The moon hung low and dull over the rooftops, its light barely cutting through the darkness that clung to the streets.
I crouched beside Riku on the edge of a slanted tile roof, eyes fixed on the narrow alley below.
We'd been doing this for a week now. Removing people quietly. Problematic figures gang leaders and thosewho made money smuggling from the rain,we made sure to keep it quiet, a whisper here and there maybe. But nothing that pointed to us. Sayuri-san's work in the getting information was still holding, Hanami-san network of kitchen staff was feeding us information on movement of the servants and guests, and Riku and I handled the cleanup.
I'd taken to calling it "cleanup" in my head. It wasn't my first kill. Basara from before already had a few notches under his belt but that name made it easier to swallow, made the act feel like work to be done rather than something to carry.
Below us, the man we were waiting for stumbled out of a side door, muttering to himself.
A mid-level dealer who'd been moving supplies to Rain territory weapons, food, people. His clothes were fine, but his posture screamed arrogance. He didn't bother to check his surroundings; he didn't think anyone would dare touch him here.
"There he is…" Riku whispered beside me.
I nodded once. "Wait for him to reach the midpoint."
The alley stretched like a throat between two dilapidated buildings. A perfect place for something to disappear.
I raised one hand and formed a single seal. Ox.
The familiar tingle of chakra rolled down my spine, into my legs, and through my feet into the building beneath me. I kept it controlled, just enough to pulse through the earth quietly, warping the stone below our target's next step.
The man walked right into it.
His foot hit the uneven ground, twisted hard, and he pitched forward with a startled grunt.
He hit the dirt with a thud, breath bursting out of him, cursing as he tried to push himself up.
That was all the time Riku needed.
He dropped from the roof in near silence, a blur of movement, as his knees hit the ground. His hand flashed, the glint of metal catching moonlight, and the kunai slid cleanly across the man's throat before the scream could escape.
The body jerked once. Then went still.
I dropped down after him, boots landing beside the corpse. The sound was small enough to be lost in the night.
Riku exhaled sharply and wiped his blade on the man's sleeve. "That's the fourteenth one this week," he murmured.
I gave a small nod. "Yeah... Grab his legs."
He obeyed without a word. We worked in silence, lifting the body between us and moving deeper into the backstreets, keeping to the shadows where no windows faced. A drunk or two wandered past the far end of the road but didn't look our way.
We carried the corpse until the cobbled streets gave way to packed earth, a patch of overgrown ground beyond the outer walls. It was quiet there, save for the chirp of night insects and the faint rustle of wind through the grass.
I crouched and pressed my palm to the dirt. The ground felt cool under my skin.
Tiger - Boar - Dog.
The earth shifted under my hand, parting easily now. The soil moved smoother than it had a week ago.
I'd gotten good. Too good, given the short amount of time.
The hole widened into a shallow grave. We laid the man in, his face already turning pale under the thin wash of moonlight. Riku said nothing and neither did I. It was just work.
I fed chakra to the ground again, and the dirt slid back into place, soft and seamless, hiding every trace of a hole ever being there.
The chakra in my body pulsed as I closed the hole. I could feel how much smoother my control over earth, even water had gotten. Each day it was getting easier, almost natural. I could pull the ground apart or shift its density without much effort. Even the water exercises from Shigure-san's scroll had become easier to the point where i felt comfortable with converting my chakra into water.
Part of me wanted to feel proud. The other part, the one that remembered from Basara's memories, knew this wasn't normal. Not this fast.
I stood, dusting my hands off, and looked back toward the town. The lanterns near the walls burned faintly in the distance.
"We're done here," I said quietly.
Riku nodded, sliding his kunai back into its sheath. "Yes lets go."
We turned and started walking.
We were halfway back into town when I my briefly sensed another chakra signature approaching.
Thats new
Riku's hand went to his pouch out of reflex, but I lifted mine slightly to stop him. A shadow detached itself from the treeline and landed softly ahead of us, pale white eyes gleaming faintly in the dark.
"Hyūga," I said quietly.
The man gave a small nod. His forehead protector bore the Konoha insignia, though mud dulled the metal. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Team Fifteen?"
"Yeah," I replied, matching his calm tone. "Fox. branch."
He exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders. "Root. leaf," he finished the correct counter-sign.
We stepped closer. He reached into his pouch and handed me a sealed scroll. "Orders from command," he said, voice low. "Situation on the border's shifting fast. Things are getting tense. You're to be on alert and your operation here may need to move faster than expected."
Riku frowned. "Faster.. ?"
The Hyūga nodded his head. "command wants results soon, The higher-ups think Rain might break their neutrality"
"Understood," I said, sliding the scroll into my vest.
The Hyūga studied us both for a moment, and gave a curt nod and turned, vanishing into the treeline as quietly as he'd come.
