During the long trip we discussed different ideas regarding the mission. Shisui mostly stayed silent, giving us the chance to lay out the plan ourselves, only stepping in when we made a mistake. Once we finalized it, he added a few notes and we all agreed. However, the plan required us to move even faster and reach the meeting point ahead of schedule, so we decided to take the second soldier pill as we approached the Land of Wind's border.
I started to feel a faint tingling in my left shoulder, but I was sure it was nothing… probably.
The meeting point was a neutral-ground waystation just beyond the border of the Land of Wind, within the Land of Rivers. It was the kind of place where traveling merchants and their hired shinobi guards usually stopped to rest before heading deeper into the Land of Rivers. Lord Kiyosuke insisted on meeting there because he wanted to experience what a merchant's journey was like. I could not help but roll my eyes at a noble's idea of "feeling the pulse of the streets" as we entered the waystation.
As soon as we arrived at the waystation, we settled into our roles. The first step was to find the right target. It did not take long to spot a small merchant group resting in the courtyard, three traders with a single hired guard. They looked worn out from the road and were clearly planning to stay the night.
We waited until they finished their meal and headed upstairs. The common room quieted as the serving staff cleared the tables. We lingered near the far wall as if just another group of travelers deciding where to sleep. When the last of the merchants disappeared around the corner of the upstairs corridor, Shisui gave a small signal.
Kaen and I moved first, following at a measured pace. We positioned ourselves on either side of the corridor, one watching the stairway, the other keeping an eye on the far end of the hall. The hallway smelled faintly of oil from the lamps and the floorboards groaned softly under the merchants' fading footsteps.
Shisui and Sena padded down the corridor after the group. They stopped by the room just as the final click of the latch sounded. I shifted my weight slightly and rested my hand on my kunai pouch, listening to the muted bustle of the inn below. The voices in the common room drifted upward, muffled and distant.
The door opened with a soft creak and then shut again without a sound. Kaen and I stood still, tense and ready, ears straining for anything out of place. There was no noise from the room. No words, no struggle. Only the boards creaked once and then the hallway settled into a strange stillness.
That silence told us more than any sound could. The merchants and their lone guard had fallen under Shisui's genjutsu the moment they thought they were safe.
We held our positions for another minute before relaxing slightly. The first and most delicate step of the plan had gone smoothly so far.
The latch clicked again and the door eased open. The man who stepped out was no longer Shisui. He wore the plain, travel-stained face of the merchants' hired guard. His movements were unhurried, the way a tired guard might check the hall before settling for the night.
His eyes swept the corridor. Kaen and I held our positions, waiting until the last sound from the common room below faded to a low murmur. When we were sure no one was watching, I gave a small nod. Kaen shifted slightly in answer.
The disguised Shisui opened the door wider and gestured for us to enter. We slipped through quickly, keeping our steps light, then closed the door behind us with the same care. Inside, the room smelled faintly of travel dust and lamp oil. The three merchants and their real guard lay asleep on their bedding, with a pouch of money placed beside them to compensate for the confiscated cart and merchandise. Their breathing was slow and even under the genjutsu. They did not stir.
In the dim light we moved without a word. Sena stepped forward and formed the required seals, her appearance shifting smoothly into that of the first merchant. Kaen followed next, his frame reshaping into the second. I focused on keeping my chakra steady and created a Shadow Clone, which transformed into the third merchant right away.
We now stood there as a weary-looking merchant trio with a single bored-looking guard by the door. The real merchants slept on, unaware that their likeness had just been taken.
Shisui opened the door again and, after a brief glance down the hallway, signaled me. Kaen and I flickered out of the room and into the stables. Fortunately, the waystation had separate stalls for each cart, a simple security measure for travelers. Once we appeared inside the stall, I drew a kunai from my storage seal and began carving sealing marks beneath the wooden frame of the merchants' cart.
Meanwhile, Shisui and Sena went downstairs. They paid the innkeeper for two more days of lodging and politely asked that the room not be disturbed during that time, a request the innkeeper welcomed gladly after receiving an extra tip.
Sena and Shisui arrived at the same stable where the cart was kept. Once we closed the stable door behind us, we all released our disguises and returned to our original forms.
Shisui turned to me. "Is the cart ready?"
I nodded. "I have laid the required seals. The cart will be hard to focus on or observe. If it moves among other merchant carts, most people will barely notice it."
Shisui gave a small nod of approval, then looked at Kaen. "Kaen, you will ride in this cart with Sena and Lord Kiyosuke. I will create a Shadow Clone that will transform into the guard and drive the cart."
He shifted his gaze to Sena. "Sena, you will need to convince the lord to go along with this. Do your best."
Sena smiled confidently. "Do not worry, sensei. I have met him before. He has quite a peculiar personality and will most likely go along with this."
Shisui smiled slightly, clearly trusting her to handle her part of the plan.
He then turned to me. "You and I will be in the noble's cart. When the time comes, let your Shadow Clone transform into the lord and draw attention as we ride in the cart. I will create two more clones to take on Sena's and Kaen's forms."
I nodded, though a flicker of worry passed through me. Given my record, I would most likely be the one to get attacked. Hopefully Shisui-sensei decides to step in a little faster this time.
Lord Kiyosuke arrived not long after. True to his intention of experiencing a merchant's journey, he had left his regular escort behind in the Land of Wind, wary that some of his own guards might have been compromised. Instead, he brought only a single loyal jōnin as his personal protector.
The cart that carried him was modest, its wooden panels polished but unadorned, the kind a prosperous merchant might use. As it rolled into the waystation's courtyard, Sena stood waiting at the front, calm and poised.
The jōnin bodyguard stepped down first. He closed the cart's door behind him and let his eyes sweep across the courtyard, sharp and searching. His stance shifted slightly when he saw Sena, but he held his silence.
Sena raised two fingers to brush the edge of her left sleeve, then touched her thumb briefly to her collar. The guard's eyes narrowed for a heartbeat before he responded by resting his palm on the hilt of his sword, then adjusting his headband with two fingers.
Sena drew a sealed scroll from her pouch and extended it. The guard handed her another in exchange. Both placed a finger over the wax seal of the scrolls and let a pulse of chakra flow into it. The locked seals glowed faintly for an instant before releasing, proving that neither could be opened or forged without the correct chakra signature. Each read the cipher marks inside, then sealed them again and gave a short nod. The codes matched.
Only then did the guard step aside and open the cart's door.
Lord Kiyosuke descended with unhurried grace. He was a man in his early forties, tall and slender but carrying himself with the quiet authority of someone long accustomed to command. His dark brown hair, streaked lightly with silver at the temples, was tied neatly at the back. A trimmed beard framed a face that might have looked severe were it not for the calm curiosity in his eyes.
He wore a simple yet well-made travel robe of soft brown and muted green, the kind of quality that only revealed itself up close. A narrow sash of deep blue with a subtle wave pattern marked his status without flaunting it. Despite the long journey, his clothes were neat and his bearing steady, the posture of a man who had led and endured before.
Kiyosuke's eyes lingered on Sena as he stepped fully out of the cart. A faint, good-natured smile softened the composed lines of his face. There was no sign of irritation at the covert precautions, only a quiet spark of interest, as if he found the cloak-and-dagger measures more intriguing than troublesome.