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"How dare you plot against me? You truly don't know the meaning of death!!!" Miao's gaze instantly turned icy as he spoke in a cold, cutting tone.
No sooner had his words fallen than over a dozen shadows darted through the forest, crisscrossing with incredible speed. In an instant, they appeared around Miao, encircling him completely.
These individuals were clad in black ninja combat suits, their faces masked with cloth that concealed everything below their eyes. Each wielded a variety of weapons—katana, scythes, kunai, and more. Clearly, this was a professional ninja mercenary squad.
Their eyes were chillingly cold, filled with an unmistakable intent to kill.
"Hmm, just as the intel described. Though he isn't wearing a mask, his attire matches perfectly. It must be him!!!" The leader of the group, a masked ninja, stared coldly at Miao, who stood calmly in the center of their circle.
"Yes! That's him!!!" Another ninja beside him nodded in agreement, looking at Miao as if he were a lamb awaiting slaughter.
A faint, mocking smile curled at the corner of Miao's lips. "I don't recall having any grudges with you lot. What's the meaning of this?" he asked coolly.
"Hmph! You're right—you haven't wronged us. But someone wants you dead! Don't blame us; blame yourself for offending the wrong people!!!" the leader sneered.
"Is that so? It seems you still don't understand the situation. You clearly don't know much about me," Miao replied with a cold laugh. "Attacking an enemy you know nothing about can cost you your life, especially when you neglect even basic tactics like concealment and ambush, instead standing brazenly before me."
"Hmph! Who do you think you are? Though you've gained quite a reputation in the underground world, do you really believe you can take on all of us alone? You're just a brat." Another ninja sneered disdainfully, his icy gaze radiating contempt.
Indeed, over the past few years, Miao had been operating under the radar, executing assassination missions and gathering intelligence. His success rate was flawless, but that merely indicated his expertise in covert operations, not necessarily his prowess in direct combat. Much like the ANBU units of various hidden villages, while they excelled in assassination and espionage, most of them couldn't match the frontline combat abilities of elite jonin. However, as far as the profession of a ninja went, they were perfect embodiments—operating from the shadows, enduring silently, and making decisive moves at critical moments.
Miao fully agreed with this philosophy, which was why he chose to conceal his face—not out of fear of being hunted, but because it suited his role. While ANBU operatives embodied the essence of being a ninja, their purpose was primarily to maintain order and stability within their villages and nations. Frontline combat was better left to conventional ninjas.
As for Naruto Uzumaki, Miao found him utterly laughable. If not for his protagonist's luck, Naruto would have died countless times already. Miao didn't know how Naruto would develop later, but based on what he'd seen so far, the boy came across as arrogant, clueless, and a constant burden. Still, Miao admired Naruto's unyielding spirit—a rare trait among ninjas. After all, for most shinobi, retreating when outmatched was no disgrace.
"Is that so? Then you can die." Miao chuckled faintly. As soon as his words faded, his body vanished from its original spot. "What!!!" The ninja who had spoken earlier immediately widened his eyes in shock. "So… so fast!!!"
Bang!!! Without warning, the ninja was kicked squarely in the abdomen by Miao, flying backward and crashing violently into a tree before sliding to the ground. His entire body convulsed uncontrollably, unable to stand—an indication of the sheer force behind Miao's kick.
"Damn it!!! You bastard!!!" The leader's expression twisted in both shock and fury. Even with his skill, he had only caught a fleeting blur before one of his men was instantly incapacitated. Such swift, ghostly movement far exceeded his expectations.
"Attack!!!" Roaring furiously, the leader signaled the remaining dozen or so mercenaries. They swiftly drew their weapons and charged toward Miao. At this moment, Miao let out a chilling laugh. His pitch-black pupils began to shift, transforming into the crimson three-tomoe Sharingan. Three black tomoe slowly rotated around the central dot, exuding an aura of mystery.
The leader naturally noticed the change in Miao's eyes and immediately paled. "That's… the Sharingan!!! You're from the Uchiha clan!!!"
"Does it matter whether I am or not? Either way, you'll be dead soon," Miao sneered. With a sharp glare of his Sharingan, several of the charging ninjas suddenly froze, their expressions turning vacant.
"Damn it!!! It's a genjutsu from the Sharingan!!! Don't look into his eyes!!!" The leader shouted in alarm, but it was too late. In an instant, Miao appeared before those affected ninjas.
Pshhh!!! Blood sprayed into the air as Miao slit their throats with a kunai. Scarlet liquid dripped slowly from the blade as he used the Body Flicker Technique to leap onto another tree. With his Sharingan activated, his speed had increased dramatically.
Three corpses, accompanied by spurts of blood, fell heavily to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. "Damn it!!!!" The masked leader roared in rage. "Use ninjutsu to attack him!!!"
Several ninjas immediately began forming hand seals. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!!!" "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!!!" "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!!!" A barrage of formidable techniques surged toward Miao.
"Ninjutsu like this is useless against me," Miao scoffed, preparing to counter with his own jutsu. But then, his gaze flicked sharply behind him. A faint whistling sound pierced the air as the leader himself appeared directly behind Miao. In his hands was a massive blade infused with razor-sharp wind-natured chakra, forming an enormous chakra cleaver.
"Die!!!" The leader bellowed, swinging the chakra blade straight toward Miao's neck!