The Shopkeeper of Konoha

The one with the Hound Mask didn't speak any more and from the window sill itself forwarded his hands to catch Aoto by his collar and take him away. It was here everything went loose. A terrible scene then played out when the hand that was about to grasp the collar abruptly stopped.

At first with bone-crushing impact, each finger buckled under the overwhelming pressure, splintering and shattering like fragile porcelain. The flesh, once supple and resilient, contorted and deformed, unable to withstand the merciless assault. Ligaments tore, tendons snapped, and veins burst as the hand was reduced to a mangled mess. It disintegrated like sand slipping through desperate fingers, dissipating into a whirlwind of crimson fragments.

The window panes, Aoto's face, his clothes, and both of the Anbus were covered with blood, among other things. The person wearing the Hound mask screamed aloud in agony. The one in the Ram mask quivered for a second before jumping back and falling on the rooftop of the neighboring house.

The one in the Hound mask had already fallen into his knees as he held on to his shoulder. He was bleeding profusely. The Ram mask Anbu said while gritting through his teeth.

"Aoto Yamazaki, do you know what you have done. You have just hurt Anbu and it's a capital offence. You have hurt Konoha. Konoha will never let you go. You will be hunted down..." Even if he didn't speak all of those phrases aloud, Aoto could still hear them.

"Shut your trap.. Go while you are still alive. Go back to the headquarters and tell Danzo to show his face here. If he doesn't I will personally bring this piece of shit to Hokage right now. He just lost his hands now, later he might lose his life. Now fuck off if you want to live." As he gave his own response, Aoto yelled.

This made the ram mask Anbu shudder in fear. He was still unsure of what had actually happened when the attack began. Because he was a sensory ninja, he was able to determine that no one was close and that whatever had transpired could not have been the result of simple chakra manipulation. His hands were destroyed in a split second without him even noticing any movement of chakra.

This was the most odd thing that had happened which forced him to take few steps back. He needed to understand the situation and then counter attack but everything collapsed when Aoto spoke of the name of the superior.

This let him realize that Aoto knew more than he ought to have known. Everyone knew the name of the Hokage, as well as the names of his advisers, but Danzo's name had vanished and few people remembered him. Even in the books of 2nd and 3rd Great Ninja war, there were hardly any mentions of him.

But Aoto knew that they were being sent by Danzo. He needed to return back alive and report the situation. He jumped away right away, disappearing into the pitch-blackness of the moonless night. He didn't even care of the Hound mask anbu that was lying in the floor unconscious.

"System, don't let him die. Stop his bleeding."

[

As you wish, host.

]

Though Aoto had seen blood before but it was only in few drops when he retaliated against Fugaku and Mikoto. When he requested assistance from the system to help him defend himself, he wasn't really being unkind. But in this instance, he let the system take the lead and let it operate as it saw fit.

And it didn't let him down, but he was still a little shaken by all the blood. Never before had he experienced such a range of emotions. He wasn't done, though. He closed the window as he exited through it. Then he pushed the unconscious ninja to the side and carefully carried him to the house's terrace while holding the body of the ninja on his shoulder.

John actually wanted to come out and help and even took his beloved sword in his hand, but Aoto stopped him. He now had to wait to see if Danzo would arrive. He allowed the other man go in order to draw Danzo in. He had to take care of the issue right here and right now.

He was only hoping that the one-eyed man would be duped!

The shinobi had already stopped bleeding and his heartbeat had started to stabilize a little, but if he kept acting in this manner, he wouldn't survive for very long. He need medical care. Aoto waited in this chilling darkness.

The rustling leaves whispered tales of tranquility, swaying gently as if in harmony with the slumbering inhabitants. The occasional flicker of a street lamp illuminated empty paths, casting a warm glow that danced upon the cobblestones.

Aoto waited for quite a lot of time before he heard a notification from his system.

[

Malicious intent has been detected. 4 high speed poison laced kunai is approaching host. Taking counteractive measures

]

The notification was read by the system in extreme fast speed and Aoto couldn't even register what the system spoke. All he heard were clinging sounds near his body and 4 purple colored kunai laying down on the ground.

Of course Aoto understood what just happened. He was being ambushed.

[

Three individuals have breached the security barrier.

Shikuro Aburame

Fuu Yamanaka

Danzo Shimura

]

A smile spread across Aoto's initially stunned face.

"System, do I have the permission to stop them from escaping?"

[

Only the people with would make the first move could be stopped from escaping. Among the three people only Torune Aburame meets the criteria. The other two are free to exit the circle whenever they like.

]

"Oh so I need them to make the first move. Hmm." Aoto pondered. While thinking he finally got a clear view of the three men under the shimmering night sky, a small group of men gathered, their silhouettes framed against the backdrop of the street lights from a considerable distance.

"Aoto..." A clear sound of a staff striking the ground was heard as a deep voice and a commanding voice spoke.