"Rai!" Kumika called out, looking at the spot where her panion had disappeared. As she shouted his name, she leaped back decisively, turning toward the edge of the boundary to escape the waters.

  Five me, Rai. But someone has to plete the mission.

  This team was gone; she could find another. But if she herself was gohehing was over.

  "You really are heartless, aren't you?" The water rippled as Masashi emerged, blog her path. "At least check if they're alive before you leave."

  Without a word, Kumika flicked a few shuriken at him, their paths interseg to cover multiple angles of approach. Det teique, but tohtforward for a supposed jonin, Masashi noted as he deflected them with a small bde.

  She charged at him, brandishing her sword. Lightning crackled along the bde.

  With a flick of his fingers, a water spike shot up, pierg through her abdomen, but instead of blood, her figure exploded into a cloud of mist.

  Kumika emerged from his side and thrust her sword into his ribs, lightning chakra crag violently as it ected. But before she could follow up, Masashi's body burst apart into water, and an intense, freezing bst turned her into an ice sculpture. The moment, fmes fred, and a stronger force shattered the ice from within.

  "You're still better than most," he said, emerging from another spot oer's surface. His scarlet eyes watched Kumika's figure as she sprinted away.

  In an instant, a bde of water rose beh her, slig her into segments, but again, it was only a e.

  "What's the point? You 't fool me," he turned around, looking at the real Kumika as she gred at him ily. Through his Sharingan, he could see her chakra work fluctuating. "You know the gap between us isn't small."

  "Yes, Konoha really is full of monsters," Kumika sneered, her fiightening around her bde. Her eyes darted briefly to the treeline, calg escape routes. "So many monsters, a none of them fight each other."

  Kumo must suspeething about our vilge dynamics. "Trying to be nice by not killing you, and you insult me instead."

  "Nice? If you're hoping for information, fet it. I'm still a jonin, and if you try to take me back alive, Konoha had better be ready to go to war with Kumo."

  "Typical Kumo ninja, always res to threats of war," Masashi's eyes held a hint of disdain, which he made sure Kumika saw.

  "The five great vilges have the same ranking system. You're only a special jonin at best, so your formal rank is still in. Your as don't officially represent your vilge."

  Kumika's expression darkened. Got her. The rank is always a sore spot with these special jonin.

  "So, I guessed right." Masashi said. "Whahis 'test' didn't do a good job—your intel has been pletely intercepted."

  "What do you want?"

  "As a Kumo ninja, you're now worthless. Captured in either die or bee traitors. If you don't want to die and don't want your own vilge to deal with you, then your only option is to e with me to Konoha."

  "So, what do you say? Trade the information you know for a new identity?"

  Masashi observed her with i as she visibly hesitated. Through his Sharingan, he could see the subtle fluctuations in her chakra. She's weighing survival against loyalty. Cssic dilemma for captured nin.

  As he'd hese so-called Kumo jonin were only just meeting the chakra requirement for jonin level under his Sharingan's perception; they were novice, special jonin.

  Nowadays, all the ninja vilges had modeled their rank definitions after Konoha's system.

  A civilian who could handle chakra and master the e Teique qualified for entry into the Academy. Graduating from the Academy made one a genin, the only way to reach that rank.

  Genin could bee in by passing the in exams or through direct promotion by the vilge leader.

  But above in, whether special jonin or jonin, only the vilge leader could promote someone directly.

  Thus, being a jonin wasn't about skill but about being reized by the vilge leader, whether food or bad reasons. But ohing was certain—a jonin possessed valuable intel.

  "Being promoted by the Raikage shows you have ambition. If I'm n, you crave power, don't you?" Masashi decided to stoke the fmes.

  If I'm wrong, I just get rid of her.

  "Konoha is far menerous than Kumo in that regard. Without the feudal s, as long as you earn enough merit, even the Scroll of Seals uhe Hokage's direct watch is accessible."

  Her chakra just spiked. The promise of power always works. He watched as she struggled to maintain her posure.

