Perhaps because it was late at night, they encountered almost no one along the way.
Soon, the group arrived at a residence in the southern part of Iwagakure. This was the ho of Kitsuchi, Onoki's son.
Of course, Kitsuchi himself was currently leading his troops on the front lines. The only one at ho was his pregnant wife.
Kitsuchi had moved out of his father's ho after getting married, so Onoki was not in the residence. Otherwise, Tobi and the others would not have dared to make such a bold move.
But even with Onoki absent, his daughter-in-law's ho was still heavily guarded by the Anbu. To succeed in their plan, they would have to confront them directly.
"Well? What's the plan?" Tobi asked, his voice filled with hesitation.
"Just stand here," a clearly disguised voice ca from beneath the cloak. The puppet-like Iwa ninja, Ippan, began to walk toward the main gate.
Just as he was about to touch the wooden door, two figures materialized behind him like ghosts.
They moved without making a single sound, their presence almost undetectable. If not for the cloaked figure's puppetry, even she would have had difficulty sensing their approach.
Regardless of their actual combat prowess, their mastery of the Light-Weight Rock Technique alone marked them as formidable shinobi.
These were the Anbu guards assigned to the residence.
"Who are you?" one of them whispered, his voice laced with killing intent as he pressed a kunai to Ippan's throat.
It was only the Iwa forehead protector that saved Ippan from being killed on the spot.
"I'm... here... to see soone..." Ippan said, his expression stiff and unnatural.
"Who? Do you have any idea where you are?" the Anbu asked, his tone growing suspicious.
Everything about the man in front of him felt wrong, uncoordinated. It was as if he were facing a puppet pieced together from mismatched limbs.
"The one... I'm here to see... is you."
As the words left his mouth, a hand shot out, piercing through the Anbu's body.
But the guard, sensing the danger the mont Ippan spoke, had already substituted himself with an earth clone. If not for his quick thinking, he would have been dead or gravely injured.
He leaped into the air, rapidly forming hand signs.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon head made of mud erupted from the ground, spewing a barrage of sharp, earthen projectiles that instantly riddled Ippan's body, tearing it to shreds.
With the intruder dead, the other Anbu guard ca forward and nudged the corpse with his foot, debating whether he should report this to the Tsuchikage imdiately.
The enemy's objective was still unclear. It would be best to report it, but he feared it was a feint, a ploy to draw them away. If the unknown enemy was targeting the Tsuchikage's daughter-in-law, this was likely just the beginning.
Gritting his teeth, he fired a kunai into the air as a signal.
"Behind you!" his partner's urgent voice cried out.
The experienced Anbu didn't turn. Instead, he leaped forward, trying to create distance.
But he had barely left the ground before his body was suddenly constricted.
"Wood Release: Silent Strangle Jutsu!"
Wooden branches wrapped around him, pulling him back toward the cloaked figure. Before she could speak, a loud explosion and a brilliant flash of light erupted from the sky above.
"Haha... cough... you're finished! Surrender now!" the captured Anbu laughed, but his smile froze when he saw the murderous intent glowing in the eyes behind the mask.
He's not panicked. He's not even angry... Does this an... my actions were all part of his plan?
Or rather... he wanted this to happen.
A deep sense of dread washed over him. He struggled against the tightening branches. "What is your objective?" he demanded.
"My objective..." the cloaked figure repeated, her voice a low monotone. "Is for revenge. And for salvation. For slaughter... and... for peace."
A complete lunatic, the Anbu thought in terror. He was about to say more when a spray of hot blood splattered across his face.
He instinctively looked over and saw that not only was his partner dead, but the pregnant woman from inside the house had been bound by a white, humanoid figure that had appeared from nowhere.
"Damn you! You won't escape!"
Seeing that White Zetsu had succeeded, the cloaked figure tightened her grip, a surge of chakra snapping the Anbu's neck. She then tore off the Tobi-like shell she was wearing.
"Put her inside your body. I'll cover your escape," a clear, feminine voice commanded.
"...Hey, hey, have you forgotten what Madara said before we left? Don't be rash," Tobi whispered, sensing her intent.
"Enough nonsense," she snapped back. Behind the mask, a deep, bone-chilling hatred flashed in her eyes. It took all of her willpower to suppress the urge to destroy everything around her. "Let's go," she said, her voice strained.
Guided by a White Zetsu moving beneath the surface, they managed to evade the majority of their pursuers and reached the hidden exit.
But with the village-wide alarm shrieking through the night, even this secret passage was now heavily guarded. The cloaked figure's rapidly approaching form was spotted imdiately.
"Halt! Show your identification!" the squad leader shouted.
His warning had no effect. The cloaked figure continued to close the distance at a terrifying speed.
"No choice. Prepare defensive jutsu! Be careful of the hostage!" the leader commanded.
"Yes, sir!" his subordinates roared in unison.
With a flurry of hand signs, they unleashed a multi-layered defensive technique.
"Earth Release: Iron Prison!"
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