Konoha: Starting with Sage Mode

Kirito looked at the four ANBU ninjas who had suddenly appeared in front of him, but he didn't panic. He asked in confusion.

"Mr. Kirito, which one here is your true form?"

A female ninja from the Anbu wearing a cat mask immediately retorted.

"I see."

Upon hearing this question, Kirito suddenly realized the answer.

Clearly, the ANBU ninjas who had been secretly following him had no intention of diverting their manpower to protect his shadow clones.

He answered generously, "It's me. I'm going to work in the medical team later, so of course I'll need my main body."

The four ANBU members watched Kirito silently, choosing not to let him and his shadow clone leave.

"It seems these ANBU ninjas are quite cautious in their actions. That's good. With these people following us, our safety is well guaranteed."

Kirito was pleased rather than annoyed that the four ANBU ninjas did not believe him.

However, he didn't foolishly use a ninjutsu that consumed a lot of chakra just to prove that he was the original body.

He was being watched by people who wanted to kill him, and he had just used the Shadow Clone Technique to create three shadow clones. His chakra was running low, and he couldn't afford to waste any more chakra and put it in a dangerous situation. So he coldly said, "Believe it or not."

After saying that, he continued forward, and his three shadow clones began to act separately.

The four ANBU ninjas looked at each other, unsure of what to do.

Their orders were to track and protect Kirito, not to attack him.

It wasn't until a kunai suddenly landed at Kirito's feet that the four ANBU ninjas reacted and immediately took action to stop Kirito and his three shadow clones.

But as soon as they tried to move, they found they couldn't.

They were horrified to find a complex sealing array suddenly appearing beneath their feet, and could only watch helplessly as they were quickly knocked unconscious by Kirito's three shadow clones.

Sealing Technique: Double Lamp Array

Completed in one second.

"Please don't be violent towards me. I understand why you're following me, and I know I'm not safe right now, so I will cooperate with you. In return, please trust me; this is my true form."

Kirito raised his head and spoke to a white-haired ANBU ninja on a tree in front of him.

This ANBU ninja was the one who had just thrown the kunai at his feet.

Judging from the amount of chakra he sensed in the other person, he believed the other person was a Jonin.

"Sorry, it's necessary for the mission, but from now on, we will trust you."

The white-haired ANBU ninja responded politely upon hearing Kirito's words.

He couldn't be polite. He had initially underestimated Kirito because he was only eight years old, but the sealing technique he had just completed in an instant was truly astonishing.

He knew the strength of his four subordinates. Although they were not Jonin yet, each of them was an elite Chunin, and one of the best among them. Even so, they were instantly bound by Kirito's unknown sealing technique and ended up lying on the ground.

If Kirito wanted, his four subordinates would have already gone to report to the Pure Land.

He instantly killed four elite Chunin.

It has to be said that Kirito's display of strength really surprised him, making him extremely wary at this moment.

With such astonishing strength, does it really need protection?

If the person who comes isn't a Jonin, they're probably just there to be killed. Even if they are a Jonin, if they accidentally get hit by that sealing technique, they might just be instantly killed.

For example, he didn't realize when Kirito used that unknown sealing technique.

If he had been careless and underestimated Kirito because of his young age, there would probably have been another person lying on the ground looking humiliated.

"Pleasant to work with."

Kirito said with a smile, then looked in two different directions, winked meaningfully, and continued on his way.

At the same time, members of another Hokage-affiliated ANBU squad and a Root ANBU squad felt a chill run down their spines, realizing that Kirito had already discovered them.

"I didn't expect his perception to be so strong. What a terrifying brat."

The white-haired ANBU ninja jumped up from the tree, woke up his fallen teammate, and then looked at Kirito's departing figure with a sigh.

……

On the other side, in the border region between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, patrol teams of four people were diligently patrolling the border.

Patrol work is tedious and arduous, but no Konoha ninja dares to relax.

Because Konoha is currently engaged in a major battle with the Sand Village, Sand Village members could appear on the border at any time.

Jiuqilong is a patrol team leader and a special Jonin. He has been on this border for almost two years and has encountered dozens of battles with the Sand Ninja.

Because he possessed a decent sensory ninjutsu, coupled with good strength and luck, even though his subordinates had changed three times and several familiar squad leaders had also been replaced, he was still stubbornly alive.

On this day, as always, he activated his sensory ninjutsu every ten minutes to probe the situation within a radius of several hundred meters.

Once he confirmed there were no enemies nearby, he signaled for his shadow clone and his men lurking nearby to continue forward, while he stayed at the back of the group, keeping a distance from his shadow clone and three men.

The reason he has been able to survive and thrive on this perilous border is precisely because of his caution.

Suddenly, Jiu Qilong and his shadow clone cried out in pain at the same time, and then stopped.

"Captain, what's wrong? Have you spotted the enemy?"

Upon seeing this, his teammates quickly asked what was wrong, their faces showing signs of tension.

