Chapter 153: Second Generation License

Thump thump thump~

In a corner of the Konoha outer streets, more than ten people tangled together, wielding iron weapons and slashing each other; blood sprayed everywhere, and within moments one person fell.

In the blink of an eye, the crowd clashed in a tangled melee; Yan Shifan felt his vision blur, and when he finally saw a silhouette, a flash of silver was already slashing toward his neck.

My life is over!

That was almost Yan Shifan's final thought, but his nearby guard, quick as an eye, ignored the three opponents before him and slashed at that person.

With a whoosh, Yan Shifan felt his face wet and hot; looking closely, a long blade fell, the person before him had both arms cut off, and blood sprayed onto his face.

Then came several sounds of flesh being sliced; the guard who saved him fell with difficulty, his crimson double tomoe gradually losing its color.

"Hayato!"

Someone roared, but the battle went on; Yan Shifan was shielded in the middle by three people, and those three, hampered by him, could not break free and could only cling to life desperately.

"Take the elder away! We'll hold them back!"

The three knew that if they kept dragging on, they couldn't protect Yan Shifan, so they had to give it their all.

Two of them immediately dropped their guard, fighting to the death; possessing the Copy Wheel Eye, their insight far surpassed the opponents, and in an exchange of lives they instantly killed two foes, though they too were gravely wounded.

The third combatant was very strong, but the enemies before him were also among the strongest; he forced them back and swiftly formed seals with both hands.

"Fire Release: Dust Concealment Technique!"

A massive cloud of high‑temperature smoke obscured vision; Yan Shifan felt his body become light and was then lifted away toward the distance.

However, the ambushers had anticipated this, maintaining the encirclement; once they confirmed the two's direction, they acted at once.

One of them leapt and swung a blade down; the guard could only push Yan Shifan aside, fighting the opponent together again. The opponent was weaker, but in his desperation he couldn't break free immediately.

Yan Shifan fell to the side, his head covered in dust and his face smeared with mud, looking utterly disheveled.

He had just stood up when three enemies leapt high, brandishing long swords to slash at him.

At that moment, the other three guards: one dead, one seriously injured, one unconscious; only the last one still had fighting strength.

He struggled desperately to break free, but was tightly entangled; seeing the three long swords closing in on Yan Shifan, he hesitated no longer, let out a roar, and the blades advancing toward Yan Shifan instantly halted in mid‑air.

The bizarre scene left the unaffected few stunned.

And the guard wasted no time, rushing forward; the instant the three recovered, he swung his blade, cutting all three throats simultaneously. Their cold murderous intent turned to bewilderment and shock, and they could only clutch their throats and collapse in a pool of blood.

High Heaven Plain, activated at the cost of one eye, seals space‑time to defend against all attacks.

The guard closed one eye, forced himself despite the strain, grabbed Yan Shifan and fled toward the distance.

The people behind quickly realized; though they didn't know which ninjutsu had just been used, the situation had left them with no way out.

Ignoring the other two, they charged straight at Yan Shifan.

Having lost an eye, the guard felt momentarily uneasy; as a ninja his self‑control usually makes this trivial, but in life‑or‑death combat even the slightest flaw can alter the outcome.

The pursuers seized the moment, firing several shuriken; they struck his back, and one kunai even pierced a tendon in his leg before embedding in the ground.

The guard wounded, Yan Shifan hit the ground, covered in mud; the two leading assassins were the fastest, closing in, their murderous intent almost materializing.

Suddenly, the two bodies shivered, then their faces twisted in pain as they collapsed, limp on the ground.

"Shisui Uchiha!"

Looking toward the distance, a green figure was already approaching; the familiar silhouette made everyone's bodies tremble.

"Retreat!"

The few remaining turned and fled without hesitation; before leaving they tossed several explosive kunai, targeting not only Yan Shifan but also their own six corpses and two teammates under genjutsu.

Shisui's expression changed; he rushed forward, shielding Yan Shifan and the seriously injured guard behind him.

A sudden roar rose, smoke billowed, a flash of green light streaked by, and after the smoke the three were unharmed.

"Hahaha, bold!"

Yan Shifan was drenched in sweat and meltwater, his whole body caked in mud, utterly disheveled; seeing Shisui arrive, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He then glanced around; after the explosion, severed limbs littered the air, only one of the four guards survived, while eight enemies lay dead.

"What boldness, daring to ambush openly, wonderful, wonderful!"

Yan Shifan laughed bitterly, exasperated; he hadn't expected that besides Danzo, these two rats had such nerve—after all, in the ninja world, fists are the ultimate truth.

As his words fell, huge noises came from both front and back; turning sideways, he saw the Police Department and the Uchiha clan's guard unit had all arrived.

