric.

However...

"It seems you don't understand what I am saying.What I want to say is that everything that just happened here has been broadcasted throughout the village with my observation technique." A small projection appeared beside Yoru, playing all the scenes.

"Huh?" The time seemed to pause for a single moment as only the sound playing from the projecting were heard in the forest.

 The silence was broken by a frantic shout.

"You fools, quickly kill him and end his technique." It was Danzo. His expression was frantic as he ordered. The ANBU moved swiftly, showering Yoru with various attacks.

Yoru didn't move, his smile broadening until it nearly split his face. His eyes glinted with a manic ecstasy as he watched the unfolding scene. "Ahh, yes. That's the expression. The anger, the fear, the regret... From now on, your only goal is meaningless. How ironic that after all you've done, this is how your dreams are going to crash and burn."

His mocking words were drowned out by a torrent of attacks. The air was filled with the sounds of shuriken slicing through the air, kunai clashing, and jutsus being unleashed. Dust and debris clouded the area, making it impossible to see.

As the smoke cleared, the attackers expected to see a broken body. Instead, there was nothing. No corpse, no blood.

It was a shadow clone all along.

...