Nonou Yakushi didn't know Kei Yamanaka well—before this, she had only vaguely heard of him as a member of the Analysis Team.
But from their first interaction, his overall impression seemed… decent enough?
The Kida Clan's nearly undetectable [Face Copy Technique], an invisibility technique she'd been carefully watching for and still hadn't noticed, and the [Mind Body Disturbance Technique] that had instantly robbed her of any ability to resist—
He definitely seemed cut out for high-risk assassination missions.
However…
"Why is there an outsider at our meeting point?"
Nonou frowned slightly, asking about the situation inside the room.
Spies hated unexpected incidents. They also hated having unrelated people nearby—either increased the risk of exposure.
"You picked such a shitty spot—it's like someone dumped pheromones all over this place. I've been hiding in this corner for two hours, and at least eight couples came by getting busy. If I didn't stir up some noise, anyone would've just wandered over."
Kei rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.
Two hours ago, when he'd just arrived to scout the area, he immediately heard someone grunting away in the corner.
Finally zipped up and left, minutes later, another couple showed up!
Just as things were getting intense, he quickly used [Genjutsu] to redirect them into a nearby alley.
But then another couple came again—and again!
"If I hadn't summoned a few White Zetsus to stir things up, no one would've been able to hold their ground here."
Kei muttered.
"Unrelated people."
Nonou glanced around the room and reiterated the key point.
"The dead ones."
Kei waved his hand dismissively. Other than looking human, White Zetsus were no longer related to actual humans in the slightest.
Calling them corpses—wrong? Not a chance.
"...Can use Water Release?"
Nonou nodded slightly.
Having witnessed the ninja world's darkness firsthand, she wasn't unfamiliar with using "disposable tools."
Although instinctively disliking such methods, she was a qualified ninja—beyond that, there wasn't much she could do.
"Uh, somewhat familiar."
"Earth Release?"
"This one? Seriously, just 'somewhat familiar.'"
"? ? ?"
"Out of all of them, I can actually use about twenty smoothly. The rest? I can barely manage."
Seeing Nonou's suspicious gaze, Kei could only tell the truth.
His Earth Release didn't even have proper skill listings.
Without the [Sage Transformation]'s powerful boost, which turned him into an all-element ninja and improved his affinity for earth chakra…
In an actual fight, he probably wouldn't be able to use Earth Release at all.
Of course, by "actual fight," he meant opponents at Jonin level or higher!
Taking down weaker opponents? No problem at all.
"Choose one. Disguise the scene properly."
Nonou unfastened the front buttons of her jacket, reached into her chest pouch, and pulled out a small scroll the length of her finger.
She flicked it toward Kei.
Once the exchange was done, she glanced at Kei's current face and turned to leave.
Greasy, pervy, messy, fake—
Yeah, Saiei's face was unforgettable.
"Alright," Kei muttered before vanishing into the shadows.
Kei Yamanaka took the scroll, which still carried a bit of lingering warmth, and nodded awkwardly.
This scroll...
It was hidden *really* well!
He watched Nonou Yakushi disappear down the alleyway.
Under the dim moonlight, Kei unfolded the scroll. He glanced at the content—which looked more like a diary entry—and rolled his eyes silently.
Anbu always *had to* pull stunts like this.
Something that could've been explained in one sentence had to be turned into such a convoluted mess.
Without the cipher key, you wouldn't know what the hell was even written here.
Scanning the hidden code within the scroll's text, Kei retrieved the matching cipher from his Memory Palace and started decoding line by line.
"Redbei. Third Raikage's nephew. Jonin. Supports attacking Mist? Age twenty-six. Specializes in Lightning Release and sword techniques..."
On such a small scroll,
the target's personal information, daily schedule, and even instructions on how to make contact after completing the mission were all laid out clearly.
After rubbing his slightly strained eyes,
Kei nearly crushed the tiny scroll into dust with a half-formed Rasengan forming in his palm.
"Damn it, even the cheat sheets I used back in the academy weren't this small."
He muttered under his breath, muttering a string of curses.
As Kei turned to enter the courtyard to retrieve the two White Zetsu under his control,
a middle-aged man hurriedly loosening his belt while holding onto a seductive-looking woman rushed straight into the alley.
