Under the protection of his two teammates, Katō Dan sat cross-legged on the ground.
Hand seals formed.
His consciousness and chakra detached together, transforming into a spectral form that shot into the night sky with a shrill howl.
From the shadows at a distance, Shawn observed calmly.
If I strike now, there's a high chance I could kill Katō Dan…
The thought surfaced—then was immediately suppressed.
Shawn turned and left.
Not long after, the memories from his shadow clone returned.
Against the Spirit Transformation Technique, the clone hadn't been able to resist at all—it was eliminated instantly.
Still, that exchange gave Shawn a clearer understanding of the technique.
This jutsu was not invincible.
"The key lies in spiritual willpower and chakra volume," Shawn analyzed.
"With enough mental strength and chakra, it's possible to forcibly expel an invading spirit."
His thoughts drifted to Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation.
That technique had allowed multiple reincarnations—yet in the end, even Orochimaru had fallen to Sasuke.
No technique was perfect.
No power absolute.
"Barriers can counter Spirit Transformation."
"Sealing techniques are even more effective… though using them mid-battle is unrealistic."
"Adamantine Sealing Chains would be ideal, but that's practically a bloodline ability."
"Still… Myōjinmon isn't bad either."
His thoughts continued branching outward as he mentally cataloged counters.
His feet never stopped moving.
Soon, Shawn reached the inn he had scouted earlier that day and checked in under the identity of a Fire Country merchant.
From now until he left the Daimyō's capital tomorrow, he would be nothing more than an ordinary civilian.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would not use chakra.
Aftermath
Elsewhere, Katō Dan's spirit returned to his body.
Opening his eyes, he shook his head in regret.
"Another shadow clone. The real body hid."
The two Konoha ninja beside him stiffened.
"So… the one we chased wasn't even the real one?"
"Or does that man also use Earth Release?"
Given how tightly they had pursued, for two shadow clones to act as decoys while the main body vanished—
Only Earth Release could explain it.
Katō Dan didn't argue.
"This ends here," he said calmly.
"When we return, I'll report everything to Hiruzen Sarutobi."
Political Ripples
That night, the Daimyō's capital was in chaos.
Shawn, meanwhile, slept peacefully until dawn—making up for several days of lost rest.
Danzo had granted him three days for the mission.
He'd finished it in one.
With two days remaining, Shawn saw no reason to rush back to Konoha—otherwise he'd only be buried in nonstop assignments with no time to train.
Early that morning, he left the capital and settled in Tanzaku Town, finding a quiet wooded area nearby for secluded training.
While Shawn cultivated himself—
Messages had already reached Konoha.
Katō Dan and his teammates returned and reported the assassination to the Third Hokage.
Danzo hadn't informed Hiruzen in advance, but Hiruzen understood everything.
After hearing the report, he simply praised Katō Dan and dismissed him.
Alone, Hiruzen pondered.
Root had executed the operation flawlessly.
All suspicion had been shifted onto the Sky-nin.
Not even a trace pointed back to Konoha.
For a brief moment, Hiruzen even considered using the incident as a pretext to wipe out the Sky Ninja Village once and for all.
The Fire Daimyō, whose authority had been directly challenged, would likely approve.
But Hiruzen held back.
Konoha still needed time.
Strength had to be accumulated—especially against the other four Great Villages.
He needed to avoid a scenario where Konoha became the common enemy.
"…If only the Wood Release experiment hadn't failed," Hiruzen sighed quietly.
The losses had been too heavy.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have hesitated.
Danzo's Move
At the Root base, Danzo Shimura waited.
He was waiting for Hiruzen's reaction.
But an entire morning passed—and no one came.
The excuse he had provided was perfect.
Yet Hiruzen still hadn't acted.
Shawn was right…
With that thought, Danzo rose and went directly to the Hokage's office.
Before he could speak, Hiruzen cut in.
"This time, Root performed excellently."
"But even with such a perfect casus belli, now is still not the time to move."
"I need Root to have the strength to destroy the Sky Ninja Village without weakening Konoha in future conflicts."
One sentence—completely sealing Danzo's mouth.
After a pause, Danzo nodded.
"I understand."
Hiruzen relaxed slightly.
"I'll use these incidents to formally censure the Sky Ninja Village. They won't yield easily—but the initiative will remain in our hands."
"This isn't the time for total war… but we can prepare."
Danzo's eyes flickered.
Then he spoke.
"I need to select a group of children from the Ninja Academy and the clans."
"They'll undergo special Root training—to become the foundation that protects the village from the shadows."
Hiruzen hesitated, then nodded.
Root's recent efficiency had proven its necessity.
Within a few years, its strength could undergo a complete transformation.
Children from clans and the Academy already had foundations—far more efficient than training orphans from scratch.
Danzo was pleased.
And yet—he hadn't forgotten Shawn's earlier proposal.
The orphanages would remain another pipeline.
Rasengan
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, deep in the woods outside Tanzaku Town—
Bang!
A water balloon burst.
Shawn smiled.
"Finally."
He had completed the first step.
Next—rubber balls.
Discarding the balloon, he pulled out a rubber ball and began again.
With prior experience from the water balloon stage, this part was smoother.
Unlike Naruto, Shawn understood every step of the process.
So instead of following them separately, he chose to compress chakra simultaneously, stabilizing it at the core.
Naruto had needed extra steps—consolidation, rotation stability.
Shawn intended to finish everything in one go.
He had advantages Naruto didn't.
Focus.
Precision.
Superior chakra control.
Gripping the ball with both hands, Shawn entered the final phase.
The ball bulged violently, on the verge of bursting.
His attention sharpened to a razor's edge.
Suddenly—
Boom!
The rubber ball exploded.
A violent gale erupted, forcing Shawn back a step.
His palm was scorched by dense chakra—
But the injury healed instantly.
Again.
And again.
Failure after failure.
Until deep into the night—
The violently unstable ball in his hand suddenly calmed.
The chaotic chakra vanished.
Shawn's eyes lit up.
Success.
He stepped before a massive tree and slammed his hand forward.
The rubber ball shattered.
In its place bloomed a cyan sphere of rotating chakra—
The Rasengan.
The spiraling force drilled through the trunk instantly.
Boom!
The upper half of the tree collapsed.
The Rasengan dispersed.
Shawn exhaled slowly.
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