Being constantly on guard wasn't some fancy jutsu—it was just a basic must-have for any ninja. Fail to do that, and you could die at any moment.
Ordinary ninja should be cautious by default, especially someone like Haseo, whose value as a target made him particularly vulnerable to assassination attempts.
Sometimes, if an assassination plan was well-executed, it could even overcome disparities in strength—like sacrificing a humble infantry piece to take down a powerful chariot. Anyone would take that deal.
Of course, this current attempt wasn't particularly well-planned, nor was Haseo the kind of person easily eliminated. In fact, the moment he became the target, he had already noticed.
One thing puzzled him though. After all, right now he was walking through a bustling downtown area. Attempting an assassination here, in such a crowded environment where people came and went constantly? The targets were too easily confused. Was the assassin planning to create chaos first, then strike opportunistically?
As if that was going to work. How could someone like Haseo, an expert-level ninja, possibly be thrown off by mere confusion?
Still, whoever it was started moving.
Haseo kept walking without pause, passing beneath one of the buildings as casually as usual. At that moment, a masked figure wearing standard Konoha gear leapt down from the second floor.
Her movements were swift and sharp. Seemingly soundless, she held a poisoned short sword, stabbing directly downward at Haseo's back from an oblique angle above.
It didn't even need to precisely hit a vital point; if the blade could simply slice his skin, the toxin on its edge would instantly kill anyone.
But really, could such a straightforward assassination actually work against someone like Haseo, who had long survived on actual battlefields?
After all, rumors claimed Haseo was the kind of guy who'd track down eighty enemies just to cut every last one of them down.
He merely took one step forward and bent at the waist, dodging what seemed like a fatal strike. Meanwhile, without missing a beat, he gave a nearby passerby a single-handed push outward.
He did this to prevent accidentally injuring the bystander. The person looked vaguely familiar—as if they worked somewhere around this district—but because the person was dressed unusually neatly today, he couldn't quite place who they were.
At times like these, the discipline of the Ninja Village residents truly shone through. As soon as they realized a real fight was breaking out in public, the crowd immediately stepped back, rapidly clearing space for the confrontation.
There were definitely some who nearly lost control of themselves when they saw a ninja brandish a blade, but these individuals quickly received a couple of hard slaps across the face from companions before being dragged away while still dazed and stinging from the blows.
By the time of their next exchanges, Haseo realized that although the assassin's opening move had been decent, in reality, she was just a rookie—their attacking intent was too obvious, every motion straightforward and direct.
Yes, judging from her black hair tied behind her head and her body structure, Haseo had determined the assassin was female.
Direct attacks weren't inherently problematic. In fact, straightforward forceful attacks like [Strong Fist] could also be extremely effective. However, the problem was she had neither the power nor the speed to pull it off.
Haseo didn't even reach for his weapon. With a casual extension of his left hand, he precisely seized the assassin's wrist and lightly twisted it, effortlessly breaking the wrist.
With a clink, the short sword fell to the ground.
Then Haseo lifted his arm upward, and the slender figure helplessly lifted off the ground as Haseo held her midair.
"If you're going to attempt assassinating me," Haseo said disapprovingly, "you should at least send an elite Anbu member."
He didn't see any point in this assassination attempt. Could this be a suicide mission?
Though deprived of mobility in one arm, the assassin still hadn't completely lost the ability to move. Yet Haseo extended his right hand forward, preparing to remove her mask.
Just then, as if trying to conceal her face, the assassin forcefully blocked Haseo's arm with her other hand.
Immediately afterward came an explosion from the second floor where she had been hiding moments ago.
Explosive Tag? Haseo was now thoroughly confused.
If this was meant to be a solo assassination attempt, what purpose did such explosive activities serve in Konoha?
The sudden explosion finally snapped the lingering crowd around back into action. Previously occupied with pointless arguments, they now either fled or screamed loudly while scattering away.
As Haseo looked up toward the second floor, another sound rang out—the ignition of additional Explosive Tags. The tags ignited one after another in rapid succession.
And those Explosive Tags were positioned directly behind the assassin.
So it really was a suicide attack?
Haseo himself certainly wasn't afraid of such an assault. However, his acute ears caught something important—that the quantity of Explosive Tags on the assassin alone was enough to blow half the district sky-high.
Realizing this, Haseo hesitated no further. A bright surge of Lightning Release illuminated his right hand. Without hesitation, he drove his palm straight into the assassin's chest. Immediately afterward, the high-intensity lightning chakra spread outward behind her, engulfing the ignited Explosive Tags in blinding lightning flashes that instantly nullified this pile of "high explosives."
Blood began flowing from beneath the assassin's mask, staining her robe.
"Mu-In…"
At this moment, she finally spoke her first words.
Slowly retracting his arm, Haseo released his grip, allowing her feet to touch the ground.
[Lightning Release]
Hand seals and ninjutsu aren't magic—they just take practice. Though sealless techniques are uncommon, simplified seals are frequently seen among elite Jonin.
The assassin staggered weakly sideways for several steps, more blood spilling from her chest wound before she slumped backward against a wall, sliding down slowly into a sitting position… This wouldn't usually be considered ladylike—but clearly, that didn't matter anymore.
To ensure thorough neutralization of the Explosive Tags, Haseo had pulled no punches earlier. Now, with a fist-sized hole torn cleanly through her torso, the assassin only had minutes left to live.
At this moment, a squad of Anbu had already arrived at the scene.
This only deepened Haseo's frown… It wasn't that the Anbu were slow — on the contrary, they arrived far too quickly. From the moment of the assassination attempt until now — it had barely been a second. No matter the situation, there was no way the Anbu could have responded that efficiently.
Haseo shifted his gaze toward the Anbu ninja and heard the latter quickly report, "Lord Haseo, we just received an anonymous tip stating there would be an assassination attempt against you here."
Just as expected…
Haseo redirected his attention back to the assassin and said, "You were never a ninja of true ability to begin with. Tsunade selected you based on standards she'd use for picking a babysitter rather than criteria for choosing a tutor. That's why I can't really understand why you'd do something like this. Life isn't something worth treasuring above all else?"
By now, Haseo had figured out the assassin's identity.
Her assassination attempt was practically a suicide mission from the start.
Aruo slowly lifted her hand and pulled off her mask. Her entire face appeared twisted in excruciating pain unlike anything she'd ever felt before.
"Cough… My death isn't important… Dying by your hands is what matters most."
Those words immediately clicked for Haseo.
"Wasn't it also someone from your side who warned me beforehand to stay alert?"
Someone had previously discovered he might be targeted soon. If someone's mentally prepared, they might lose control for a moment when the predictable attack finally comes and kill the assassin on the spot… Though such advance notice might equally allow the intended victim to prepare thorough protection, such a scenario was absolutely impossible when it came to Haseo.
He was someone who fully trusted his own strength — and his enemies understood him well.
Still, it was just an assassination attempt — nothing that truly surprised Haseo. The assassin's clumsy skills were immediately evident, naturally making capturing her alive his priority, but ultimately, he still decided to strike.
Even the timely arriving Anbu just now — the 'assassin' must have called them herself…
Aruo never really believed her assassination would succeed.
She wasn't afraid of dying — she was terrified she wouldn't die by Haseo's hand.
[Retarded].
Figuring some things out, Haseo could only evaluate these individuals' actions with this word.
PS:
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I'm genuinely surprised that several friends' works turned out to be exceptionally high-quality.
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