Naruto: Pay-to-Win Ninja System

That cold voice now sounded to Koharu Utatane like the call of a death god summoning her soul.

It sent chills down her spine and twisted her insides with fear.

Instinctively, she tried to dodge and counterattack.

Unfortunately, compared to Shimoku's blazing speed,

she just wasn't fast enough...

Decades ago, when she was part of the Second Hokage Tobirama's elite personal guards,

she had certainly been a top-tier Jonin.

But now, time had passed and she'd aged.

Her strength had long been gone.

A ninja's power largely depends on both taijutsu and ninjutsu.

At her age, her bones were practically as brittle as "Crunchy Pocky sticks (a popular snack)."

Her cell vitality had significantly declined, and she could barely extract much chakra anymore.

How much of her former strength could she possibly retain?

This decline in ability was one of the reasons why both Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado transitioned into advisory roles.

In short, with her current capabilities,

there was no way she could evade Shimoku's attack.

And Shimoku, toward this old witch who had secretly badmouthed the Uchiha Clan countless times behind their backs and repeatedly incited the higher-ups against them,

gave her not a shred of mercy.

Instantly activating [Setsuna] at third-stage eightfold speed,

he appeared directly behind his target.

With a single knife-hand strike, he shattered Koharu's spinal vertebrae and crippled both her hands,

depriving her of any ability to resist.

"Advisor!"

"Director Utatane!"

Several other ANBU ninja nearby instantly panicked and cried out in alarm.

They prepared to attack Shimoku.

But would Shimoku really let these ANBU lackeys live?

The next moment,

he unsheathed his divine sword.

A blazing red light flashed.

Swish-swish-swish—

several sharp whistling sounds sliced through the air.

Within moments, all six ANBU operatives—including the four maintaining the barrier—

were cut down without exception.

Every one of them fell victim to immediate decapitation, without exception.

Shimoku's assault this time was lightning-fast and thunderous.

Not a bit of hesitation or delay.

Cruel and efficient enough to strike terror into their hearts.

Of course, the reason he used [Setsuna] and the Dragon-Weaving Blade rather than using any ninjutsu techniques

was to minimize chakra fluctuations as much as possible,

avoiding alerting other Konoha ninjas.

...

At this moment,

her spine shattered and both arms rendered useless, Koharu Utatane lay sprawled helplessly on the ground, panic surging within her stronger than ever before.

As a ninja, she had faced numerous life-threatening situations throughout her life.

Yet never before had she felt such despair and helplessness.

Especially after witnessing with her own eyes

how this young brat could slaughter several elite ANBU operatives in an instant.

Such terrifying, overwhelming power

now made her heart quiver with dread, feeling completely powerless.

"Ta-ta-tap—"

After eliminating the surrounding ANBU,

Shimoku approached the severely wounded Koharu Utatane once again.

"You... you..."

Intense pain coursed through her entire body, making it impossible for the old woman to form even a complete sentence.

He could only glare at Shimoku with burning hatred, his eyes as if wanting to tear him apart.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Compared to hatred, I have far too many clansmen who'd make you wish for death but won't let you escape it!"

"You damn bastard…you…"

Shimoku harshly kicked the opponent again and continued, "Still waiting for your reinforcements?"

"Hehe. Do you know why my real body showed up so late?"

"Don't worry. Those ninja you sent out to report have already been caught by me and secretly eliminated… Once you die tonight, no one will ever know this was all done by me."

After all, Shimoku had grown up deeply influenced by movies about double agents and the 'Houhei Gaku' (the art of ruthless politics) in his previous life.

Therefore, from the start, he'd never planned to risk his real body.

After all, Shadow Clones were such a useful technique. It would be a shame not to use them fully.

So, once his clone fell into the trap,

He immediately took care of those 'little tails' carrying information first, which caused just a slight delay.

Of course, even if his real body had been caught inside the barrier,

He still had nothing to fear. He'd left multiple Flying Thunder God Marks outside—escape was just a moment away.

Besides, whether that barrier could withstand the sharp edge of the [Dragon-Weaving Blade] was questionable anyway.

No exaggeration here—

Ignoring Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, the Eight Gates Might Guy, and whatever hidden countermeasures Konoha might possess,

Based on Shimoku's current strength alone,

He could probably wipe out half of Konoha on his own!

Who knows where Koharu Utatane, that old woman, got her confidence from?

Did she actually think she could capture him alive?

...

"You…you still want to…do what?"

Shimoku chuckled lightly. "Take it easy."

"You've moved all the gold and silver in the vault to another location, right? That place must be even more secret."

"I'm guessing the new hiding spot is probably known only to a few top-level figures in Konoha?"

"But since you set this ambush here and considering your advisor status…"

"You should definitely know where the new vault are located, shouldn't you?"

Clearly, obtaining the new vault's exact location from this old woman was precisely why Shimoku spared her life.

Otherwise, he would have killed her outright just now.

"You—dream on! You'll never get that info from me!"

"Don't worry. I didn't expect you to cooperate willingly either."

"I've heard your skill in genjutsu is quite high. Want to test the power of my [Mangekyo Sharingan]?"

"You!..."

She had barely uttered one word when Shimoku opened his eyes, revealing the blood-red [Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan].

Overwhelming ocular energy surged forth,

Instantly drowning Koharu Utatane's consciousness.

Soon enough, Shimoku obtained the information he wanted—the new vault's location.

"Now *that* was one hell of a spot to choose!"

"If it weren't for genjutsu, I probably wouldn't have guessed it myself."

"Alright then, thanks for the intel."

"Time for the others to show up, I reckon."

"Finally, help me conceal this one last time. Let's put our remaining strength to good use."

Shimoku's eyes narrowed as [The Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan] surged with overwhelming ocular power once more. He implanted a false memory into Koharu Utatane's mind, forcibly rewriting what she had experienced.

Then, he drew his blade and swung.

The old woman was sliced clean in half at the torso.

With injuries that severe, death was unavoidable!

Without delay, he vanished from the spot and sped off in a blur toward the new vault.

...

Just ten seconds after Shimoku left,

because the Barrier Ninjutsu was so noticeable, many Konoha ninja quickly arrived at the scene.

When they saw the gruesome battlefield before them, each of them was filled with deep horror.

At the same time, they quickly located the critically injured Advisor Koharu Utatane.

Using chakra, they desperately kept the advisor's last breath from slipping away.

Before long,

The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, arrived at the scene.

Seeing his dear friend Koharu lying there so battered, fury exploded inside him, barely restrained.

"Koharu! Koharu!"

"Who? Who did this?!"

As her life slipped away, Koharu recalled the fabricated illusion in her mind and whispered weakly:

"Two people... crimson cloaks... it was... them..."

"Hiruzen... the vil... the village..."

Her voice trailed off as she took her last breath—life slipping away forever.

<><><><><><><><>

Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!

~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!

<><><><><><><><>

~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!

patreon.com/Tansnovel

<><><><><><><><>