— Command Shadows…
Staring at those four words, memories of the [Shadow Lord] class flooded Nara Shikage's mind.
It was the broken class from that blockbuster Korean webtoon — two signature cheat skills: [Shadow Extraction] and [Shadow Storage].
The first let you rip shadows straight out of corpses and turn them into loyal shadow soldiers.
The second was the permanent upgrade — keep those soldiers forever.
Basically a necromancer, but way more twisted.
One quick thought and Shikage already knew what the class quest wanted.
— Command five shadow soldiers.
Easy enough.
Kill five random criminals, missing-nin, or even five scumbag civilians on the side. Done.
But he wasn't settling for trash.
"When numbers are limited, quality is king."
Names of powerful shinobi flashed through his head one after another.
A few minutes later, one figure stood out crystal clear.
Uchiha… Shisui!
The Uchiha clan's once-in-a-generation genius. The guy who single-handedly carved out the name "Shisui of the Body Flicker" on the Third Great War battlefield.
Elite jōnin at a stupidly young age, and on top of that — Mangekyō Sharingan with "Kotoamatsukami."
Perfect specimen. No contest.
Just imagining a shadow soldier with Kotoamatsukami made his pulse race.
The only issue? Right now he'd get wrecked if he faced Shisui head-on.
But!
He didn't need to fight at all.
Someone else would handle the killing for him.
All he had to do was show up at the right place, right time, and loot the body.
Saving Shisui? Please. He wasn't strong enough for heroics yet.
Shikage took a slow breath, calmed the fire in his chest, and started building the plan.
Shisui was still alive, but the friction between the Uchiha and Konoha's top brass was already boiling over.
Danzō would make his move soon — that much was certain.
Timing? After dark. Exact hour unknown.
Location? Naka River. Confirmed.
Rough window and area locked in. Now it was just a waiting game.
— Opportunities go to the prepared.
— So while I wait, I'm not sitting idle.
— First, scout the pickup zone every day. Learn every inch of terrain around the Naka River.
— Screw daily trips. I'll just camp in the Naka River forest.
This looting run was his launch money. Zero room for mistakes.
"Grab some wilderness gear when I get home."
Decision made, Shikage turned and headed toward the Nara clan grounds.
Passing the Ninja Academy, he glanced over at the training field. Dozens of tiny figures were doing perfect synchronized drills.
Looking at those familiar little faces, a soft smile tugged at his lips.
Truth be told, substitute-teaching those first-years had actually been fun.
Someone spotted him. One kid pointed. Then more and more heads turned.
Naruto went full gremlin mode — jumping, yelling, waving like crazy.
Sasuke tried to play it cool but still waved with a big grin.
Shikamaru stood with arms crossed, looking half-annoyed, half-proud.
Ino, Sakura, and the girls clustered together, eyes sparkling, whispering and giggling.
"Kids really do have it easy…"
After a quiet sigh, Shikage waved back, then kept walking.
"Too bad I stopped being a kid the day I was born here."
In the fading dusk light, his shadow looked darker, sharper than ever.
...
The large traditional courtyard came into view. Shikage pushed open the gate and walked straight to the main house.
Stone path, engawa, sliding door, doma.
While slipping on indoor shoes he called out:
"Mom, Dad back from work?"
Nara Yoshino kept sweeping the living room without turning around.
"In the study."
"And we're having tonkatsu tonight to celebrate you becoming an Academy teacher."
"Got it."
Quick chat done, Shikage headed to the study and pushed the door open without knocking.
Nara Shikaku was staring at the shogi board. He'd long gotten used to his son's lack of manners.
"How'd the assessment go?" he asked, moving a piece.
"With your talent, no issues, right?"
"Nope. I withdrew."
Shikage dropped down on the opposite side of the board.
"I'm going for Anbu."
The shogi piece in Shikaku's hand hit the board with a sharp clack.
He frowned, eyes serious.
"You're serious?"
As clan head, Shikaku knew the real world outside the village wasn't peaceful.
Constant shadow wars between nations and villages. Criminal groups everywhere.
The ones who dealt with that hidden darkness were Konoha's Anbu — Special Assassination and Tactical Squad.
One wrong step and you were dead.
He sure as hell didn't want his freshly graduated son thrown into suicide missions.
"Yeah." Shikage nodded casually, meeting his father's gaze head-on.
"If I don't go, Shikamaru will have to later."
"Better me than him."
Shikaku went quiet.
He understood exactly what that meant.
The Nara were the core of the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance. Huge influence in Konoha.
He himself was Hokage advisor and jōnin representative — key political seats.
One son would be fine. But he had two, both ridiculously talented.
If the higher-ups — especially the Third or Danzō — got suspicious, the Nara clan could be finished.
He trusted Hiruzen… but what if?
So sending the main branch's eldest son to Anbu as a "hostage" was basically mandatory.
Thinking about Konoha's current political knife-fighting, Shikaku let out a long, tired sigh.
The look he gave Shikage was complicated. He'd known the kid was smart… but this smart?
The more outstanding Shikage was, the heavier his heart felt.
"Sorry."
"No big deal. Just give me more money."
Shikage grinned, completely casual.
"I'm doing some wilderness survival training for a while."
"Call it prep before Anbu."
Seeing how mature his son was acting, Shikaku took another deep breath.
Since he couldn't stop this, he'd support him all the way — especially on money.
"Don't worry. I've got you covered there!"
As Hokage advisor, his private funds were decent.
That night, when Nara Yoshino heard her son was joining Anbu, she was worried sick and clearly unhappy… but she accepted it.
Still…
"Your little stash is nothing! Don't you dare shortchange my boy!"
"Empty the entire Nara clan treasury if you have to!"
"I know exactly how rich your cousins and brothers are!"