The notice for Tōma's second mission took longer than expected.
This time, it wasn't a task assigned directly from above. It was one Tenzo had personally selected.
Tōma understood immediately.The delay wasn't bureaucratic. It was concern.
Tenzo was worried he hadn't fully recovered yet.
Tōma didn't say anything about it, but he remembered the gesture.
"Captain," Tōma greeted as he arrived at the rendezvous point.
"Inkshadow. First again," Tenzo said, studying him closely. His eyes lit up a little. "You look better."
"I'm fine now."
That answer eased something in Tenzo's chest. At least he hadn't pushed a genius down the wrong road.
"…And yes," Tenzo added after a pause, "you really are fast."
That wasn't flattery. At this point, Tōma's raw movement speed was already edging past his own.
Hyena and Fox arrived soon after and looked over the mission briefing.
Compared to the previous assignment, this one was far more reasonable.
The target was a rogue shinobi. A Konoha chūnin who had recently defected after killing a teammate and stealing a scroll. He was injured and unlikely to move quickly.
Clearly, this mission was still meant to ease Tōma along.
Neither Hyena nor Fox objected.
"Move out," Tenzo ordered.
The second mission began.
As they traveled, Tōma stayed quiet, following behind.
He understood Tenzo's intentions. He appreciated them.But they didn't align with his own goal.
He hadn't joined ANBU to farm safe missions. He was here to sharpen himself. To gain real combat experience.
Gradually increasing difficulty made sense for most rookies.
For him, it was wasted time.
The first mission had been unavoidable. He needed to cross that line. Even if the scale had been… excessive.
Before that night, every time he thought about killing, his thoughts had stalled. Not fear. Uncertainty.Could I really do it?
Afterward, even he'd been unsettled by how decisively he'd acted.
But now?
He'd adjusted.
Which meant this mission was no longer necessary training.
If I don't want to keep wasting time… then I need to show it.
Tōma's eyes narrowed slightly as he made his decision.
The target was confirmed soon after. Tenzo coordinated with other scouting units and led the team in pursuit.
As expected, the rogue shinobi hadn't gone far. He'd prioritized treating his wounds first.
A terrible decision, Tōma thought. Running while injured is risky, but stopping completely? That's asking to die.
Tenzo began explaining the engagement plan.
Just as predicted, Tōma would strike first, with Hyena supporting from the flank.
"Understood," Hyena replied.
"Understood," Tōma said as well.
He had no intention of contradicting his captain out loud.
Then—
Tenzo noticed something strange.
A kunai appeared in Tōma's hand.Thin arcs of lightning crawled along his forearm.
"Inkshadow—?"
Too late.
The kunai left Tōma's hand in a blur.
Hyena and Fox both stiffened in disbelief.
Why was he acting so rashly? Last mission he'd been flawless. Calm. Precise.Now he was charging in without waiting?
Was this impatience? Arrogance?
So that's it…For a brief moment, disappointment crept into all three of them.
And then—
Tōma vanished.
Not a burst of speed. Not a Body Flicker.
He was simply gone.
"What—?!"Tenzo's eyes widened. He hadn't sensed anything. No chakra displacement. No movement.
All three of them snapped their attention toward the rogue shinobi.
The defector was sprinting along the road, panic gnawing at him.
Killed one guy and stole a scroll and they found me this fast?Damn it… I should've left immediately.
A faint whistling sound cut through the air. Thunder followed.
"Already?!" he snarled, twisting aside.
Too slow.
The kunai grazed his cheek, tearing flesh and sending him tumbling across the ground.
But before he could even push himself up—
A shadow stood above him.
A masked shinobi. Sword already drawn.
When did he—?
The blade fell.
No seals. No hesitation.
The head rolled free.
Tōma stood still for a moment, eyes scanning the corpse.
No substitution. No last trick.
Confirmed.
Only then did he turn his gaze toward the direction where Tenzo's team was hidden.
From their vantage point, they'd witnessed the entire exchange.
And none of them could process it.
Moments ago, Tōma had been standing beside them.
Now the rogue shinobi was dead.
Silence followed.
Any trace of disappointment was long gone.
What remained was shock.
And a single, unspoken question echoing in all three minds:
What… exactly did we just see?