"This mission, you act alone."
Danzo personally briefed Shawn, his voice cold and deliberate.
"The target is Goshin Naoki, a noble of the Land of Fire."
"He opposes Konoha's military expansion. However, the other great villages are already strengthening their forces. Intelligence indicates that all of them are accelerating research related to jinchūriki."
"Someone this obstructive has no reason to continue existing."
Shawn lowered his head immediately.
"Understood. I'll send him to reunite with his ancestors."
Danzo emphasized, "You will carry this out under the identity of a Sky-nin. Under no circumstances may Konoha be exposed."
Shawn answered without hesitation, "Understood."
Assassinating a noble of one's own country was the dirtiest kind of mission.
If his identity were exposed, even Konoha would face serious political consequences.
"You have three days," Danzo continued. "After that, you'll be leading another operation."
He turned away.
"Go."
Shawn vanished in a blur of movement.
Infiltration
Returning briefly to his quarters, Shawn picked up the Wood Release scroll, then left Konoha alone and traveled through the night.
Midnight.
He arrived at the Fire Daimyō's capital and checked into an inn under the guise of a merchant from the Land of the Moon.
At seven the next morning, he began reconnaissance—using Transformation Technique to rotate identities—surveying the area around Goshin Naoki's residence.
Guards.
Terrain.
Escape routes.
Possible interception points.
This was the political and economic heart of the Land of Fire.
Besides large numbers of samurai, there were also ninja present.
Some were retainers hired by nobles.
Others came directly from Konoha.
For Shawn, even Konoha ninja were potential threats.
Especially them.
If he ran into a jōnin, things could become troublesome.
Because of this, Shawn spent the entire day preparing.
The Assassination
When night fell, Shawn ate, rested, and transformed into a vagrant before approaching the target estate.
An hour later, Goshin Naoki returned home under the protection of six samurai.
Shawn did not strike on the road.
Even a quick kill would cause too much commotion.
Only after the noble entered his estate did Shawn slip inside under cover of darkness.
He knew this place well by now.
Outside the bedroom courtyard were eight guards:
Two at the courtyard gate
Two on the rooftops
Four outside the bedroom door
Inside, Goshin Naoki was playing a drunken game of hide-and-seek with two women.
Perfect timing.
Whoosh—whoosh!
Two senbon flew from the darkness, piercing the throats of the two gate guards.
As they clutched their necks and collapsed, two of Shawn's shadow clones caught them, twisted their heads—
Crack! Crack!
Dead.
Boom!
The courtyard gate exploded open as the two clones rushed in with blades drawn.
"Who's there?!"
"Assassin!"
"Ninja—be careful!"
Shouts erupted, followed by screams.
Inside the bedroom, Goshin Naoki shuddered in terror—his excitement instantly gone.
The women screamed.
Barely grabbing his dignity, the noble scrambled toward a hidden room.
There was an escape tunnel inside.
But the moment he opened the door—
Shawn appeared behind him.
One hand grabbed his hair and yanked him upright.
"W–Who are you?!"
"If you kill me, the Land of Fire will never forgive you!"
Goshin Naoki twisted his eyes, but couldn't see his attacker.
Shawn chuckled softly.
"Sorry. I am from the Land of Fire."
Goshin Naoki's pupils shrank.
"You're… from Konoha?!"
Shawn replied calmly,
"Some of your recent statements were… inappropriate."
"Words spoken can't be taken back."
"So you'll have to be sent to the Pure Land."
"As for the Daimyō—without solid evidence, do you think he'll challenge Konoha over your death?"
"More likely, this will be blamed on hostile forces trying to sow discord."
Goshin Naoki tried to shout—
But before a sound escaped, Shawn twisted his neck.
The two women had already fled the bedroom in terror.
They heard nothing.
Pursuit
Shawn exited the estate just as the remaining samurai arrived.
He leapt onto the rooftop and used Body Flicker to retreat.
The samurai chased relentlessly.
Under the night sky, news of the assassination spread rapidly through the lively streets.
At a roadside food stall, three Konoha ninja were eating when a figure streaked across the rooftops overhead—followed by samurai crashing through stalls and alleys.
Whispers reached their ears.
"Sky-nin!"
"Assassination!"
The three exchanged glances.
The team leader leapt up immediately.
It was Katō Dan.
The other two left money on the table and followed.
Encounter with Katō Dan
Under the moonlight, three figures bounded rapidly across rooftops, soon overtaking the samurai.
Shawn glanced back—and his eyelid twitched.
That guy… looks familiar.
Blue hair—
Kato Eagle—?
No.
Katō Dan!
This was bad.
Shawn's heartbeat quickened.
He didn't know whether Katō Dan had already mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, but he couldn't take chances.
Right now, he was posing as a Sky-nin.
Dying here to Spirit Transformation would be beyond ridiculous.
Shawn suddenly veered off, diving into a dark alley.
Inside, his body split into three.
One shadow clone continued fleeing
One remained behind, forming hand seals
Shawn's true body raised one hand and pressed against a wooden wall
His body merged seamlessly into it.
Wood Release: Hiding in Wood.
Katō Dan and his team arrived moments later.
But they didn't rush in.
Instead—
A flash bomb dropped into the alley.
Boom!
The alley turned white as day.
It didn't affect Shawn.
He'd already closed his eyes—he would've done the same.
Hand seals complete, he inhaled and exhaled violently.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
As the light faded, Katō Dan's team leapt in—only to be caught midair by the gale, their movements stalled.
Shawn opened his eyes and burst forward.
Blade light flashed straight toward Katō Dan.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew.
Katō Dan's expression changed as he was forced backward.
Too heavy!
"The power is insane!" one ninja shouted.
Katō Dan flipped and landed smoothly, shouting a warning:
"Careful! His strength is abnormal!"
But it was already too late.
Shawn had finished exchanging blows with the other two.
One took a slash, the other a kick.
Shawn himself was sent flying by a counter-kick—
Poof!
His body turned into smoke.
"A clone?!"
The two ninja froze.
Even a clone had fought three-on-one without falling behind.
Katō Dan raised his hand sharply.
"Don't chase."
"I'll use Spirit Transformation Technique."
His method would be faster.
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