Seeing Kei about to push open the door,
and hearing the sensual music drifting out from the small yard, both froze momentarily before exchanging expressions filled with grotesque amusement.
"What are you staring at? Keep watching and I'll drag you into this too!"
Kei shot them both a glare.
What kind of dump *is* this place?
Even the shittiest red-light district in the Land of Fire had more class than this.
"...Well, if the ninja-sama wants, we wouldn't mind either."
"Damn!"
Kei snapped immediately upon seeing the barely concealed excitement flickering across the middle-aged man's face following his brief silence.
He hit both of them with a full Genjutsu combo and sent them on their way to play their own twisted games elsewhere.
This place is definitely cursed—*toxic*!
Quickly sealing away the two White Zetsu, who had been controlled via Sealing Techniques and illusionary arts for over an hour straight,
Kei, feeling particularly irritable, turned and melted into the shadows.
Deciding when to strike was entirely up to him.
Getting the mission done early meant collecting the reward early—and heading home faster!
——————
Half an hour later,
after confirming his identity at Kumogakure's gates and chatting briefly with two familiar gatekeepers,
Kei waved goodbye using the excuse of needing to get home early to take care of his child and smoothly slipped into the village.
After accessing the memories stored within this face—that of Saiei—
he located his target, Redbei, with little trouble once inside the village.
The man was currently drinking with seven jonin in an izakaya.
He considered for only two seconds how best to frame Mist.
Quietly unleashing a faint wave of killing intent aimed at Redbei,
Kei knew seasoned ninja—those who constantly danced on the edge of death—were highly sensitive to murderous intent.
Redbei hesitated for a fleeting moment, then in the blink of an eye resumed its previous motion as he continued drinking heartily with his comrades.
With one arm draped casually over a comrade's shoulder, feigning nostalgic chatter while discreetly exchanging information.
It had barely been five minutes.
Redbei, who outwardly appeared drunk and dazed, stood up and bade farewell to his companions, swaying as he walked out of the izakaya.
He had barely taken a few steps onto the main road when he veered into a secluded alley.
His actions left little doubt—he was bait, luring in would-be assassins!
Shwa!
Kei Yamanaka, having layered another Disguise Transformation upon himself, suddenly lunged from the shadows of the alley, kunai in hand.
The drunken haze vanished from Redbei's face in an instant.
Drawing the ninja blade from behind his back, he met the ambush head-on.
In the next breath, Kei Yamanaka's blade sliced effortlessly through Yamanaka Kei—now in his Hydrification Technique form.
Their forms crossed each other mid-motion.
A severed head rolled across the ground, eyes frozen wide in shock.
"Redbei! Dammit! It's the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique!"
The Cloud Jonin following closely behind Redbei shouted furiously, hands flashing through rapid Hand Seals.
[Lightning Release: Thunderbolt]
Blinding golden lightning orbs surged through the alley, cutting off all escape routes.
Yamanaka Kei, having achieved his goal, slammed directly into a nearby wall, dodging the lightning techniques before disappearing in a flash with the [Body Flicker Technique].
Though the Cloud Jonin gave chase without letting up,
Once Yamanaka Kei plunged into a well linked to an underground river, they could only reluctantly fire continuous Lightning Release attacks into the well opening.
Using his Hydrification Technique and the [Water Release: Surfing Strike]—which granted him full mobility underwater—
Yamanaka Kei looped around several times before surfacing through another well, sliding silently back into Kumogakure unnoticed.
The village, once dimly lit with only half its streetlights on, now blazed with full illumination, with every tall house perched atop the rocky pillars glowing brightly.
Alarms wailed across the village, waking many sleeping ninja, who rushed out in alarm toward the source of the repeated Lightning Release attacks lighting up the sky.
Still holding his Face Copy Technique, Yamanaka Kei melted seamlessly into the growing crowd, watching the chaos unfold.
"Mister, what happened?" A soft, childlike voice came from beside him.
Kei turned his head, looking down at the young girl, who stood even shorter than Kurenai Yuhi. When he finally recognized her face, he instinctively stepped back.
Shit!
A mini Yugito Nii!
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