The assassins were spread out across the courtyard, forming a massive circle around Pain, who stood at the center. He muttered, "Let's begin."
As soon as he uttered those words, they all threw smoke bombs to the ground. Smoke blossomed around them, obscuring Pain's vision—or so they thought. With his Rinnegan, he could see them clearly, unsheathing their swords and pulling out kunai and shuriken.
A black rod slid from Pain's sleeve into his hand. He swung it to deflect the kunai flying at him, then leaped back to dodge more coming his way. Without turning, he reached behind him with the rod and blocked a sword strike from one of the shadows. He jumped up, spin-kicked the attacker in the face, sending him flying backward, and tilted his head as a spear thrust went past his masked face.
Pain grabbed the spear and bashed its owner on the head with his rod. Releasing it, he swung the spear into another shadow's stomach, breaking it in half on impact. The shadow was sent back through the smoke, vomiting blood.
Pain caught the two broken pieces of the spear and abandoned his rod. After all, he wasn't aiming to kill or seriously injure them, so a black rod wasn't ideal. He broke off the sharp, stabbing part, tossed it into the air, and kicked it toward a charging shadow. The shadow deflected it with his sword but continued the attack.
Pain charged forward, blocking a sword strike that left the shadow vulnerable. He slammed the remaining piece of the spear into his stomach, forcing him to drop his sword, then kneed him in the face.
Two kunai flew past his previous position. One shadow swung his sword at him, but Pain blocked it with his improvised staff. The sword was cut in half by the force of the strike, continuing in an arc toward him. Pain caught it with his bare hands with a metallic clang, his fingers denting the metal. He grabbed the shadow by the throat, but the attacker planted his feet on Pain's chest, pushed back, yanked himself free, and vanished into the smoke.
Kunai flew from the direction the shadow had vanished. Sensing two more shadows approaching from behind, Pain leapt and grabbed them mid-jump by their chins. Using their momentum, he lifted them off the ground, pivoted in the air, and slammed them onto the floor with the backs of their heads.
Landing, he caught a foot aimed at his face, yanked the shadow toward him, seized the sword from his hand, and punched him in the stomach. Small objects grazed his mask as they passed by.
Pain rose slowly, flaring his chakra. The smoke dispersed, revealing shadows scattered around him and unconscious. Most of them, however, were still standing, swords ready, waiting for an opening.
He paid them no mind. His gaze fixed on the beautiful figure in front of him—the one who had thrown the poison needle. Eyes narrowing beneath his mask, he straightened and said,
"Glad you could join us… Sandra Wu-San or should I say Lady Shiva."
Minutes Earlier
Lady Shiva walked down the hallway leading to the courtyard, where the sounds of battle echoed through the stone corridors. Ra's stood on a raised platform, overlooking the fight below.
As she approached, two assassins leapt from the shadows, blocking her path. Her hand inched toward the sword on her back, but before she could react, Ra's voice rang out.
"Let her pass."
The assassins immediately stepped aside, bowing before returning to their posts. Shiva continued forward and came to stand beside Ra's.
"Why was I called?" she asked, her tone neutral, betraying nothing.
"I did not think you would come," Ra's replied, eyes fixed on the courtyard. "After all, you seem to disapprove of our methods."
"I hope it isn't about persuading me to return to the League," Shiva said.
She had left the League long ago, disillusioned by their extreme methods, which she considered inefficient and unlikely to succeed. Yet she maintained loose contact; the League occasionally hired her for missions that ordinary Shadows could not handle — missions where she was sometimes paired with Slade. What mattered more to her was honing her skills and testing herself against worthy opponents.
Ra's' gaze never left the battlefield below.
"I have passed on the torch to a worthy successor," he said.
"I see. So this means your time is nearing an end?" Shiva asked, her eyes studying him.
"No," Ra's replied smoothly. "It means it's time for you to return to the League permanently."
Before Shiva could respond, he continued:
"The League needs you back more than ever. We will no longer stay in the shadows. That will draw opposition, and the League will require your services to deal with it."
"Who is your successor?" Shiva asked, her eyes flicking toward the battle below.
