Instant Kill!
After erasing all traces of the previous encounter, Shirō and his team pressed on toward the mission site—this time with heightened caution.
They refused to allow another ambush to catch them off guard. Every movement was deliberate, every step taken with sharpened awareness.
Still, a fire burned in their chests. That frustration, however, could not be directed toward Konoha, even if they had begun to resent the shinobi-first mission system of the village.
Fortunately, this mission gave them an excellent outlet for that anger—enemies they could cut down without hesitation, without guilt, and with the added benefit of advancing their objective.
---
A week later, the team finally reached the designated zone, though what they had been given was only an approximate location.
According to intelligence, their target had awakened Kagura's Mind Eye, a sensory technique so powerful it could track chakra across great distances and even discern emotions. To avoid alerting her, the scouts had not dared to investigate deeply.
Instead, they left the burden to Shirō's team: locate her themselves.
But before approaching the true target, the plan required eliminating the shinobi from Kusagakure and Takigakure. Too many variables remained otherwise.
So the team retreated some distance, establishing a camp to serve as their base of operations.
The reality was grim: though only four in number, they faced nearly two hundred enemy shinobi. Grass and Waterfall comprised the bulk, but mercenaries and opportunists from other villages swelled their ranks. Among them were even Anbu units from Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure.
The rest—genin, weaker chūnin—were cannon fodder. But in war, even fodder could complicate things.
"Information is the sharpest kunai," Shirō reminded his comrades. Thus, while the others set camp, he released Gray Snake, his contracted summon from Ryūchi Cave, to infiltrate and collect intelligence.
By nightfall, they sat together in the flickering firelight, studying Gray Snake's report.
---
"Confirm this," Nakamura said gravely. "Are you truly planning to eliminate every foreign shinobi here? These are not weaklings."
Shirō's eyes hardened. "Precisely because they are strong. The longer we delay, the more their presence threatens the mission. Eliminating them now is the safest choice."
Shikamaru tapped the parchment map. "According to Gray Snake, the most dangerous are clearly the Anbu from Iwa, Kumo, and Suna. Each squad carries jōnin-level strength."
"The Grass and Taki shinobi may lack that raw power, but their numbers make them dangerous," Nakamura added.
"There's one more anomaly," Tai Yi said, lowering his voice. "A jōnin from Hoshigakure. Why he's here, I don't know. But that village's star training produces unusual chakra techniques. Their Peacock Art is not to be underestimated."
Shirō's gaze sharpened. "I'll handle him. His chakra manipulation may be strange, but to me it's nothing."
The others exchanged glances. None questioned him further. Shirō had already proven capable of handling what others would call impossible.
---
Shirō spread out the map. "The enemy's distribution works in our favor. They are not concentrated. We can strike fast, eliminating the Iwa and Kumo Anbu squads along with the Hoshigakure jōnin in one sweep.
"The key is speed. Once discovered, we'll be swarmed. Failure is not an option."
Nakamura nodded reluctantly. "And if reinforcements arrive?"
"There won't be time," Shirō replied. His tone carried iron certainty.
In truth, he had already realized the flaw in Konoha's briefing. The Hokage's intelligence division hadn't anticipated this many enemies. If Sarutobi Hiruzen had known, he would never have sent only four shinobi. Reinforcements would not arrive in time.
A quick, decisive battle was their only path.
---
At dawn, they moved.
Guided by Gray Snake, the team slipped past sentries and approached the Iwagakure stronghold. There were three Anbu within. Conveniently, one target for each of the younger shinobi, while Nakamura would provide backup.
"Go," Shirō whispered.
They struck.
Shirō's body flared with Reinforcement Magic, his muscles surging with inhuman strength. In a single dash, he closed the gap. His opponent reacted instantly, cloaking himself in the Earth Release: Earth Spear—a hardened defense technique used by Iwa shinobi to make their skin as hard as stone.
But he was already dead.
A short-bladed weapon of light shimmered into Shirō's hand—a Projected Noble Phantasm.
---
Noble Phantasm: Judgment of Sin
『The Judgment of Sin That Reaches Far』
Rank: C
Type: Anti-Unit
Range: 1–5
Maximum Targets: 1
Frieren Scharfrichter.
A cursed blade born of vengeance. Within its radius, the world tilts slightly, subtly distorting fate itself so that severing a head becomes inevitable.
It was not true causality reversal like the most fearsome Noble Phantasms. But for those beneath its threshold of authority, the strike was inescapable.
Shirō's slash cleaved through the Iwa-nin's hardened flesh as though it were paper. His head fell before his body even realized it had been struck.
Instant kill.
---
Through his research, Shirō had confirmed something important: a Noble Phantasm's description was not absolute. Its effectiveness depended on the wielder's authority and the target's resistance. Against someone of overwhelming "authority" or spiritual weight, its effects could falter.
But here, against mortal shinobi, the execution was perfect.
The battle had begun.
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