[EXP +1657][EXP +857][EXP +659]
"…You can fight like that?"
Crow stared at Hyuga Arin in disbelief.
Two kunai.
Ultra–long-range precision strikes.
At that distance, even he would only notice the danger at the very last moment—and dodging would require risking his life. One slip, and he'd die by Hyuga Arin's hand.
And judging by Arin's expression, those throws weren't even his limit.
Are the Hyuga clan this terrifying now?
Forget jōnin—
If the timing were right, this could assassinate a Kage.
Crow had never seen a combat style like this before, but the results were undeniable.
"If I don't fight like this," he muttered, "am I supposed to just rush in and throw my life away with them?"
Arin rolled his eyes—two perfect white Byakugan whites aimed straight at Crow.
Though honestly… if he really rushed in, he could win.
His long-range sniping was most effective against chūnin and genin.
Against jōnin, the difficulty skyrocketed—they could still dodge at the critical moment unless they were completely relaxed.
That required extreme patience. With that much time, he'd rather farm a few more chūnin.
Looks like the sniping build still needed refinement.
Arin jumped down from the tree.
"Where are you going?" Crow couldn't help asking.
There was still one target left—the most important one.
This was supposed to test Arin's resolve in executing the mission.
Don't tell me… he couldn't bring himself to do it?
Was this guy just all talk?
"Classmates should be killed face to face," Arin's voice drifted back.
"So he knows exactly who killed him."
Crow fell silent.
…Yeah, never mind.
This guy was a born devil.
So much for not wanting to fight head-on—he was moving faster than anyone.
Of course, Arin was lying.
The real reason was simple: loot.
If he killed the last one and left without picking things up, he'd lose out badly.
The Uchiha dropped good stuff. There was no way he was missing that.
Arin sprinted across the lake's surface—this distance was just right.
At that moment—
Uchiha Sōsuke, his face twisted in agony, turned toward Arin running over the water.
"ANBU?! Impossible!"
Despair filled Sōsuke's face. Why would Konoha's ANBU attack them?
But even so—
"Unforgivable!!!"
Shua!
Arin suddenly appeared not far from him and even raised a hand in greeting.
"Yo, Sōsuke. Long time no see."
Sōsuke whipped his head around.
Arin's voice had changed slightly—he didn't recognize it.
But recognition no longer mattered.
"Absolutely unforgivable!!!"
Three tomoe appeared in Sōsuke's crimson eyes.
Under extreme anguish, he jumped straight from first awakening to three tomoe.
At that moment, he felt unprecedented power surging through him.
Shua!
"Goodbye, Sōsuke."
The voice came from behind.
Then he realized—he was flying.
Below him, a body was collapsing to the ground.
Why did it look so familiar?
…Like his own.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
[EXP +1021]
You've grown, Sōsuke.
Arin flicked the blood off his blade and turned to the chūnin's drops.
"IT DROPPED! IT DROPPED!!"
He nearly shouted in excitement.
Actually—he did shout.
On the dead chūnin's body lay a single eyeball with a crimson pupil, resting quietly.
Arin rushed over and picked it up.
[Sharingan]
This was his ticket to piloting a Gundam someday.
He quickly stored it away.
The chūnin also dropped a skill scroll.
[Skill: Great Fireball Technique]
Useful. He learned it immediately.
[Great Fireball Technique (Lv.1) EXP (0/100)]
The two genin dropped Shadow Clone and Transformation.
"I needed you to drop."
Arin cursed, then turned to the corpse of his "good classmate," Uchiha Sōsuke.
The moment he saw Sōsuke's drop, his eyes lit up.
"As expected of my good classmate."
Another Sharingan.
He put it into his inventory.
The two Sharingan fused.
[Sharingan (One Tomoe) (2/3)]
Before he could inspect it further, Crow arrived.
He looked at Sōsuke's corpse—and the head lying on the ground.
A chill ran through his entire body.
That was… way too decisive.
Arin glanced at him suspiciously.
"I feel like you're insulting me in your head?"
How was he so sharp?
Crow hurriedly put on a flattering smile.
"Just your imagination. Totally."
…Why was he flattering someone while wearing a mask?
Was he performing for blind people?
Crow's face under the mask returned to complete neutrality.
"So… mission complete, right?"
Arin couldn't suppress the joy on his face.
This guy was a true monster.
Crow's heart twitched violently.
Killing his own classmate and still looking this happy…
Yes. The mission was complete.
The real purpose of this mission was to stain Hyuga Arin's hands with the blood of fellow Konoha ninja—to test him using his own classmate.
They had expected hesitation. Pain. Inner struggle.
Instead, Arin acted faster than he spoke—like he couldn't wait.
"Let's go."
Back in Konoha.
The two returned directly to Arin's house.
"When do I report to Root?" Arin asked curiously.
Why did they come straight home after completing the mission?
"You don't need to report to Root," Crow shook his head.
"Lord Danzō gave you special approval. When there's a mission, we'll notify you. You just need to complete the tasks we assign."
Letting a Hyuga into the Root base would expose too many secrets.
One Tongue Curse Seal could solve that—but why didn't Danzō bring Arin to the base anyway?
Crow didn't know either.
"So when's the next mission?"
Arin looked expectant.
This time he got Sharingan.
Next time he wanted Shadow Possession.
Shadow Possession was a powerful mid-game skill—but only if leveled high enough.
Crow fell into thought.
What did people usually look like after their first mission?
…Crying their eyes out, probably.
He'd led many missions. Root hadn't even begun training its own ninja yet—most were selected from regular forces, including clan members.
Every single one of them completed their first mission with pain written all over their faces.
Only Hyuga Arin looked excited.
It felt like throwing a weasel into a chicken coop.
After a long silence, Crow said,
"Since you've completed your first mission, the second will come soon."
That would be a true Root mission—very likely tied directly to the war.
Root was already being mobilized for it.
"War, huh."
Arin rubbed his chin.
More fast leveling.
Look at today's mission—without the Sharingan, the EXP wouldn't even hit five thousand. What could that do?
Crow vanished.
Arin used his Byakugan to scan the area. Only after confirming the house was empty did he look into his inventory.
"…Sharingan."
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