Once everyone had arrived at the video store, they quickly gathered in the records room to begin strategizing.
Wise, acting as the commander for this operation, was briefing the team on the situation.
In short, a commission had appeared on the Proxy Network related to the Exaltists. A supposed eyewitness claimed to have witnessed an Exaltists attack in its entirety and was requesting someone to investigate through a commission.
Honestly, the whole setup screamed trap. Any sane person would suspect it was a setup—including Wise and Belle.
Even Fairy had mentioned there was at least an 80% chance they were being baited. After all, the Exaltists had never shown themselves in the public sphere, and their sudden appearance on the Proxy Network was deeply suspicious.
Still, the Exaltists were notoriously elusive. After a month of investigation, they had turned up almost nothing. With this commission being the first real lead in weeks, they had no choice but to take the risk and investigate.
That said, the operation came with heavy risks. One misstep, and the consequences could be catastrophic.
"The client said to meet tomorrow morning in a district near the Old Capital. The exact location has been sent to our phones. For now, we just need to figure out our exit strategy if things go south."
Wise spoke with grave seriousness. Having once been captured by the Exaltists himself, he knew just how terrifying that organization was. Going up against them required far more than just guts.
"I can go test the waters," Anby volunteered, raising her hand.
Nicole's expression changed instantly, and Zhong Yan quickly objected, "No way. Who knows what kind of trap they've set? I say let Uchiha handle it."
Zhong Yan's plan was to have his Uchiha persona take over. In fact, even before arriving at the video store, he had already deployed a shadow clone to wait in the Kamui dimension.
As soon as they received the client's meetup location, he had relayed it to the clone, who was now en route to investigate.
…
At that moment, in a district near the Old Capital, Zhong Yan's shadow clone—disguised as Uchiha—emerged through Kamui.
This district, dangerously close to Zero Hollow, had seen a significant exodus of residents over fear that the hollow might expand again. Only families too financially strained to relocate remained.
Before him stood a towering, long-abandoned skyscraper. It was the designated meeting point according to the commission.
Without hesitation, Zhong Yan activated Kamui and phased into the building.
Inside, the darkness was oppressive, causing his expression to grow increasingly grim.
Through the shadows, his blood-red Sharingan gleamed. Using its dynamic tracking ability, he soon locked onto a figure deep within the building whose body was overflowing with ether.
It was unmistakably the one who had posted the commission—and clearly a member of the Exaltists. No one else carried such dense ether in their body.
Without another second of delay, Zhong Yan focused his gaze and activated Amaterasu. A burst of searing black flames erupted, instantly igniting the target.
The black fire consumed the figure almost instantly. After some frantic struggling, their life force began to fade.
Zhong Yan was a bit surprised.
Was the person who deliberately lured them here through a Proxy Network post really this easy to kill?
Since when were the Exaltists so weak?
But before he could process the outcome, a round of applause echoed through the darkness—and a second, identical figure stepped into view.
"How impressive. You may not be the one I was hoping to draw out, but if it's the legendary Hollow Raider Uchiha—the one who took down Nineveh—then this trip was worth it."
A woman cloaked in black, hood pulled low over her face, revealed a pair of eyes that shimmered like cores. She stared intently at Zhong Yan from beneath her disguise.
Of course. The Exaltists weren't going to be that easy.
"If you know who I am, then you should also know—I don't like wasting words. Especially not with your kind," Zhong Yan said coldly, deep-blue energy starting to gather around him, threatening to erupt at any moment.
The woman blinked in surprise. In her mind, that deep-blue energy could only be summoned by the blade-wielding man from earlier.
Which meant—Uchiha was likely the one she had actually been looking for all along.
Realization dawned on her, but seeing Zhong Yan preparing to unleash his power, she quickly tried to explain, "Wait, wait, wait! You don't think I'm one of the Exaltists, do you? I mean... yes, I was modified by them—but I'm not under their control…"
"No, no, really—I'm not one of them. I was captured and used for experiments. I escaped later. Now I want help to bring them down. Yes, that's it—I'm here to ask you for help!"
Her words came in a flustered rush, completely unconvincing. Zhong Yan's patience ran out. He summoned the armored form of Susanoo, which raised its massive hand to seize her.
Caught off-guard by the sudden assault, the woman barely dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed.
But before she could catch her breath, the space in front of her neck began to twist—forming a swirling vortex.
Zhong Yan had activated Kamui.
His Kamui neck-twist technique was almost impossible to defend against—unless the target was an undead.
Sensing imminent death, the woman no longer hesitated. She unleashed a powerful ether surge, which surged through the building like a wave.
Crystalline ether spikes formed and launched straight at Zhong Yan.
Ordinarily, he would've recalled Kamui to avoid being hit.
But now, with Susanoo's armor protecting him, he doubted a few spikes could break through it.
Ignoring the attack, he allowed the spatial vortex to fully form—ready to snap her neck in an instant.