Riku let out a low breath. "So… what now?"
I stared down at the faint tracks his sandals had left in the dirt, thinking. Normally, we only met with Sayuri-san and Hanami-san in the mornings, when it wouldn't risk their cover. But this sounded serious. Orders like that didn't come for nothing.
"We go now," I said finally.
Riku hesitated, only for a second, then nodded. "Let's go."
We moved.
The town was quiet at this hour, most streets empty except for the occasional soldier or drunk straggler.
We followed the trail through winding lanes until the buildings opened up into a larger compounds. Lanterns hung from tall posts, their soft light glinting off red-and-gold painted gates. The faint notes of string music floated through the air, blending with laughter and the gentle splash of water.
We landed silently on the roof directly above her room,
"She's below," Riku murmured, nostrils flaring slightly. His expression shifted uneasily. "With him again."
I couldn't help but feel a flush of secondhand embarrassment.
He can probably smell everything, I thought awkwardly .
He looked away, jaw tight. "I'll keep watch from here."
I nodded once. "Good. watch my back."
He crouched by the ledge, eyes scanning the alleyways, hand resting near his kunai pouch. His usual grin was gone, I couldn't blame him. I'd just met the woman, and I felt awkward.
I sighed softly and turned toward the building. I molded chakra into my feet and moved down sticking to the wall, slowly making sure to keep myself in the shadows.
I shifted slightly on the wooden frame, careful not to make a sound. From the small gap in the half-shuttered window, I could see inside the room.
Sayuri-san's back arched like a drawn bow. Her kimono pooled at her hips, the fabric sliding with each roll of her pelvis against the young noble beneath her. Her fingers trace the boy's jaw, nails dragging lightly enough to raise gooseflesh. A low moan escaped the noble's lips. Sayuri-san's own breath hitched in a perfect counterfeit of desire.
Poor bastard, I thought, lips curling into a near-smile. The boy didn't even know he was being played
I pressed my hand against the window frame and eased it open a little more, letting the faint breeze push it just enough to look natural. From my pouch, I took a few dried leaves and dropped them through the slit, letting them drift lazily to the floor inside.
For a few seconds, nothing. then movement…
She'd noticed.
The rustle of fabric followed.
The window slid open just enough for her voice to slip through. "You can come in," she said quietly.
I dropped from the wall and landed soundlessly on the wooden balcony. When I stepped through, Sayuri-san was standing by the window, adjusting her crimson obi. Behind her, the boy's glazed eyes fixed on nothing as he rutted against silk pillows, hips jerking violently while murmuring obscene promises to the ghost of her touch.
"You really should learn to time your visits," she said lightly, faint smile tugging at her lips. "you're blocking my fun."
I didn't rise to the bait, just stepped forward and handed her the sealed scroll. "Orders from command."
Her expression shifted instantly. The teasing vanished, replaced by calm focus. She broke the seal and skimmed the contents, eyes narrowing as she read.
"So," she said, her voice dipping, "command's moving troops here. A lot of them. They want the ruling family to welcome the occupation with open arms." Her tone was sharp.
She closed the scroll and crossed her arms, thinking. The golden light from the lamps cut across her face, her expression sharp and calculating.
"I've gathered enough to know the lord himself is cautious, and dosent trust shinobi, but he loves his granddaughter more than his own position."
She tapped the scroll against her palm once, slowly. "We can use that."
My stomach sank. "Use… how?"
Her eyes flicked up to mine. "We stage a kidnapping. Make it look like its the Rain's work. There aren't many capable samurai in town, and we've already mapped their patrol patterns. We can do this"
I blinked. "You want to abduct the lord's granddaughter?"
"Temporarily," she said. "She'll be returned unharmed, just scared enough to make it real. The idea is to make the lord come to Konoha for help. Once he does, the town becomes ours, willingly."
I kept my face still, but inside, my thoughts went cold. Manipulating civilians, it wasn't unexpected, but hearing it laid out so casually drove home what being a shinobi really meant.
We're serial killing psychopaths for money, I thought grimly.
I nodded slowly, though the knot in my chest didn't loosen.
"We'll go over the plan in detail tomorrow," she continued, rolling the scroll up and tucking it into her sleeve. "Meet us outside town before sunrise. You and Riku need to be ready to move."
I couldn't help a small, dry smile. "Understood."
She smiled back, softer this time, the tension melting just enough for a flicker of warmth. "Good. I knew I could count on you. Basara-san"
Behind her, the young noble boy moaned, eyes rolled back beneath lids fluttering. Sayuri-san turned her head slightly toward him, a faintly amused look crossing her face.
I exhaled, shaking my head in amusment. "You've really got him wrapped around your finger. Don't you?"
She chuckled under her breath, that same teasing note returning for a heartbeat. "That's the point."
Our eyes met once more before I turned toward the window and climbed out.