Konoha.
The Senju Clan compound.
The once-vermilion walls had long since grown mottled, their paint peeling away.
Years of exposure to the wind and sun had revealed the decaying, blackened grain of the wood beneath.
Even the clan emblem that symbolized the Senju Clan’s glory was more than half-covered by vines and moss.
Desolate.
Dilapidated.
Deathly silent.
Chiba stood before the main gate and quietly took it all in.
There was not a shred of anger in his heart, only the indifference of an outsider.
Rotten roots had to be pulled out.
Since he had inherited the Senju name, this place would be the first step in his takeover of Konoha.
Chiba raised his foot, preparing to cross the weed-covered threshold.
“Halt.”
A cold voice suddenly came from the canopy above.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Three dark figures descended from the sky like ghosts.
They formed a triangle around Chiba, firmly trapping him in the center.
An eagle mask.
A bear mask.
A cat mask.
All three wore standard ANBU uniforms, with cold ninja swords strapped to their backs.
A dense, murderous aura instantly sealed off the surrounding area.
“Chūnin Chiba.”
“Hokage-sama has summoned you.”
“Come with us immediately.”
The eagle-masked ANBU stepped forward, his tone haughty.
In their eyes, the young man before them, who was not even wearing a flak jacket, was nothing more than low-level cannon fodder.
If not for Hokage-sama’s personal order, elites like them, who served directly under the Hokage in the ANBU, would not have spared such trash a second glance.
Sending three of them to summon a Chūnin was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.
Chiba stopped.
He did not turn around or even raise an eyelid.
It was as though the three murderous ANBU surrounding him were nothing more than an insignificant breeze.
“I’m busy.”
The three simple words left Chiba’s mouth without the slightest emotion or hesitation.
The three ANBU were visibly stunned.
They even wondered if they had misheard him.
Faced with a summons from the ANBU, a mere Chūnin had actually said…
he was busy?
“You’re courting death!”
The hot-tempered bear-masked ANBU roared.
What an insult!
How could the dignity of the ANBU be trampled by a low-level civilian-born ninja?
The bear-masked ANBU kicked off the ground, launching himself at Chiba like a cannonball.
He did not draw his sword.
There was no need to use a weapon against someone like this.
He reached out with his gloved right hand and viciously grabbed for Chiba’s shoulder.
He intended to crush this arrogant brat’s shoulder blade!
He would teach Chiba who truly called the shots in Konoha!
Five meters. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Three meters.
One meter.
The bear-masked ANBU’s fingers were less than ten centimeters from Chiba.
Yet Chiba still did not turn around.
The instant the ANBU’s hand was about to touch him, the chakra within Chiba fluctuated ever so slightly.
A terrifying wave of chakra pressure erupted from Chiba and spread outward.
At that moment, the air seemed to solidify into concrete.
The bear-masked ANBU slammed into it as though he had struck an invisible city wall.
Crack!
The crisp sound of breaking bone rang out.
His outstretched right arm instantly bent at an unnatural angle.
But that was only the beginning.
The terrifying pressure crashed into his chest like a raging tsunami.
Pfft!
The bear-masked ANBU spat out a mouthful of blood.
His entire body flew backward ten times faster than he had charged forward!
He smashed through three large trees before slamming heavily into the dilapidated stone wall.
Bricks and stones collapsed, burying most of his body.
At the sight, the expressions beneath the eagle and cat masks twisted in disbelief.
What was going on?
Was this kid not a Chūnin?
How could he possess such terrifying chakra?
More importantly, he had severely injured a Special Jōnin simply by releasing his chakra?
Was this some kind of joke?
“Draw your swords!”
The next moment, the eagle-masked ANBU let out a shrill roar.
Although he still did not understand what was happening and had no desire to face the monster before him, he had no choice but to steel himself and carry out the Third Hokage’s orders.
Clang!
Clang!
Two ninja swords were instantly drawn.
Yet even with swords in hand, neither man felt the slightest sense of security.
The terrifying pressure had not vanished after the bear-masked ANBU fell.
Instead, it grew heavier and heavier!
It was so oppressive that every breath felt as though it would tear their lungs apart.
Chiba finally turned around.
He looked at the two ANBU, who faced him as though confronting a formidable enemy.
Not even the slightest ripple disturbed his black-and-white eyes.
“Get lost.”
He spat out the two cold words.
The immense chakra of the Late-Stage Super Kage level surged once more.
Boom!
The eagle- and cat-masked ANBU did not even have time to scream.
Like kites with severed strings, they were hurled away by the terrifying pressure.
Their masks shattered simultaneously in midair as blood sprayed from their mouths.
Then, like broken sacks, they slammed heavily into the muddy ground dozens of meters away.
Chiba withdrew his gaze.
These three ANBU were too weak.
So weak that he could not even be bothered to make a move.
He turned around, raised his foot, and crossed the moss-covered threshold of the Senju Clan compound.
The three severely wounded ANBU could only watch his aloof figure gradually disappear into the distance.
…
The Hokage’s office.
The air was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Sarutobi Hiruzen stood behind his desk.
The pipe had fallen from his hand, scattering tobacco across the floor.
But he paid it no attention.
His gaze remained fixed on the two ANBU kneeling before him.
The eagle mask and the cat mask.
Covered in blood, the two supported each other and could barely remain upright.
Beside them lay the unconscious bear-masked ANBU, his right arm completely ruined.
These were elite ANBU!
One regular Jōnin and two Special Jōnin!
Yet they had been reduced to such a miserable state.
What horrified Sarutobi Hiruzen most was the report the eagle-masked ANBU had just delivered.
“Are you certain?”
“A mere burst of chakra left all of you severely injured?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s voice was terribly hoarse, like fingernails scraping across glass.
“Y-yes.”
“Hokage-sama, I am certain.”
“The target did not use any ninjutsu.
He did not even move half a step.”
“He relied solely on…
the pressure of his chakra to shatter Bear’s bones.”
“If he hadn’t shown mercy at the end, the three of us would already be dead.”
The eagle-masked ANBU endured the excruciating pain in his chest, his voice trembling.
In all his years as a ninja, this was the first time he had encountered such a terrifying existence.
Sarutobi Hiruzen’s mind buzzed upon hearing the report.
This was impossible!
Even he, the Third Hokage known as the Professor of Ninjutsu, could not severely injure three elite ANBU with a mere burst of chakra!
How could Chiba possibly have done it?
One had to remember that little more than a year ago, Chiba had been a worthless ninja who knew only three ninjutsu.
And now, his strength had actually surpassed Sarutobi Hiruzen’s?
How was that possible?
What on earth had that crazy woman Tsunade done to him?
“Where did he go?”
“Where did you intercept him?”
Sarutobi Hiruzen suddenly remembered something.
He grabbed the eagle-masked ANBU by the collar and demanded an answer.
“At the edge of the village…”
“The southeastern corner…”
“The…
former Senju Clan compound…”
Choked by his collar, the eagle-masked ANBU struggled to answer.
Boom!
The answer struck Sarutobi Hiruzen like a thunderbolt to the head.
He released the ANBU.
His body staggered back two steps before he collapsed heavily into his chair.
The Senju Clan.
Chiba had gone to the Senju Clan compound!
As a civilian orphan, why had he gone straight to those long-forgotten ruins instead of returning home after entering the village?
The answer was obvious.
Chiba.
Senju Chiba!