Chapter 247 : Mr. A's Request??

The duck that was almost in his grasp flew away, causing Mr. A to become extremely angry.

The "Hanged Man" pathway's Sequence 5, "Shepherd," has its core ability called "Grazing."

It allows one to consume souls, Wraiths, and evil spirits, absorbing them into their body and controlling these souls in a unique way, like a shepherd Grazing lambs for a deity.

The number of Beyonder abilities a "Shepherd" has depends on how many Beyonder's souls they have consumed. His limit right now is seven, and each soul he "swallow" can be chosen and used for three distinct Beyonder abilities.

Because of this, Shepherds in the mid-sequence pathways are quite troublesome to deal with.

The more Beyonder souls they consume, the more complex and unpredictable their methods become, making them difficult to defend against.

However, there's always a "but."

Although Mr. A is a "Shepherd," the problem is... where could he find the "lambs"?

He wouldn't even look at the souls of ordinary ninjas, and he couldn't be bothered to swallow them. As for the Beyonders in the entire ninja world, they are the ones who hide in the shadows and he couldn't find any of them.

Helpless, he had to search for some beasts, extracting their Beyonder Characteristics and crafting special tools to carry with him, just to make do.

For example, the "Sun" pathway's charm was taken from a giant toad.

This led to a feud with the toads, and a white-haired man had been chasing him around ever since. The toads' abilities were quite effective against him—whether it was the evil souls, Wraiths, or whatever he summoned, they could defeat them with precision. And if they got too close, they'd be turned into a toad themselves.

As for another Beyonder Characteristic, it was taken from a slug. Although the slugs didn't bother him much, the annoying part was that no matter where he went, he could always spot the slugs nearby.

Then, within moments, a white-haired man with two toads on his shoulders would appear, like someone who had just been given a shot of adrenaline.

Now, just when he finally came across a Beyonder who seemed promising in every way, the last minute twist was that the person was saved at the last moment. How could he not be furious?

"Gentlemen, now that the threat is gone, do you regret it?"

Although Mr. A is usually crazy, he's no fool, and definitely not stupid.

From the unwilling looks exchanged between the two of them, it was easy to guess that they probably regretted their decision. Mr. A's gaze was sharp as he bared his teeth at them, his eyes full of malice. 

If either of them dared to say they had changed their minds, he'd immediately kill them both and then drag their souls out to swallow.

Seeing the threat in Mr. A's eyes, neither Kakashi nor Shisui dared to utter the words "I refuse."

Shisui gave Kakashi a look, as if asking, Is this your way of driving a wolf to eat a tiger?

Kakashi shot him a look in return, saying, Stop talking nonsense. If you're so smart, why don't you come up with a plan?

Originally, they thought that even if they weren't a match for Mr. A, the two of them could at least fight and make sure both sides got hurt, a draw at worst.

But who would have expected that Obito would be such a disappointment?

When facing them, he threw powerful punches, but when it came to Mr. A, he was meek and submissive—so embarrassing!

Kakashi cursed Obito a thousand times in his mind before reluctantly forcing a smile. "Not at all. We genuinely want to join the Aurora Order!"

Hearing this, Shisui's eyes widened in surprise, as if to say, So you've betrayed Konoha too, huh?

Kakashi rolled his eyes, the meaning clear: What other choice do we have? Didn't you see that guy's eyes? If we refuse, we'll be dead instantly.

In truth, though pushed to this point partly because of Obito, Kakashi wasn't without his wits.

Seeing no way out, he decided to take advantage of the situation—joining the "Aurora Order" and becoming an undercover agent within their ranks.

Konoha had actually been searching for the "Aurora Order" for some time. The First and Second Hokage had been missing for years and no news was sent back and only Namikaze Minato had often come back for updates, especially to visit his wife, Uzumaki Kushina, and to report on the progress of their investigation.

Oh, and I almost forgot—one year ago, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had a wedding.

They finally ended their long relationship and entered marriage, which was the only joyful event Konoha had seen since the Third Shinobi World War. Even Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, returned to the village to celebrate.

Speaking of which, Sensei's wife, Kushina Uzumaki, has been pregnant for ten months. It should be almost time for her to give birth, right?

Kakashi, lost in thought, couldn't help but feel a bitter smile form at the corner of his lips. He had planned to return to celebrate the birth of the child, but now it seemed like it would be too late.

"Very good. I like smart people."

Mr. A rubbed his chin, giving them an appreciative look as he slowly crouched down.

His eyes were like those of a corpse, pale with dense, blood-red veins crawling across them. Kakashi and Shisui felt a chill run down their spines as they were locked in his gaze, nervously swallowing.

"You're from Konoha, right? I just happen to have something to do there," Mr. A stared at them and grinned, "How about it, can you two show me the way? If you can help me get this done, I'll guarantee that you'll have a 'code name' like mine."

However, Kakashi and Shisui's backs immediately stiffened at his words, a cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.

The Aurora Order was planning to secretly infiltrate Konoha—what on earth were they up to?

Three years ago, the Aurora Order had sent a 'Saint' and Mr. A to forcibly steal the body of the Fourth Hokage.

Now, Mr. A was preparing to infiltrate Konoha again—what was their goal this time?

A flood of chaotic thoughts filled Kakashi and Shisui's minds, leaving them uneasy and unsure of what to do.

"What's wrong? Don't want to help?"

One second, Mr. A was smiling, but in the next moment, his face darkened with a sinister expression. His eyes glinted with malice.

The temperature in the forest seemed to drop, and the air grew thick with a nauseating, foul odor.

Kakashi instantly tensed, feeling as though some terrifying presence was staring at him. His body shook like a leaf, his teeth chattering. "No, no..." he stammered.

"Good," Mr. A said with satisfaction, patting Kakashi's shoulder. "Once this task is completed, I'll ask the 'Saint' to bless you. After that, you'll be like us."

Like them? 

Kakashi sharply grasped the key point in Mr. A's words, his heart racing. 

Could it be that their power doesn't come from chakra?

But now wasn't the time to think about that. There was a more pressing issue at hand. "May I ask, what exactly are you planning to do in Konoha this time?"

Mr. A flashed a slight smile and spoke calmly, "Uchiha."

Uchiha?

Again, Uchiha?

Shisui's pupils shrank slightly upon hearing this. He couldn't understand why the Aurora Order was always so entangled with the Uchiha clan.

"What does this matter have to do with the Uchiha?" he couldn't help but ask. After all, every time the Aurora Order appeared, it usually meant something significant was about to happen. The Uchiha was his clan, so how could he not care?

"Heh."

Mr. A just smiled and said nothing more.

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