Yagami used the Earth Style Technique to sink into the ground, carrying the maid's corpse as he tunneled out from the estate.
In a narrow alley of Kyoto, he found White sheep's team by the prearranged signal.
When Yagami dropped the body at their feet, White sheep immediately bent to inspect it.
"It's a shinobi," he said after a moment. "Well-trained—at least chūnin level."
Yagami nodded.
"I plan to use the hydro plant's groundbreaking ceremony to lure the target nobles outside Kyoto's walls."
"But there's a problem—inside the city, we're not the only ones. The Sand have agents here too, and so does the Hidden Stone."
"Ōnoki values intelligence more than anyone. His spies are scattered across the entire ninja world."
"If the hydro plant succeeds, the Land of Rivers won't need to rely on the Land of Earth's coal anymore. I've learned the Stone's agents are planning to sabotage the ceremony—and they'll ruin our plan in the process."
"White Sheep, your mission is to locate them and report back. I'll handle the cleanup."
Ram frowned. "Captain, our squad can handle the Stone spies. You should focus on the ceremony."
But Yagami shook his head. He'd seen those infiltrators in his previous life—each of them competent, dangerous.
"The Stone agents can't all be eliminated. If we kill them all, there'll be no chaos to cover our operation.
"But we can't leave too many alive either—or they'll destroy everything."
White Sheep nodded quickly. That delicate balance was something best left to the captain's judgment.
When Yagami returned to the estate, he found Chisa fast asleep from exhaustion.
He smiled faintly. She's tired too… I'll let her rest tonight.
Over the following days, Yagami spent his daylight hours perfecting the dam's designs and construction plans—and his nights… indulging in Chisa's transformation between refined intellect and untamed passion.
...
The day before the ceremony, Yagami and White Sheep's team went to inspect the coal power plant outside Kyoto.
Because of the coal shortage, the plant had already shut down. The smokestacks were cold, and the cooling towers silent.
Walking through the empty facility, Yagami felt the world's strange dissonance.
There were ninjas with supernatural powers—yet also power lines, turbines, and electric lamps born of science.
Most of the workers had gone home, leaving only a few engineers behind.
Following Sheep's intelligence, they moved through the dormitories and quietly killed four Stone spies.
"The rest can stay," Yagami said. "Enough to stir chaos, but not enough to wreck the plan completely."
"Come. Tomorrow, we finish the mission."
"Assassinating insubordinate nobles is one of the ANBU's highest-grade missions—we can't afford a single misstep. Spending half a month preparing is nothing. Don't you agree, White Sheep?"
Sheep gave a perfunctory nod.
Half a month? he thought wryly. You've just been hopelessly addicted to that woman with glasses.
Rumors had already spread through Kyoto. The daimyo's sister, Minister Koi Chisa, had fallen for the new Lord Kawachi.
Some even whispered that the unmarried minister might soon marry him.
...
The next morning, the groundbreaking ceremony began.
Many nobles gathered, and as Lord Kawachi, Yagami had made sure the two assassination targets—the Left Imperial Guard General and the Minister of the Palace—were present.
Chisa stood on the podium, wearing a form-fitting gown and her signature glasses, delivering an eloquent speech about the importance of the hydroelectric plant.
The wind from the valley swept through, lifting strands of her hair.
When a lock brushed across her face, she raised her delicate hand to tuck it behind her ear.
Yagami felt a pang of quiet regret.
After today, they might never meet again.
If we do… I hope it's as her protector, not her deceiver.
Life was always full of regret—especially for a shinobi.
Even more so for an ANBU who lived forever in the shadows.
...
Among the workers, four Stone spies suddenly leapt up.
"Kill Lord Kawachi! How dare he refuse the Land of Earth's coal! Kawachi must die!"
"Earth Style: Rock Iron Cannon!"
Chunks of stone shot through the air toward Yagami.
Chisa reacted instantly—her slim frame hiding surprising strength.
She drew her thin sword and stepped forward, slashing apart the incoming stones with a few precise strikes.
Yagami thought to himself, If she were truly as delicate as she looks, she wouldn't have lasted over an hour last night…
When Chisa saw the stones shatter, she sighed in relief and turned to pull Mikome to safety—but froze.
He was gone.
Her gaze darted around—then she saw him putting on a mask.
That mask…
The ANBU?
And the forehead plate—engraved with the symbol of the Hidden Rain Village.
Rain ANBU?
Yagami and White Sheep's team had prepared those masks in advance, each one carved with the Rain symbol to divert suspicion.
Yagami had already briefed Sheep on the nobles' defenses, allowing the squad to allocate their explosive tags with surgical precision—especially targeting the Sand escorts.
In the chaos, Yagami drew his blade and vanished into the smoke.
When the haze cleared, both the Left Imperial Guard General and the Minister of the Palace lay dead—throats slit cleanly, blood still spraying from the wounds.
Yagami gave a short wave.
"Withdraw. Back to the Land of Rain."
He'd just turned when a cry echoed behind him.
"Mikomi! Who are you?! Don't go!"
He didn't slow down.
Chisa abandoned the ceremony, chasing after him desperately.
White Sheep noticed his captain's pace slacken.
That's strange, he thought. The captain's faster than this—especially when escaping.
Yagami kept glancing back, watching Chisa struggle to catch up—until her legs gave out and she nearly collapsed.
He stopped beside the river.
"Take the squad and go," he told Ram quietly. "I'll deal with the loose end."
White Sheep glanced back at the crying woman in the distance—the Minister of Finance herself—and then turned away.
Poor woman, he thought. She doesn't even know if the man she loves ever meant it.
In that sense, the women of the Aburame clan have it easier. They can tell whether a man's feelings are real—our symbiotic insects react instinctively to the truth.
A man can lie with his mouth, but not with his hormones.
Sheep's thoughts drifted to Aburame Chima.
Their insects had merged so perfectly that he could no longer tell whose were whose.
He used to resent her constant presence—but now that she was gone, he found himself remembering her more and more.
...
Yagami stood across the river, waiting as Chisa stumbled to the opposite bank.
They faced each other across the flowing water.
Tears clung to the corners of her eyes, reddening them like faint pink eyeshadow.
Clenching her fists, she shouted between ragged breaths:
"Mikomi! Who are you really?! Why did you lie to me?!"
Yagami said nothing for a moment—then replied quietly,
"Miss Chisa, there's one thing I never lied about."
"The hydro plant's designs are real. The construction plan is real. And the method of harnessing your country's canyon rivers for power—that's real too."
"Protect the plant well. Consider it my final gift to you."
"Goodbye, Miss Chisa."
He raised his hand, formed the seal for the Body Flicker Technique—
and vanished into the mist.
***
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