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Night had fallen over Konoha.
Third Floor, Secret Room.
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion shook the room. Bricks and debris flew everywhere as the thick walls of the secret chamber were blasted open, leaving a massive hole.
In the flash of light, Kars seized the moment while everyone was still frozen in shock. He dashed out of the room in an instant.
Three steps later, he smashed through a window and burst out of the Hokage's office, clutching the Sealed Scroll tightly.
He was about to activate his Flesh Transformation ability, turning his arms into wings to soar into the night sky.
But before he could even start, a black rod, as thick as a human arm, shot toward him from the side.
In the next moment, that single rod split into dozens of identical black rods, twisting and snapping into place to form a massive square cage around Kars, which plummeted toward the ground.
"RUMBLE…"
The colossal cage crashed into the ground outside the Hokage building, sending clouds of dust into the air.
At the same time, a dozen Anbu ninjas, armed and ready, descended from above, surrounding the cage and cutting off any chance of escape.
Suddenly, the Anbu formation parted. A figure appeared, slowly approaching—Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, dressed in his ceremonial Hokage robes, a pipe dangling from his mouth. Behind him, two cloaked Anbu guards followed, their faces hidden behind masks.
Kars, trapped inside his Diamond Cage, still wore that calm, amused smile. Hiruzen raised a brow and asked, his voice firm:
"Tell me… who exactly are you, and why are you trying to steal the Sealed Scroll?"
Kars ignored the question. Clutching the scroll, he sneered:
"Third Hokage, you'd better free this cage… immediately. Otherwise, I won't hesitate to destroy the Sealed Scroll!"
The Third Hokage's eyes narrowed. The Sealed Scroll contained centuries of Hokage knowledge—its loss would be catastrophic. Without hesitation, Hiruzen gestured toward the Diamond Cage.
In an instant, the cage dissolved, transforming into a massive golden rod that flew back into Hiruzen's hand.
"So the scroll I'm holding… is real," Kars murmured, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He chuckled softly to himself:
"In that case… Konoha, we'll continue this next time—"
Before he could finish, an Anbu ninja appeared behind him in the blink of an eye using Shunshin no Jutsu, driving a blade straight through his chest.
"Heh… done."
The ninja's lips curled into a subtle smirk beneath the mask as Kars's body went limp.
Then, in an instant, Kars's head twisted unnaturally 180 degrees, locking eyes with the Anbu assassin wearing the hawk mask. A strange, chilling smile spread across his face.
[Moonlight Junjin's Emotion Value +13.]
The system alert sounded just as Kars activated Cell Decomposition, merging his body into the Anbu ninja Junjin at the cellular level, devouring his flesh from the inside out.
The pain was immediate and agonizing. Junjin screamed uncontrollably.
"Ugh… ah…"
Driven by desperation, Junjin staggered toward the Third Hokage, his voice trembling:
"Save… save me… Third Hokage…"
But it was too late. Fist-sized lumps formed across his body, and his flesh began falling away in chunks, like putrid mud.
The gruesome spectacle made the surrounding Anbu ninjas instinctively step back in horror.
[Yamanaka Shifeng's Emotion Value +12]
[Yamanaka Haruno's Emotion Value +11]
[Sarutobi Yagou's Emotion Value +13]
[Nara Shikayama's Emotion Value +10]
[Hiruzen Sarutobi's Emotion Value +154]
The chaos, the fear, the raw terror—it was all palpable.
"....."