Just as Reiji was racing back to his room, seven ANBU were gathered in the dungeon's duty room, faces grim as they held a tense discussion.
"Captain Baku, why did you call us here all of a sudden?" one of them asked.
The ANBU known by the codename Baku stood before his six subordinates, gripping a sharp short blade.
"Here's the situation. Earlier, Tsuchigami reported that he was startled by that brat, Number 233.
At the time, I didn't think much of it. But just now, I went back there with Tsuchigami. When we opened the window, we found Number 233 lying in bed, apparently asleep. I was about to wake him up and ask what was going on…
But no matter how many times I called, he wouldn't wake up. Not even a twitch.
So now, I'm going in to inspect his room. You all follow standard procedure."
As he finished, he pointed at three of them—including Tsuchigami.
"You three, come with me. The rest of you rotate patrols. There must always be two guards in the duty room! If anything happens, lock down the entire dungeon immediately!"
Baku's stern voice echoed in the cramped space.
"Yes, sir!"
All six responded in unison.
Baku reversed his grip on his short blade, eyes locked on the three in front of him.
"Let's deploy."
He turned to glance at the dark corridor outside the duty room, paused for a moment, then continued.
"When we reach Cell 233, Tsuchigami and I will go in to check on him. The other two, guard the hallway on either side. Be ready in case he tries to ambush us."
"Remember, this is a critical moment! Any sign of disturbance must be snuffed out immediately!"
With that, he cast a meaningful look at Tsuchigami.
"Tsuchigami, you've been monitoring 233 for a while. Give us a rundown."
At that, Tsuchigami's brows furrowed tightly under his mask. In that moment, he wasn't the usual unserious slacker—he was a Konoha ANBU.
"He's strong. I carried out Mission 3-234 with Sarutobi-sama. Number 233 is deadly in close combat—far beyond the level of a standard jōnin. And it's not just that his taijutsu is refined—it's the sheer force and speed. He could crush a grown man's skull in a single blow."
Baku's expression tightened under his mask.
"Anything else?" he asked, voice low.
"Yes," Tsuchigami nodded. "That kid has insane battlefield adaptability. His split-second decision-making is terrifying."
Baku's frown deepened.
As a seasoned ANBU, he knew all too well—in a confined space like a cell, the roles of hunter and hunted could flip in an instant.
Especially when the opponent excelled in close quarters. That was when ANBU were at a disadvantage.
And the worst part was, Reiji wasn't dead. He just couldn't be woken up—not enough reason to eliminate him through the door.
The only option was to open it and investigate.
"Damn it. How is a monster like that being held in a low-level cell?" Baku cursed under his breath.
Tsuchigami, who knew more than he could say because of Reiji's situation, pursed his lips and stayed silent.
Even if Baku was his superior, there were secrets he couldn't speak of without direct permission from the Hokage.
Seconds ticked by.
Baku abruptly stood up, eyes sharp as he stared down the dark corridor. He clenched his jaw.
"Move out. We need to find out what's going on!"
His caution had bought Reiji precious time—but he wasn't wrong to be this careful.
There had been incidents before, where prisoners played dead to ambush ANBU.
And with the kind of criminals they were dealing with, caution was a necessity.
...
Not long after the four set out, Reiji, cloaked in the Nurarihyon Technique, quietly slipped into the duty room.
He scanned the room—and his heart skipped a beat.
"Something's off. Not enough people."
Realizing that, Reiji immediately picked up the pace and rushed toward his room.
He arrived just in time—before the four-man team could open the cell door.
At that moment, the four ANBU were crouched together in front of the cell, whispering their final plan.
"Tsuchigami, I'll go in first. You cover the door. Don't let anyone through."
"You two, take up positions on both sides of the hallway. If you hear anything strange, don't engage—send word to the duty room immediately!"
Once the orders were given, the four stood up. Baku reached into the chest pocket of his vest and pulled out a long ring of keys.
Having overheard the plan in full, Reiji made a snap decision. He crept up right behind Baku, who was reaching for the lock.
He was going to slip in the moment the door opened.
Click—
As the key turned gently in the lock, the door creaked open.
Baku stepped inside, short blade in one hand, forming a seal with the other. His gaze pierced the darkness, locked on Reiji, who lay stiffly on the bed like a corpse.
At the sound of the click, Tsuchigami froze. That noise... he could've sworn he'd heard it just a moment ago. A sinking feeling began to rise in his chest.
Meanwhile, Reiji slipped quietly in behind Baku.
