Time passed, and twenty days flew by in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Kaito Fujiwara left the borders of the Rain Country, taking a detour through the Grass Country, Water Trap Country, Iron Country, and Field Country before finally arriving in the Hot Spring Country, northeast of the Fire Country. His roundabout journey was not without reason—he was an undercover agent, a hidden pawn, and a traitor.
If he had entered the Fire Country directly from the Rain Country and proceeded to Konoha, his background would have been scrutinized. The mere fact that he was from the Rain Country would have raised immediate suspicions, especially given the recent collapse of their intelligence network. Konoha's security forces would undoubtedly suspect him of being a spy.
Furthermore, Shun's so-called genius plan of planting children as undercover agents might seem brilliant to some, but Kaito knew better. It was merely a predictable move in the grand scheme of espionage. If caught, he would be interrogated by the Yamanaka clan, and once they peered into his mind, his secret would be exposed. Everything would be over.
With the current Hokage being Senju Tobirama, a man infamous for his research and ruthless efficiency, Kaito wasn't willing to take any unnecessary risks. A longer detour was far preferable to an untimely death on a laboratory table.
As he walked along a small path in the Hot Spring Country, he was dressed in a straw raincoat with a straw hat shielding his face. In his hand, he held a scroll, reading it with great interest. It was the palm-sized scroll that Shun had secretly handed him before he left.
This scroll contained a secret technique of the Rain Shinobi Village known as the Nura Technique. Kaito knew full well that Shun must have taken an enormous risk to procure it for him.
"That nosy guy," Kaito muttered under his breath, though the slight upturn at the corners of his mouth betrayed his appreciation.
After carefully tucking the scroll away, he adjusted his backpack and continued on his way.
In the distance, where the sky met the earth, a wisp of smoke rose into the sky.
"Oh? Looks like I'm in luck today. I've acquired a secret technique, and now there's civilization ahead. Finally, I can have a warm meal instead of cold rations."
Muttering to himself, Kaito quickened his pace toward the source of the smoke, following the setting sun.
---
By the time the sun had set, darkness shrouded the earth. The smoke that had once been visible was now hidden in the night. Still, Kaito found the village with ease, guided by his keen sense of direction.
As he approached, he began to sense that something was off.
His brows furrowed as he took in the scene before him. What he had mistaken for cooking smoke was, in reality, thick plumes of black smoke rising from burning houses. From a distance, it had appeared thin, resembling household chimney smoke. But now, up close, the truth was unmistakable.
The village was in ruins. The air reeked of charred wood and blood. Corpses littered the ground—men, women, children, and the elderly. Every soul had been slaughtered.
A massacre.
Kaito's sharp mind quickly saw an opportunity amidst the carnage. If he could replace one of the children from this destroyed village and fabricate a reasonable backstory, his infiltration into Konoha would become far smoother.
Without hesitation, he stashed his belongings in a hidden bush, ensuring no link remained between him and his true identity. Then, he crept toward the village.
"Chou-Wei-Si… Secret Technique: Nura Technique."
With his hand seals complete, Kaito moved through the half-man-high grass, his presence completely erased by the technique's effects.
As he got closer, his eyes narrowed sharply.
Amidst the sea of corpses, four figures sat around a fire in the village center, laughing boisterously. Kaito recognized one of them immediately—a boy around twelve years old who had undergone the same undercover training as him.
He had overheard once that this boy and another, slightly younger child, were to be sent to Kirigakure.
Once, Kaito had considered the other trainees as fellow victims—children forced into war and espionage. But now, seeing the gleeful expressions on their faces, he no longer felt the same way.
Stepping forward silently, he approached the group without a hint of hesitation.
Strangely, none of them reacted to his presence. Whenever their eyes swept past him, it was as if they saw nothing more than an unremarkable rock on the roadside.
Kaito marveled at the effectiveness of the Nura Technique while taking in their faces.
The boy he recognized was Aaron.
The remaining three were Rain Shinobi, ones he had previously seen near Hanzo's office. Now, however, they wore no forehead protectors, their bodies covered in blood, their laughter disgusting.
Although Kaito felt anger rising, he knew the nature of this era. Kill or be killed—it was just another day in the ninja world.
"Hey, Aaron, you're young, but you sure learned how to kill quickly," one of the ninjas sneered, taking a swig of sake.
Aaron smirked. "The big oaf who teaches espionage always said, 'Don't be soft when eliminating threats.' I'm just following instructions."
Kaito scoffed inwardly.
That's not what Shun meant at all. He meant to eliminate threats, not defenseless civilians. If Shun knew his student had turned into a bloodthirsty monster, he would probably kill him himself.
The group continued their conversation, their words becoming more vulgar.
One of the Rain Shinobi chuckled, "Aaron, you've had some fun today. When you reach Kirigakure, you might find yourself craving more."
The boy smirked. "Once I'm a Mist ninja, I'll take my men and burn villages openly. Who's gonna stop me?"
The others laughed, talking about the women they had taken advantage of before killing them.
Kaito's face darkened further.
These scumbags had done more than just murder. They had committed atrocities.
Suddenly, his cold voice cut through the laughter. "You really are filth."
The four men froze, startled by the presence of a stranger they had failed to notice.
"You! Who the hell are you?!"
"Oh? Forgotten me already?" Kaito said as he removed his straw hat.
Aaron's face twisted in shock. "Kaito Fujiwara!"
The other three shinobi tensed up. Though they had never met him, they had heard Hanzo had taken on an apprentice named Kaito Fujiwara.
"What are you doing here? You were supposed to be heading for the Fire Country!" Aaron demanded.
Ignoring him, Kaito looked at the three shinobi and asked coldly, "Where's your leader? I have something to discuss with him."
"What do you want?" one ninja asked warily.
Kaito smiled darkly. "His life."
"Bastard! You're asking for death!" the hot-tempered ninja, Buzhi, roared, flinging a kunai.
Kaito didn't move. Instead, he formed a seal.
"Magnet Style: Thousand Machine Killing Technique!"
In an instant, countless glowing Senbon erupted from his ninja pouch, flying at a speed ten times faster than any thrown kunai.
The deadly storm of needles tore through the air, piercing everything in their path—including Kaito himself.
In mere seconds, all four enemies collapsed, twitching in pools of their own blood.
Retracting the Senbon, Kaito smirked at their agonized expressions.
"Feels nice, doesn't it?"
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