Chapter 90: Moonlit Night Assault

"Who are you!"

"Ah!"

Shisui burst into the interior and, without any hesitation, slashed each of the remaining two, killing them all.

His gaze cold, he scanned the surroundings, and after confirming no other foes, he carefully opened the warehouse.

Inside the warehouse were ordinary people whose limbs were bound, eyes covered, mouths gagged—twelve children and five adults.

Upon hearing the commotion, they all breathed rapidly, terrified, scrambling inward; though they could not see the outside, their instinctive reactions enraged Shisui.

"I went around to check, and found no contact persons."

At that moment, Hui arrived from behind and whispered after seeing the situation.

"Danzo was imprisoned by the Third in the clan lands yesterday; the Root people shouldn't come this time. Take them with us, we'll return to the Police Department, verify their identities, and send them back tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll go confirm the route is safe."

After speaking, Shisui nodded, stepped forward cautiously, and whispered soothingly: "I am a Leaf ninja of the Police Department; you are safe now."

Shisui first released several adults; after hearing his self‑introduction, they managed to calm down, and when they opened their eyes to see the Leaf forehead protector and the distinctive Copy Wheel Eye, they instantly recognized his identity.

"Ninja sir."

The five exhaled, about to speak, when Shisui signaled them to first free the other children.

"You are now safe, but keep the cloth in your mouths for now; remain quiet. I will take you back to the Police Department and send you home first thing tomorrow morning."

To prevent noise, Shisui did not remove the rag from their mouths; after a brief reassurance and instruction, he led them outward.

Though fearful, the ninja's presence gave them deterrence and comfort; they obediently nodded, helped each other ease numbness and pain, and slowly followed behind Shisui.

Shisui slowed his pace, and after the group passed through the stone gate, he casually set a few explosive talismans before continuing onward with them.

The moonlight was bleak; their thin clothes soon made them shiver. Shisui took off his coat and gave it to a little girl, but had no extra clothing, so he comforted them: "Hold on a little longer; we'll reach the Police Department soon."

The Police Department was only a few li away; with Shisui and Hui's abilities, they could arrive in a few minutes at full speed.

But the group was weak, mostly children; Shisui also had to stay alert, so he could not assist much and had to reduce their pace.

Bang—suddenly, Shisui's ears twitched at a crisp clank of metal; his expression changed, he halted and blocked the others behind him.

Then a muffled thud followed; the fierce clash of metal raised a dust cloud. Shisui glanced at the stationary group, and moments later Hui retreated from the front.

"Three people, average strength, wearing masks, seemed like Root members but were odd; they left after a brief clash."

Shisui shook his head, his eyes narrowing slightly; he had already sensed the opponent's aura and could confirm they were not Root people.

While the two verified the information, the people behind subconsciously huddled, but Shisui and Hui ignored them, for those foes had returned.

"Four people, one aura is strange; be cautious."

Shisui stared into the deep darkness, a flash of cold light in his eyes.

Four?

Hui's posture froze; his three tomoe were already activated as he cautiously scanned the surroundings.

"Here they come!"

As Shisui warned, Hui was already prepared.

Shuriken flew from three directions; Hui drew his sword and charged one way, while Shisui also hurled several shuriken.

The shuriken collided, scattering sparks in the night, then precisely intercepting the enemy's assault.

Hui pressed forward relentlessly, moving at lightning speed; his long sword, surrounded by electric arcs, casually flicked away the incoming shuriken before he sprinted toward the foes.

"Help me!"

Seeing Hui charge, a ninja in the dark wearing a fox mask showed a hint of fear and instinctively shouted. Another ninja from a different direction seized the chance, attacking and flanking Hui from both sides.

Hui's expression remained unchanged; his speed surged again as he reached the man before him first, his Copy Wheel Eye fixed on the opponent's eyes, forcing them to keep their head down.

Their blades met, and after a few exchanges the opponent managed to thrust a blade into Hui's abdomen.

Yet he showed no joy; instead his eyes widened with terror as he thought, "It's over!"

Sure enough, with a bang, the Hui he had struck turned into a wooden stake that trapped his blade, while the real Hui had already slipped out of the opponent's sight and appeared behind him.

Turning his blade, Hui slashed down with the back of his sword, instantly subduing him.

At that moment, another person had just arrived.

Seeing Hui resolve his teammate in the blink of an eye, he felt a sudden urge to retreat.

But Hui suddenly turned, gave a wicked smile, and the two locked eyes; the opponent immediately sensed danger and, in the next instant, lost control of his body, standing rigidly stunned.

All of this was within Hui's expectations; after his first clash with three opponents, he found their strength average, merely mid‑rank ninja level, and returning to Shisui's side was only a precaution.

He swung his sword forward, intending to eliminate the second foe; one captive would be enough.

"Dodge!"

At that instant, Shisui spoke up, and a slicing sound rang out; Hui instinctively looked and saw Shisui hurl a kunai at him, flying at his throat at breakneck speed.

Under the Copy Wheel Eye, all motion slowed; Hui sidestepped, the kunai skimming his body and embedding itself a short distance away.

He turned to look and saw the head of a black poisonous snake impaled by the kunai, its body contorting in unconscious struggle.

"Snake?"

A bead of sweat formed on Hui's forehead; had Shisui not warned him, the snake would have silently bitten him.

"Ugh~"

A scream suddenly rang out as the ninja under Hui's illusion snapped awake, then, ignoring everything else, fled toward the deep forest.

"Damn, who is it?"

Hui looked around, the killing intent rising; having escaped narrowly, his anger flared, and he drew his sword to pursue.

At that moment, several poisonous snakes shot toward him like lightning from the darkness; Hui was already prepared, his long sword surrounded by crackling electric arcs, and under the Copy Wheel Eye he saw everything clearly, cutting the snakes into sections before they could approach.

Suddenly, a rush of wind rose, rustling; the surroundings were dark, and multicolored scaled armor reflected a faint cold light in the moonlight as they twisted their bodies, spreading from all directions like a tide.

Sss—Hui's eye twitched, he inhaled sharply, and quickly retreated to stand beside Shisui.

The terrifying sight made everyone behind Shisui—adults and children alike—let out involuntary screams, even a cloth in the mouth could hardly muffle them.

Shisui, however, remained calm, his expression unchanged, and through the darkness saw a figure deep in the dense forest.

"Shisui, should we use ninjutsu?"

Making too much noise would attract others, so Hui had to ask.

Shisui did not answer immediately; he frowned, hesitating.

After a moment, he sighed, his expression complex, and said, "No need, he has already left."

Sure enough, after the snake swarm devoured the remaining two, it slowly dispersed.

"Hm? Did you see clearly who it was?"

Shisui glanced at the people behind him, shook his head lightly and said, "We'll talk when we get back."

(End of chapter)