  "It's just 'suitable teiques' chosen for us. You think I haven't seen it before?" Kumika shot back suddenly.

  But it was clear her tone had ged. The edge of desperation had been repced by poorly cealed i.

  "If you're worthy of looking at the book, the Hokage will let you pick freely. Just be sure you master it. The current Fourth Hokage was a civilian who learhe Flying Thunder God, one of the stro jutsu in the scroll," Masashi responded calmly. "So, have you decided?"

  The iation is almost plete, he thought, noting how her defensive posture had subtly rexed.

  "If you're lying to me, believe me, I'll find a way to destroy the data my vilge has embedded in my mind. You won't get anything."

  "If I were going to lie, it wouldn't be about information," Masashi replied, satisfied. He was a loyal ninja, dedicated to his vilge.

  This woman would keep the Hokage's office busy for a while, and at least the intelligence division in Root would have a new project. It would also distract the old man, who couldn't stand Masashi's , from stirring up trouble.

  With this information, Konoha could prepare for Kumo's moves, Root would stay occupied, and he'd get a boost in ine—being both publid private is.

  And, he'd saved a stray Kumo ninja to boot. It was a win-win.

  I really am the best at this. I should reward myself with some ramehought with satisfa.

  "Wait here," he said happily, preparing to dive again. His movement made Kumika tense up.

  "What are you doing?"

  Is there no goodness left in the world? She really didn't trust him.

  For the money, Masashi decided to endure her suspis.

  "Don't worry, I'm just retrieving the enemy's head. 't add a bounty without it," he replied.

  "With me here, you're still thinking about bounty money?" Kumika realized she o reevaluate this man.

  "Ninja work for money. No bounty means no food. Unless you're to support me?"

  "No, you e up, I'll go down," Kumika released the chakra from her feet and dived into the water first.

  Half-submerged ier, Masashi had an odd feeling about her ent. He remained alert, sensing movements ier.

  After a short while, Kumika resurfaced.

  But Masashi didn't see what he expected.

  "The heads?"

  "No need for heads, just this," Kumika raised her arms, showing a headband in each hand. "As for intel, I'm the lead here. Having me is enough."

  "Now there's some humanity," Masashi mused, accepting her answer after a moment.

  ---

  Early the m, Masashi woke the daimyō's group who had spent a fortable night.

  The four shadow es left at the camp also dispelled the barrier they'd maintaihroughout the night. The feedback of chakra usage from his es told him they'd used exactly the right amount—no waste, no she.

  The voy was already used to waking up surrounded by the crimson barrier. They'd only been amazed by it on the first night.

  Ninjas were so on in this world that ordinary people are quite numb to ninjutsu. They saw it so often that uhey wao be a ninja themselves, they were not curious to learn about it.

  For them, ninjutsu was just another fshy trick. At least that made Masashi's job simpler. o expin the plexities of chakra trol to people who just wao see the light show.

  The veteran ninjas from each vilge khis well. During their regur iions with ts, the best jutsu wasn't necessarily the most useful o rather the most visually impressive.

  Using the A-rank Shadow e with elemental transformation has less impact than simply ung a k Great Fireball.

  The t's feedba a mission was critical, as it directly affected the vilge's ission.

  These days, Masashi's favorite jutsu to boost his evaluations was the Four Crimson Ray Formation. Cautious by nature, he appreciated both the visual effects and the power of this A-rank jutsu.

  Bringing along the headbands of fallen foes and a captive, he first visited the daimyō to expin the events of the previous night.

  When dealing with ts, it was essential to unicate promptly. In this world, power structures were refreshingly simple. No hidden corporate games, just clear hierarchies based on rank and strength.

  Holy, ts in this world were much easier to deal with than ba Earth. In business, sometimes you think you were the t, but you were the supplier, and vice versa.

  After being jerked around a few times, young Masashi came to a realization.

  If someone said the hardest things with the kiohey were most likely the true t with all the power. versely, those who said the softest things in the harshest tone were defihe powerless supplier.

  In the ninja world, the former was usually a jonin, while the tter were all genin.

