[Shadow Extraction in progress…]
[…]
[…]
[Shadow Extraction successful!]
"Nice!"
The instant the shadow finished coalescing, Shikage almost jumped out of his skin with excitement.
He'd never been this hyped in either life.
Grabbing Shisui's shadow finally gave him that rock-solid sense of security he'd been chasing.
Sure, Kotoamatsukami wasn't quite the broken "permanent brainwash" he'd dreamed of, but it was still Kotoamatsukami, damn it.
Heart still pounding, he immediately summoned the new soldier to check its stats.
[Shadow Soldier (Unnamed)]
[Level: 0]
[Attributes: View Details]
[Talents: Shadow Body, Sharingan]
[Skills: Genjutsu (Lv.3), Phantom Body Flicker (Lv.6), Fire Release (Lv.3), Uchiha-Style Swordsmanship (Lv.2), Kotoamatsukami (Lv.0)…]
Sticking to his usual naming convention, Shikage labeled it No.2.
Even at Level 0, No.2's raw stats crushed No.1 and even edged out Shikage himself in a few places.
The talents were insane—Shadow Body plus the full Sharingan inheritance.
The skill list was a monster wall of techniques that made Mizuki's pathetic little kit look like a joke.
But the real prize, the one that had Shikage grinning like an idiot, was the strongest genjutsu: Kotoamatsukami.
[Active Skill: Kotoamatsukami (Lv.0)]
[Effect: Modify the target's cognition. Duration: 1 minute (Note: Stronger enemies reduce duration)]
Shikage blinked, reading it twice.
This wasn't what he expected.
Where was the permanent mind rewrite? One minute? Seriously?
He figured it out fast.
"Tch. Figures."
"Missing both eyes, corpse integrity shot, dead for over a day… plus my own strength is still too low…"
"Three factors combined and the extraction wasn't perfect. Couldn't pull 100 % of Shisui's prime power."
Shikage let out a helpless sigh.
Then he shrugged it off in the next breath.
"Whatever. Shadow soldiers can level up. Sooner or later he'll hit peak Shisui strength—maybe even surpass him under my training."
"Plus the original Kotoamatsukami had a ten-year cooldown. Now it's just MP cost."
"As long as I keep stocking blue bottles, I can spam it nonstop."
"In a way, that basically makes it permanent."
"And one minute of perfect cognition control? If you play it right, it can be just as deadly as the real thing."
He smiled, ordered No.2 to melt back into his own shadow, then looked down at Shisui's body with genuine respect.
"You and I are connected now."
"I didn't agree with everything you did, but I won't disrespect you either."
"Since I took your shadow, the least I can do is give you a proper burial."
With quick, efficient movements he slung the corpse onto his back and flickered deeper into the Naka River forest.
...
Swish—swish—swish!
Five figures body-flickered onto the riverbank.
One crouched, fingers brushing the wet pebbles.
"Fresh traces."
"Someone was here less than ten minutes ago."
He looked toward the only person wearing the white Root uniform—their nominal captain.
The squad waited for orders.
Beneath his mask, Nara Suzaku narrowed his eyes at the damp stones. A slow, vicious grin spread across his face.
"Follow me!"
He didn't bother sending anyone to track the water marks.
He simply gave the order and started moving.
The others hesitated for half a second, then fell in behind him.
After all, right now Nara Suzaku was their captain.
Of course, skipping proper procedure like this went against Danzō's interests.
They could easily lose the real target.
But Nara Suzaku didn't give a damn.
He'd finally caught a real lead. No way in hell was he letting it slip away.
Besides, he wasn't sure Danzō would actually follow through on revenge later.
If he could do it himself—personally—that would be perfect.
—Nara Shikage… let's see who saves you now!
Truth was, Nara Suzaku still had zero proof that Shikage killed his son.
He just believed it with every fiber of his being.
He needed someone important to bury with Kizashi.
And Nara Shikage was the perfect candidate—emotionally and politically.
...
After burying Shisui, Shikage returned to his campsite.
With the shadow secured, there was no reason to stay in the forest any longer.
On his last night there he decided to relax, stare at the moon, and let his overworked brain finally rest.
But before he could even get comfortable, rustling in the trees snapped him alert.
He flickered to the treetops, brows furrowed, muttering under his breath.
"Hostile."
"And more than one."
The words barely left his mouth before five figures surrounded him.
His eyes flicked across their masks.
"Root."
"What do you want with me?"
He asked, but he already knew the answer.
—They found out I took Shisui's body?
His mind raced and pieced the "truth" together in a heartbeat.
—Must've left too many traces when I moved the corpse.
—Gotta be more careful from now on.
—Root's professionalism is actually better than I thought.
Under normal circumstances, his guess would've been spot on.
What he didn't realize was that the real reason Root was here had nothing to do with procedure.
It was all because of Nara Suzaku's personal vendetta.
It felt like he'd been thinking for ages, but only a split second had passed.
Before his last word even landed, Shikage struck first.
These five Root operatives had clearly come to cause trouble.
No way was he waiting for them to make the first move.
The Root members—including Nara Suzaku—were caught completely off guard by how decisive he was.
They hadn't even spoken yet and he was already going for blood?
Professionals, though. Surprise or not, their bodies reacted on pure instinct.
But they were still only three mid-chūnin, one special jōnin, and one full jōnin.
A wet tearing sound cut through the night.
One mid-chūnin dropped dead on the spot.
Shikage planted his foot on the corpse, kunai dripping warm blood.
His eyes were ice-cold as he locked onto the man he suspected was the captain.
"Kill him."