Shisui also frowned; he could roughly guess who had acted, but the remaining people had already taken the chance to run, and the bodies were shattered to fragments.

Seeing Yan Shifan unimpeded, he paid no further attention, instead crouching to examine the seriously wounded clan member, and after a moment grief flashed in his eyes.

"Clan leader."

The clan member's aura was weak; he had been stabbed multiple times, his left eye blinded, his right leg tendon cut by a kunai— even if reattached, his future strength would be greatly diminished.

Shisui grasped his hand and solemnly said, "You've worked hard; rest well."

Hearing Shisui's words, the clan member fell into a deep coma; shortly after, medical ninjas who arrived hurried to treat him.

Yan Shifan only glanced, showing no reaction; after the Police Department and guard unit arrived, his face darkened, a flash of cruelty crossed his eyes, and he roared loudly, "How dare you assassinate me! Search every house, search them all!"

Since the knife was already in his hand, not seizing the chance would mean he wasn't Yan Shifan.

The Police Department personnel moved at once; for a moment, silhouettes moved continuously under the Konoha eaves.

"Assassins infiltrated Konoha; the Police Department is short‑handed. You will draft five hundred ninja from the Village to temporarily join the Police Department. Anyone unwilling will be captured as a traitor and subjected to severe interrogation in prison!"

"Yes!"

The crowd dispersed, leaving only a small group to search the scene, protecting Shisui and Yan Shifan.

Shisui saw Yan Shifan's intent to search the village and was puzzled; those who dared act could not still be in Konoha.

Yan Shifan, though angry, kept his wits; seeing Shisui, he whispered an explanation, "This is an opportunity. Since those two used this method, they admit they have no chance left, they've run out of options, and they've exposed their weakness to the ninja clan. Neutral parties will naturally make the right choice.

We can also, under the pretext of this assassination, seal Konoha before the Jonin council meets, seize control early, and monitor them openly.

Moreover, their clan lands hide many secrets; this time we must peel back every layer, never stopping!"

Yan Shifan spoke, murderous intent evident in his eyes; one assassination, after countless life‑and‑death trials, if we don't wipe out those families, we can't swallow this vile resentment.

Shisui carefully analyzed Yan Shifan's explanation, then nodded and replied, "Since it has already happened, let's finish it in one go and separate them from the Third."

"Let's do it that way!"

While they were discussing, the news that Yan Shifan had been assassinated spread rapidly throughout Konoha, and every ninja clan felt a sudden jolt, as if they wanted to leave Konoha at once. "This is trouble; the Uchiha won't let it go, and Konoha may fall into chaos now."

"It's ruined. From today onward, no clan member may leave the clan lands after nightfall."

"Are these people insane? To commit such a deed in broad daylight and not finish it, waiting for Uchiha's revenge—stay away and don't get involved."

Nara Zhuque clutched his forehead; when he heard the news, he felt his vision go black.

"What a hassle, why do they keep doing stupid things!"

"Zhuque, what do we do now? There are rumors in the Village that you were behind this."

People of the Shanzhong and Qiudao clans stood aside, anxiously asking.

Nara Zhuque's mind went blank; now every ninja in the Village knows he and Shisui are running for Hokage, and because of that he has been pulled into the two assistants' camps; the Uchiha will not let the Nara clan go unpunished.

Thinking of the Third Elder, Nara Zhuque sighed again, complaining in his heart that since it was done, why not do it more thoroughly.

The two saw Nara Zhuque sigh repeatedly, and could only look at each other, unsure how to console him.

At that moment, someone suddenly came over to report.

"A member of the ANBU has arrived; we hope Lord Zhuque can go for a visit."

Nara Zhuque realized the two assistants wanted his advice; he pursed his lips, then his eyes shifted, and, under the three's stare, he fell straight down.

The three were startled and hurried forward.

"Zhuque? Zhuque!"

"Damn it, why doesn't he just go die honestly."

In the Hokage Tower, Zhuanxin Xiaochun and Mizuto Monen sat there; they also knew the outcome. Though they had considered this possibility from the start, the real failure still left them unable to hide their disappointment.

"Three squads couldn't kill them; how did Uchiha Shisui arrive so quickly?"

The two were puzzled; before they acted, they had already used ANBU's power to disperse everyone there, and even with no one present, Shisui still received the news and arrived in time.

"Can we do it again?"

Zhuanxin Xiaochun felt unwilling, knowing they were just a hair's breadth away.

"This is the limit we can arrange; any more and it would be hard to conceal, and after this they will surely be on guard, so we won't have such a good chance again."

"Hey, huh? Where's Zhuque? Why hasn't he come yet? Didn't we already call for him?"

