Team 6 approached the target area as if not noticing Root and prepared for the mission but suddenly, a muffled clapping sound came from gloved hands, calling everyone to attention.
[The Aburame instructor that trained me in Root contacted me using one of our clan's secret methods.] The heavily clothed girl shakily signed.
'You truly lived up to my expectations, Shinka-chan. Glad you know who's worth your loyalty more." Shiki thought to himself.
While he did not know the specifics of the message or was able to intercept it, the boy's highly tuned sensory abilities caught traces of the kikaichu used in the transmission.
He had just been waiting to see if Shinka's loyalties were still divided and she tried to keep the information.
The Aburame had not hidden it and, as soon as they took distance from the Root squad, she revealed everything, showing she was committed to her teammates.
"What was the message?" Shiki asked.
[He gave me orders to make a mess and ensure that our identities are exposed but not go as far as risking our death or capture.] Shinka nervously signed.
"Maybe the Hokage really doesn't know about this one." The boy said out loud.
The whole thing seemed like Danzo's move, both advancing Konoha Intelligence's interests like Inori had previously deduced while rubbing some dirt on both Team 6 and the Hokage for the failure.
If Shiki suspected the Hokage of foul play, even better for the mastermind.
'Good 'ole Danzo. His plans do seem sound at first, most of the time anyways, but his ability to see long term consequences is always lacking.' Shiki thought to himself.
'What should I do in this situation?' The boy began pondering.
However, a certain someone that had been uncharacteristically quiet during the whole mission, suddenly spoke up.
"Just what the hell is going on!?" Uchiha Mei exploded with frustration.
She actually knew exactly what was going on, she simply did not want to acknowledge the reality that the Konoha authorities they were supposed to trust were once again using their team as disposable tools.
"Calm down Mei. In the end, shinobi life is the life of a tool, it is just that the tool handler this time is being unnecessarily rough." Shiki dismissively responded.
But while the bespectacled girl quieted down, her rage only burned brighter and her Sharingan involuntarily flared to life with ominous intensity.
[What should we do?] Shinka nervously signed a question.
"What we came here to do, complete the mission." That was the answer Shiki arrived at.
"Based on Shinka's orders, the observing Root squad likely won't be letting that go smoothly." Inori interjected.
'I was not informed of anything, looks like Danzo-sama no longer trusts me . . . Well, he is right that I no longer wish to germ mixed up in this kind of thing.' The Violet Rose pondered.
"No worries, I'll just kill them before we do the assassination." The boy casually said.
It chilled the other three.
Yes, they were mad, angry and disappointed with the village in various ways, each to varying degrees . . . but to kill other Konoha shinobi, even if they were from Root, that was an entirely different matter.
And the casual, disinterested way in which Shiki made his decision, it made all of them truly realize that Shiki did not see himself as a part of Konoha, at least not in the same way they themselves did.
His core values were different, too different, it was a strange, alienating feeling to finally realize that.
The boy calmly looked over them, pausing a bit on each one.
"No need to think that hard. I'll do it by myself, you can tell whoever you want when we get back to the village." He somewhat coldly declared.
"Get ready for the mission, I'll be back soon."
And, without another word, not even giving the girls a chance to talk, he vanished at a blinding speed only Mei's Sharingan could barely track, but he quickly moved out of her sight as well and truly vanished.
*
Shiki expressionlessly made his way closer to the Root squad, Kukyoshin perfectly hiding any traces of his approach.
He was not going to even let it become a battle.
It will be an instantaneous slaughter and the ominous bluish black chakra beginning to coil around the boy was the omen of the coming death.
*
Within a small clearing, three black cloaked and masked Root shinobi calmly discussed the situation.
"Are you sure the girl will follow through, Ka?" One of them, larger and burlier than his companions, asked.
Ka was the codename of the Aburame Shinka referred to.
"She will, Ushi, as a young prodigy of our clan, she has been properly educated from birth." He responded, his confidence perhaps a bit misplaced.
"And if she doesn't?" Ushi continued to question, clearly not trusting Shinka's reliability and considering reality, he was right not to.
"Then we will complete Danzo-sama's assignment ourselves before reporting her failings." The third shinobi, a woman of the Yamanaka clan wearing a cat mask, interjected.
"Can you sense them Neko?" Ushi asked.
"If I even try, that woman and the brat will definitely notice me, we should move close to the town and prepare." Neko replied.
The other two nodded in agreement and prepared to move . . .
But they would never get the chance.
A dark flash surged towards them with unreactable speed and a storm of chakra claws followed.
Ka and Neko were torn to pieces immediately, only Ushi, as a taijutsu shinobi, had the speed and durability to survive the onslaught.
Alas, several deep claw marks marred his flesh.
The black cloak he wore had been torn asunder and his Anbu uniform beneath, the grey flak vest and black garments, were all soaking in his leaking blood.
Several key muscles had been severed, Ushi survived the first assault but completely lost the ability to resist any follow up.
Still, he was the only one that got to see the cause of his death.
Standing at over three meters tall and lined with extremely dense wiry musculature, a black furred werewolf with a luminescent blue mane that split into countless chakra draining tentacles.
Even Ushi, lacking the sense of self preservation like all self sacrificing members of Danzo's Root, could do nothing but freeze in terror at the powerful and menacing chakra cladding the monster before him.
Palpable bloodthirst assailed the man but, before he could react further, the werewolf lunged and tore him apart.
Needless to say, this was Shiki's hybrid form drawing upon Roen's power to achieve a partial transformation.
Being a solid Elite Jonin in his base state, this form pushed the boy into Mid Kage Tier, the Root shinobi had never stood any chance, they were not even qualified to resist.
With mental focus and clarity, Shiki made the chakra composing his new form unravel around him before being re-absorbed into his body in a clear show of mastery over not only Roen's power, but his beastly instincts.
'Rather meager for a field test but successful nonetheless. I should head back to the team and get this mission over with.' The boy thought to himself.
He would never take another mission offered by the village which he did not personally select.
+++++
Hey, Author here!
To promote the novel I will be releasing BONUS CHAPTERS on SUNDAYS based on the previous week's power stone count.
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
500 Power Stones = 2 Bonus Chapters
1000 Power Stones = 3 Bonus Chapters
Every earned BONUS CHAPTER on Webnovel will also be posted on Scribble.
Just a reminder that you can read up to a FULL MONTH ahead of this site on pa-treon.
I'm trying to become a full time Author now and I'm not going to be starting any new novels just so I can make sure this one is properly completed.
Find those sweet advanced chapters on pa-treon.com/lusoba without the -