  This was why a genin only make fifty thousand ryō per mission at best, while jonin missions started at one hundred fifty thousand, with no upper limit based on the mission tent.

  Leaving Kumika outside the tent, Masashi stepped inside, where the daimyō was watg his soantly eat an egg and drink a rge bowl of milk, saying, "Otherwise, you won't grow tall."

  "Oh, Masashi, you worked hard st night," the daimyō greeted him warmly, while his son tio look sullenly at his bowl of milk.

  Perfect bance of humility and peteneeded here. S. "It was nothing. I'm more ed if we disturbed your rest," Masashi replied with a smile. "However, I do o report something to you."

  "No need for sualities. You're too polite," the daimyō waved it off, signaling him to sit. "Have you eaten? Join us, we chat over breakfast; there's no rush."

  "If I'd known, I wouldn't have eaten alone, but this matter from st night is fairly important," Masashi said, knowing the daimyō invited him every m, though he'd ayed.

  "Does it require a ge in route? Don't worry about it; make any arras you need," the daimyō reassured him, though privately he noted something.

  This young man always cimed to have eaten, but he actually lived on soldier pills three times a day. Ninja life didn't seem easy. He'd have to mention this in a letter to the Hokage to ehis young man got better allowances.

  You're truly outstanding for ye, and easy to get along with, the daimyō thought, admiring the reendation made by the Hokage.

  "As for the route, that's settled. The other issue is that the attackers st night were from Kumo. Do you have any insights on this?" Masashi hahe daimyō a Kumo headband.

  Of course, whether he knew or not, this was a way to ask for extra pensation.

  "Kumo ninja?" The daimyō's face shifted as he looked at the headband. "That's ued. Don't worry; I'll write a letter to the Hokage on this matter for you to take back."

  "It's no trouble at all," Masashi said, pleased. The daimyō was trustworthy and prompt about payira; he liked that very mud would give him a dist ime.

  "Also, I captured one of them st night. She's agreed to switch sides, and I pn to take her along."

  "What?" The daimyō was surprised. "A Kumo ninja willing to defect?"

  In his experience, Kumo's ninjas were all notoriously stubborn. But this solid reputation also meant they were known to see a mission through to the end o ted.

  "She might have information useful to the vilge. I thought it might be useful if you met her, in case there's anything you want to crify."

  "Good thinking."

  The daimyō thought highly of Masashi's careful approach, mulike the pcy of some ninjas by the end of a mission. "Yes, bring her in. I'm curious about who hired Kumo ninjas against me."

  "Kumika, e in," Masashi called out.

  The kunoichi entered, lifting the tent fp. Her movements were trolled, but Masashi could see the tension in her shoulders.

  At the sight of her, the daimyō's eyes widened.

  "Masashi," he asked the Uchiha with a hint of envy, "Did you search her properly?"

  Kumika frow this. One of these days, she'd make sure the first thing anyone saw was her strength, not whether she had ons.

  Signalio stop, Masashi activated his Sharingan and rechecked her thhly before letting go. "You know what to say and what not to. Don't waste this ce."

  "I know better than you do," Kumika replied curtly. "And I don't o hide things there, so stop wasting time with pointless checks."

  "As long as you know," Masashi said, releasing his chakra, then o the daimyō ahe tent to join the head of security outside.

  "Masashi-sama, is it really safe?" The head of security looked ed. "After all, this woman came here to assassihe daimyō."

  "It's fi this distahere's nothing she do," Masashi reassured him, thinking highly of the diligent head of security. A guard who actually guards—refreshing.

  He respected people with a serious attitude toward their work.

  "But…" The head of security felt uneasy but didn't want te in since his employer hadn't called him.

  "Are you familiar with the Transcription Seal?" Masashi asked to ease his s. "It's a usu of our . We seal a pre-set jutsu in our or another's eyes, activating it under certain ditions."

  "Jutsu work that way?" the head of security asked with both awe and envy. "The Uchihas truly are impressive."

  "Of course, after all, I am a jonin." And that's all you o know about the real trol measures in pce.