Knock knock knock!
The window was gently tapped.
Masahiko opened his eyes in a daze, his head throbbing, sleep still clinging to him.
He had to wake up anyway.
He got up and opened the window. Outside lay a Ninja bird with a familiar bamboo cylinder tied to its leg.
After taking the note from the cylinder, the bird flew off on its own.
Masahiko unfolded it.
It read: "Leave the village in secret, rendezvous at the east gate."
?
Suspicion stirred in Masahiko, but he showed nothing, mulling it over in secret.
After a moment"s thought he tidied up, slipping two explosive tags and four smoke bombs into his Ninja pouch.
That was the full extent of his newly bought supplies.
Sadly, he hadn"t saved enough cash; otherwise a dozen explosive tags would have given him real peace of mind.
Then he glanced at his status panel—
[Shikotsumyaku (in development): not yet mastered]
A subtle change, yet Masahiko had already grasped part of the Shikotsumyaku"s power and could use it to reinforce his bones.
For one thing, harder bones let him take more hits and hit back harder.
For another, sturdier bones meant greater bursts of strength and speed.
That was the fruit of an afternoon"s grueling practice.
Masahiko had no intention of following Kimimaro"s path; instead he would use Shikotsumyaku to further boost his physique and push his taijutsu advantage to the limit.
Still,
this was only stage one.
First strengthen the body and taijutsu; if Shikotsumyaku could advance and awaken further, he planned to try something akin to the All-Killing Ash Bones—
drive bone fragments straight into an enemy"s body, then shatter them to tear up the victim"s organs.
That method might deal more damage than using bones as mere weapons.
"Shikotsumyaku is my trump card; it should stay with the Black-Robed Man identity, pinning that alias firmly on the Hidden Mist Village."
"Inside Konoha I only need the taijutsu side of things."
With his plan set, Masahiko finished washing up, leapt out the window and vanished into the night.
The Message had come from Danzo.
He had no idea what Danzo wanted, but since the man summoned him, he could not refuse.
Still—
leaving the village, heading for the so-called east gate.
There stood a figure in Anbu attire, waiting silently.
Masahiko walked over slowly.
"Who are you, and why did you ask me here?"
"Lord Danzo has a mission."
the man said coldly.
Masahiko sneered.
"I"m just a taijutsu teacher; how would I know Lord Danzo? I came only to see who"d dare impersonate his subordinate."
"..."
Clearly the other hadn"t expected that reaction; he fell silent.
The next instant, as he hesitated—
a voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"If you won"t answer, I"ll have to arrest you."
What?!
The "Anbu Ninja" started, Chakra flaring as he triggered a Body Flicker Technique, but before he"d gone three steps—
Boom!
A surge of Chakra erupted.
A torrent of water grazed him, slicing his arm; a glance showed even his sleeve shredded.
Masahiko"s figure flashed into view, then faded and dispersed.
In the air three silhouettes slashed down with swords, each indistinguishable from the others.
The "Anbu Ninja" formed hand seals and split into two.
Clang!
Kunai met blade.
As the Shadow Clone lunged at the "original", it heard wind whistling at its side.
It instantly dropped a smoke bomb.
Yet
flames pierced the smoke, covering the whole area.
Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!
The "Anbu Ninja" rolled out in a sorry heap; standing, his guise had shifted to a black-robed, masked figure.
Only—unlike Masahiko"s disguise, he wore a dog mask while Masahiko favored a fox.
Seeing him, Masahiko smiled.
"Ever read a detective novel?"
"Not interested."
Kabuto answered coldly.
Masahiko chuckled softly. "In detective stories some criminals bait the sleuth just to show how clever they are."
"I thought a vital spy like you wouldn"t stoop to that, yet here we are—foolish after all."
"Yakushi Kabuto, wouldn"t you agree?"
Masahiko"s voice was low, his smile bright, and Kabuto"s head snapped up.
After a brief start, Kabuto reined himself in, but the moment had passed.
A liar lies best to the unwitting.
Neither spoke, yet both knew the score.
Kabuto hesitated, then asked instead, "How could you be sure I wasn"t one of Root Squad?"
"You may know I serve him, but not the way I serve him."
Masahiko replied calmly, "He"d never assign me a task like this. Besides, your handwriting"s well forged, but it"s still not his."
"You can spot every detail of his script?"
Kabuto was slightly stunned.
"When your life"s on the line, caution costs nothing."
Masahiko answered.
Kabuto fell silent.
He had to admit—
the man before him possessed uncanny wit and had seen through his disguise and identity with ease.
If this person worked under Lord Orochimaru, where would that leave him?
A real crisis rose within him, yet he knew clearly he was no match for Masahiko right now.
Moreover
the man"s strength seemed to have soared terrifyingly since their last clash.
Had he hidden his power before, or had Yagyu Masahiko simply grown that much in this short time?
Mind in turmoil, Kabuto forced calm:
"This meeting is by Lord Orochimaru"s orders."
He then produced a scroll and tossed it to Masahiko.
Masahiko caught it.
A quick scan told him what it contained.
It was the principle of the Cursed Seal of the Tongue.
"What does Lord Orochimaru want?"
"Nothing. He says this is a gift for passing the test, plus a topic for academic exchange."
Kabuto replied.
Masahiko pocketed it and smiled. "Thank Lord Orochimaru for me, and tell him I look forward to working together."
"Working together?"
Kabuto blinked.
Orochimaru and this man were partners?
"Exactly. So we have no quarrel; we can cooperate fully. You don"t need to target me."
Masahiko said with a grin.
The next instant he waved and his figure vanished.
Kabuto stood in silence.
The man had only been a Shadow Clone.
Recalling their last fight, Kabuto felt something block his chest, a suffocating weight.
"Yagyu Masahiko."
He adjusted his mask, eyes filled with dread—and admiration.
Perhaps even a trace of envy he himself could not name.
For some reason he suddenly remembered what Masahiko had told him in the library.
"Don"t let the world define you..."
Yakushi Kabuto flickered away, his thoughts too chaotic to settle.
As a spy he rarely felt such intense emotion.
Yet now something seemed ready to burst from his chest, though Kabuto could not name what stirred him.
He took the long way home, stared at his reflection, and for a moment lost himself.
"Maybe what I envy is that he has a goal, ideas, knows what to do and strives for it without wavering."
"To walk one"s own path resolutely..."
"He guessed it was me even then?"
Kabuto was dazed, and the more he feared the man—
What exactly did Masahiko want from cooperating with Orochimaru?