Naruto Card King

A Silent Hunt – Haruto Strikes First

The rogue ninja Shigure Kaze was most likely after Haruto.

After all—

Haruto had betrayed Amegakure.

And every village had one universal rule—

Eliminate traitors.

A Shadow in the Crowd

Shigure was a Chūnin—and based on his reputation level, he was fairly average among Chūnin ranks.

It was midday, the busiest time of day.

The main market street of Konoha was packed with people.

Haruto trailed behind Shigure for over ten minutes.

Of course—

He wasn't using any proper tracking techniques.

Which meant—

Shigure noticed him almost immediately.

At one point—

Shigure even paused and briefly glanced over his shoulder.

And then—

He abruptly turned into a side alley.

Haruto followed.

A Silent Observer – ANBU Watches Closely

In the shadows—

Four ANBU operatives were following Haruto.

Among them—

The leader, Chinzei, was particularly intrigued.

What the hell is this brat doing?

From his trained perspective—

It was obvious that Haruto was tailing the man.

Sloppy tracking. No attempt at concealment.

Even a civilian could tell he was being followed.

And yet—

Chinzei couldn't see anything unusual about Shigure himself.

To him—

The man simply looked like a wandering samurai.

But then—

A suspicion took root in Chinzei's mind.

A spy from Amegakure?

If so—

That might explain why Haruto was following him.

After all—

Why else would a former Amegakure ninja suddenly stalk someone for no reason?

At the very least—

Chinzei didn't believe Haruto was meeting up with a contact.

Because if that were the case—

Why was Haruto the one following?

The Trap is Set

The narrow alleyway led into a secluded forest.

And finally—

Haruto stopped walking.

Then—

He turned and ran.

Full speed.

Straight into the trees.

Shigure's expression changed instantly.

"Running?"

"Heh… you idiot."

At that moment—

Shigure understood exactly what was happening.

Haruto had recognized him—

And was now trying to escape.

Which meant—

He could freely complete his mission.

A clean kill. No witnesses.

With a cruel smirk, Shigure gave chase.

A Predator's Patience – ANBU Remains Hidden

Chinzei watched from afar.

He made a hand signal—

Hold position.

He wanted to see where this was going.

Everything about this situation was odd.

Why was Haruto suddenly running?

Was he afraid?

Or—

Was he luring his target?

The Moment of Attack

Shigure closed the distance quickly.

Up ahead—

A small, isolated lake came into view.

And then—

Haruto rushed straight onto the water's surface.

And as he moved—

His hands blurred into rapid seals.

Then—

At the very last moment—

He turned to face his pursuer.

"Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

BOOM!

A thick white mist exploded outward—

Covering a 20-meter radius.

Chinzei's eyes widened.

"Shit!"

A technique like Hidden Mist Jutsu—

Not only blocked vision—

But also interfered with their own surveillance!

Without hesitation—

Chinzei rushed forward.

Shigure, however, did not hesitate.

He threw three kunai straight into the mist.

And then—

He drew his blade and charged in.

The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

But Haruto…

Haruto could see perfectly inside his own mist.

And in that moment—

He completed another set of hand seals.

The kunai sailed past him, missing completely.

And then—

A dark chain of sealing marks erupted from his hands—

Striking the water's surface.

"Sealing Jutsu – Thorn Grass Binding!"

A trap was set.

But in the thick mist—

Shigure couldn't see it.

And so—

He ran straight into it.

The moment his foot touched the trap—

BAM!

Thick black thorns erupted from the water—

Wrapping around his legs and freezing him in place.

Only one meter away.

Perfect range.

Haruto lunged forward.

And—

SNAP!

His fingers jabbed into Shigure's shoulder.

"Gentle Fist – Pressure Point Strike!"

Haruto had memorized the locations of pressure points.

Even without the Byakugan—

He knew exactly where to strike.

And just like that—

Shigure's body locked up completely.

Paralyzed.

A Swift Execution

Haruto grabbed Shigure's katana.

And then—

One clean slash.

SHING!

Shigure's head flew into the air—

Blood sprayed violently.

At that moment—

Chinzei and the ANBU arrived.

They burst through the mist—

And the very first sight they saw—

Was Haruto.

Standing there.

His blade dripping with fresh blood.

The headless corpse still spraying blood into the air.

And in the background—

Shigure's severed head fell into the lake with a splash.

Chinzei's Shock

"You—"

Chinzei took a sharp breath.

Haruto cut him off immediately.

"This guy was an Amegakure assassin."

"I remembered him. That's why I followed him."

Then—

Haruto casually pulled out a handkerchief.

And wiped the blood from his face.

Aftermath – A Justified Kill

A few minutes later—

Haruto stood on the lakeside.

He was cleaning the blood from his blade.

Nearby—

The ANBU examined the body.

Shigure's cause of death?

Decapitation.

Beyond that?

There were no visible signs of what had actually happened.

The sealing trap? Disappeared upon activation.

The pressure point strike? Left no external wounds.

To any observer—

It simply looked like Haruto had killed him in a fair fight.

A Tactical Lie

Chinzei turned to Haruto.

"You… remembered him?"

Haruto nodded calmly.

"Just a little."

"Seeing his face triggered a memory fragment."

And then—

A voice interrupted them.

"Good job."

A tall, powerful figure appeared.

His presence alone commanded attention.

It was—

Hatake Sakumo, The White Fang of Konoha.