Night fell. The operation began.
They quickly reached the designated location.
Uchiha Kairen and his two comrades struck first—killing the two sentries perched in the trees in an instant. These guards were likely from the Anbu, but clearly of low rank. Then Kakuzu infiltrated the mansion grounds, moving swiftly toward the corner wall.
After eliminating the sentries, Kairen dashed for the rooftop, while the other two stormed into the courtyard, engaging the guards in close combat.
Kakuzu slew the guard at the wall corner as planned. He knew the three of them would buy him a little time to clear out the inner defenders, so without hesitation, he smashed through a window and unleashed a brutal slaughter.
A guard on the roof spotted the movement and was just about to send a flare when Kairen flashed forward.
"Light Release: Chain Step!"
It was a high-speed movement jutsu, channeling light chakra under his feet to propel himself forward—faster even than the Lightning Body Flicker.
"Secret Sword—First Sword!"
One slash cleaved both the man and the rooftop in half.
He dropped into the house below. Inside, Kakuzu was already locked in fierce battle with three ninja. The confined space wasn't ideal for ninjutsu—too great a risk of hitting an ally.
But "not ideal" didn't mean "impossible."
"Light Release: Chain Step!" Kairen lunged forward, a Rasengan forming in his hand—one strike blew a man apart. Then he sprinted toward Koharu Utatane, who was huddled in the corner of the room.
"Rasengan… Sharingan… You're Uchiha Kairen! Do you have any idea what you're doing? Are you trying to betray the village? Stop this foolishness right now! You'll bring ruin upon your family!" the old crone shrieked.
Kairen didn't even flinch.
"One-Sword Style: Godspeed!"
His sword flashed, aimed straight at her—yet just as it was about to connect, he shifted his grip. The blade didn't strike her, but tore through the wall beside her instead.
With a thunderous crash, the wall exploded open—blood splattered across it. A Root operative hidden there was cleaved in two.
"Who's left to save you now?" Kairen sneered. "There's no crowd here to hide behind."
He moved again before she could speak.
"Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
"Lightning Release: Ground Current!"
His sword drove her into the floor, paralyzing her body with lightning chakra.
He drew a handful of explosive tags and plastered them over her body—several more on her face. Then he shattered her jaw brace so she couldn't form words.
He broke her limbs, strung her up with ninja wire, and hurled a wire-tethered shuriken through the window, linking her corpse to the line outside—right where Kakuzu was finishing off the last of his targets.
The two quickly set about erasing evidence: crushing skulls, sealing the bodies with tags, wiring them together, and preparing for detonation. Within moments, they were gone.
Outside, the other two Uchiha had already finished their fights, arranged the tags, and cleaned up the site—but the noise from the brief battles had drawn the attention of nearby patrols and Anbu squads.
A loud explosion split the night—someone had triggered the trap. The entire mansion erupted into a firestorm, debris flying high into the air. Koharu Utatane was blown to pieces, her body shredded beyond recognition.
Watching the blaze from afar, Uchiha Kairen felt an overwhelming sense of clarity wash through him.
He and Kakuzu escaped alone using the same secret route. Afterward, Kairen handed over the payment and tossed the missing-nin a scroll.
"In here is intel on the Jinchūriki of Takigakure," he said calmly, "and the precise location of the Hero Water. I've always admired your professional ethics, Kakuzu. Until we meet again."
Without waiting for a response, Kairen turned and disappeared into the night—moving fast, wary of any sudden betrayal.
Kakuzu smirked. "Heh… interesting brat. Generous, too. Clients like that are rare. Maybe I should've just killed him earlier."
――――
Back in the village, one of Kairen's shadow clones had been moving around disguised as him, keeping up appearances. When the time came, he went to the main gate, swapped places with the real Kairen, then transformed into someone else and dispelled himself in a deserted spot.
Konoha was in chaos.
A senior advisor—former guardian of the Second Hokage, Koharu Utatane—had been assassinated. The ten ninja protecting her were all dead. The Anbu who rushed to assist triggered explosive traps and were blown to pieces. Even members of the Uchiha Police Force were injured—many lightly, one Anbu gravely.
Two successful assassinations of top officials in such a short span—by the same person—was a staggering blow. It was as if the village's entire intelligence and defense apparatus—Anbu, Root, the Police Force, all of them—had been slapped twice across the face in the exact same spot.
But none of that mattered to Kairen or his brothers.
They went to the cemetery. Kairen took a small rattle drum from his pocket, set it before the grave, and whispered,
"Big brother has avenged you now. Rest easy. As for those shameless old bastards at the top… I'll kill them all, one by one."
Uchiha Honō spoke quietly, "The biggest loose end is Kakuzu."
Uchiha Retsu replied, "He's just a black-market missing-nin. Even if he talked, it proves nothing. The higher-ups already hate us—they'll just say we're spreading lies."
"Exactly," Kairen said. "So to clear suspicion, we'll just have to earn ourselves some good merit. Lots of it."
He stood up and clapped a hand on each of their shoulders. "Let's go. This is only the beginning."
――――
Back home, his mother was cooking lunch. His father was already out. She came out when she heard him enter.
"Take off your outer robe," she said. "I'll wash it. Go bathe and change. You smell like smoke and sweat."
She ran a hand through his hair and smiled faintly. "You've grown. You can handle big things now. Your sister would be proud. Go on—wash up."
She picked up his clothes and left in a hurry.
Watching her walk away, Kairen felt warmth spread in his chest. There's still someone at home who supports me. That's enough.
Keeping such a secret from family was painful—but knowing his mother stood with him made it bearable. He laughed quietly to himself and went to shower.
After lunch, Kairen headed out again. He and his two brothers had agreed to rack up some military credit—to "shine" for the clan.
In his patrol sector, everything seemed calm—too calm. Unlike other areas buzzing with activity, this part of the village was relaxed, even cheerful.
When people saw him pass, they smiled and greeted him warmly.
Uchiha Kaze approached and whispered, "I'm sure you've heard about last night. Other sectors are crawling with inspections, but not ours. After that last cleanup op you led, all the troublemakers got pushed out. The guys say you've got real foresight."
Kairen chuckled. "Heh. Sorry to disappoint, but Honō and Retsu and I are planning to pull a squad each from our divisions to reinforce the others. Rotating duty system."