"Who are you?!"
A black-haired youth suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking the middle-aged man's escape route. When he caught sight of the Leaf forehead protector on the youth's brow, his face instantly darkened.
Damn that Kazekage! To wipe them out, he actually went so far as to cooperate with Konoha.
If not for the coup's exposure, he would already be the new Kazekage by now.
"Konoha shinobi, let me go and I'll tell you everything I know." The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.
He knew that if he were dragged back to the village, his fate would be far worse than death.
The Second Kazekage would never forgive someone who tried to launch a coup.
Now his only hope was to gain the protection of a Konoha ninja and escape the pursuit from Sunagakure.
Only then would he have a chance to live...
As for the village's secrets—he didn't care in the slightest. They could be used as payment for Konoha's help. Surely no one would refuse such classified intelligence from Sunagakure.
From afar, Chiyo's expression tightened as she called out urgently,
"Konoha ninja, don't believe his words! Please, help us capture the two of them alive. Once it's done, Sunagakure will reward you handsomely!"
She couldn't stand by and watch a rogue betray the village's secrets—especially not hand them over to Konoha.
No matter what, this had to be stopped!
Renya studied the middle-aged man with interest, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as his right hand slowly gripped the hilt of his blade.
"You say that... but if I kill you, I can still get the intel."
"What do you mean by that?!" The middle-aged man's pupils shrank sharply, clearly not expecting Renya to respond this way.
He was already willing to hand over the village's secrets—why would this youth still want him dead?
"Konoha ninja, stop him! Sunagakure will reward you greatly afterward." Chiyo exhaled in relief and quickly rushed over.
Her mission was to stall these three until a squad from the village could arrive. If she could just hold out a little longer, reinforcements would come.
Kazekage-sama had ordered that the middle-aged man must be brought back alive.
With the cooperation of Konoha's shinobi, capturing him alive shouldn't be a problem.
But just as she was envisioning a smooth completion of the mission, the scene that followed froze her in place.
The Konoha ninja drew the blade at his waist, launching an attack at the rogue with staggering speed. It was so fast that no one present even had time to react.
The middle-aged man saw Renya draw his blade and braced himself for battle, but the youth vanished in an instant. By the time he realized what was happening, he only felt the cold edge slice across his neck. The world around him began to spin, and then he lost all consciousness.
Renya lightly leapt into the air, catching the man's head mid-fall. When he landed, the headless corpse collapsed onto the ground.
A fluid sequence of motions—before the battle had even begun, it was already over.
Clack—
Renya spun the blade in his hand and smoothly slid it back into its sheath.
"Too weak."
The Flying Thunder God really was convenient. The opponent couldn't even react—no wonder Uchiha Izuna had been gravely wounded by Senju Tobirama, that old man.
By the time the enemy realized it, the blade was already buried in their body.
Years of painstaking practice had paid off—slaying an elite jōnin felt no harder than slaughtering a chicken.
As long as he didn't face someone like Uchiha Madara, Renya could almost call himself invincible.
And even if he couldn't win, he could always escape with Flying Thunder God. Even if he were truly about to die, he still had Izanagi as a last resort.
"You... you killed him?" Chiyo's eyes were wide with shock as she stared at Renya.
She hadn't even seen how the Konoha shinobi struck, yet the rogue was already lying in two pieces.
Such terrifying strength was far beyond anything she could afford to provoke.
Chiyo had intended to demand why the youth killed the rogue, but after witnessing that display, she wisely held her tongue.
All she wanted now was to stay far, far away from this terrifying man.
Renya's gaze fell on her, making her body tremble uncontrollably.
"I'll be taking his head. You don't have a problem with that, do you?"
Though phrased like a question, there was no room for discussion. Even if Chiyo disagreed, it wouldn't matter.
"N-no problem." Though her heart raged with unwillingness, she could only force a bitter smile and agree.
"Remember, you said that yourself." Renya pulled out a storage scroll and sealed the head inside.
Chiyo: "..."
Did she really have any other choice just now?
If not for the overwhelming gap in strength, she would never have let this youth act so arbitrarily.
But he looked strangely familiar... where had she seen him before?
Chiyo cautiously raised her head and studied Renya's face, her suspicion growing stronger.
No wonder she hadn't recognized him immediately—she had only glimpsed his portrait once inside the command tent.
Back then she hadn't cared what Renya looked like, her mind focused solely on developing antidotes.
Years had passed, and Renya's features had matured. Coupled with the fact that he hadn't displayed any use of poison just now, it was only natural she hadn't connected him with the infamous "Konoha Poison Master."
If he had killed with poison earlier, she would have remembered immediately.
Renya ignored the dazed Chiyo and turned his eyes toward his teammates' battle in the distance.
Shimura Danzō and Koharu Utatane had just finished off the last Sunagakure rogue.
Danzō didn't hesitate to slice off the man's head before walking over to Renya.
His gaze darkened as it fell on the girl before him, as though looking for an opening to kill her.
Now, with no one else around, it was the perfect opportunity to silence her forever.
If Renya hadn't refused earlier, he would already have struck.
Sensing his murderous intent, Chiyo instinctively put distance between them, her brows furrowing.
She worried that the three of them might suddenly turn on her—and if that happened, her only fate would be death.
In this desolate wilderness, no one would ever find her body...
Why weren't the reinforcements here yet?
Just as fear gripped her heart, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from afar.
Chiyo let out a quiet sigh of relief. At last, the village's support had arrived.
Dozens of Sunagakure shinobi appeared at her side, their eyes brimming with wariness as they glared at the three Konoha ninjas.
"Chiyo, are you alright?" the leading jōnin asked, concern in his voice.
From a distance, they had seen Sunagakure's prodigy surrounded by three Konoha ninjas.
Konoha's shinobi had gone too far—trying to attack the pride of their village was unforgivable!
"I'm fine," Chiyo shook her head. "Let's just go back."
All she wanted now was to get away from this place as quickly as possible. She didn't dare remain near that youth any longer.
"Konoha ninjas, I need you to give me an explanation!"
The leading jōnin's eyes landed on the severed head in Danzō's hand, and his expression turned thunderously dark.
These bastards had dared to covet the village's secrets, showing utter contempt for Sunagakure itself. They were begging for death!
Chiyo: "???"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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