"This mission—you'll be acting alone."
"Your target is Naoki Itsukami, a noble of the Land of Fire."
Danzo personally delivered the mission briefing to Hajime Hoshita. "He opposes Konoha's military expansion. But now, all the other shinobi villages are pushing ahead with their own military build-ups. Intelligence shows they're accelerating their research on Jinchuriki."
"People like him, who get in the way—there's no need for them to exist."
Hajime, with his head bowed, immediately replied, "Understood. I'll send him to reunite with his ancestors."
Danzo emphasized, "You'll carry out this mission under the identity of a Sky Shinobi. You must not expose any connection to Konoha."
Hajime responded without hesitation, "Understood!"
Assassinating a noble from one's own country—this was a mission steeped in shadow and filth.
If his identity were to be exposed, Konoha would be in serious trouble.
"You have three days. After that, you'll need to lead a team on another mission."
Danzo turned around. "Go."
With a flicker, Hajime vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
Back at his quarters, he packed the scroll containing the Wood Release secrets, then quietly left the village under cover of night.
Midnight.
Hajime arrived at the daimyo's capital of the Land of Fire. Using the identity of a merchant from the Land of the Moon, he checked into an inn to rest.
At 7 a.m. the next morning, he got up and used the Transformation Technique to assume various identities, scoping out the surroundings of Naoki Itsukami's residence.
The number of guards.
The surrounding terrain.
Escape routes.
Potential interceptors.
After all, this was the capital of the Land of Fire—the political and economic heart of the country.
Aside from numerous samurai, there were also shinobi.
Some were retainers privately hired by nobles or the daimyo himself, but there were also Konoha shinobi among them.
To Hajime, any of them—especially Konoha shinobi—could become a major threat.
And Konoha shinobi were likely to be stronger. He might even encounter a jonin.
So Hajime spent an entire day preparing.
When night fell, he made sure to eat and drink his fill. Then, disguised as a homeless man, he approached Naoki Itsukami's residence.
An hour later, Naoki returned home, flanked by six samurai guards.
Hajime didn't strike on the road. Even if he could take out the target quickly, the commotion would be too great.
Only after Naoki was inside his residence did Hajime make his move—using the cover of darkness to infiltrate the estate.
He knew this place inside and out by now and navigated with ease to the courtyard outside Naoki's bedroom.
There were a total of eight guards stationed around the bedroom—two at the courtyard gate, two on the roof, and four directly outside the bedroom door.
Inside, Naoki was playing an intimate game of hide-and-seek with two women.
Whish! Whish!
Two senbon shot out of the darkness, piercing the throats of the two guards at the courtyard gate with precision.
Before their bodies could hit the ground, Hajime's shadow clones caught them and snapped their necks with clean crack sounds.
Boom!
The courtyard gate exploded open as the two clones charged in with blades drawn.
"Who's there?!"
"An assassin!"
"Watch out—it's a shinobi!"
Cries of alarm erupted, immediately followed by screams of agony.
Inside the bedroom, Naoki—who had just been getting into the mood—froze in terror and went limp.
The two women shrieked. Naoki didn't even bother to dress—on all fours, he scrambled toward the secret chamber.
There was a hidden escape route inside!
Just as he opened the door to the secret chamber, Hajime Hoshita appeared behind him, grabbed his hair, and lifted him effortlessly.
"Wh-Who are you?!"
"If you dare kill me, the Land of Fire won't let you go!"
Naoki Itsukami tried to look behind him but couldn't see who it was.
Hajime let out a quiet chuckle. "Sorry, but I am from the Land of Fire."
Naoki's eyes widened. "You're from Konoha!"
Hajime said calmly, "Some of your recent statements were… inconvenient. But words once spoken can't be taken back. So I'll be sending you to the Pure Land."
"As for the daimyo—without concrete proof, do you really think the Land of Fire's daimyo would hold Konoha accountable for your death?"
"Besides, this kind of thing? Clearly the work of enemy forces trying to sow discord between Konoha and the daimyo's court."
Naoki opened his mouth to scream, but before a sound could come out, Hajime snapped his neck.
As for the two women—already scrambling to flee the bedroom—they heard none of the conversation.
Hajime stepped out just as the rest of Naoki's guards rushed into the courtyard. He leapt onto the rooftop and used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat.
The samurai gave chase without hesitation.
Under the cover of night, in the bustling streets, news of Naoki Itsukami's assassination was already beginning to spread.
Meanwhile, at a nearby food stall, three Konoha shinobi were enjoying their meal when a figure dashed overhead, pursued by a group of frantic samurai. The commotion quickly drew their attention.
Soon, they began to pick up whispers from the crowd around them:
Sky Shinobi.
Assassination.
The three exchanged glances, and their captain, Kato Dan, immediately sprang to his feet.
The other two quickly tossed coins onto the table and followed.
Under the moonlight, the three figures leapt from rooftop to rooftop with impressive speed, soon outpacing the pursuing samurai.
Hajime glanced back—and his eyes twitched.
That guy… he looked familiar.
That blue hair… Kato Taka?
No—Kato Dan!
This guy was dangerous.
Hajime's heartbeat quickened slightly.
He didn't know if Kato Dan had already mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, but he couldn't take any chances.
Right now, he was posing as a Sky Shinobi—if he died from Spirit Transformation, that would be beyond humiliating.
So he abruptly changed course, diving off the roof into a dark alley.
Inside the alley, Hajime split into three.
Two shadow clones: one kept running toward the city outskirts, acting as the main body; the other stayed behind, forming hand seals, preparing a jutsu.
The real Hajime, however, raised one hand, leaned against a wooden wall—and vanished into it, merging with the wood itself.
Kato Dan and his team quickly arrived.
But they didn't charge in immediately. Instead, a flash bomb dropped into the alley.
With a bang, the alley lit up like daylight.
But Hajime remained unaffected—his eyes were already shut, having anticipated this move.
After all, if he were in their shoes, he'd have done the same.
His jutsu was already complete. He opened his mouth—
Wind Style: Breakthrough!
As the blinding light began to fade, a fierce gust surged through the alley. The three shinobi, just leaping in, were caught midair by the blast and momentarily suspended.
As the light dimmed, Hajime opened his eyes, leapt forward, and unleashed a flash of steel, his blade aimed straight at Kato Dan.
Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew. Kato Dan, holding a kunai, was knocked backward by sheer force, his expression twisting.
That sword was heavy!
"Captain!"
The other two Konoha shinobi were shocked. Their team leadera jonin—had been sent flying.
Kato Dan flipped in midair, landed smoothly, and shouted, "Watch out—he's incredibly strong!"
Before the words finished leaving his mouth, Hajime had already engaged the other two.
Each took a hit—one a slash, the other a kick—while Hajime himself was sent flying by a retaliating strike. As he hit the ground, he burst into a puff of smoke.
"A clone…"
The two Konoha shinobi froze. That power? From a clone?
One against three—and he wasn't even losing ground.
"Don't chase!"
Kato Dan barked, "I'll use the Spirit Transformation Technique!"
With that, he prepared to give pursuit—using the technique that would make him even faster.
(End of Chapter)