As soon as Shinmi used the wind release jutsu, the ground under his feet gave way.
A hand covered in dirt shot up from the ground and grabbed his ankle like an iron vise.
"Dammit!"
As a strong force pulled him down, his pupils got smaller. The ground swallowed him up like a living thing, leaving only his head above the surface.
He couldn't believe his eyes when the "Roshi" that was full of poisoned senbon, turned into a puff of white smoke and disappeared into the morning air.
Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu.
And... a Shadow Clone.
Jōnin?!
Shinmi writhed and screamed, but the mud got tighter around him. Then pain shot through his stomach, sharp and unending.
"Ugh—!" His face twisted in pain.
Wooden spikes had gone through his organs and were growing violently from the inside. Veins were full of invasive roots that spread through his blood and stabbed into his flesh with every heartbeat. More branches grew from the wounds, tearing him apart from the inside.
"Cough—!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth and dripped onto the ground. Crimson flowed from his nose, ears, and eyes, soaking his chin before splattering the ground.
"Puppets... Senbon that has been poisoned... You're from Suna, huh…"
Roshi came into view, standing over him. His eyes were steady and unreadable. "So, a Rogue ninja?"
He bent down a little and spoke in a flat, clear voice. "The villagers only found a small part of the loot, didn't they? Where did you hide the rest? Not on you..." He squinted. "Do you have anything else to say? A reason for defecting? It would make the report better."
His voice stayed calm, as if he were bored. "If not, I'll just make one up."
Shinmi's eyes bulged, and bloodshot veins spread out like spiderwebs across them as the wood tore him apart from the inside. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was bloody foam. A broken, rasping voice came out of his throat.
"Too... too... tired..."
can't... see... hope...
Every year, sandstorms get worse.
Missions growing fewer.
The Daimyō is cutting the military budget again.
War... an endless, thankless war.
But still, weak, ordinary merchants had safer, better lives than shinobi who fought for their countries. Why? Why did the strong work hard, suffer, and die while the weak lived in peace?
He couldn't take it.
During the Third Great Ninja War, he ran away and stayed hidden until Anbu confirmed his "death." He built carefully by hiring men, finding weak spots, and hoarding money. All to get freedom. All to one day be able to retire in peace.
The plan had gone perfectly.
He would get rid of the idiot followers when the time came.
He would silence the villagers if needed.
He could still see a villa in the Land of Tea. The roof is red and the walls are white. Camellias in the wind from the sea. Warm sunlight waking me up every day.
Now... everything fell apart.
His breath was short and rough. His blurry vision focused on Roshi, who stood out against the pale morning light like a black shadow.
A flash of kunai.
Shinmi's head fell to the ground.
Roshi took a sealing scroll out of his chest, unrolled it, and put the head on top of it. His hands moved through the seals. The light sparkled, and the head disappeared, leaving behind a pattern of fading seals.
Protocol. If you come across a foreign rogue shinobi, you must seal their head and send it back. Intelligence could look through it for information. There might be a bonus. At the very least, a regular bounty.
Footsteps echoed at the gate as the light faded.
Itachi came out, his young face calm.
"Done?"
"Yeah." Roshi got up and brushed off his hands.
"As you told me to, I finished talking with Kisuke and the elders. I made it clear: Konoha will not talk about what happened here. You and I officially killed all of the bandits.
He took out a small bag out of cloth. "They turned over valuables as compensation. I accepted them on your behalf."
Roshi tucked the pouch away. "Good. Sweep the stronghold. See if this Sunagakure rogue left anything worth taking."
He looked at the bodies that were lying around on the ground. "Leave the cleanup to the villagers."
At first, the bodies were meant to show that the mission had been successful for the Land of Rivers.
That was no longer needed.
It was more than enough to have the head of a rogue-nin from Sunagakure.
Konoha's intelligence division would figure out that he was the one behind it all, and there was no doubt that the mission was a success. What started out as a simple C-rank task had turned into something much worse than anyone could have imagined: the death of a rogue shinobi.
Itachi walked toward the broken puppet parts that were lying around, being careful not to get too close to the main body. His hands moved quickly through seals to call forth a shadow clone.
The clone moved slowly, reaching out with one finger to touch the wooden frame. As soon as it touched the wood, it shimmered a little and turned into a bluish-purple stain.
Toxic.
Not strong enough to get rid of the clone completely, but still dangerous. Itachi pushed his clone forward, which made it move faster. It carefully opened the puppet's chest and took out a sealed scroll that was hidden inside.
The scroll was clean.
Itachi still had the clone unroll it and check for traps before letting his real body get closer. He only looked at it with his own hands when he was sure it was safe.
"Itachi said quietly, "Senpai, it's a sealing scroll." "Type that uses a blood seal."
Roshi's eyes sparkled with knowledge. "Then the rest of the loot should be inside."
He didn't know how to unseal such seals. They would have to wait until they got back to the village. He took out a small, specialized tube and carefully sealed it after taking a sample of Shinmi's blood.
Blood was the key.
Chakra was a fusion of physical and spiritual energy. Once refined, traces of it remained in a shinobi's very cells. That's why blood could be used as a summoning medium—or, in this case, to break the blood-seals created by its owner. So long as the blood still retained vitality, a sealing expert could unlock it.
Roshi put the scroll in his tool pouch and then swept the stockade one last time. He dusted off his hands and turned to the boy next to him, a rare, easy smile spreading across his face.
"That's pretty much it. The mission is over. The only thing left to do is file the report."
Itachi stood quietly, still as a statue.
Roshi blinked, then snapped his fingers as if remembering something. "Oh, right. Before we head back, want to stop by Koizumi Town?"
"…Visit?"
The eight-year-old tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes in confusion.
Roshi smiled and patted Itachi lightly on the shoulder. "The mission is over," he said. "Can't just go home without relaxing a little."
Itachi said, "Yes, Senpai," in a calm voice.
Roshi crouched down until their eyes were level, and his voice was strong but soft. "This isn't a command. So don't give me a soldier's answer. Please just let me know if you want to go."
The boy didn't say anything. The morning wind moved the air, bringing with it the smell of blood and the smell of grass and dirt. His eyes moved past the broken fence and followed the faint outline of the trade route that wound down the mountain.
"…Dango?" he finally asked, almost in a whisper.
Roshi smiled even more. "Great idea."
He got up and stretched slowly as the first rays of sunlight hit the edge of his shadow. "Then let's go to Koizumi Town and try their dango. And while we're at it, we'll also bring back some local foods."