He....

The visitor was dressed in black, his face hidden behind a mask that did not resemble any specific animal but had ears. His hair was tied back in a ponytail, and a long sword rested on his back.

An Anbu.

Kuro's heart skipped a beat as he recognized him.

Why is an Anbu in my room?

Questions began flooding his mind.

Is it because of something I did? Do they know my secret? Is he from Root?

His eyes darted quickly as his brain worked at full speed, replaying everything he had done recently.

I haven't done anything suspicious!

Swish

But before he could think further, the intruder moved.

The slight scrape of his foot against the floor was the only sound Kuro caught before the Anbu shot towards him like a bolt of lightning.

Slash

The Anbu's long sword left its sheath in one smooth motion, heading directly for Kuro's chest.

He's so fast!

The thought barely crossed his mind before instinct took over.

The Ninetails' chakra enveloped his right hand, bathing it in a golden glow.

Ting!

A metallic clang rang out as Kuro caught the blade with his hand.

Sparks flew from the contact, briefly illuminating the room in flickering flashes.

The Anbu's pupils contracted slightly, but his voice remained calm. "The Nine-Tails' chakra... Why do you have this?"

"You rush into my home and start asking questions..."

"You burst into my house and start asking questions…"

With a sudden push, Kuro flung the sword backward, forcing the Anbu to retreat.

Seizing the opportunity, he wrapped his left hand in the Ninetails' chakra and struck directly at the Anbu's abdomen.

Boom

The wooden floor groaned and splintered beneath the Anbu's feet as fabric and blood flew in all directions.

Five deep gashes appeared across his abdomen, blood staining his clothes instantly.

But before Kuro could celebrate his advantage, the Anbu moved again.

With agility surpassing that of an average Jōnin, he narrowly avoided a fatal blow.

?!

Kuro took a step back, his mind racing to process what had just happened.

At this moment, with the Ninetails' chakra, his strength and speed were no less than a Jōnin's.

This kind of surprise attack was something even a Jōnin wouldn't have time to react to.

But this Anbu had avoided it.

This person is at Kakashi's level or higher... or they knew in advance I could use this power.

But he hadn't fully evaded the attack.

If you knew about my abilities, you wouldn't be caught off guard.

Therefore, the man in front of me must fall into the first scenario.

This guy… is much stronger than he looks.

His body tensed. Kuro activated his red lenses, letting the golden chakra cover his entire body. The three tomoe in his eyes began spinning slowly, analyzing everything.

"Who are you?"

The Anbu didn't respond immediately. With one hand, he pressed against his wound to stop the bleeding while his eyes remained locked onto Kuro.

For a moment, Kuro saw something in his gaze: shock.

But even in his surprise, the Anbu maintained a chilling calm.

This guy… has nerves of steel.

The importance of this Anbu in Kuro's mind rose another level.

The tension in the air thickened.

Finally, the Anbu spoke.

"Do you think no one knows what you've been doing in secret?"

Hearing this, Kuro didn't let his face betray anything, but his heart raced.

Did they discover my System?

There was only one thing he did in secret: finding materials.

Have they already figured out that I can forge accessories?

However, he quickly dismissed the thought.

If they truly knew, they wouldn't be so surprised about my Ninetails' chakra or the Sharingan.

This guy is trying to throw me off.

Kuro held his firm stance, refusing to answer.

Then the Anbu said something that caught him off guard.

"One month ago. Training Ground 39."

The words hit him like thunder.

"You've been spying on me?!" he shouted, pointing at the Anbu in disbelief, his eyes wide with surprise.

But a second later, something clicked in his mind.

It's a trap!

If they'd really been spying on him, they wouldn't be shocked by his power. This Anbu was playing off the information he already knew: that Kuro regularly trained in Training Ground 39.

He exhaled slowly, letting his mind cool.

He's lying. He's just fishing for information.

Through the mask, Kuro could see the Anbu's eyes gleaming with calculation and focus.

Sigh…

Compared to these experienced ninjas, I still have a long way to go.

Kuro gritted his teeth.

He had already decided not to answer any of his questions and now needed to catch him.

I'll find out who this guy is and what his goal is for coming here.

Under his Sharingan, no one could keep secrets.

Noticing Kuro's change in demeanor, the Anbu refocused.

"I mean no harm. I just stumbled upon something surprising and wanted to verify it."

The Anbu remained unfazed. In the same calm tone, he continued, "I know you won't believe me, and that's fine. Step back and calm yourself. When you're ready, I'll come see you again."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, index and middle fingers together.

"You're not leaving so easily!"

With a swift motion, Kuro created two massive golden hands from his shoulders.

Whooosh

He aimed to grab the intruder before he could escape.

However, the Anbu didn't show even a hint of panic.

Instead, a faint smile appeared under his mask.

"I'll give you a gentle reminder," he said quietly. "Sometimes, even if you say nothing, a lot of information is revealed."

Before the golden hands could reach him, his body turned to smoke, disappearing into the air.

Boom

The chakra hands smashed through the smoke, shattering the wall of the room with a loud crash.

Through the hole, Kuro saw a figure moving at high speed across the street, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with fluid motions.

But within seconds, the figure vanished from view.

"What the hell is all that noise in the middle of the night?!"

An annoyed voice shouted from the neighboring house.

Kuro, who had been about to give chase, froze.

With an awkward smile, he called back, "Haha! Sorry, sorry, I'm going to bed now…"

The grumpy voice of his neighbor responded again, "Kuro! It's late! Go to sleep already!"

"Yes, yes, sorry…"

Kuro let out a sigh of relief as he saw the light in the neighboring room turn off.

The noise had already drawn attention.

If he ran out with the Ninetails' cloak activated, it would definitely cause a bigger commotion, and that was something he couldn't afford.

Besides, without the Ninetails' chakra, there was no way he could catch up.

Aware of this, he relaxed his shoulders and gave up on chasing him.

However, as he analyzed the events, he reached a conclusion.

Judging by his tone and actions, this Anbu doesn't belong to Hiruzen or Danzo. He also doesn't seem entirely loyal to Konoha.

And, more importantly…

"You think I didn't chase you," a smile appeared on his face. "You think I won't find out who you are?"

Kuro pulled out a brown leather book from his system storage.

Opening it, a projection of a virtual map of Konoha appeared over its pages—a glowing map dotted with small spheres of light.

Most of the spheres were static, representing people sleeping in their homes. But a few moved, indicating activity around the village.

He focused on his position and a sphere of light rapidly moving away.

"There you are…"

With a smile, he touched the glowing sphere, activating the book's function.

Instantly, the projected image changed, showing a figure in motion: a man dressed in Anbu black, his face hidden by a mask.

The man moved at full speed, leaping across rooftops. Blood dripped from his wounded abdomen, and his ponytail swayed with every jump.

However, what caught Kuro's attention wasn't just the image, but the name that appeared alongside the sphere of light.

[Itachi Uchiha.]

________

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