Chapter 237: It's Done
"Ruthless."
That was Li Yao's Lightning Clone's assessment, as he withdrew the chakra he had implanted in Chiba Megumi, allowing it to dissipate naturally without damaging her brain cells.
With Li Yao's chakra influence gone, Yamanaka Kakyū was finally able to see the truth in Chiba Megumi's mind from six months ago.
"What did you find?" the Third asked anxiously.
"I saw it," Kakyū replied, his expression stirred. He had finally laid eyes on the man who had cuckolded the Third Hokage.
"Who is it?" the Third asked coldly.
The man hadn't only stolen his woman—he had caused her death. The Third would never forgive him. In his eyes, Megumi's death had nothing to do with him. He'd only done what was necessary for the safety of Konoha. The enemy was to blame for everything.
Kakyū shook his head.
"I don't recognize him. He looked to be around twenty-five or twenty-six, dressed in clothing that didn't match any known shinobi village style. His appearance… was extremely average."
"Most likely, that wasn't his real face—probably a result of the Transformation Technique or something similar."
"Was there any useful intel in their conversation?" the Third asked.
"Not that I could hear," Kakyū replied.
From Chiba Megumi's brain memory, every night the man came over, he spent no more than a minute before engaging in physical contact. They rarely spoke, and when they did, the man spoke entirely from the perspective of the Third Hokage.
That explained why Kakyū hadn't noticed anything wrong the first time—everything matched the Hokage's behavior.
It was clear the intruder had anticipated that Chiba Megumi's brain might be probed after her death. That's why he never said anything that could expose himself.
Even his appearance, masked by Transformation Jutsu, left no clues.
"Did you see how her memory was altered?"
The Third pressed on. Even if they couldn't identify the man, they had to find out how he had altered Megumi's memories.
Without that knowledge, they had no way to defend themselves—and the threat would continue.
In truth, Li Yao had only visited Chiba Megumi over eight nights.
During those visits, 99% of the time they were physically connected—even while sleeping.
Kakyū saw no clear signs of tampering. Or rather, the intruder's methods were so advanced that, from the memory alone, Kakyū couldn't discern any clues as to how it was done.
He reviewed a full month of Chiba Megumi's memories from six months ago, yet found no indication of interference.
"No abnormalities... or rather, nothing in the memory suggests how it was done," Kakyū finally said, shaking his head and withdrawing his hand.
This was bad.
The Third's expression turned grim. Kakyū's skill in memory probing was extraordinary—others could barely view one day's memory before collapsing, while he could scan an entire month in a short time.
If even Kakyū found nothing, it meant they were unlikely to find any useful information from Megumi's brain.
"I understand."
The Third looked silently at Chiba Megumi lying on the table, then said to Kakyū,
"Report that she died from a hidden curse seal left by the enemy."
"Understood," Kakyū replied.
With no way to determine the technique used, the Third had no choice but to quietly intensify surveillance in the village and monitor any suspicious behavior.
…
Another half-year passed.
Konoha Year 38, August
Land of Wind
Night
Whooo... Sandstorms swept across the desert, obscuring the bright full moon.
Inside a rocky cave, two male Sunagakure shinobi sat against the wall, occasionally glancing at the young man seated cross-legged near the cave entrance.
The boy had his hands pressed together in front of him, fingers forming a narrow gap.
His eyes were closed, expression focused—he had been meditating in this posture for a long time, as though practicing some important jutsu.
The two shinobi exchanged glances. The one on the left rose and slowly approached the boy.
Standing a meter behind him, the man glanced at the boy's clasped hands. The space between them showed nothing unusual.
"Captain Kazekaze, let me take over the watch. You go rest," he said softly, careful not to disturb the boy's training.
"No need," replied Li Yao's Wind Release Clone without moving or opening his eyes.
The man froze slightly but quickly returned to normal, chuckled, and said,
"Alright. Thank you for your dedication."
He sat back down with the other shinobi, the two sharing another silent glance.
Then they did nothing further.
…
The night passed.
The sandstorm outside had settled. A thick layer of dust now blanketed the cave entrance.
The two Sunagakure shinobi had long since woken, but Li Yao's clone remained unmoved, still seated in meditation.
To them, their genius captain resembled a motionless stone—utterly without vitality.
"Captain..." they called softly.
No response.
They exchanged another look. One of them cautiously approached and stood within a meter of the Wind Clone.
Still no reaction.
He tried calling again:
"Captain Kazekaze?"
Still no answer.
The man's face twisted slightly. From his sleeve, a long needle slipped into his hand—its tip coated in a thick, black-violet poison.
He raised the needle and aimed it for the back of Li Yao's clone's neck.
"Haha—die!"
He laughed maniacally as the poisoned needle slipped effortlessly into the clone's neck.
But something was wrong.
There was no resistance at all. The needle should have met at least some force when piercing flesh—even if it was sharp.
And then he noticed—it was still stuck in the clone's neck, yet the body hadn't moved. The clone remained in perfect meditation.
Swish swish— The man stabbed dozens more times. Nothing happened.
"Impossible!"
The other shinobi rushed in, slashing at the clone's neck with a short blade—only for the weapon to pass through like air.
Their faces went pale. They both stepped back instinctively.
Still no reaction from the clone.
"You're not Kazekaze... Who are you?!"
They knew their teammate—he didn't have this kind of freakish ability.
Li Yao's Wind Clone said nothing.
The two formed hand seals simultaneously.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Style: Flame Dance Technique!"
A gale and a torrent of fire surged forward, combining into a blazing inferno that roared toward the clone.
"It's done!"
Just as the fire was about to reach him, the Wind Clone opened his eyes, a smile of triumph on his face.
Shing!
The two Sunagakure shinobi heard what sounded like a slicing noise—and then their vision spun upward.
Their gaze caught a glimpse of the fire being sliced apart like tofu… and of two headless corpses falling behind them.
Only then did they realize—they were already dead.
(END CHAPTER)
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