Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

The instant the door opened.

Naruto was the first to rush in, casually looking around the studio apartment: "Brother Shen Jue, look at me! Look at me!"

"I'm already a genin, you know."

He didn't notice at all that just two steps behind him, Mizuki was curled up in a chair in the corner, writhing wildly.

Sasuke followed him in, his gaze sweeping across the room.

Several decorative spherical ornaments were placed on the wooden cabinet, their pale blue liquid reflecting a soft light in the sunlight.

There were a few cardboard boxes piled up in the corner, and a teapot on the low table; other than that, there was nothing special about it.

It's a very ordinary apartment.

He looked away and sat down at the low table.

But Shen Jue's face and demeanor left him with a very dangerous impression.

That expression was so similar to that of the Uchiha clan of yesteryear.

"Sasuke-kun, wait for me!" Sakura hurriedly followed in, found a spot next to Sasuke, and blushed with nervous anticipation.

Shuimu's eyes widened.

Those three little devils came in!

They sat down, less than three meters away from us!

We're saved!

Shui Mu shouted desperately, his vocal cords vibrating violently. He could feel his throat trembling and air rushing out from his lungs.

But there was no sound, not a single sound came out.

He froze, then struggled even more frantically.

The rope dug into his flesh, and he bounced on the ground like a fish out of water.

The chakra that wasn't completely sealed within his body crashed into an invisible barrier, rendering him unable to mobilize even a fraction of it, and causing him to break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

"Naruto, look over here! Look over here!" Mizuki shouted.

At this moment, he is seeking help from the "fox spirit" whom he once looked down upon.

Mizuki focused all his willpower into his gaze, staring intently at Naruto's back.

Naruto was gesturing wildly as he recounted the bell-stealing test, and when he recalled the scene of being stabbed by the Thousand Years of Death, he would still subconsciously cover his buttocks.

His gaze swept over where Shui Mu was, but it was as if he had just passed through thin air; everything was normal, and nothing had happened.

"Then Kakashi-sensei said we passed!"

"That book that Kakashi-sensei is reading seems really interesting."

"I want to see it too."

Shen Jue gave Naruto a strange look, referring to the Sexy Jutsu that Naruto later developed.

Could it be influenced by Kakashi's "Make-Out Paradise"?

Jiraiya, the toad sage who wrote this book, Icha Icha Paradise, really did a lot of good deeds.

Jiraiya and that Shinigami Shen Jue must have a lot in common, right?

Naruto grabbed a piece of melon and stuffed it into his mouth: "But Iruka-sensei said this is a victory of team spirit."

Shui Mu's pupils began to dilate.

He slowly turned to Sasuke.

A genius of the Uchiha clan, a descendant of the Uchiha, the boy who possessed the Sharingan bloodline limit.

Sasuke sat expressionless, occasionally picking up a piece of melon and putting it in his mouth, responding to Naruto's incessant chatter with a cold "hmm".

His gaze swept across the room, but after glancing at Shui Mu, he looked away.

Mizuki, tucked away in the corner, didn't even have the right to be perceived by Sasuke and the others as an "existence."

"Oh right!" Naruto suddenly turned his head and looked at the corner of the room. "Brother Shen Jue, what's that?"

Mizuki's heart skipped a beat, and he was overjoyed: It's here, it's finally here, Naruto saw me!

Naruto pointed to a cardboard box in the corner: "What's in that box?"

Shuimu stopped breathing.

"Miscellaneous items." Shen Jue walked out carrying a teapot. "Sit down properly, or the tea will spill."

"oh oh!"

Naruto obediently sat back down, took the teacup Shen Jue handed him, and completely forgot about the cardboard box in the corner that he had been curious about just moments before.

The location of the cardboard box was exactly where Shuimu was located.

Sakura took small bites of the melon, trying her best to maintain a ladylike image in front of Sasuke.

She noticed that Sasuke seemed a little distracted, so she asked with concern, "Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

Sasuke put down the melon.

He did have a strange feeling.

From the moment you walk in, you feel that sense of being watched.

Sasuke felt an unseen gaze fixed on his back.

He thought it was his imagination, but after sitting down, the feeling of unease did not disappear; instead, it became even stronger.

It seemed that besides the four of them, there was another person in the room.

As a ninja, Sasuke trusted his intuition, but he didn't voice it; instead, he buried his doubts and anxieties deep in his heart.

Sasuke raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the room.

He looked at the wooden cabinet, the low table, the teapot, the cardboard box, and Shen Jue.