Mizuto Monen's face darkened, and he said bluntly, "As soon as the news reached him, he returned to the clan lands. I sent someone to look for him, but was told Zhuque was overthinking and had fainted."

Zhuanxin was stunned, then recovered.

"Besides…"

Mizuto Monen frowned, about to say more but stopped abruptly; the two turned to the side together and saw a ninja flash into the office, then say, "Uchiha Shifan used the pretext of an assassin entering Konoha to seal off various parts of Konoha, then claimed a shortage of manpower and forcibly conscripted a large number of ninja, who, under the guise of temporary Police Department members, began searching house to house for the assassin!"

"What!"

The two's faces changed dramatically, and Zhuanxin Xiaochun shouted, "Conscripting ninja by force—how dare he, who gave him that authority!"

"You should ask those ninja why they obey."

Mizuto Monen's voice trembled slightly as he looked at the man and asked, "Did no one resist?"

"Some refused, but few; those were quickly taken away by the Police Department on charges of colluding with enemy spies for interrogation. Also, when I arrived I saw Uchiha Shifan leading Police Department members straight to the Zhuanxin clan lands, apparently to search."

"Scoundrel!"

Zhuanxin Xiaochun's eyes widened, and she immediately stood up and led people away.

Mizuto Monen's breathing was a bit rapid; after calming, he immediately summoned all ANBU and followed.

Meanwhile, outside the Zhuanxin clan lands, members of the Zhuanxin clan watched the Police Department surrounding them turn pale, yet they stood their ground without retreat.

"Even the Hokage has never sent anyone to search the clan lands; your Police Department's reach is too far."

A senior from the Zhuanxin clan stepped forward, his icy gaze fixed on Yan Shifan.

At this moment Yan Shifan had changed his clothes, gave the other a casual glance, and sneered, "What are you, daring to scheme against the Hokage? Such reckless words—still claim you're not linked to spies? Guards, seize them!"

The Police Department personnel followed Yan Shifan, capturing an unknown number of people; if Zhuanxin Xiaochun had been there they might have hesitated, but the people before them were just nameless, and everyone drew swords and charged without hesitation.

The elder was stunned; he hadn't expected Yan Shifan to actually come, and the Zhuanxin clan ninja beside him immediately stepped forward to block the Police Department men.

"Alright, alright, truly worthy of the Zhuanxin assistants—blocking the Police Department's work, daring to resist arrest, openly defying Konoha law."

Yan Shifan laughed loudly, slapped a hat onto Zhuanxin Xiaochun's head, then waved his hand and shouted, "If you can assassinate an old man, what other Konoha people can't you kill?"

When his words fell, everyone's gaze turned to the Zhuanxin clan members, and Yan Shifan continued, "I say, why does Shinzusuke's incident immediately bring someone to take over the Hokage's authority? Why haven't we seen the Third for so long—could someone be deliberately imprisoning the Third?"

The elder's face changed, and he pointed at Yan Shifan, shouting, "You're talking nonsense; the two assistants took over Hokage affairs by direct order of the Third, and your Uchiha clan head was there too, how could he not know?"

"Hmph, but we know nothing of Shinzusuke's matter."

A light, airy remark made everyone's eyes widen.

The elder almost couldn't catch his breath, rushed to explain, but Yan Shifan's booming voice drowned him out.

"First Shinzusuke's incident, then my own assassination. I want to see what hidden things the Zhuanxin clan lands conceal; let me storm in and search—who dares to block me, kill them on the spot!"

At this moment at least two hundred ninja surrounded the Zhuanxin clan lands, and their numbers kept growing.

The Zhuanxin clan could not resist; a thick murderous intent spread all around, and everyone was extremely tense.

The Police Department headquarters ignored this, rushed forward; the elder hesitated, unsure whether Yan Shifan would act, and whether he should intervene.

"I'll see who dares!"

At that moment, Zhuanxin Xiaochun swiftly approached from afar, leapt to block the Police Department members, and then Mizuto Monen and the ANBU followed.

The elder, seeing this, breathed a sigh of relief and quietly stepped back.

"Who gave you the authority to move ninja? Disperse now!"

Zhuanxin Xiaochun looked at the crowd, coldly barked, "I've held high positions in Konoha for years; without anger I command respect," causing some to instantly consider retreat.

Yan Shifan sneered, his stride like a dragon and tiger, standing before the crowd, and declared, "The Police Department has the right to recruit any ninja, authorized by the Second, and the Zhuanxin assistants have no say."

This week there are especially many matters, so I'll probably take leave tomorrow and the day after. If I do take leave, I'll make it up the week after next when I find time. Sorry (。＿。) I' msorry~ (End of chapter)