"Sigh, it's a pity. More than half of those orphans haven't even refined chakra yet. They can't even throw a kunai or shuriken properly. Sending them to the battlefield now is..."
An elder slamd his hand on the table, cutting the speaker off. "Leader, this is no ti for indecisiveness! If they don't go and die, we will.
Besides, we've raised them all this ti and fed them so much grain; otherwise, they would have starved to death long ago."
The Leader shot him a weary look. Everyone in the room understood the cold reality, but stating it so bluntly was unnecessary. The Leader, after all, had a "benevolent" image to maintain.
Unaware of the mood, the elder continued, "Furthermore, we have those hundred-plus rogue ninjas and wandering samurai we recruited. However, we can't just toss them toward Konoha alone; soone must lead them."
"And what do you think we are discussing right now?" the Leader asked, his voice sinking. He cleared his throat and looked around the room.
"Gentlen, who among you is willing to lead this detachnt?"
The Jōnin looked away, shifting in their seats and avoiding eye contact. No one wanted a suicide mission. They needed a sacrificial lamb.
Finally, another elder spoke up. "I feel that we old tirs are getting on in years. The future of the Grass Village should always be placed in the hands of the youth. We shouldn't interfere with their growth."
"Exactly," another chid in quickly. "The young have more drive."
Ultimately, they all reached a consensus: Negishi Kusanagi (the future Preach-Ghost/Hungry Ghost Path) was the perfect candidate.
While his na might not have been world-famous yet, he possessed a unique talent: the ability to evade or shift the trajectory of small-scale ninjutsu.
He was young, cynical, and highly gifted. Not even twenty years old, he had already managed to offend nearly every Jōnin in the village.
This friction was precisely why he hadn't been invited to the high-level eting despite his strength. To Shisui, Negishi's current power level was roughly equivalent to a Special Jōnin from Konoha.
The decision was finalized. Of the twenty Jōnin present, not a single one raised an objection.
The following day, the order was delivered to Negishi.
Shisui monitored the entire exchange. He recognized the boy; they had been on a mission together once, though they hadn't spoken.
Negishi always wore a cold, arrogant expression. A youth of about seventeen or eighteen, he was lean with sharp eyes and black hair tied loosely at the back.
He was the youngest Jōnin in Kusagakure, known by the title "Greedy Ghost."
The moniker fit his personality perfectly: he was never satisfied, always hungering for more—strength, status, resources, respect.
He wanted it all, yet felt his talent was constantly being suppressed by the village elders. In Kusagakure, he had no friends. He was too proud, his words too sharp.
The old guard hated him, and he looked down on the weak younger ninjas.
And so, he was shoved forward to die.
When he received the order, his face turned ashen. He sat alone in his room for a long ti. Through his crystal ball, Shisui watched him draw his kunai and sheath it repeatedly, over a dozen tis.
His expression betrayed a deep internal struggle over whether to defect. In the end, he didn't run.
He walked out, found the Village Leader, and stated his terms: "I choose my own team. Twelve elite Chūnin of my picking. Otherwise, find soone else for your errand."
The Leader initially wanted to refuse, but seeing the murderous glint in the boy's eyes—and knowing this mission was likely a one-way trip—he sighed and nodded. "Fine. I agree."
It was a painful concession, but as the saying goes: If you want the horse to run, you have to let it eat. Twelve elite Chūnin were a loss, the Grass could still endure.
"Deal," Negishi said, turning on his heel.
He began his selection that morning. He chose Chūnin who, like him, were undervalued, lacked influential backgrounds, but possessed genuine skill. These were people with nothing to lose.
Shiraki (Shisui) was, of course, on that list.
Shisui had already been placed in the "cannon fodder" camp by the elders, so Negishi's choice was obvious. He wanted Shisui's sensory abilities to increase his own chances of survival.
When Negishi found him, he said only one thing: "Your sensing ability is the only hope we have of coming back alive."
Shisui simply nodded. This was exactly what he had planned for.
The twelve-man squad assembled. Negishi stood before them, his gaze sweeping across their faces.
"Our mission is to test Konoha's border defenses," he began bluntly. "To put it plainly, we are going there to die.
The cannon fodder orphans will charge first to create a distraction, while we cause chaos from behind.
We steal what we can, kill who we can, and run when we must. As long as we aren't completely wiped out, the mission is a success."
He paused, looking into their eyes. "I know how you feel. Nobody likes being a scapegoat. But I promise you this—if we make it back alive, I, Negishi Kusanagi, will not treat you poorly.
I will use the rit from this mission to force my way into the inner circle. When that happens, you'll be my people. Resources, status, respect—you'll have it all."
He concluded solemnly, "But first, we have to live."
Standing in the crowd, Shisui watched the young man. He knew Negishi was lying—or rather, he was painting a "pie in the sky" to keep them motivated.
Talk of inner circles and status was a far-off dream. The imdiate problem was survival.
But Shisui didn't expose him. He needed soone exactly like this: ambitious, capable, disgruntled, and full of openings to be exploited.
Besides, with an "elite employee" like Shisui on the team, that "pie" might actually beco a reality.
"May I say sothing?" Shisui suddenly spoke up.
Negishi looked at him and nodded. Shisui stepped forward.
"The key to this mission is intelligence. We know nothing about the size of Konoha's border garrison, their strength, or their commander.
Charging in blindly is suicide." He looked at Negishi. "We need to scout first. Not the cannon fodder—us. We slip in, map the situation, and then decide how to strike."
Negishi's eyes brightened. "Can your sensing reach that far?"
"Yes," Shisui lied smoothly. "But I need to get close to the border and release my dragonfly to gather data. It's a slow process; I'll need three days."
In truth, Shisui already knew the border situation inside and out from his recent "errands." However, claiming he could map it in ten minutes would be far too suspicious.
"Good," Negishi decided. "You go first. The rest of us will wait for your signal."
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed. Claim early access on Patreon: Patreon/kazama677
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews ignite 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.
User Comments
0 comments from readers