Then, Sasuke's gaze stopped.

Because Shen Jue was staring at him with a cold expression.

"What's wrong?" Shen Jue asked naturally.

A chill ran down Sasuke's spine.

"It's nothing." Sasuke looked away and picked up his teacup.

Thank you for your hospitality.

Sasuke instinctively chose to follow his heart.

As Mizuki watched Sasuke look away, the last glimmer of light in his eyes went out.

"Brother Shen Jue!"

"We've been assigned the task of investigating the missing villagers..."

Sasuke elbowed Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto winced in pain, yelled, and then said, "Hey! Sasuke!"

"What are you doing?"

Sasuke said with a helpless expression, "Naruto, we can't just reveal information about the mission."

"Isn't this a basic quality of a ninja?"

"Huh? But we're here to gather clues," Naruto retorted.

"As a resident near where the disappearance occurred, Brother Shen Jue might know some useful clues."

Naruto answered Sasuke while quickly stuffing the fruit into his mouth.

Sasuke felt a bit of a headache. He said bluntly, "You just came here to eat fruit, didn't you!"

"Hurry up!"

"We don't even have a clue about our mission!"

"You're still so relaxed!"

Sasuke pulled Naruto away, with Sakura following behind them, feeling that Sasuke was incredibly manly.

"Hey?!" Naruto shouted, "Wait! At least let me ask Brother Shen Jue if he has any clues."

Sasuke reluctantly stopped, and Naruto took out the portraits and information of the three missing people.

Upon seeing the portraits of the three people, Shen Jue first nodded, then shook his head.

"I know these three people, but we don't usually have any contact."

"They've disappeared?"

Naruto wasn't surprised; he knew his older brother Shen Jue's personality very well.

Shen Jue is either cultivating or on his way to complete missions.

Social activities were practically nonexistent.

"Alright then," Naruto said, scratching his head.

"We'll be leaving now."

"Thank you so much for your warm hospitality, Brother Shen Jue!"

Naruto bowed respectfully, and Shen Jue nodded slightly.

The trio left Shen Jue's bachelor apartment.

Shen Jue sensed the conversation between Sasuke and Naruto outside the door.

"You idiot Naruto! How could you just reveal mission information like that?!"

"What's the big deal? What if Brother Shen Jue happens to know a clue about the missing persons case?"

"Ha, you're just after the fruit, aren't you!"

"hey-hey."

"Could it be that Brother Shen Jue is the mastermind behind the disappearance?"

"Someone as handsome and aloof as him would only kidnap pretty girls if he were to do so."

The door closed.

The sound of the three people's footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Naruto was still chattering away, while Sasuke and Naruto were arguing about the progress of the mission as usual.

Shui Mu listened as those sounds gradually faded and receded into the distance.

His escape attempt failed.

He could only share a room with Shen Jue and those three heads.

Shui Mu froze. Shen Jue walked up to him, squatted down, and looked him in the eye with his cold eyes.

"He has a very strong will to survive."

Golden arcs of electricity danced at Shen Jue's fingertips.

"The data on stress response after chakra was blocked is more valuable than expected."

An electric arc pierced Shui Mu's temple, his pupils dilated suddenly, his body convulsed violently, and his consciousness went blank.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

After glancing at the unconscious Shui Mu, Shen Jue looked around the single apartment he had completely covered with electromagnetic force and gravity.

To Naruto and his friends, it was just an ordinary, clean, and tidy apartment.

In reality, this studio apartment had become the hideout of a deranged serial killer.

After a quick tidying up, Shen Jue decided to go out to obtain experimental equipment and materials.

But in the shadows at the alley entrance, he discovered a dark mass curled up in a damp corner.

Shen Jue stopped in her tracks.

It was a pure black kitten, so thin that you could count its ribs.

Its mouth was open, and a weak cry was squeezed out of its throat. Its left front paw was curled up unnaturally, probably broken.

Shen Jue stared at the kitten.

He crouched down, extended one palm, palm up, and stopped three inches in front of the kitten's nose.

Shen Jue gave the kitten a choice.

He also happened to be missing a summoned beast.

If the pure black kitten hisses, Shen Jue will turn around and leave.

The kitten raised its head, looked at the hand, and its small body trembled slightly.

Then, barely supporting itself with its front paws, it laboriously touched Shen Jue's fingertips with its wet, cool nose.

The pure black kitten rubbed its head against his palm.

