Naruto: The Hidden Shadow Style

At last, Haseo and the others entered a narrow alley—dark, deserted, and eerily silent.

"The location's already been picked out," Haseo mused while scanning his surroundings. This was definitely the ideal spot for an ambush—if it were up to him, he'd strike here without hesitation.

But the enemy lurking in the shadows proved surprisingly patient. Despite Haseo's group advancing cautiously, they were nearly at the end of the alley and still the enemy hadn't made a move.

"Did I get this wrong? Is he just some Lolicon?" That didn't make sense either. There were so many little girls in Konoha—why target the most dangerous one? As these thoughts crossed his mind, the enemy suddenly accelerated, vanishing abruptly from his original position.

Faced with such a perfect moment, the enemy finally lost his patience and struck.

Haseo's hands had already been raised in front of his chest. The instant the enemy moved, he completed the final hand seal—the decisive move. Faint sparks of electricity crackled deep within the dark alley.

The enemy's first target was Jiraiya, and the lightning-fast strike he launched was meant to kill. Beyond that main objective, clearly he wasn't planning to leave anyone else alive either.

His right arm snapped forward, instantly followed by a piercing whistle through the air. He hurled a kunai straight toward Jiraiya's face. In the dead of night, the metal blade caught no light at all—it vanished into the dark with deadly precision.

But Jiraiya was no ordinary child. He caught the sound midair and barely dodged the attack by jerking his head aside. The kunai scraped past his cheek and buried itself in the wall behind him.

This life-or-death confrontation ignited Jiraiya's fighting spirit. The surge of adrenaline left him almost overly excited. Yet before he could strike back, a sudden kick from behind sent him lurching sideways.

That single kick threw Jiraiya off balance, and right after came another sharp thud—the sound of a second kunai embedding itself into the wall where he'd just stood.

[Shadow Shuriken]?!

Instantly, Jiraiya understood. Though the enemy's motion looked like a single attack, he had actually thrown two kunai in rapid succession—one right after the other. It wasn't exactly hiding one shuriken in the shadow of another, but given the darkness, it could barely be called Shadow Shuriken.

The one who kicked Jiraiya aside just now was none other than Haseo himself.

Realizing his carefully planned assassination had failed, the enemy immediately figured out the truth—he must have been detected earlier than expected. But now that he'd chosen to strike, there was no turning back. With Jiraiya out of the way, he lunged straight for Haseo and Tsunade.

Haseo's reaction a moment ago was commendable—he saved Jiraiya, but the enemy still underestimated his strength to some extent... What's the point of such weak Lightning Release? Real Lightning Release lights up the battlefield with crackling energy and flashing arcs. This opponent clearly didn't understand what restrained power truly meant.

Seeing the enemy charging straight toward her, Tsunade felt neither nervous nor offended. She had already clenched her fist, ready for battle. In an instant, the enemy arrived—one hand thrusting a kunai at Haseo's heart while the other lashed directly at Tsunade.

Tsunade threw her punch without hesitation, fully intent on smashing that enemy's skull in.

But Tsunade and the enemy had clearly underestimated Haseo, the one stuck right in the middle. He simply lifted his arm, blocking the attacking hand aimed at himself, then pressed his other hand onto Tsunade's shoulder. With a quick twist of his wrist, Tsunade suddenly felt everything before her eyes shift. After spinning around once, she found herself on the other side of Haseo.

Partly because he'd have no idea how to explain it to Sansho if she got hurt, and partly because he feared Tsunade might actually knock this conveniently offered tongue out cold… Who could say just how strong this young woman really was? Limited by his preconceived notions about Tsunade, Haseo dared not take any risks.

The attack missed again. The enemy frowned, adjusted their stance, and resumed attacking Haseo while lunging at Tsunade once more.

Then came another scene where Haseo pressed down on Tsunade's head, shifting her position yet again.

Grabbed. Moved.

Again and again.

At this point, Tsunade felt like a recruit on drill duty, with Haseo playing the role of the drill sergeant constantly adjusting her position. Up close, it looked precisely as though she were spinning circles around Haseo's legs.

Within moments, Tsunade had already turned bright red. She couldn't land a single blow on the enemy no matter how hard she tried—and every time she tried to shake off Haseo's hand, she was redirected, forced into helpless spins. Thus, she became both embarrassed and furious, unable to vent her frustration at all.

"Just hit him once! So what if it causes paralysis from the waist up? A ninja should fear such a small thing? What exactly are you afraid of?" Soon enough, Tsunade's mind was occupied solely with thoughts like this.

At this moment, Haseo realized they couldn't keep this up. Suddenly, he exerted force with one hand, shoving away the enemy's slashing arm. Then he raised his palm and slapped the enemy across the face.

As previously mentioned, as a ninja who possessed two internal chakra circuits operating in a dual circulation system, Haseo's physical stamina and strength had both received significant enhancement. His strength might not have reached Tsunade's extreme level, but he could certainly be considered among the ranks of powerful, strength-based ninjas.

The slap sent the enemy staggering backward, their senses scrambled by the sheer force...

That's ridiculous! Since when do ninjas fight by slapping each other?

Haseo then lifted one leg, positioned himself appropriately, and kicked the enemy powerfully into the air.

Right in the direction the enemy was flying backward, Orochimaru was already waiting.

[Ninjutsu: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands]

Orochimaru had already prepared his jutsu. From within his sleeves, several slick, colorful long snakes slithered out. In an instant, those snakes shot forward and wrapped the enemy in a crushing coil.

Then one snake opened its mouth, its fangs piercing through the enemy's shoulder. The paralyzing toxin it secreted seeped into the opponent's body—this combined internal and external control method prevented the enemy from even being able to commit suicide.

"Good job," Haseo praised Orochimaru.

Turns out his earlier caution was overkill. This ninja's strength was merely average; no wonder he dared only make his move when Tsunade was acting alone. Expecting someone bold enough to attack an important figure from Konoha to be an Akali, but instead what appeared was just an Akalin.

After completely subduing the enemy, Haseo and the others approached for a closer look.

"It doesn't seem like a Uchiha ninja."

"Yeah, the aura feels different," said Orochimaru…While his peers were still puzzling over what "aura" even meant, this kid had already begun studying people's spiritual signatures.

"No matter his identity, motives, or goals, this won't concern us anymore. Someone will make him talk…Hand him over to Danzo Shimura. He'll definitely appreciate this gift." After thinking for a moment, Haseo continued.

He wasn't good at interrogations and didn't enjoy them either, but Konoha definitely had people who were.

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