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In the Hokage's office.
The Third Hokage looked at the crystal ball on his desk, his brow slightly furrowed.
'Is Kagaya aiming to obtain the Scroll of Seals?'
He had detected Kagaya's presence earlier but hadn't actively tried to stop him, thinking Kagaya might have simply returned to see the village. If he saw Mizuki attacking Naruto, Kagaya would probably intervene to save him.
That was the Third's initial thought. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.
The Third didn't recognize the white-clad figure shown in the crystal ball, but he knew this person had come with Kagaya. Therefore, his desire to obtain the Scroll of Seals naturally meant Kagaya wanted it too.
"This won't do, Kagaya," the Third murmured.
He could turn a blind eye to a rogue ninja like Kagaya moving around Konoha, because he was well aware that Konoha had wronged Kagaya in the past. Thus, the Third had always looked the other way regarding Kagaya, pretending not to see him.
But if Kagaya set his sights on the Scroll of Seals, that was absolutely impermissible. The Scroll of Seals was far too important. Even if they had wronged Kagaya, they could not let him have it. This was the forbidden scroll sealed by the First Hokage himself; how could it be lost during his watch?
"Prepare to mobilize! Retrieve the Scroll of Seals from Naruto!" the Third ordered.
Following his command, several Anbu members instantly appeared around him, kneeling on one knee and responding in unison, "Yes!"
Having received their orders, the Anbu vanished just as quickly.
The Third did not take action personally. In his view, dispatching a group of powerful Anbu should be sufficient. After all, the Anbu he just sent all possessed Jōnin-level strength.
Kagaya was only 12 years old now. Could a group of Jōnin really fail to handle a 12-year-old child?
Even if they truly couldn't, the Third could rush to the scene immediately.
*****
Kagaya stood quietly on the tree branch, watching Haku's attempts to persuade Naruto below. He didn't intervene; it wasn't necessary. Kagaya believed that in the end, if all else failed, Haku would still use a little force to take the Scroll of Seals from Naruto. So he wasn't worried.
That was the original plan.
But just moments ago, Kagaya had felt a persistent sensation of being watched. After some thought, the only one in Konoha currently capable of observing him so covertly without him detecting the source was likely the Third Hokage using his Telescope Technique.
It seemed the Third had witnessed everything happening here. So, would the Third allow him to take the Scroll of Seals?
Clearly, that was impossible!
"Haku! No time! Take the Scroll of Seals now and get ready to leave!" Kagaya instantly appeared beside Haku, speaking urgently. He didn't want a prolonged confrontation with the Third. In his current state, he wasn't capable of defeating the Third alone, and dragging things out was pointless.
Haku was startled, then nodded. "Okay." Although he didn't know what had happened, Haku always trusted Kagaya.
Naruto, standing in front of Haku, was completely stunned. That familiar voice... that face he seemed to know...
"You! You! You're Kagaya?!"
Taking advantage of Naruto's stunned state, Haku swiftly snatched the Scroll of Seals from his arms.
Kagaya paid no attention to Naruto. With Haku, the two vanished from the spot instantly.
But...
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal clashing, accompanied by sparks, erupted. Kagaya and Haku reappeared right where they had been.
And now, over a dozen Anbu members surrounded them.
"Girl, put down the Scroll of Seals in your hands!" one Anbu ninja shouted at Haku.
"Haku?" Kagaya looked at Haku.
Kagaya tilted his head slightly and spoke. "No need to hold back!"
"Okay!"
However, just as Kagaya and Haku were exchanging words, a large man instantly appeared beside Kagaya, raising the large sword in his hands and swinging it down at him.
"Quite the arrogant tone. Die!"
Kagaya smiled disdainfully. "You want to compare speed with me?"
Whoosh!
The large sword swept through the air but hit nothing. Then, a kunai pierced through the large man's throat.
"You die instead."
Simultaneously, the dozen or so surrounding Anbu members all sprang into action, charging at Kagaya and the others.
"Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!"
A massive sheet of ice formed on the ground, encircling the dozen Anbu. Countless mirrors made of ice appeared around them.
Haku jumped backward, leaping into one of the ice mirrors. Then, a reflection of Haku appeared in every single ice mirror.
"A Kekkei Genkai?!" the Anbu exclaimed in shock. They naturally recognized that such a unique jutsu must be a Kekkei Genkai, and Kekkei Genkai were often the most difficult to deal with.
However, before they could ponder further, Haku shot out from the ice mirrors, using the reflections to launch continuous, high-speed attacks.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
This group of Anbu was different from the ones Kagaya and Haku had encountered before. This time, the Anbu seemed exceptionally strong; even facing Haku's Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, they could hold their own.
But this battle didn't involve just Haku!
Kagaya's black pupils turned crimson, and the Three Tomoe Sharingan quickly emerged. Kagaya was getting serious too!
Countless shuriken were instantly thrown by Kagaya.
"Haku!"
"Mm!"
Within this field of Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, Haku and Kagaya shared a common trait: extreme speed!
Given that, they could naturally coordinate.
Accompanying Kagaya's shuriken were countless senbon created by Haku's ice!
In an instant, an uncountable number of shuriken and ice senbon rained down upon the Anbu.
Faced with such a dense barrage, even these Anbu began to show signs of strain.
Their best option now was to perform a defensive jutsu to block these attacks, which individually weren't highly powerful.
But the frustrating aspect of fighting Kagaya and Haku was precisely this: they were too fast! There was no time to form hand seals! The moment they let their guard down slightly, they could be pierced and killed by the shuriken and ice senbon!
If it were just that, the Anbu might still have had confidence to endure. However, Haku and Kagaya, with their immense speed, had no fear of being hit by their own dense attacks; they were even faster!
Thus, the two charged towards the Anbu amidst the countless shuriken and ice senbon.
A shuriken appeared in Kagaya's hand. With his Three Tomoe Sharingan active, he began harvesting lives expressionlessly.
A red flash.
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
On this blue icy surface, a crimson light flickered incessantly. Wherever it reached, an Anbu member would inevitably die!
Merely seconds later, the battle concluded.
Looking at the last Anbu member whose throat he had just slit, Kagaya coldly uttered the final number.
"Fifteen!"