As dawn broke, and others had already begun their activities, Chizhao and Torune slowly organized their Ninja tools while planning their next move.
"I think Gato, with so many businesses and needing to control the Land of Waves by force, must be desperate for some enforcers to do his bidding. So, why don't we just pretend to be Ninja who defected from Konoha and seek refuge with him?"
After placing Kunai and other weapons in her leg pouch, Chizhao took out the cang luan blade from her backpack and securely strapped it to her back.
Torune carefully re-wrapped the bandages on his body, ensuring they were more secure:
"But we still don't know where Gato's base is located."
Having prepared everything, Chizhao put on her Konoha forehead protector, then donned a straw hat to hide her face in shadow, exuding the aura of a mysterious and powerful Ninja.
"A person like him definitely values his life more than anything. The place with the strictest security on this island must be where the valuable and interesting things are..."
Fully equipped, the two figures, dressed as Ninja with straw hats, finally arrived in front of an imposing building surrounded by electric fences in the interior of the island, after asking for directions along the way.
Outside the building, a group of ronin and thugs, armed with sharp blades and all looking menacing, noticed the two slowly approaching from afar.
"Who goes there? Stop!" A stern command made the two halt their steps.
Chizhao and Torune looked up at the sword-wielding ronin and thugs.
When their gazes fell upon the distinctive Konoha forehead protectors, a hint of wariness involuntarily appeared on their faces.
Chizhao slightly raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "We heard that Lord Gato is recruiting, and we've come to cooperate with him."
The ronin and thugs exchanged glances, and one who appeared to be the leader stepped forward, scrutinizing them from head to toe:
"You're Konoha Ninja, aren't you? Why are you here?"
Chizhao slightly raised her hand, gently lifting her straw hat to reveal a delicate face:
"We escaped from a Konoha laboratory and heard that Lord Gato has great power here in the Land of Waves, so we specifically came to seek refuge."
The leader crossed his arms, tilted his head, and whispered something to a subordinate beside him, who then walked through the gate.
Presumably, he went in to report.
Chizhao subtly exchanged a look with Torune, then stood her ground, confronting the people in front of her.
Soon after, the subordinate emerged from the heavily guarded gate.
The leader leaned in to hear what he said, then frowned slightly:
"Alright, you can go in. But remember, everything here must follow Lord Gato's arrangements."
"Of course."
Then the two followed the leader into the impressive building.
They passed through a hall, walked down a long corridor, and finally arrived in a luxuriously decorated room.
In the room sat a middle-aged man, short in stature, wearing sunglasses and a suit. Without a doubt, he was Gato.
Looking around, several suit-clad thugs stood beside him, along with two ronin samurai who stood casually, dressed strangely, but held long swords.
Gato saw Chizhao and Torune enter, stood up, and greeted them with a smile:
"Welcome to my territory. I heard you want to cooperate with me?"
"Yes, Lord Gato." Chizhao nodded slightly, her attitude respectful:
"As you can see, we are being hunted by Konoha Ninja, so we came to cooperate with you and seek refuge."
Gato's cunning gaze swept over the two, finally resting on Torune, who was covered in bandages:
"You escaped from Konoha? I heard the Ninja there are very strong, so you must have extraordinary abilities, right?"
Torune slightly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the people in front of him, a hint of disdain in his voice:
"We are Ninja; naturally, we are a bit more useful than ordinary people."
A glint flashed in Gato's eyes. He turned and paced back and forth in the room, seemingly deep in thought.
"Alright, I can give you a chance." He stopped and looked at the two, an evil smile creeping onto his lips.
"But unfortunately, I only have one spot by my side. As long as one of you kills the other, I will agree to his joining."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the entire room immediately became tense.
Torune's fingers twitched, and the Phosphorus Destruction Bugs in his body also stirred with his fluctuating emotions.
Staring at Gato's sinister eyes, Chizhao calmly pressed Torune's wrist, her gaze quickly scanning the distribution of people in the room.
If he and Torune attacked now and went straight for Gato's head, the success rate would be about eighty percent.
However, in that case, they would neither find Gato's industrial chain nor would they expose Konoha's assassination mission.
It was still unclear which forces Gato was involved with; acting rashly might bring trouble to Konoha.
Damn it…
She had miscalculated.
Chizhao stared silently at Gato in front of her, her mind racing:
Since that's the case, they would have to fight Torune, then one of them would feign death, leaving the other to stay here and continue the subsequent mission.
After weighing the pros and cons, she took a deep breath, her voice cold:
"Hmph, this condition is simpler than I expected."
Turning to face Torune, a never-before-seen ferocious smile appeared on her face:
"I... actually wanted to kill you from the very beginning!"
Torune was slightly startled, unsure if he truly believed her or was deliberately playing along, he took a step back in disbelief and questioned:
"Why... Aren't we friends?"
"Friends, that kind of thing..." Chizhao drew the short blade from her back,
"It was just to deceive you!"
She deliberately slowed down the speed of her downward slash, praying that Torune would realize she was just acting and dodge the blade.
But to her surprise, Torune showed no intention of dodging, just stood there blankly, letting the blade strike.
Gato, sitting on the sofa, laughed with satisfaction:
"Hahahaha, that's right! This is what makes it interesting!"
Watching the blade strike Torune's shoulder, red blood stained his clothes.
【Bad Deed Progress +3】
Chizhao felt a sharp pain in her heart, gritting her teeth, her brows furrowed.
Idiot!
Why didn't you dodge!?
Chizhao roared in her heart, but on the surface, she maintained a cold and mocking demeanor:
"What's wrong? Have you given up resisting?"
Torune's eyes were hidden beneath his eye mask, his lips tightly pressed, showing no expression, but Chizhao could feel his inner struggle.
Then he drew his Kunai, forcefully deflecting the blade from his shoulder, and held it in front of him.
"If one of us is destined to die today, then please listen carefully to what I have to say."