Recently, the Sand Ninja have been active more and more on the border, including against enemies who can counter their sensory abilities.

"No, it's just that my head suddenly hurt for a moment. I guess it's because I haven't been sleeping well lately."

Jiu Qilong's shadow clone shook his head with a smile, and said somewhat awkwardly.

"Phew~, that scared me to death. I thought we were going to encounter a formidable enemy this time."

One of the female team members immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The other two team members were in a similar situation, their tension largely subsided.

But the next moment, a puppet with four arms suddenly fell from the sky.

Jiu Qilong's shadow clone and two teammates were instantly hit by the poison needles sprayed from the mouth of the suddenly appearing puppet.

With a loud "bang".

Jiu Qilong's shadow clone disappeared, and the two team members stared wide-eyed before quickly dying from poisoning.

The remaining team member managed to escape unscathed using a substitution technique and then quickly headed towards Jiu Qilong, hoping to get his help.

"Signal for retreat immediately, I'll hold off the enemy."

Jiu Qilong took the initiative to appear and said loudly.

"Yes, Captain Jiuqilong."

The team members were deeply moved when they heard that Jiu Qilong was willing to take the initiative to cover the rear.

But his feeling of being moved was short-lived, as a sudden appearance of an earthen wall in front of him sent chills down his spine.

The very person he had just been grateful to, Jiu Qilong, suddenly used Earth Escape Technique: Earth Flow Wall to cut off his escape route.

Chapter 46: The Darkness of Sand

"Bang~"

The team members had no time to dodge and crashed heavily into the earthen wall.

Then, the pursuing puppet stretched out a hand and used a sharp blade that quickly sprang from its palm to pierce the heart of the team member along with the earthen wall.

Jiu Qilong looked at his dead teammates, their eyes wide open, and a hint of guilt flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

A few seconds later, four Sand Ninjas with white headscarves appeared in front of him.

The leader was a middle-aged man with long eyebrows. He moved his right hand slightly, and the puppet immediately came to his side, guarding him like a loyal servant.

"I never expected that the person who would awaken my memories this time would be you, Lord Ebizo."

Upon seeing the true face of the middle-aged puppeteer before him, Jiu Qilong immediately took a few steps back and said with some fear.

"Hehe, don't be nervous. You're still very useful. I won't take your life, as long as you can bring me useful information."

Ebizo smiled coldly, then extended his hand towards Jiuqilong.

Upon seeing this, Jiu Qilong tried to dodge, but found that he could no longer move his body.

Unbeknownst to him, Ebizo had secretly bound him with the chakra threads in his hand that were so thin they were almost invisible to the naked eye.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"I can't believe it," Jiu Qilong said in despair.

He was once captured by the Sand Village ninja. Unable to withstand the torture, he surrendered to the enemy. Afterward, he was given a ninjutsu that could temporarily seal a part of his memory and make it difficult to be detected, so that he would completely forget the fact that he had been captured and betrayed the village, and become a spy of the Sand Village ninja infiltrating Konoha.

The person who planted this ninjutsu in him was none other than Ebizo, the top intelligence chief of the Sand Village.

Later, he was awakened and sealed away multiple times, providing the Sand Village with a great deal of valuable information.

Because of this ninjutsu, he had no memory of betraying Konoha or killing his close colleagues, so each time he was awakened, it was like undergoing a torturous psychological torture, and each time it was more painful than the last.

"Don't make that ugly face. It's happened more than once or twice. You need to get used to it. And don't worry, you'll soon forget these painful things and can continue to be a happy and proud Konoha ninja, as long as you can bring me useful information."

Ebizo said coldly, his fingers twitching slightly, increasing the tightness of the restraints on Jiu Qilong, causing Jiu Qilong to show a pained expression.

Jiu Qilong was ultimately a spineless coward. With just a little nudge from Hai Bizang, he gave in again and obediently revealed the latest border map and the recent personnel changes at the border.

After obtaining the information he wanted, Ebizo once again used the Mind Control Sand Technique on Kyūki Ryū, causing this 'clean' pawn to lie dormant once more.

Afterwards, Jiu Qilong, who was almost poisoned to death, was discovered by another patrol team, and once again he luckily brushed past death.

……

A week later, in the Root headquarters underground in Konoha, in the Root leader's office, which resembled the Hokage's office, Danzo received an urgent report. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he sneered, "I didn't expect that kid's value to be far greater than I imagined, that he actually attracted such a big fish."

The urgent report that just arrived contained very little information, only five words: "Ebizo is missing."

He obtained this information from the black market for a high price. The person he traded with was a high-ranking official in Sunagakure who had done business with him many times before, so the information was highly credible.

Combining the recent incidents of Sand Ninja attacking patrol teams along the border, he instantly realized that this must be related to Ebizo, the Sand Ninja's intelligence chief.

As expected, the Desert Fox has already left Sunagakure, and his purpose is most likely to assassinate Kirito, the Konoha Magnet Release ninja who has been regarded as a thorn in the side by Kazekage.