Stepping into the cell, Reiji's racing heart finally began to settle. He quickened his pace slightly, sidestepped the visibly tense Baku, and moved to the side of the bed. Then, crouching low, he slipped underneath.
There was no salvaging the Transformation Technique—it was bound to be exposed. His only option now was to pass this off as some kid's prank.
After all, Tobirama Senju was about to die at the hands of Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
It was a lonely thought, but there was no one left in the village who could guess his true intentions.
With that, Reiji calmed himself and settled under the bed, pretending to sleep.
Baku finally approached the bed. He held out his lantern, and its light slowly revealed Reiji's face.
And the moment he got a clear look, a chill ran straight through him—he nearly pissed himself.
Reiji's eyes were wide open, angled strangely, staring directly at him—like a lifeless puppet.
There was no eerie grin like Tsuchigami had described, but—
But his eyeballs had just moved!
Holy crap! Scared the hell out of me!
As sweat poured down his back...
A head suddenly popped out from under the bed—it was Reiji again.
This one wasn't creepy like the one on the bed. His face looked groggy, squinting from the lantern light, like he'd just woken up.
"Hey, old man, what're you doing in my room? The toilet's over there. If you need it, take it yourself," he said with a sleepy, innocent voice.
In the next second—poof!—the Reiji on the bed vanished, replaced by a pristine white pillow.
It wasn't loud, but it startled all four ANBU on the spot.
Seeing Reiji's dazed expression, Baku, who'd just been scared half to death, turned red with fury.
Rage surged up in waves.
At that moment, he didn't give a damn about Reiji's close combat skills or battlefield awareness.
He just wanted to drag the kid out from under the bed and beat the crap out of him.
And he did exactly that.
Face dark, Baku grabbed Reiji by the collar and yanked him out. Without hesitation, he punched him straight in the face.
"Damn brat! Dressing up like a ghost to scare me?
Staying up all night?
Telling me to empty your toilet?
You little bastard—nearly gave me a heart attack!"
He shouted, his voice cracking like he was about to cry.
"Don't blame me for hitting you—this is standard post-inspection protocol!"
Reiji twisted left and right, trying to dodge with a weirded-out look on his face, but Baku had him by the collar, so he took several solid punches anyway.
"That one's for Tsuchigami—you scared him so bad he wet himself!"
At the door, Tsuchigami's face burned under his mask. The kunai in his hand squeaked from his tightening grip.
"This one's for me—for dragging me out in the middle of the night!"
Even dangling midair, Reiji didn't back down. He flailed and fought back.
"You coward! Put me down! I challenge you to a duel!"
"Hey! Let go! You're gonna rip my pajamas!"
That last line made Tsuchigami shudder. He quickly stepped in to separate the two.
He knew Reiji—better than anyone in the village.
This guy was generous with his sister, but stingy to the extreme with everyone else—especially when it came to clothes.
Ryōta Uchiha had to pay a million ryō over a pair of shoes.
Four ninja from Amegakure had lost their lives just for slicing his sleeve. They were more wronged than a saint on trial.
Having witnessed Reiji's temper firsthand, Tsuchigami quickly stepped between them, gently dragged Reiji by the shoulders, and set him back on the bed. He even smoothed out the wrinkles in his pajamas before letting go.
Pulling Baku to the side, Tsuchigami leaned in and whispered in his ear.
"Look, hitting him is fine, just don't tear his clothes."
"Why not?" Baku asked, frowning.
Tsuchigami scratched his head awkwardly.
"Have you ever heard this line? 'If I don't scam you out of your pants today, I won't eat four dishes for the rest of my life!'"
Baku's expression turned weird behind the mask.
"You're saying this guy's the one who extorted a million ryō from the Uchiha clan?"
Tsuchigami nodded firmly.
At that, Baku didn't say another word. He grabbed Tsuchigami and slipped out of the cell.
Thud! The door slammed shut. All four ANBU let out a collective sigh.
"Let's go. It's nothing—just a damn kid pulling a prank." Baku waved the group onward, then grumbled at Tsuchigami, "Why didn't you tell me Number 233 was that scamming little devil?"
Tsuchigami scratched his head and chuckled. "Captain, I thought you already knew~"
...
Inside the cell, as the sound of footsteps faded into the distance, bruised and battered Reiji broke into a grin.
"Hahaha!"
Even though he'd gotten beat up, he wasn't angry at all.
Because what he gained tonight was worth way more.
The Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. The Flying Thunder God Technique.
He didn't get the Eight Inner Gates he'd dreamed of—but the Flying Thunder God? That was a pretty damn good consolation prize!