---
"Go to hell and repent."
In an instant, four of Cardo's thugs surrounded Ye Dou, forming a loose square to block his retreat in all directions — southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest.
As they closed in, the four men simultaneously drew their swords with sinister grins, slashing toward Ye Dou without mercy.
However, just as they entered striking range, something bizarre happened — it was as if they had been struck by an invisible battering ram. Their faces twisted in shock as their bodies were slammed into the ground like cannonballs, smashing deep craters into the earth.
"What?!"
"What just happened?!"
"What did he do?!"
The four of them were filled with terror. They hadn't even seen Ye Dou make a move — all they felt was an overwhelming, crushing force pinning them down, rendering them completely helpless.
Before they could react further, a series of sharp sounds cut through the air — puff, puff, puff, puff!
A shower of blood erupted into the sky. In an instant, hidden weapons — kunai and shuriken — riddled their vital points. Their bodies convulsed once before lying still. Death was immediate.
"It seems that you are Cardo."
Ye Dou jumped lightly down from a tree branch, landing before the stunned group. "I have something to discuss with you."
Cardo's heart almost stopped. All his arrogance evaporated in an instant. He instinctively backed behind two more of his hired thugs and shrieked, "Kill him! Kill him now!"
The remaining thugs glanced nervously at Ye Dou. Fear gripped them, but the boss had given an order — hesitation was not an option. Gritting their teeth, they drew their swords and charged.
These were Cardo's elite enforcers, mercenaries hired to eliminate any obstacles — whether merchants, civilians, or even helpless women and children. As long as the money was right, they killed without question.
However, today their opponent wasn't a helpless civilian — it was Ye Dou, a monster who dared to defy Konoha itself.
Ye Dou stood silently, mask expressionless, watching as they rushed toward him.
Only when they entered his range did he casually draw the short sword from his waist.
Suddenly, even more blood sprayed into the sky.
Puff!
With a single slash, Ye Dou cleaved the lead thug cleanly in half — the man didn't even have time to scream.
Puff! Puff!
"Ahh!!"
"What is this?! Some kind of jutsu?!"
"It's heavy! Damn it, my body won't move!"
"My arm! Please, spare me! Spare me!!"
They screamed in despair, but it was hopeless. These men weren't trained shinobi — just common samurai who had learned swordsmanship for a few years. In a true shinobi's hands, they were utterly helpless.
In the world of Naruto, not everyone was a shinobi. There were samurai like those from the Land of Iron, with the famed general Mifune being a rare example of strength — a man who, in the Fourth Great Ninja War, had defeated the reincarnated Hanzo of the Salamander.
Unfortunately for Cardo, none of his hired thugs were remotely close to a Mifune.
Even if they were, against Ye Dou's bloodline limit — a manipulation of gravity, invisible, colorless, and formless — they would still have been slaughtered.
The massacre continued.
The front courtyard of Cardo's base turned into a bloody hellscape — broken limbs scattered across the blood-soaked ground. The remaining thugs couldn't even resist; they writhed and screamed like dying animals.
"It can't be... it's him!!"
"No way... Mr. Zabuza, you know who that is, right?!"
"That bloodline limit... the one that controls gravity... that masked man... he's the one with the black market bounty!"
Zabuza Momochi, standing not far away with his executioner's blade slung over his shoulder, felt a rare chill run down his spine.
He had never expected to encounter such a fearsome individual today.
"He's dangerous," Zabuza muttered.
"Of course he's dangerous! That bounty on his head from Konoha... it's one hundred million ryo!!"
For missing-nin like Zabuza who lived in the black market's shadows, the concept of a hundred million ryo was staggering.
Even elite Jonin-class missing-nin barely fetched bounties of five to ten million ryo. Someone worth a hundred million was either catastrophically dangerous — or carried secrets that could cripple a major village.
Regardless, there was no question — the masked youth standing amidst the corpses was lethal beyond measure.
"You seem to know me."
Ye Dou's cold voice snapped Zabuza back to reality.
After cutting down the last of Cardo's enforcers, Ye Dou casually wiped his blade and turned his masked face toward Zabuza.
"After all, a head worth one hundred million ryo isn't something you forget," Zabuza said, narrowing his eyes.
Though Ye Dou hadn't appeared publicly in years, his bounty had never been removed from the black market boards — a permanent testament to the threat he posed.
Ye Dou touched the edge of his mask thoughtfully.
It seemed that Konoha's hunt for him had never truly stopped.
"Since you know me, then good. I came here looking for Cardo."
His tone was flat, devoid of emotion — but when he spoke Cardo's name again, the trembling crime boss nearly collapsed from fear.
Cardo, desperate, turned and grabbed at Zabuza's sleeve.
"Save me! Please, Zabuza-sama! I'll pay you — I'll double it — triple it! Whatever you want, just save me!!"
Gone was the arrogant crime lord — Cardo was now groveling, voice trembling with terror.
Zabuza glanced at Ye Dou, still standing calmly in the blood-drenched courtyard, then back at Cardo.
---
Visit patreon.com/Mikeo481 to get 50+ chapters"
P.S. Sorry for the delay in posting the next chapter of the novel. Unfortunately, I experienced some technical issues that prevented me from sharing it on time. I'll get it up as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience!"