"You seem eager to see him," Ra's said, clearly noting her interest. "But I advise against disturbing his personal evaluation of the assassins' skills."
"Then allow me to meet him — and demonstrate mine," Shiva replied, her voice calm but resolute. With that, she leapt from the podium, releasing a volley of poison needles into the smoke-filled courtyard where the fighting was unfolding.
Present time
Lady Shiva took a step forward.
Instantly, the assassins who had their swords leveled at Pain shifted their focus toward her, ready to strike at his command.
In one fluid motion, Shiva unsheathed her blade from her back, her stance poised and unwavering.
"Stand down," Pain ordered.
The assassins immediately lowered their weapons and gave them space. Pain was inwardly pleased by their obedience, yet a flicker of disappointment lingered. Their reaction time was lacking, he thought. They should have attacked the instant she made her move.
Lady Shiva bowed slightly at the waist—a formal gesture of respect.
"I apologize for the interruption," she said evenly, "but I would like to demonstrate my skills as well."
Pain's gaze remained fixed on her. "You should have awaited your turn…" he said, his voice calm yet commanding. Then, his tone shifted slightly, curious. "But before we begin,who are you?"
He stepped sharply on a fallen sword beside him. The blade shot into the air, and he caught it effortlessly, its steel gleaming under the torchlight. Then, instead of aiming it at Shiva, he turned and pointed it toward one of the assassins in the crowd—the one who had narrowly escaped his grasp earlier.
A tense silence fell over the courtyard.
The assassin froze under his gaze before slowly reaching up to remove her mask.
Gasps spread among the surrounding shadows.
Ra's al Ghul's eyes narrowed dangerously as recognition dawned. "...Nyssa," he muttered under his breath, his tone unreadable.
Nyssa cursed under her breath as she took stock of the chaos. She had returned the moment she learned Ra's had named a successor — she'd assumed it would be Damian, which would have been convenient: remove the boy, seize the League. If it had been Slade, she'd have waited for the right opening. Instead she'd found neither son nor ally. She'd found an impostor who moved Ra's like a puppet.
She'd slipped in when the smoke rose, planning to strike while Pain's attention was elsewhere. Instead she'd badly misjudged his skill. Her cover was blown, and for nothing.
Her eyes flicked to Sandra — Lady Shiva — and Nyssa weighed the risk of dragging the woman into an alliance. Together they could have a chance. Alone, she'd already underestimated how far this usurper's reach went.
A calm voice cut through her thoughts. "Care to explain who this might be?" Pain asked, turning his attention toward Ra's.
Ra's descended the platform with the same graceful, measured steps he always took. He inclined his head. "My apologies for the intrusion, Lord Pain." He gestured toward the unmasked woman. "This is my second and youngest daughter who betrayed the league, Nyssa al Ghul."
Pain's tone was almost bored as he surveyed the scene. "I see. One surprise after another. The level of incompetence in this organization is staggering. That a threat could blend among you for so long… truly disappointing."
Ra's bowed his head again. "My apologies, Lord Pain. I will dispose of her shortly." He picked up a fallen sword and stepped into a stance before Nyssa. She stiffened, instantly scanning for escape routes.
"No," Pain said flatly. He gestured, and Ra's lowered the sword, stepping back. "That won't be necessary. Since she is already here, she might as well stay."
-----------------
Thena slumped onto the ground, breathing heavily as she finally finished the strong fist katas. "Finally… done. Can you teach me ninjutsu now, please?" she asked, her voice tinged with both exhaustion and excitement.
Max shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Not until your chakra control is up to par. You need to learn to master the basics before jumping into elemental attacks. For now, take a breather,we're about to move on to shuriken jutsu. After that, we'll work on chakra control, and then you'll be done for the day."
He placed the red scroll he had retrieved earlier onto the ground, bit his finger, and swiped it across the parchment. A puff of smoke erupted, and when it cleared, a collection of weapons floated before Thena's wide eyes.
"So… this is fuinjutsu," she murmured, awe-struck.
"Yes," Max replied, his gaze sweeping over her reaction. "And this," he said, gesturing to the floating weapons, "is your catalogue. These are the tools you'll be choosing from for your shuriken and weapon training."
End of Chapter