Shen Jue's hand froze for a moment.

"very good."

He lifted the pure black kitten, about to place it in his arms.

At this moment, an untimely voice interrupted Shen Jue's actions.

"Hey, isn't this Shen Jue?" The man grinned, the smell of alcohol emanating from between his teeth.

"What, even a serial killer wants a pet now?"

A man carrying a bottle of liquor staggered and blocked the alley entrance, his cloudy eyes staring at the black cat in Shen Jue's arms before slowly moving to Shen Jue's face.

He took a step forward, as if he had found the greatest joy in the world.

"Don't you know how much blood is on your hands? You scum, you don't even deserve it!"

Shen Jue glanced at him indifferently.

The man sobered up considerably and suddenly remembered the rumors about Shen Jue.

As a Chunin of Konoha, Shen Jue's terrible reputation made this man somewhat regretful.

But instead of backing down, he steeled himself and, choking back tears, cursed, "You..."

The man's vocal cords could no longer produce a sound; he opened his mouth but could not utter a sound.

The electromagnetic force instantly damaged his vocal cords.

Shen Jue lowered her head, tucked the black cat into her bosom, and walked past the man.

A gust of wind swept through the alleyway, and the man shivered.

"That's strange," Shen Jue said softly.

"I'm starting to suspect that I've stumbled into some strange world with its own set of rules."

"Just picking up a cat and you get bullied by Konoha villagers who are bullying Chunin?"

"Isn't this a bit too extreme?"

Just imagine.

You're just an ordinary villager from Konoha. You had a couple too many drinks tonight, and your steps are a little unsteady. You take a shortcut and walk into an empty alley.

A night breeze blows, the alcohol kicks in, and you lean against the wall, wanting to vomit but unable to.

Then you saw the person at the alley entrance.

Shen Jue, the Chunin with the worst reputation in the village.

You've heard plenty of rumors about him.

The missing mission target, a rogue ninja who never appeared again, possessed a coldness that made people afraid to look him in the eye.

The villagers all said that he had more blood on his hands than any of the ANBU ninjas.

He was squatting in the corner, reaching out his palm to a skinny black kitten.

The cat trembled and rubbed against his palm.

He lifted the cat very gently, as if he were holding a beloved toy.

There are only the two of you in the alley.

You now have three choices.

First, step forward, force a smile, and say, "Lord Shen Jue is so kind-hearted."

Flatter him, fawn over him, and then leave quickly.

He might not even acknowledge you, or he might just give you a dismissive look.

In short, you will get home safely.

Second, lower your head and pretend you didn't see anything.

The alley is narrow. You walk around him from behind, keeping your footsteps and breathing soft, letting this little thing and the wine of the night rot in your heart.

When I wake up tomorrow, nothing will have happened.

Third, bully him.

You're drunk, and you think there should be some logic to this world.

You think a murderer shouldn't touch an innocent cat with his blood-stained hands.

What do you think you should say?

You might even want to curse his dead parents, mention how much blood and filth is on his hands, and dump all the gossip the whole village has been spreading behind his back on him.

This ordinary villager from Konoha, while upholding the will of the overlord, unhesitatingly chose the third option.

This was something Shen Jue could hardly contain herself for.

At this moment, he even suspected that it was Kaguya Otsutsuki, the sealed progenitor of chakra, who was trying to unleash her power and make Shen Jue take the opportunity to destroy Konoha.

Shen Jue glanced at the man expressionlessly.

That face, distorted by alcohol and a strange sense of justice, was still frozen in a comical indignation.

The man thought he was judging evil, that the order behind him called "Konoha" would protect him, and that a Chunin wouldn't dare do anything to him in the village.

Shen Jue reached out and patted the man's shoulder gently, like an old friend saying goodbye.

"To be honest," Shen Jue said.

The man froze.

"I acknowledge your will to dominate."

The next instant, Shen Jue's fingertips brushed against the man's neck.

Shen Jue cleanly and neatly removed the head, the cut surface as smooth as if it had been naturally separated.

Before the headless body could even fall, it was enveloped by a layer of pale golden electric arcs.

All the matter belonging to this body was disintegrated into the most basic particles by the vibration of the electromagnetic field, and then swept away by a night wind that swept through the room, leaving not even ashes behind.

The alley returned to silence; the damp stone pavement was bare, as if no one had ever stood there.

Shen Jue looked down at the head in his hand; the expression on that face still lingered from the last moment before death.

"I probably won't forget you for a long time, will I?"