When Uchiha Sasuke was first summoned into this world, he had been gripped by a quiet panic. For reasons he couldn't comprehend, he found himself unable to activate his Sharingan.
It wasn't just the two-tomoe state that was missing; he couldn't even manifest a single tomoe. It was as if his bloodline had been reset to zero, back to the days before the massacre. Shiranui Hayate had offered some vague explanations about "syncing," but the loss haunted the boy. For an Uchiha, having power and then losing it was a specialized kind of torture—a recipe for madness.
But tonight, after his desperate plea to Hayate, the power had returned. Sasuke assumed that while Hayate might have failed to bring back his parents yet, he had managed to "retrieve" his eyes.
The only curiosity was the lack of new memories. He felt no different mentally, yet his body felt significantly sturdier, and his chakra reserves flowed with a newfound depth. Unable to solve the riddle, Sasuke simply lay back down and let sleep take him.
In his own room, Hayate had no intention of sleeping yet. He stood before the bathroom mirror, his heart racing slightly.
"Sharingan!"
In an instant, his dark irises bled into a vibrant, spinning crimson. Two black tomoe swirled in each eye. Staring at his reflection, Hayate struck a few poses, a faint, self-deprecating smirk on his lips. "Maybe I should start calling myself Uchiha Hayate."
He felt the heightened perception—the way he could track a fly across the room with clinical precision. After a few minutes of testing the visual prowess, he deactivated the technique. He knew he didn't possess Uchiha blood; he had simply acquired the skill.
Actually, skills are better than bloodlines, Hayate mused. With skills, I can eventually stack Obito's Kamui, Shisui's Kotoamatsukami, Itachi's Tsukuyomi, or even Madara's Susanoo all on one person.
The thought of housing every unique Mangekyou ability within his own eyes made his lips curl upward. Any Naruto fan in his position would be grinning like an idiot. It was a good thing he was alone in the room; if anyone saw the "Legendary Assassin" acting like a giddy teenager in front of a mirror, his reputation would be in shambles.
The next morning, the New York sun spilled into the room. Hayate's first waking thought was a command to the system.
System, Check-in!
[Check-in Successful! Reward: 5,000 Copper Coins.]
After a quick morning routine, he met the team in the Continental's dining area.
"Hayate, how do you plan to resolve the bounty issue?" Hotaru asked over breakfast, her curiosity piqued.
The table went silent. Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke, and Umino Iruka all stopped eating, their eyes fixed on Hayate. They weren't afraid, but they were ready to play their part in whatever plan the "Master" had devised.
Hayate took a calm sip of his milk before speaking. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a weight that made the air grow heavy.
"Kill. We kill until they are terrified. We kill until no one in this city dares to even look at the contract."
Though his tone was flat, a palpable killing intent radiated from him. Several hitmen at nearby tables suddenly choked on their coffee or stopped mid-bite. The entire dining hall fell into a tomb-like silence.
Hotaru broke the tension with a light laugh. "I just hope there aren't too many fools. I'd hate for the Continental to run out of eligible hitmen because we were too thorough."
Iruka chimed in, ever the pragmatic administrator. "If there are too many contracts, they should just bring them to the Shiranui Agency directly. We're short on missions as it is."
As a ninja responsible for the Agency's overhead, Iruka was always looking for the next "payday." This new world was full of expensive wonders, and his spending habits were starting to reflect that.
Hayate smiled. "Don't worry, Iruka. Our mission log is about to get very crowded."
After breakfast, Hayate led the group to the Continental's Mission Hall.
The hall was sparse in the early hours. A few staff members manned the counters, and only a handful of hitmen were scattered about, as most assassins aren't early risers.
They took a seat at a round table, facing the massive electronic display that scrolled with real-time updates. This was the Open Contract Zone. Anyone with a Continental membership could pick up a hit here. Posting a task cost a single gold coin, provided the funds were deposited upfront into a neutral account.
The system ensured that even if a client died, the assassin got paid—minus the Continental's ten percent "service fee."
Beside the open zone was the High-Value Target List. Usually, with a ten-million-dollar price tag, Hayate's group would be at the very top. However, because the bounty was split five ways between them, they didn't quite hit the number one spot yet.
The Excommunicado list, meanwhile, was empty. No one stayed on that list for long; the dead don't need a public record. Hayate looked at the empty screen, knowing that in the future, John Wick would be the first man to go on that list and come off it alive.
"Hayate, why are we just sitting here?" Hotaru asked after a while.
"We're waiting," Hayate replied, his eyes fixed on the entrance. "Waiting for the crowd."
He didn't have to wait long. Word spread like wildfire through the hotel: The Shiranui Five are sitting in the lobby.
Assassins began to filter in. Some came out of curiosity, wanting to see how the "Legend" would handle being the prey. Others were scouts, noting Hayate's every move, waiting for the moment the group stepped outside the "Neutral Ground" of the hotel to strike.
Hayate felt their gazes—some predatory, some cautious. He didn't care. He wanted them all in one place. He wanted them to see exactly what happened to those who grew greedy.