"Should I intervene?"
In the quiet of his basent, Shisui stared at the two files spread before him on the desk. His fingers tapped a rhythmic, thoughtful beat against the wood.
Ultimately, he decided it was ti to clean his surroundings. Living with a Root spy in his periphery was like sleeping with a dagger at his throat—uncomfortable and unnecessary.
"Since you've spent so much ti looking for the Seven-Tails and failed to find the exact location, I suppose I'll give you a little push."
He wouldn't leak the information directly, of course. That would be too conspicuous. The best way to move the pieces was to let the factions descend into chaos on their own.
Shisui ford a Shadow Clone, transforming it into the likeness of the Agakure ninja he had seen earlier.
As for the actual A spy? He was already in the basent, serving as a biological substrate for Shisui's newest colony.
The rear mountains.
Shisui stood on a high branch, his presence bleeding into the shadows of the night. He was waiting for the arrival of the Rain ninja's contact to feed them the "leaked" location.
However, before his target arrived, an unexpected figure appeared below.
It was Chiho.
She wore a heavy hood and a scarf to mask her features, but Shisui, who had spent months as her partner, recognized her silhouette instantly.
He let out a low, internal sigh. The outco he had feared was playing out.
Despite her desire for an ordinary life and her hatred for conflict, she had been dragged into the shadows—either through coercion or a misguided sense of duty.
He didn't stop her. He followed silently, keeping his distance. There was a thin veil of glass between them now, and he wasn't ready to shatter it yet.
Chiho stopped in a small, open hollow in the woods. She looked around nervously, then let out a sequence of bird calls. Monts later, a dark figure erged from the brush—the A spy leader.
Shisui watched, annoyed. He had planned to impersonate this man's subordinate to deliver the info, but soone had beaten him to the punch.
"I found what you wanted," Chiho said, her voice trembling. "It's 100 ters beneath the altar of the West Mountain Shrine. Now, give the antidote for my mother."
The man smiled thinly. "Not so fast. We must verify the intelligence before we release the cure."
"You promised! You said once I gave you the location, it would be over!"
"Over? Child, do you forget the blood in your veins? You are a daughter of Agakure. Our nation is suffering while these villagers live in ignorant bliss. What you've done tonight will save thousands of your own people."
"But the people here... they're innocent too."
"And ours aren't? Admit it, you and I are the sa. You know exactly what happens once this information leaves my hands."
Chiho fell silent, her shoulders slumped in defeat.
"You have talent," the spy continued. "Work for , and I will ensure your mother is evacuated before the village falls."
Chiho hesitated. But then, another voice cut through the clearing.
"Don't listen to him!"
Natsuhi burst from the trees, gasping for air. She looked at Chiho with a mixture of pity and urgency. "Your mother is already gone, Chiho. Her last words to were that you shouldn't let anyone threaten you anymore."
The news hit Chiho like a physical blow. If her mother was dead, every sacrifice she had made, every betrayal of her ho, was aningless.
She looked at Natsuhi, her eyes hollow. Why had Natsuhi waited until after the information was given to tell her? Was it intentional?
"Chiho!" Natsuhi took a step forward.
The A spy moved with blinding speed. He lunged, grabbing Chiho by the throat and pressing a kunai to her jugular. "Stay back! Or she dies!"
"Let her go!" Natsuhi's hands crackled with Lightning Style chakra. "I've already alerted the patrols. You won't escape."
"Dammit!" The spy tightened his grip. "So your mother chose to be a traitor after all? Did she forget how your father died?"
"We haven't forgotten," Natsuhi spat. "But it doesn't change anything."
Chiho, her spirit broken, suddenly lunged forward, driving her own throat into the spy's blade. Blood erupted from the wound.
"Chiho! You bastard!" Natsuhi's Lightning Style erupted, a blinding bolt of electricity tearing through the night toward the spy.
The spy cursed, tossing Chiho's limp body into the air as a distraction. He perford a Body Flicker, vanishing into the dense forest.
Natsuhi caught Chiho, pressing her hands desperately against the girl's throat. "Don't die! Please don't die! I ca here to help you get back with Shu-kun!"
But the arterial spray was too much. Chiho's breathing grew shallow and ragged. Natsuhi knew, deep down, there was no saving her.
Natsuhi had known her own secrets for a long ti—that she and her father were refugees from the Land of Lightning. It was why she had always kept Shisui at arm's length. She had hoped Chiho could have the life she couldn't.
"Stop! Don't run!" Natsuhi scread at the shadows where the spy had vanished. With a final, agonized look at Chiho, she gritted her teeth and gave chase. She would have justice for her friend.
Once the clearing was silent, Shisui dropped from the tree. He knelt beside Chiho. Even through his transformation, she seed to recognize the presence behind the mask.
"You're gentler than Shu-kun," she whispered, her eyes losing their focus. "But you aren't him. Tell ... where is he?"
"In the Pure Land," Shisui answered softly.
"I thought so... then I suppose I'm going to find him." She coughed, blood matting her scarf. "My instinct tells ... you're a good person. I liked this village. I don't want it to burn..."
Shisui watched until the light left her eyes. "I'll try my best," he said to the silence.
He stood up, a cold, sharp smile playing on his lips. He had intended to let the factions play their gas, but the "peace" of his new ho had been shattered.
"If this village was never truly peaceful," Shisui murmured, "then I suppose I'll just have to make it that way."
He wouldn't wait for the elders or the spies anymore. He would handle this his way—quietly, thoroughly, and without leaving a single trace.
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