[Experience +1657]
[Experience +857]
[Experience +659]
"…You can fight like that?" Crow stared at Hyūga Akira in shock.
Two kunai.
A long-range kill from that distance.
At this range, even he would only notice the attack at the last moment—and dodging it would require everything he had. One mistake and he'd be dead.
And judging by Akira's expression… those throws hadn't even been his limit.
Since when had the Hyūga become this terrifying?
Forget jōnin—
If the opportunity was right, this kind of method could assassinate a Kage.
Crow had never seen a fighting style like this before.
But the results spoke for themselves.
"What, you expect me to run up and fight them head-on?" Akira rolled his eyes—literally rolling both pale Byakugan eyes at Crow.
Though… if he really did charge in, he could probably win.
His long-range sniping was most effective against chūnin and genin.
Against jōnin, though, the difficulty skyrocketed. They could still evade at the critical moment unless completely off guard.
That meant waiting patiently for a long time.
And with that much time, he'd rather just farm a few more chūnin instead.
Looks like the sniper build still needed improvement.
Akira jumped down from the tree.
"Where are you going?" Crow asked.
One target was still alive—the most important one.
This had been meant as a test of Akira's resolve.
Was he hesitating now? So he did have a conscience after all?
"Classmates should be killed face-to-face," Akira's voice drifted back. "So he knows who killed him."
Crow silently withdrew his earlier thoughts.
This guy wasn't softhearted at all.
If anything, he was a born monster.
And judging by how fast he was moving… the part about not wanting to fight up close had clearly been a lie.
Of course, Akira wasn't telling the truth.
The real reason was simple:
He needed to loot.
If he killed the last one from a distance and left, he'd miss the drops—and Uchiha dropped excellent loot.
How could he pass that up?
Akira ran across the surface of the lake, closing the distance.
At that moment, Uchiha Sōsuke, his face twisted in grief, turned and saw him.
"ANBU…!? That's impossible!" Sōsuke's expression filled with despair. "Why would the village's ANBU attack us…?"
But even so—
"Unforgivable!!!"
Akira suddenly appeared not far away and casually raised a hand in greeting.
"Yo, Sōsuke. Long time no see."
Sōsuke turned sharply toward him. The altered voice and mask prevented him from recognizing Akira.
But recognition no longer mattered.
"Unforgivable!!!"
Scarlet light filled Sōsuke's eyes.
Three tomoe appeared.
Under overwhelming pain and rage, his Sharingan evolved straight to three tomoe. In that moment, he felt stronger than ever before.
"Swish—"
"Goodbye, Sōsuke."
The voice came from behind him.
Sōsuke suddenly felt himself rising.
Below him, a body was collapsing to the ground.
Why did it look so familiar?
…It was his own.
Darkness swallowed him.
[Experience +1021]
You really did grow stronger, Sōsuke.
Akira flicked the blood from his blade and turned to examine the fallen chūnin's drops.
"…It dropped! It actually dropped!"
He nearly shouted in excitement.
Actually, he did shout.
On the chūnin's corpse lay a single crimson eyeball.
Akira rushed forward and picked it up.
[Sharingan]
This was the key to his dream of piloting a Gundam someday.
He quickly stored it away. The chūnin had also dropped a skill scroll.
[Skill: Fire Release — Great Fireball Technique]
Useful.
He learned it immediately.
[Great Fireball Technique (Lv.1)]
The two genin had dropped Shadow Clone Technique and Transformation Technique respectively.
"I already have these," Akira muttered irritably.
Then he turned to Sōsuke's corpse.
His eyes lit up.
"As expected of my good classmate."
Another Sharingan had dropped.
He stored it in his inventory. The two eyes fused.
[Sharingan (One Tomoe) (2/3)]
Before he could examine it further, Crow arrived, looking at Sōsuke's headless body.
A chill ran down his spine.
So decisive. Not a moment of hesitation.
Akira glanced at him suspiciously.
"I feel like you're insulting me in your head."
How was he so perceptive?
Crow quickly forced a placating tone.
"No, no. Just your imagination."
…Wait. He was wearing a mask. Who was he trying to placate?
His face returned to its usual blankness.
"So the mission's complete, right?" Akira asked, barely able to hide his delight.
Crow's eye twitched.
Killing his own classmate and still looking this happy…
Technically, yes. The mission was complete.
In truth, the real purpose of the mission had been to stain Akira's hands with the blood of a fellow Konoha ninja—to test his resolve.
They had expected hesitation. Struggle. Perhaps even refusal.
Instead, he'd acted faster than anyone expected… almost as if he'd been eager.
"Then let's go," Crow said.
Back in Konoha, they returned to Akira's house.
"When do I report to Root?" Akira asked curiously. "Why come here instead of taking me to headquarters?"
"You won't need to report," Crow shook his head. "Lord Danzō has made a special exception. When there's a mission, we'll contact you. All you need to do is carry out the orders."
Letting a Hyūga into Root headquarters would expose too many secrets.
Even with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal, Danzō had chosen not to bring him inside. Crow himself didn't know why.
"When's the next mission?" Akira asked, looking expectant.
This time he'd gotten a Sharingan. Next time, he wanted Shadow Possession Technique. A powerful mid-game ability—if leveled high enough.
Crow fell silent, recalling the expressions of most recruits after their first mission.
Tears. Vomiting. Shock. Regret.
Akira, on the other hand… looked excited.
Like a weasel entering a chicken coop.
After a moment, Crow said, "Your next mission will come soon."
And that one would be a true Root operation—possibly tied to the war itself.
"War, huh…" Akira rubbed his chin.
Perfect for leveling.
Today's mission had only given about four thousand experience without the Sharingan drop.
Crow vanished without another word.
Akira activated his Byakugan, scanning the house to make sure he was alone.
Only then did he open his inventory.
"Sharingan…"
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